You had me at free travel.
Going to football and basketball games, having a band family, and most of all getting to play music are all great reasons to join a band... But when they say free travel, you better sign that piece of paper immediately. Okay, so the travel wasn't the deciding factor on why I would join the UC Bearcat Bands, but it definitely caught my attention.
All the hard work of my first college-level marching band season paid off when our Bearcats ended up going to the Liberty bowl. I would get to go to Memphis, Tennessee for the first time ever. The trip fell over New Years Eve so not only would I be going on a trip, I would get to ring in the new year with my band family.
After a long bus ride, we finally made it to Memphis. The city was small, but had it's own beauty to it. I was very sad to find that we wouldn't be staying close to town. BUT our distance meant that whenever we had to transport the band, we had our own personal police escort. Needless to say, that was a cool experience.
After my very first "Battle of the Bands" the bearcats were set loose on Beale Street. It was pretty cool even though I wasn't 21 yet. I guess I'll have to return some day when I cam to enjoy that aspect. My group found a BBQ restaurant to go to and boy was the food delicious, or what? YUM.
The next day was GAME DAY! I have always loved game day in Cincinnati, and being the home team for game day in Memphis was just as cool! Our performance went well and I got to experience a new football stadium. And to top it all off, the Bearcats won!
After returning to the hotel to calm down and change out of our uniforms, I traveled with a group to a burger joint that I sadly cannot recall the name of because they're burgers were sublime.
All in all, it was a great trip and a great way to round out the year. Seeing the bearcats win their bowl game and celebrating New Years with new friends in a different time zone was the best experience a girl could ask for when she was a shy, freshman in college.
Going to football and basketball games, having a band family, and most of all getting to play music are all great reasons to join a band... But when they say free travel, you better sign that piece of paper immediately. Okay, so the travel wasn't the deciding factor on why I would join the UC Bearcat Bands, but it definitely caught my attention.
All the hard work of my first college-level marching band season paid off when our Bearcats ended up going to the Liberty bowl. I would get to go to Memphis, Tennessee for the first time ever. The trip fell over New Years Eve so not only would I be going on a trip, I would get to ring in the new year with my band family.
After a long bus ride, we finally made it to Memphis. The city was small, but had it's own beauty to it. I was very sad to find that we wouldn't be staying close to town. BUT our distance meant that whenever we had to transport the band, we had our own personal police escort. Needless to say, that was a cool experience.
After my very first "Battle of the Bands" the bearcats were set loose on Beale Street. It was pretty cool even though I wasn't 21 yet. I guess I'll have to return some day when I cam to enjoy that aspect. My group found a BBQ restaurant to go to and boy was the food delicious, or what? YUM.
The next day was GAME DAY! I have always loved game day in Cincinnati, and being the home team for game day in Memphis was just as cool! Our performance went well and I got to experience a new football stadium. And to top it all off, the Bearcats won!
After returning to the hotel to calm down and change out of our uniforms, I traveled with a group to a burger joint that I sadly cannot recall the name of because they're burgers were sublime.
All in all, it was a great trip and a great way to round out the year. Seeing the bearcats win their bowl game and celebrating New Years with new friends in a different time zone was the best experience a girl could ask for when she was a shy, freshman in college.