College Football

Wisconsin marching band, stars of the fifth quarter, back on the field once more

Updated Sep. 5, 2021 1:17 a.m. ET

By Charlotte Wilder
FOX Sports Columnist

MADISON, Wisc. — Cory Pompey stood on top of a tower next to the University of Wisconsin band’s practice field and asked his marching band if it wanted to be clutch. The band director’s smooth voice boomed through his headset and over the field through loudspeakers, washing over the formation of gathered musicians.

"Are we gonna be clutch?" Pompey asked again. "Or are we gonna be —" he paused, searching for the words. "What’s his name? That dude who chokes for the Sixers?"

The members of the band laughed in unison and yelled, "Ben Simmons!"

"Oh, yeah, that’s right," Pompey said. "So are we gonna be him? Or are we gonna be the Greek Freak? I never learned how to say his last name, I’m sorry."

The band cheered at the mention of Giannis Antetokounmpo — the superstar who recently earned Wisconsin its first NBA championship in almost 50 years — and yelled out Giannis’ last name, pronouncing it correctly.

"That’s right!" Pompey yelled. "You gotta take it home when it’s time to take it home!"

His band reacted with excited cries of determination that made it sound like the musicians were about to head into battle. They then launched into playing Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" again, hitting their notes and marks with more passion and precision than they had on their previous three tries.

Spending a day at practice with the University of Wisconsin marching band was one of the most joyous experiences I’ve ever had working in sports. Music from marching bands is infectious — it’s difficult to be unhappy when a group of 18- to 23-year-olds are blasting Backstreet Boys at you from the depths of their trumpets.

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But a deeper sense of gratitude and relief accompanied the groovy vibes. After the 2020 college football season, for which crowds weren’t present (or at least weren’t present the way they normally are), this band was gearing up for its first full-capacity performance at Camp Randall Stadium in nearly two years with a new level of gravitas.

Marching bands are serious business, pandemic or not. But every single person on that practice field understood in a new way just how fleeting and precious it is to represent their school in front of 81,000 fans.

This year is so significant, in fact, that many of last year’s fourth-year students returned to experience a true senior fall.

One of them, Claire Bischel, graduated last year but is living in Madison while she applies to medical school. She came back to the band for an extra-important reason.

"The tuba section is called the rhinos, and there are three lady rhinos, so I came back to be a third lady rhino again, just to give them some more support in a very male-dominated section," Bischel said.

It takes passed-down institutional knowledge to form a good band, and a good band is crucial because it is the beating heart of the fan experience on game day. And the University of Wisconsin marching band certainly qualifies as good.

This band is so good that more than 15 Madison residents brought lawn chairs to the field to watch practice. This band is so good that it is responsible for an entire quarter of the football game: the fifth quarter.

After the actual football is over on Saturdays, more than 50,000 fans stay in the stadium to hear the band play a concert in which there are no downs — only ups. It’s a role every member takes seriously, for which they train and push one another. The fan experience rests on their shoulders, along with their tubas.

But not everyone understands what it takes for this group to be performance-ready. On Thursday, I was blown away by the band’s dedication. They are athletes: It takes enormous amounts of energy to high-step through early September heat for two-and-a-half hours straight on the days leading up to a game. Sweat dripped down everyone’s instrument and through their athletic shorts and T-shirts.

Students visited the training table and gulped down water in their precisely timed, five-minute breaks. Pompey would tell them when they had three-and-a-half minutes, then two-and-a-half minutes, then 30 seconds left before they had to be back on the field.

Pompey is the consummate leader: gentle but firm, funny but down-to-business, a man who knows how to motivate his students while wrangling them into the intricate formations that move across the field on Saturdays like a very disciplined amoeba with crisp movements.

The band is made up of individuals, but it is its own character, a complete entity that responds to Pompey’s directions and jokes with playful jeers or laughter or "let’s go!"s that feel as practiced as the footwork. There’s gentle razzing among instrument groups — Jack Saundercook, a trombone player, and Arman Kahn, a trumpet player, jawed back and forth about who was more important.

"Let’s just say I’ve heard the term ‘Big Trumpet Energy’ before," Kahn said.

But the overpowering feeling was one of camaraderie and teamwork. Josh Richlen, this year’s drum major (or Baton Guy, as I like to call him), told me that it is truly a group effort. He doesn’t take lightly what it means to lead his fellow Badgers onto the field.

"It’s a huge honor," he said.

The band finished practice by going through its whole set. Richlen high-stepped and twirled out onto the practice field. The band poured out across their own personal gridiron after him. And when they launched into "I’m So Excited" by the Pointer Sisters for the last time that day, they absolutely nailed it, every step of the way.

Because they clearly meant every note.

Charlotte Wilder is a general columnist and cohost of "The People's Sports Podcast" for FOX Sports. She's honored to represent the constantly neglected Boston area in sports media, loves talking to sports fans about their feelings and is happiest eating a hotdog in a ballpark or nachos in a stadium. Follow her on Twitter @TheWilderThings.