130 years of tradition
The Standard
The Standard follows the recognition the long-standing excellence of our organization has been built on the hard work and determination of everyone who has been in the organization from its founding through today. Keeping up with The Standard is about striving to be better and self-improve each and every time we take the field for rehearsal or performance.
The Standard doesn’t care about how we compare to other groups, just how we compare to ourselves. The only benchmark that The Standard cares about is asking “am I a better member of this performing organization than I was at the beginning of the season… earlier this week… at the top of this rehearsal?”
Quality performances follow from The Standard
The Uniform
The Uniform is a concept that we are one organization while performing. Uniform means all the same, which goes beyond the clothing that we wear. It informs our marching style, how we carry ourselves, and our attitude and spirit through performance. It is the respect with which we treat ourselves and others, and the pride we feel in our collective accomplishments.
The Uniform is an outward display of who we are, and the university we represent.
The Beaver Spellout
In 1969, director emeritus James Douglass first performed the Beaver Spellout. For several decades the drill sequence was used to end halftime shows. It has since passed into the realm of tradition, and we use it to close every Pregame show.
Conveniently, BEAVERS! has eight letters in it, which if given eight counts each perfectly matches the 64 counts that make up many verses of school traditionals and fight songs, including Hail To OSU.
Originally, the Beaver Spellout was spelled from right to left, with the letters floating across the field. Today the Beaver Spellout is spelled from left to right, with the letters trailing off from the block as it sweeps across the field.
Traveling Trumpets
During the third quarter of each home Beaver football game, seven trumpet players depart the band and perform around the stadium. They hit the corkscrew (facing the parking lot tailgaters), the west concessions, the Terrace, the Club, the Suites, the east concourse, and more.
First Down
First Down is a tradition that is approaching twenty years of age. First Down is played… every first down. Kristin Heckers claims to have invented the hand motion that the stadium does.
A piece of trivia for Beaver Nation: the chord progression from First Down is from the Mass movement (movement 2) of La Fiesta Mexicana by H. Owen Reed