Return of Pirate nation
My pathway to Pirate Nation began before I ever knew about ECU. There are two sides of my path that brought me here and I’m going to give you the straightest paths. For this Pirate, ECU had to a few things that drew me in, opportunity and belonging. Those qualities had to also match my interests in music and leadership. Truth be told, this Political Science graduate came to ECU to become the next great high school band director, but as with all true pirates you must see the wind in your sails and see where it’s taking you and adjust. The entire story is for another day but I want to let you know what September 11, 2021, and honestly September 2, 2021 means to this Pirate.
What does it mean to be part of 50,719 or 50,514 people all collectively enjoying the same moments and creating memories? What does it mean to be part of the gameday experience? I can say firsthand what it means to me and what it means to the largest student organization on campus. I was a freshman, in my second home game when ECU football had its (at the time) 3rd largest attendance versus Virginia Tech. I was a sophomore when we had our 2nd highest attendance versus NC State. Those two years were my biggest years of growth as a person and in the organization that I referenced earlier. That organization is the ECU Marching Pirates.
As a member of the band, you are one of the most integral yet underappreciated parts of the gameday experience. The fanfare of gameday does not happen without the band. No playlist can outdo a quality band performance at halftime. No gimmick advertising can entertain like the band can during a break in gameplay (Bojangles microwave ad anyone?). Everyone knows the sound of the band when our defense forces a 3rd down, the sound of a touchdown or field goal, and the song that reminds us that regardless of a win or loss, at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, we are all at home.
We all are looking to return to the stadium this year. I for one am looking to return in a capacity that I have never held before, simply a fan. But is anyone simply a fan. That woman who graduated in the 90s with a business degree, those memories make her more than just a fan. That police officer who remembers the 80s when they played football at ECU, they’re more than just a fan. The nonbinary freshman, looking to feel accepted and welcomed, the memories they make in the Fick’ will create more than a fan. We are a family, a family of Pirates. As a former band member, drum major, bus driver, political science major, fraternity president, graduate, and now employee, I cannot wait to set sail on another season with 50,000 members of the greatest family in North Carolina.
As a former band member, I could not imagine a year without being in the stands. It forced me as an alum who often volunteers for the band to take a step back and realize what made the band so special. There is no other group that arrives at every game three hours before kickoff, walks to the stadium together, sits in the best seats, and stays well beyond the final whistle even when the team runs into the locker room, we wait and ensure that tradition stands. That will not change this year, as the band welcomes in the new season. The fight song and national anthem will come back to welcome us the way only the ECU fight song and version of the national anthem can. With or without masks, we will breathe a breath of thankfulness as we made it to the other side of this, still Pirates.
I want to finish this by saying, be sure to high-five the spirit team members. The cheerleaders, band, and dance team all work hard and long for the reward of gameday. For instance, the ECU Dance Team and ECU Cheerleaders have early morning practices throughout the year in preparation for football, basketball, and their national competitions. The band and dance team come together from 7:30 am to 9:00 pm for a week before any other “non-athlete” to prepare for the season and 6 hours a week outside of gameday for our enjoyment. In this new age, let’s be more appreciative of every person's contribution to gameday.
