A sea of scarlet-and-gray clad football fans, parted by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, made way for the Streetsboro High School Marching Band as it marched in cadence into St. John Arena to perform at The Ohio State University "skull session" Oct. 13.
The "skull session," a combination pre-game pep rally and band show, takes place before every Ohio State University home football game. The performance features the Ohio State University Marching Band, the visiting team's marching band.
Just one band from among Ohio's approximately 800 high schools is invited to participate in a "Skull Session" each week. The mission given to the high school band is to warm up the crowd prior to the arrival of the OSU Marching Band, the Buckeye Football Team and Coach Jim Tressel. This year, Streetsboro's Rocket Band is just one of six high school bands to earn this opportunity and recognition.
The Streetsboro High School Marching Band marched into St. John Arena with 92 instrumentalists and eight auxiliary corpsmen to roaring applause about three hours before game time Oct. 13.
When the Marching Rockets finished performing, only a few seats near the St. John Arena rafters remained.
Band members reported to Streetsboro High School at 4 a.m. for the trip to Columbus and were on the road for about three hours.
Many family members, students and others in the Streetsboro community made the 140-mile predawn drive from Streetsboro to The OSU campus.
"The Horse," a favorite of Streetsboro fans, led off the performance.
The band's "Horse" acrobatics, dances and percussion section handstands were modified just a bit to accommodate the conditions at St. John Arena. The near capacity crowd applauded the band when it finished performing "The Horse."
For about the next hour, the band performed its halftime music and other fan favorites.
OSU band parents, music enthusiasts, and, of course, Buckeye football fans comprised most of the audience that converged on Columbus for "skull session."
The Rocket Band was commended for its musicianship and showmanship by many in the audience. Many spectators attended just to see the band and did not have game tickets.
Earlier this year, the Rocket Band performed at the Mogadore and Lakewood band shows. In the spring, the band will travel to perform at Cape Canaveral and Disney World in Florida.
For more information about the Marching Rockets, call Streetsboro High School at 330-626-4902.