In Heaven There Is No Beer

So, was it really asking too much for the Hawkeyes to at least look respectable at the Insight Bowl played in Tempe, AZ? I mean, going in, we all knew it was going to be a tough game for Iowa. Their regular season was pretty dismal and then to be matched up with Oklahoma in a bowl game was guaranteed to end in a blowout, but, gee whiz, it really stinks to be on the losing side.

To be perfectly honest, this game was a little extra special for me because my son, Peter, is there right now, performing with the Hawkeye Marching Band drum line, as I write this. As a band mom, it always bothers me that the band never seems to get the respect it deserves. I get that the football game is the main event and I’m not naive to the fact that college football brings in an enormous amount of revenue to a school.

But the amount of hard work and commitment that goes into a Big Ten marching season is extraordinary and, let’s face it, the band adds a lot of excitement to the game. So, while I’m happy he’s had an opportunity to perform at a bowl game, I’m a little disappointed that we haven’t even gotten a glimpse of the band and they weren’t shown, even for a moment, during the half-time show.

Besides playing during the game itself, the HMB also performed at the Phoenix Zoo lights show, the Hawkeye Huddle at the Phoenix
Convention Center, the High School Band Championships at the University of Phoenix, the Big Huddle pregame party and a pregame performance at the Sun Devil Stadium – all since last night. That’s right, LAST NIGHT. Oh, and throw in a four hour rehearsal today. But that’s just the reality of
being in marching band.

Immediately following the game tonight, they head back to the airport for their return flight to Cedar Rapids, then a bus ride back to Iowa City, and then finally, home. A little extra icing on the cake for Peter, though, was that he was able to see his cousins who live close to ASU, where the Insight Bowl is played.

Well, it’s painfully clear that we Hawkeye fans won’t be hearing the band play our victory polka, In Heaven There Is No Beer, tonight. And even though I can’t see our Petey playing, we can always hear those drums! In fact my BWB partner just texted me saying, “Heard Pete playing drums after that interception.”

While I’m happy to see that Iowa finally scored a touchdown, I’m even happier to have heard the fight song being played in the background. Here’s to hoping for a better season in 2012 and, remember: On Iowa and Go Hawks!