Congrats Mustangs...

[echothat1]

On a good ending to a dismal year...would've like to see a W, but at least you hung in there and gave the toads a run for their money...maybe now the tone over there (about SMU and the new CUSA) will change.

Glad this season's over!!! :unsure: See y'all next year!

[Nacho]

If I may be positive for a second I would like to say that I had a great time at the game. Sat right behind the Mustang Band to be in the sun. Gotta love the Band. A great group. The game was competitive. It did give me some hope for the future. I think we will look back on this game as a turning point in SMU football. Odd to say that about a loss, I know. I see a lot of positives for next season.

<small>[ 12-01-2003, 07:43 AM: Message edited by: Nacho ]</small>

[Bergermeister]

A big thanks to the Mustang Band seniors! You're right, Nacho, they're a terrific group and my favorite college band, by far. I wish we could beef it back up to 96. Surely, some Daddy Warbucks SMU alum could fork over some cash to help out these orphans of the university!!! What high school band was that representing TCU? I have been going to most SMU and a few TCU games since the early 60s and they have always had a high-school-ish band. Probably got a "2" at the UIL competition.

[Spaz]

Why thanks for the praise!
However, it's hard to be emotional on your "last" game when you know you're here for another year....

WHY CAN'T I GRADUATE!!!!!

[GallopingGuy]

Thanks for the positive words, guys. Unfortunately, the problem (in terms of our size) is that the scholarships we have to give out have remained pretty much the same, while tuition goes up a lot every year. In fact, I think there was a tuition raise not too long ago that was actually EQUAL to the size of the average scholarship that the Mustang Band can give out.

So basically, we can't really recruit people to come here, or provide money for people that wouldn't be coming here otherwise; we have to resort to getting people that would be coming to SMU anyway, and just help them out a little bit with the small scholarships we have. It'd be nice if the school would give us more money to increase our size, but they haven't seen fit to do that yet, in spite of how much praise we always seem to get for the job we do (from both the adminstration and fans, even those of opposing teams).

I know a lot of people who have visited SMU to see our band, and love what they see, and would love to come here and be in our band, but they just can't afford it and we can't help them enough to get them here. The day that changes is the day we'll get our numbers back.

Although, given that we can STILL outplay bands that are two or three times our size (see TCU), we're still doing alright.

[gostangs]

The game sat was a great example - TCU has a band that only a band geek could love - glockinshpeels, fat chicks with too many woodwinds, ugly flags and stupid hats. 0-12 won't get me to give up my season tickets - but if we ever embarrass our entire university with a band like that I'm out of here. We have something really unique - and one of things that makes SMU special.

[couch 'em]

Originally posted by GallopingGuy:
So basically, we can't really recruit people to come here, or provide money for people that wouldn't be coming here otherwise; we have to resort to getting people that would be coming to SMU anyway, and just help them out a little bit with the small scholarships we have.

And don't forget: the music school doesn't exactly encourage anyone to join the band, so you can take out all but maybe 1 music major every couple of years from the pool of potential members.

[Spaz]

Originally posted by gostangs:
The game sat was a great example - TCU has a band that only a band geek could love - glockinshpeels, fat chicks with too many woodwinds, ugly flags and stupid hats. 0-12 won't get me to give up my season tickets - but if we ever embarrass our entire university with a band like that I'm out of here. We have something really unique - and one of things that makes SMU special.

I love you......

[gostangs]

thanks - but admiration from afar would be fine.

[daytripcoog]

I was in the UH Cougar band in the early 80's, and I always enjoyed watching and listening to your band. It will be a great pleasure to see y'alls band again when you join C-USA.