As every Aggie knows, football games aren’t just about football.
What happens during the halftime of a Fightin’ Texas Aggie football game can be just as phenomenal as watching 22 helmets collide on Kyle Field. Aggieland residents already boast of the formations at the north end of field, but now they can share their opinion with the rest of the country.
The NCAA’s online “Battle of the Bands” contest aims to decide which university band can hold the title of “best halftime show” for the 2012 football season. Six bands have been chosen, each with its own unique traditions and difficult maneuvers, and online polling will decide the winner.
“The presence of the Aggie Band at a [football game] has a huge impact,” said Peter Schneider, senior kinesiology major and executive officer of C-Company, a band outfit. “Aggie football wouldn’t be the same without it.”
Schneider said the Aggie Band represents the “true essence” of a college band because it plays a direct role in the stadium atmosphere and gameplay. Schneider said few other bands can claim the ability to make more than 70,000 students stand up, chant and sway, boosting morale both in the stands and on the field.
For Alexandra Gonzalez, junior agribusiness major, the long-standing traditions of the largest military band in the country, coupled with the difficult formations, make the Aggie Band stand above others.
“The Aggie Band’s precision, military history and ability to maneuver in ways that seem virtually impossible are what make it the best in the country,” Gonzalez said. “I’ll never know how they do those crazy maneuvers, but they amaze me every time.”