Ole Miss band members say goodbye to practice field

Aug. 20—OXFORD — Even without the staccato echo of cadence, there was an air of finality as members of the Ole Miss Pride of the South band marched off their longtime practice field late last week.

For more than 30 years, the nondescript field has felt the roll steps of thousands of band members as it's done its part to guide the young performers through set after set after set.

On Friday, the band wrapped up what many believe will be its last rehearsal on its practice field for the past 30 years. In April, Chancellor Glenn Boyce announced the school would build a new $3.5 million practice field, set to open next summer.

The new facility will have improved drainage structures, lights, a new director's tower and a storage building.

Drum major Marcus Davis, a junior biomedical engineering major from Tupelo, said there's some natural sadness in retiring the old field, but believes a better practice facility will lead to a better band.

"We see our ceiling getting a lot higher, and we know we can be among the greatest bands in the nation," Davis said. "There is a big heart for the (old) field, but we want to be a better band so it's going to take another field to do that."

The new facility's primary benefit will be the consistency of the practice surface. The present field doesn't drain well and has other obstacles such as holes and insects that can make rehearsals challenging. It's not uncommon for practices to be canceled because the field didn't recover from a rainstorm.

"Last year we had a few shows where we were a little pressed for time, we were kind of rushing through because maybe we'd missed a rehearsal or two last week because of rain or such as that," Davis said. "The show was fine but wasn't as clean as it can be."

The current field requires extra pre-practice maintenance such as spreading ant killer or scouting out new sink holes then placing something in the hole — maybe a person — so band members can see to march around it.

Ole Miss band director Randy Dale provided the project's planning committee with a few suggestions following a tour of existing facilities in Mississippi State and Auburn.

The band will now be able to use its field much more quickly after a rain.

"The biggest benefits are going to be convenience," Dale said. "It will be easier to use, to get to from where we're located up the hill in our building. Safety, it's going to be flat and not have holes that can trip people. It won't be full of insects and anthills."

For members of the band, last week came with a mix of emotions. As the members of the Pride of the South Band stepped from the field — which has seen hundreds of practices during the past three decades — for the final time, Davis said it was impossible not to think about the past, even while being eager for what was ahead.

"There's not excitement without reflection on what the (old) field has done for everyone else and how great that field has been to us," Davis said. "Many, many bands have come along on that field. People have been proposed to on that field. Although it's not the greatest there's a huge heart for that field."

PARRISH ALFORD is the college sports editor and columnist for the Daily Journal. Contact him at parrish.alford@journalinc.com.