Robert Pohl writes:
 
> I was told, although I have no confirmation on this, that the NCAA rule
> book states that after a second band infraction, a member of the pep band
> must go to the penalty box.  I'm sure what they *meant* was that a member of
> the team must sit out the penalty, but that (according to legend) is not what
> it *says*.  Some time long ago, this rule was applied to the CU pep band, and
> we, too, offered to send our tubas to the box.  (What is it with tubas,
> anyway?)
 
Hmmm, I'd've thought the rule would've read that a member of the Pep Band's
Hockey Team must go to the penalty box.
 
Why does it always seem to be Tubas?  Well, from knowing a few (too many) Tuba
players in my day, all of them were a little deranged in the right sort of way.
Of course, the next most deranged people were always the drummers.  I think
it's because its usually the Tuba players who start most of the cheers
(esp the infamous "BU" cheer:  You know, the one that end with LET'S GO RED!).
 
While Ted Weiler writes:
 
> I think that things have most definately changed. From your description, the
> Band sounds like some kind of bratty kid that doesn't like competition.
> The modern Band is different. We want the competition, especially at our
> rink. Only one band has made the trip north to face us, and that was Brown.
 
Please don't misread what I wrote.  I said the ARENA manager, not the BAND
manager, came running up to us and threatened to throw us out.  I've never
ever in any of my travels seen Pep Bands (even competing ones) have anything
other than good natured fun with each other.  (unlike some FANs.)  We used to
have a lot of fun with the Cornell Band (or was it them having fun with us?),
and the Brown Band was definitely rated -R.  Yes, they skated between periods
of one game at RPI, and stripped to their long johns while on the ice playing!
 
Clarkson has always had one of the best bands to have fun with.  It turns out
their Band manager found out about our incident, and the next year, they
arranged a trip to RPI.  We got along so well together, that we invited them to
join us during the second period.  (They were sitting in the stands, we were
seated on a stage behind one of the goals.)  Ah, the power of 2 when we played
some combined tunes during the second intermission!  But alas, I'm told that
RPI no longer allows the Band to use that stage.  They have to sit in the
stands now too.  And there is nothing worse than taking up 2 seats with a bass
drum (unless it's taking up 3 or 4 with Timp-Toms).  And no fans want the drum
section sat anywhere's near them, never mind the rest of the Band!   Gasp!
 
> We have taken over many a rink (for example: Dartmouth, Vermont, RPI, and
> even Harvard (with only 20 members no less)).
 
It doesn't surprise me about Harvard at all.  I went to an RPI game at Harvard
right after they opened the new arena.  The Harvard Band was good, but very
small (read this as not very loud), and you'd never know it was a Harvard
home game.  The RPI fans (lots of alums in the Greater Boston Area) were louder
than the Harvard fans!  You'd expect more from a consistently good school.
I just guess that the Harvard students just aren't into sports.  Not like
Cornell anyways (I used to dread going there!).
 
Now the worst place we went to was Colgate in 1979.  (yeah, I was an Alum then,
traveling with the Band.)  If it wasn't for a brother of a Grad student in the
band, we would have been attacked from beneath the stands by some rowdy Frats.
Fortunately at the time, no one noticed, and the attack failed miserably.
Three goons were climbing up the back of the stands trying to steal instrument
cases.  Fortunately, our goon climbed up after them and pulled them down.
They fell about 8 feet to the floor, and didn't try that again!
 
 
 
But I digress!  This is about Hockey, not Pep Bands.  Good luck to Clarkson!
Represent the ECAC well, because Cornell won't survive the first round.