Gameday March-in Changes

6,748 Views | 45 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by 93Spur
74OA
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From the Gameday Experience Task Force: "....the Corps will only march in to the stadium on one more occasion during the 2017 season (Auburn). The rest of the time the Corps will march outside the stadium. The reason for this is because there is virtually no one in the stadium when the Corps is marching in, while there are thousands of fans outside the stadium who line the streets when they march an exterior route. For Mississippi State, the Corps will actually march to the West Campus so that those tailgating in that area can experience the March In. In addition, Midnight Yell Practice, Spirit Walk, Step off from the Quad and the Corps March are all being live streamed on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for those who are unable to view those events in person whether they are on campus or not."

Works for me. No one wants to sit baking in Kyle for an extra hour--including the Corps. How will the usual outfit grading will be done?
93Spur
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Would be an improvement.

At Nicholls State -
Nobody in stadium for marchin
Players on field at marchin
Can't make Step off and pass in review
Higher visibility.
Let's use the Drill Field.
Let's form up on the Academic Plaza for an Old Army photo.


TXAggieMom11
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Is this for real? Not really a march-in anymore, more like a parade.
93Spur
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TXAggieMom11 said:

Is this for real? Not really a march-in anymore, more like a parade.
Apparently sourced, so assumed to be accurate. Just relocating the reviewing stand and therefore the route.

March-ins, after inception and when occurring, have undergone several changes.

This on-campus march is not completely new. I believe they have done this for the last several years. It is different from the past, but then so is the march-in.

Nowadays, if you want to see the Corps march in Kyle Field, you had better be prepared to not watch them at step off. Few folks are in the stadium for the march in.

So, a different route, through the historic heart of the campus, along Military Walk for example, would not be new this year and would provide higher visibility and access for friends and family.
JR69
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Not sure what your idea of Old Army and New Army is. My dad started at A&M in 1942 - he marched into Kyle Field. I started in 1965 - we marched into Kyle Field. There was a track around the football field in those days. The south end was open and that's where we entered the stadium.
93Spur
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The horseshoe was the way we did in the 90s.
I've been told by folks in multiple decades prior to 1975 that they did not march into the stadium. Perhaps their recollections were incorrect.
Thanks for the clarification. I have revised my post above.
Wish there was a detailed history of the Corps on points such as this.
JR69
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I have march-in pictures somewhere that my dad took during my time in the Corps. If I can find them in the next day or so I will post them - they clearly show us marching on the track around the football field in Kyle.
ABATTBQ87
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My dad is class of 1958 and he said they never marched into Kyle Field but they would March up to the gates of Kyle Field and then break and they would then enter the stadium through the portals on the east side
93Spur
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To be clear, I am not disputing first person accounts that there were marchins 1942-1946 or 1965-1969. I have no basis to make any statement to the contrary.

I am only stating that there were, according to others (which I also have no basis to doubt), periods were there was nothing resembling today's marchin and other periods where the resemblance terminated at the gates of Kyle Field.

Still, always glad to see photos from days past which parallel the present.
74OA
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1970- 1974 we marched from the Quad to Kyle, around the track and then ended up en masse behind the south end zone before being released to our seats. But so what--things change.
Gigem74
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as a ct I did march ins 72-75... March ins 83-86 were still happening, and also 99-02.
Sdj774
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What about the comfort animal though
ABATTBQ87
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1986 Texas Tech March in:


hillcountryag86
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Sdj774 said:

What about the comfort animal though


Nobody seems to want to talk about it.
Jock 07
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I think the explosion of tailgating has made this policy change necessary. Even when I was in school just over a decade ago tailgating wasn't near as involved and massive as it is now. Folks wanting to watch march in inside the stadium have to leave tailgates significantly early cutting down on critical boozing time. I haven't been present to witness the new routes or policy but from afar, I believe this is actually a pretty good idea for all involved (cadets, non-regs, former students, and visiting fans)
Wildman15
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We did it once my Zip year, seemed to work out ok. It's a great recruiting tool. It can be easy to miss a step off for an 11 AM game (I predict a lot of those this year), but it still gives the vast majority of game attendees a chance to see the Corps. Because honestly, who wants to be seated in the stadium over an hour before kick off?
CharlieBrown17
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I disliked the campus March arounds we had to do, usually only had crowds we were normally had crowds and then were marching through an empty academic plaza after.
Wildman15
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CharlieBrown17 said:

I disliked the campus March arounds we had to do, usually only had crowds we were normally had crowds and then were marching through an empty academic plaza after.
Sounds like you should have joined the band. People always show up to our stuff
CharlieBrown17
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Wildman15 said:

CharlieBrown17 said:

I disliked the campus March arounds we had to do, usually only had crowds we were normally had crowds and then were marching through an empty academic plaza after.
Sounds like you should have joined the band. People always show up to our stuff


Nothing like a bunch of queers in a circle jerk.
TXAGBQ76
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Yeah, the band provided the music for your circle jerk
mrad85
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People would show up in the stadium to watch the march-in if they could go back out afterwards. The fairly new rule of not being able to re-enter has caused a lot of this IMO.
74OA
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mrad85 said:

People would show up in the stadium to watch the march-in if they could go back out afterwards. The fairly new rule of not being able to re-enter has caused a lot of this IMO.

Why not just march to SImpson, pass in review, and break the units as they arrive in Rudder Fountain Plaza after making their circuit past the reviewing stand? No need to reinvent the wheel as that process is well established and understood and is close enough to the Kyle crowds to draw spectators.......
mrad85
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I don't have a dog in this hunt, well, at least not till the late '20's with my grandkids.
I enjoyed marching into Kyle during my time, and seeing my son doing the same.
Simpson DF is fine, but I don't think the viewing is near as good as on the west side of Kyle.
I was merely pointing out my opinion why I thought nobody was in the stands during March-in. That being the rule that you cant leave afterwards then re-enter.
Wildman15
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mrad85 said:

People would show up in the stadium to watch the march-in if they could go back out afterwards. The fairly new rule of not being able to re-enter has caused a lot of this IMO.

For as long as I can remember (attending games as a kid, then being the very first major unit in the stadium since I was in the band) no one ever cared to actually sit in the stadium to watch march-in. Step off is 90 minutes before kick off. The first units usually enter Kyle Field around the 70 minute mark, with the last unit making its way into Kyle around the 20 minute mark. Really rough estimates, but it makes my point. No one wants to sit in a stadium 90 minutes before kick off, then leave again with only 20 minutes left, only to fight the crowds to get back to their seats.
mrad85
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"No one wants to"
Bold claim.

My parents did, my family and friends did.
Every cadet leaves the stadium and had to re-enter, and most times, many outfits had time to get back to the tailgate for food and drinks before going back.
74OA
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Wildman15 said:

mrad85 said:

People would show up in the stadium to watch the march-in if they could go back out afterwards. The fairly new rule of not being able to re-enter has caused a lot of this IMO.

For as long as I can remember (attending games as a kid, then being the very first major unit in the stadium since I was in the band) no one ever cared to actually sit in the stadium to watch march-in. Step off is 90 minutes before kick off. The first units usually enter Kyle Field around the 70 minute mark, with the last unit making its way into Kyle around the 20 minute mark. Really rough estimates, but it makes my point. No one wants to sit in a stadium 90 minutes before kick off, then leave again with only 20 minutes left, only to fight the crowds to get back to their seats.
Particularly now that the overwhelming majority of students, former students and their families are nonregs and have little attachment to the Corps, and since tailgating has exploded to provide alternative pre-game entertainment........
Wildman15
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mrad85 said:

"No one wants to"
Bold claim.

My parents did, my family and friends did.
Every cadet leaves the stadium and had to re-enter, and most times, many outfits had time to get back to the tailgate for food and drinks before going back.
It's not a bold claim, it's an honest claim. Over 50,000 undergraduate students, and only 2,200-2,400 are cadets. The largest crowd to see the Corps is on the Quad at step off and then in front of the MSC. Cadets march around the stadium and leave, it's not like they wander to their seats and then leave, only to immediately go back to their seats.
mrad85
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It's not the students that give a flying flip about seeing the march in, it's the parents, it's the former cadets, etc.
I'll restate. My opinion was that the fact that people can't enter, leave, and re-enter had a lot to do with small crowds at march-in in Kyle.
I'm not even going to bring up the lack of uniforms on the reviewing stand lately. I guess it's too much of an inconvenience as well.
Wildman15
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I think it's more of people really don't care to see the march in at Kyle. They saw it either on the Quad or as they were marching towards the stadium. Assuming you get EVERY family member and friend to sit in Kyle, you maybe hit 10,000 people. And that's a generous number. Now take away cadets from out of state who's family won't come to every game, or maybe only one family member of the in state cadet can make it, etc. and you get the few hundred to a thousand people who are in the stadium at the start of the Corps march in.
74OA
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mrad85 said:

It's not the students that give a flying flip about seeing the march in, it's the parents, it's the former cadets, etc.
I'll restate. My opinion was that the fact that people can't enter, leave, and re-enter had a lot to do with small crowds at march-in in Kyle.
I'm not even going to bring up the lack of uniforms on the reviewing stand lately. I guess it's too much of an inconvenience as well.
So parade past the crowds for PR enroute to Simpson, pass in review there and then break the units on Rudder Fountain Plaza after they do their review circuit. There's nothing about using Kyle that can't be duplicated at Simpson.

Why isn't this a reasonable compromise that satisfies those people who really want to see the Corps--but without forcing them to bake in Kyle for an extra hour and a half--while also giving the Corps more exposure to the vast gameday crowd for recruiting impact?
mrad85
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My last comment, maybe don't "force" them to stay in the stadium? Find a way they can enter, watch, leave and come back in.
That's all I was suggesting.
Wildman15
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Entering the stadium, leaving, and then entering again is just stupid. If we are so concerned about boosting attendance numbers for the actual review (even though step off numbers are fantastic), then move the whole review to Simpson, and have the cadets march thru campus. No tickets required. No need to enter, exit, and then re-enter the stadium.
74OA
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mrad85 said:

My last comment, maybe don't "force" them to stay in the stadium? Find a way they can enter, watch, leave and come back in.
That's all I was suggesting.

I doubt the University wants to add to the already formidable security and crowd control challenge at Kyle. But why even bother when Simpson offers a comparable venue for those who really want to see the Corps drill, while also offering the additional benefit of exposing the Corps more to the general gameday crowd instead of being sequestered from view inside Kyle?

I seem to recall the Commandant outlining coming improvements to Simpson to make it more spectator-friendly, too?
Wildman15
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Besides, all of the "magic" happens on the quad. Fish Wildcatting everywhere, outfit hump its, last minute inspections, cannon fire, and you get up close and personal with the Corps. If you miss step off, then you missed the whole thing.
Jock 07
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74OA said:

mrad85 said:

My last comment, maybe don't "force" them to stay in the stadium? Find a way they can enter, watch, leave and come back in.
That's all I was suggesting.

I doubt the University wants to add to the already formidable security and crowd control challenge at Kyle. But why even bother when Simpson offers a comparable venue for those who really want to see the Corps drill, while also offering the additional benefit of exposing the Corps more to the general gameday crowd instead of being sequestered from view inside Kyle?

I seem to recall the Commandant outlining coming improvements to Simpson to make it more spectator-friendly, too?

Also, pretty sure no re-entry is an SEC rule
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