The Marching 110 obtained new uniforms during the 2013 season, which has made for a cleaner image.
Marching in style took a new meaning for Ohio University’s Marching 110 during the 2013-14 season.
The style of the uniforms has been the same since 1967, when the band shifted from an Ivy League-style to a modern marching uniform style. And while the band received new uniforms in 2013, Josh Boyer, the assistant director of the 110, said the design changes were small and for comfort.
“I think overall the band’s image got so much better (after receiving new uniforms) because we looked cleaner and more polished than we did,” Boyer said.
The people who had uniforms with broken zippers or buttons were even more excited, Johanna Ward, a senior studying communication science disorders and a clarinet player in the 110, said because they were finally able to march comfortably.
“Especially for people who had uniforms that wouldn’t zip or buttons that wouldn’t snap, they were like, ‘I don’t have to be pinned into my jacket anymore. Yay!’ ” Johanna Ward, a senior studying communication science disorders and a clarinet player in the 110, said. “It was really exciting time.”
Uniforms are expected to last for around 10 years, but Boyer said the 110 had the same uniform for 15.
The band spent between $130,000 and $140,000 to purchase a new set of 300 uniforms, Boyer said. Part of the finances came from donations and fundraising, but the university paid for the rest of the amounted.
“There is a uniform account that alumni can donate to,” Boyer said. “Over the course of 15 years … it wasn’t enough to pay for the whole set.”
Dylan Chase, a senior studying music education and trombone performance, said his uniform, especially the pants, didn’t fit well his freshman year because there weren’t any options available.
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“You had to take duct tape and tape the suspenders together in the back so they wouldn’t fall down,” he said.
The pants now rise up higher, which Chase said makes it easier for the pants and suspenders to stay on properly. And because the uniform fits, he said there is a difference with performing.
“It’s way easier,” Chase said. “It doesn’t feel like everything is going to fall off of me because it’s too big.”
Ward said her uniform freshman year had a broken zipper. And when it couldn’t be fixed with Chapstick, she said she needed to be pinned into her uniform until something more fitting could come along.
Because the uniforms are special to the band and to past members, the old uniforms were turned into decorative pillows for the alumni to purchase, Chase said.
To prevent the band from needing an entire set of new uniforms at one time, Boyer said the band tries to buy 15 to 20 new uniforms every year with the 110’s base money.
Ward, the band’s uniform chair, said ever since the band got new uniforms it has been reiterated to treat them properly.
“We try to ingrain it in their minds to treat it with respect,” she said. “It’s a part of you, and it’s a part of this band.”
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