Different beat Friday, August 28, 2020
The Cowboy marching band is adjusting to various new protocols during the COVID-19 era
Photos by Alicia Young
The woodwinds divide into sections to practice during the Oklahoma State University’s Cowboy Marching Band practice on August 24, 2020 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
By Christopher Sneed Oklahoma State’s marching band director, Dr. Douglas Henderson, usually worries about his students marching in a straight line. Now in a pandemic, those lines are measured by social distance. “One of the challenges for us is we’re not going to be able to get on to the field and perform,” said Henderson. “One, because they’re limiting access to the field which is the right thing to do. It’s a smart decision.” Henderson, an associate professor in music, has the difficult task of restructuring rehearsals and game day performances. Coaches, referees and athletes are the only people allowed on the field. Cheerleaders and pom squad are moved above the east endzone underneath the jumbotron. The band will play the pre-game show from their seats,
unlike previous years. “We’ll do our normal thing during the game where we just you know play to support the team and then, at halftime, I think what we’re going to do is play like one tune from the stands and then we’ll pre-record our color guard or flag Corp earlier in that week doing a routine that they can then show on the Jumbotron,” Henderson said. Fans should not expect to see the orange and white uniforms either. Traditional uniforms collect a lot of sweat and are typically gathered after games to be washed. Instead, students will wear polo shirts and shorts allowing each to take their clothes home for cleaning. The band will be in a different area as well, but that decision came before the COVID-19 outbreak. The new location will be above the northwest tunnel where players enter the
field. Additionally, scientists were hired to examine particles that travel into the air when singing or playing a wind instrument. The College Band Directors National Association, of which Henderson is a member, provided funding to hire the scientist. Together, they researched travel distance, differences between playing inside and outdoors and more. Several ideas developed as a result. One is “bell covers” which fit around the bell of horns to catch some of the aerosol blowing into them produces. During the rehearsal process, other contingency plans were put in place. Instruments are handled more carefully because of saliva that collects inside. The different sections of the band are also rehearsing alone to allow
See Sneed Page 6A
Battling without bitterness
Graduate transfer Christian Holmes is ready to compete for OSU By Sam Hutchens When the word “battle” is read, what comes to mind? A war? Two or more sides fighting for supremacy? Odds are, things like “helping each other” and “developing each other” aren’t commonly associated with it. Those uplifting terms define the attitude of Oklahoma State cornerback Christian Holmes, even as he is in the midst of a battle for starting reps. Holmes is a graduate transfer from the University of Missouri. He has long had an attitude and mindset that coaches love: a desire to win but to lift teammates up in the process. When Holmes was deciding where to continue his football career, OSU coach Mike Gundy made sure to let Holmes that his two-pronged mindset would be welcome in Stillwater. “I took a lot of heed into my decision, I thought it out,” said Holmes. The graduate transfer said he picked OSU because he felt he could find on-field success, and also help the team reach its goal. That and he wanted to prove to himself that he could compete in the high-octane of-
fensive world that is the Big 12. It is sometimes difficult for graduate transfer athletes to get acclimated to a new state, college and team culture. It has not been a difficult transition for Holmes, however, who was asked what allowed him to blend into the culture so quickly. “Simple, really just the mindset that all the players have here, the mindset that the coaches have with a winning mentality which is just something I’ve always dreamed about being a part of,” Holmes said It is one thing to get acclimated to the team culture, and it is another thing to earn enough repetitions in practice to become a starter on gameday. It is in these competitions for practice reps and coaches trust that players can sometimes start to become divided and look at a teammate as a rival. “Everybody walks in the doors ready to work,” Holmes said of the cornerback battle. “So we just come in compete get better, grab each other when we’re down, high five each other when we’re up.” This picture of the cornerback battle Holmes paints is different than the one people would usu-
See Hutchens Page 8B
Christian Holmes is excited for his new opportunity with OSU.
Photos courtesy of Tribune news service