GC&SU Pep Band brings its A-game

The GC&SU Pep Band returns to the sideline this basketball season after missing all of last year’s games due to scheduling conflicts.

“The Jazz Band and Concert Band had concerts during home games and the Peach Belt Competition last year,” Pep Band advisor Todd Shiver said. “The Jazz Band had a concert in West Palm Beach, Florida during the basketball season and the Concert Band had a concert the weekend of the competition last year.”

The Pep Band has been around since 1991 and has placed first in the Peach Belt Conference Pep Band contest 10 out of the 12 years they have been enrolled. They were only defeated by Columbus State and North Florida. Last Year was the first year the band did not participate in the competition.

“Playing for the school is a pride factor for us. Basketball is our football at Georgia College,” Shiver said. “We are there to support and provide spirit for the team. We are representatives of the school.”

Shiver, also associate professor of music and director of the Concert Band, was the main pioneer of the Pep Band. Shiver, along with the help of former athletic director Mike Peeler, arranged for there to be a pep band for the basketball team.

“I thought it was funny that there was no connection with the athletic and music department when I came to the school,” Shiver said. “I talked to Dr. Peeler and we made it happen.”

The Pep Band is more associated with the Athletic Department than the Music department. The band is a student run organization and is fully funded by the Athletic Department. The Band has 20 players and is led by senior music major Corey Tanner. This year band is filled with both new and old members.

“Half of the group has done it before and half of them are new,” Shiver said.

When the Pep Band plays in home games there are certain rules they must abide by. The band is not allowed to play while the ball is in motion. If the band does not follow the rules the referee will warn them and then if problems continue he will give the basketball team a technical foul.

“Sometimes the band gets really into the game,” Shiver said. “One time, a player from the opposing team ran up to a player in the stands for heckling.”

The band plays a little bit of everything. Their play list ranges from modern hits to older tunes such as Louie Louie. Give Me Some Lovin’ is always the first song of the evening played by the band. Freshman trumpet player Ryan Greene really likes playing the Rocky theme song during the games.

“Rocky gets me motivated,” Greene said. “If I am motivated, and I am in the band, then surely the team has to be motivated.”

Tanner talked to the people in the band and formulated the play list. He ordered some new tunes this year to play at the games.

“The band is good motivation for the team. We are cheerleaders with horns,” Tanner said. “We call out the names of the players to cheer them on. We make noise if they lose or win.”

The Peach Belt Conference Pep Band competition will be held this year at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina in the beginning of March. The band has bitter ties in Greenwood because it is the first place they lost at.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 20 2006. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry