Ohio University's Marching 110 planned practice location at Peggy Pruitt Field will be closer and a more convenient location for the band, say OU administrators and the band's director.
It came out of need. We'd been using a space
which was inadequate said Charles McWeeny, interim dean of the College of Fine Arts.
The 205 members of Marching 110 will start using Pruitt Field for practice in the fall. This new permanent home is on West Green behind The Convo and near the Bob Wren Stadium. For the past two years, the band has practiced on a field next to Lucky Dog Carry Out and Drive Thru, 309 W. Union St.
Plans to move the band's practice were announced this past Wednesday.
A university committee examined several locations for Marching 110's practice field, including the rugby fields and a location on West State Street, McWeeny said. Pruitt Field was chosen because of its central campus location, he said.
Lights costing $185,000 will be installed this summer, according to an OU Communications and Marketing news release. The lights will facilitate 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. practices for the Marching 110, as well as other events, said Kirby Hocutt, director of athletics.
Without lights, Pruitt Field cannot be used for evening practices or competitions for the Marching 110 or the several athletic teams that use the field, Hocutt said.
It will benefit both athletics and Marching 110 he said of the lights, which are being paid for with university reserves.
Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation departments are working to schedule practice time for women's field hockey and women's lacrosse, as well as the intramural and club teams that currently use Pruitt Field.
We're going to schedule field hockey and lacrosse around 110's practices
Hocutt said.
Pruitt Field's central location will be an advantage for Marching 110 since the band has had to carpool in the past to get to practice, said Richard Suk, the band's director.
I'll be happy to get back on campus
he said. We don't have to worry about the logistics of getting a band where most members don't drive over to practice every day.
The band also will benefit from Pruitt Field's AstroTurf, Suk said.
Artificial turf is good
said Nick Parsons, a senior and a member of Marching 110 for four years. We put a lot of wear and tear in a field.
Ohio University's Marching 110 was started in 1923, but its hard-driving
high-energy style of today was not introduced until 1976, according to Marching 110's Web site. Since then, the band has brought recognition to OU by becoming the first marching band to play at Carnegie Hall in New York, performing at Bill Clinton's inaugural ball and playing in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2000 and leading the parade in 2005.
Giving Marching 110 a permanent practice field is a great example of university constituents working together for a common good
Hocutt said.
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