Ohio University’s Marching 110 wants to take the tone of its rousing performances up a notch — with shiny new uniforms.
Members of the marching band hope to raise money for about 300 new uniforms to replace their current ones, which have been around since 1998.
“(The uniforms) have been used so many times, they’re not in great shape,” said Richard Suk, director of the Marching 110.
Suk and the band members began petitioning for the uniforms in September, before the Marching 110’s performance of “Party Rock Anthem” went viral and was featured on CNN, ESPN and many other news outlets.
“We’ve been getting 12 uniforms here and there, and what has happened is we’ve had different shades of white and green, and we decided to take care of that so they’re all bright and light and new again,” Suk said.
The uniform style will stay the same, but the new uniforms will have slightly different colors, he said. Each uniform costs $500, so the band needs to raise $150,000.
“Hopefully (this will lead to) a crisper, cleaner look for the band,” Suk said. “We perform for a lot of people. We want to create the best impression we can to our audience.”
The Ohio University Foundation has committed to help the Marching 110 raise money for the uniforms.
“This is desperately needed,” said Bryan Benchoff, vice president for University Advancement and president and CEO of the Ohio University Foundation. “The foundation is going to get that done.”
At the last Ohio University Foundation Board of Trustees meeting, several trustees committed to pay for a uniform.
“It’s hard not to support something as worthy as that,” Benchoff said.
Members of the Marching 110 said they are excited about the possibility of new uniforms.
Freshman trumpet player Rebecca Bayman, who is studying organizational communication, said some of the capes on the current uniforms have burn holes and iron marks, and their tassels are of varying lengths.
There are also mismatched buttons on some of them, and the green and white tones vary among uniforms, she said.
“I’m excited about getting new uniforms,” Bayman said. “It should be a positive look on both our past and our future for the 110.”
ao530410@ohiou.edu
