Pride of Acadiana

[SouthlandPride]

_ It is insulting to have a live band and all that canned music playing. It's embarrassing. When time is so limited, there aren't many opportunities to pay more than the standard fare. _

I love Band music in the stands it excites the crowd and brings the noise out of the crowd to give that home field advantage to our guys when they need it.

What really kinda embarrasses me is when we have visiting bands, like the OSU game. In *my* experience their little 20-30 piece group, that made trip to our beloved swamp, played more often than our POA did, it seemed.

Now if we are restricted in our playing time that sucks because it sure seems like the visiting bands either dont know the "rules" or they dont care.

[Turbine]

I propose we break up the band.

Call one half Louis and the other half Ana. Louis can play home side and Ana can play student side Red Zone. You have a designated "I" band member or members roaming the stands (or sidelines) jazzing it up.

When the opponent brings their own band LOUIS "I" ANA combine forces and kick some wind.

UL Alumni band members can pick their team.

[SouthlandPride]

That's quite comical. The I band would be interesting. lol. Make you feel like you're at the dome.

[California Cajun]

_ I love Band music in the stands it excites the crowd and brings the noise out of the crowd to give that home field advantage to our guys when they need it.

What really kinda embarrasses me is when we have visiting bands, like the OSU game. In *my* experience their little 20-30 piece group, that made trip to our beloved swamp, played more often than our POA did, it seemed.

Now if we are restricted in our playing time that sucks because it sure seems like the visiting bands either dont know the "rules" or they dont care. _

That's the point I have been trying to make. The band is restricted. There is no incentive to join the band, because it isn't allowed to be a major college band. Dr. Taylor told me that it is dictated to the band when they can play.

Imagine going to a nightclub where there is a live band seated on stage, and having them sit, sit, and sit some more while recorded music is being piped in. Who'd want to be in that band, even if they were paid? People are looking at you all evening long and wondering why you aren't doing anything. This is embarrassing. This is humiliating.

If an Oklahoma State student who is a band member transferred to UL, how long do you think he would stay in the UL band under these circumstances?

Another thing they have done is take the loudspeaker away from the cheerleaders. I may be a middle-aged person, but in my day cheerleaders were an integral part of the game.

They need to fix up the old scoreboard to handle announcements, sponsorships, etc., and give us our game back.

If you agree with me, then.......Every body clap your hands x-x-x-x-x, wiggle your butt a little...stand in one spot, do the cha-cha...e-mail the Athletic Departmentx-x-x-x-x-x-x...tell them this stuff has got to stop.....x-x-x-x-x-x

[Rebel02]

This is what happens when you try to market a sporting event as a "family event" instead of as a sporting event. Make it a sporting event again and take out most of the advertisements and fans will find it more enjoyable.

Also wouldn't hurt to put a better product on the field.


igeaux.mobi

[cajunsjmt]

If the band is struggling so much in the funds department than how are they affording to go on a trip out of the country during the break? Also, if they are so worried about performing then why did they not go to one of the pep rallies during Homecoming and weren't at the exhibition basketball game on Tuesday night?

[Cajunbander]

_ If the band is struggling so much in the funds department than how are they affording to go on a trip out of the country during the break? Also, if they are so worried about performing then why did they not go to one of the pep rallies during Homecoming and weren't at the exhibition basketball game on Tuesday night? _

The students are paying to go on the trip to Spain. I couldn't tell you why they missed one of the Homecoming pep rallies, which one was it? There was probably a reason.

The reason they didn't go to the exhibition game Tuesday night was because the basketball band had only met once. The marching band had to practice all it could for Showcase this weekend, so the basketball band got together for the first time of the season Monday. Since it was the first time they met, and because there are new members in it, most of the meeting was explaining the logistics. They only got to practice for maybe 30 minutes. With new members and new songs, they needed more than just 30 minutes to be ready for a basketball game. They practiced Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the time the marching band usually practices (since the marching band didn't need to meet.) They'll be there Friday night, and they'll be at every game until the tournament is over with (except the games during the winter break when the alumni band plays).

After paying every member in band either a tuition stipend or housing stipend, the band has to pay its graduate assistants, they have to rent two Ryder trucks for every game, they have to rent buses to go to the ULM game, they have to pay for shirts and athletic shorts for every student in band, they have to pay for instrument upkeep as well as uniform upkeep. The uniforms aren't that old, but they still require upkeep. (They're only about 10 years old. Somebody said that they're so old that they were made with USL and the S had to be painted out. That's true, but only because the uniforms were bought and received right before the name change.)

It takes a lot of money to keep the band afloat. Its money that students don't want to pay. (A lot of the money comes from student self assessed fees.)

[SMD7636]

I agree that the Pride of Acadiana should have changed it's name to the Pride of Louisiana when the school did. How can we make this official?

[CajunsHat]

As a former pride member myself, I don't like the name pride of louisiana. I don't like what the band does during games either, but PA announcements suck and so does DJ music, but nothing will change until they have more funds and more support to be an actual football game band and not just a large pep band at football games. I would rather hear fight song over and over again over that dammmmned ESPN song. But what do I know?

But back to the name...pride of acadiana just feels better to me. Sorry!


igeaux.mobi

[HoustonCajun]

_ As a former pride member myself, I don't like the name pride of louisiana. I don't like what the band does during games either, but PA announcements suck and so does DJ music, but nothing will change until they have more funds and more support to be an actual football game band and not just a large pep band at football games. I would rather hear fight song over and over again over that dammmmned ESPN song. But what do I know?

But back to the name...pride of acadiana just feels better to me. Sorry!


igeaux.mobi _

JMO, but IF we were Acadiana University, the Pride of Acadiana would make sense. Acadiana in nowhere to be found in our name. We are the University of Louisiana. Why should our band's name be anything but the Pride of Louisiana?

[CrazyCajun]

the human jukebox might have something to say about that!! j/k

[California Cajun]

_ As a former pride member myself, I don't like the name pride of louisiana. I don't like what the band does during games either, but PA announcements suck and so does DJ music, but nothing will change until they have more funds and more support to be an actual football game band and not just a large pep band at football games. I would rather hear fight song over and over again over that dammmmned ESPN song. But what do I know?

But back to the name...pride of acadiana just feels better to me. Sorry!


igeaux.mobi _

I am a former pride member myself and, in fact, when I was a student the school was known as USL.

But I am concerned that the band is half the size that it was when I was there and like you said, the band has been "benched" to a large degree in favor of other things that cast a negative light on the band. I think things have to change to attract more members, and I also think that it would be helpful for the band to change its nickname from a regional tag to one that suggests it's larger in size and scope for the same reason the university itself did.

I've come to the conclusion that while it is our alma mater, it's not about us as much as it is about attracting a new generation of band members and followers to carry on the tradition. You need to be open to new ideas in order to adjust to changing needs.