A real honor for an OSU band alumna

COLUMBUS — It was a real honor Saturday for Wendy Bauer Reeves, who was the alumni i-dotter in Script Ohio at the Ohio State University football game against Youngstown State. Ohio State celebrated 50 years of women in the band on alumni day as the Buckeyes cruised to a 35-7 win inside Ohio Stadium. Bauer, daughter of Mary and the late Gary Bauer, of Norwalk, grew up in Norwalk and is a 1989 graduate of Edison High School. During her time as a student at OSU, she dotted the "i" on Oct. 10, 1992 (vs. Illinois) and Sept. 11, 1993 (vs. Washington). She was in KL-Row from 1989-93. Wendy marched Saturday beside her sister and brother-in-law, Robyn and Eric Rogers, who are both B-Row alumni. Wendy received her Bachelor's and Masters of music education degrees from The Ohio State University, and had taught band in Dublin City Schools for 30 years. Wendy has two daughters, Samantha, who teaches choir, and Sydney, a current music education major at OSU and now also a member of KL-Row. Here is what Wendy had to say: Q: This was the third time you dotted the i ... does it get any better? A: The excitement of dotting the i as an alumni is different from an undergrad. As an undergrad, you are pretty much living band in the fall. Every aspect of your life is wrapped up in your band responsibilities — every week there is a new show to learn, new music to learn and check off, and weekly challenges to keep your spot in the band. Dotting the i as a member of the OSUMB is the culmination of thousands of hours of work over the course of several years. Since you are immersed in band well over 20 hours a week for most members, you spend a lot of time practicing for that i dot, and you are usually pretty physically fit. As an alumni, you are living a completely different type of life. You may have a job or you may be retired, you have different responsibilities, and it would be pretty unusual to be in better physical condition in your 50s or 60s than you were in your 20s. For me, I felt so honored to have the chance to dot at this particular game with these specific other i-dotters. I was worried about having the stamina to make it through a halftime show, plus a full Script Ohio, and then have enough left to strut to the stop of the i, bow, and play a solo. I would say that I was a lot more fearful for this dot than for my undergraduate dots, simply because I was so confident in my marching and playing back then. This time, I could not practice as much, so I made every opportunity to practice count while balancing it with not hurting myself trying! At the game, I was blessed that everything went perfectly. I am so thankful that I had this opportunity and that I was able to do everything I needed to do to the best of my ability! It was an additional thrill to have my sister and her husband marching right behind me in the Script. Robyn patted me on the shoulder right before I took off to dot the i and said "Good luck, sister!" My daughter Sydney was marching in the Varsity band and was able to see me dot from her spot on the field. And I had my family and so many friends in the stands cheering me on. A day can't be more perfect than that. Q: What did the Ohio State band mean to you and your family? How much did your mom and dad influence your life with OSU and the band? A: My family has a great tradition of being a part of the Buckeye family. Four generations of our family have degrees from OSU, many of which are teaching degrees. There are a total of 14 Ohio State diplomas on our collective walls and one more in progress. I never even considered going to another college. The OSUMB has been a big part of our family as well. When I was in elementary school, a close family friend was in the band. We would go to all of the games, and the pregame concerts called Skull Sessions, and see Jeff play his trumpet in the band. Through the years, we knew several other band members and band alumni who had an impact on my life. My parents had all of the OSU Marching Band records and played them a lot. I don't remember when I decided I wanted to be in the band, but I remember deciding to play the tuba when we chose band instruments before sixth grade at Norwalk Middle School. I chose the tuba because I wanted to dot the i, and that began seven years of hard work to make the band, and an additional four years of hard work to earn the opportunity to dot the i on Oct. 10, 1992. My parents gave me every advantage to set me on the right path to achieve my goals. I had tuba lessons and lots of encouragement musically. The summer after my senior year of high school and the summer after my freshman year of college, one or both of my parents drove me to and from Columbus every Tuesday and Thursday for summer sessions, which are optional practices for people who plan to try out for the band. We hear a lot about the time commitment families devote to travel sports, but we don't hear much about the time commitment needed to make high-level music ensembles. Just the summer sessions alone meant leaving Norwalk at around 4 p.m., driving 100 miles, getting dinner on the way, waiting for nearly 3 hours while I practiced, then driving 100 miles when practice ended around 9:30 pm to get home at almost midnight — twice every week and sometimes three times a week on weeknights. As a young person, you really don't notice how spending that much time on the road and then heading for work the next morning takes out of an adult. My parents were as committed to my goal as I was. When my motivation wavered, or when I wanted to do something "fun" instead of practice, they kept me on track. They did the same for my sister Robyn (Bauer Rogers) 11 years later. They also traveled thousands of miles so that my brother, Scott (Bauer) could attain his athletic goals. It takes the same or even greater commitment to make the OSUMB today. My daughter Sydney is a second-year member of the sousaphone section this year, but when she tried out the first time in the fall of 2021, twenty-seven out of twenty-eight sousaphone spots in the band were returning members. Even though she went to every practice and worked very hard, she did not make the band on her first try. It still takes tremendous commitment and hard work to earn a spot in the OSUMB. Local kids who have set the OSUMB as a goal should not only try to go to as many summer practices as they can, starting as early as after their sophomore year of high school, but also seek out band alumni who live in their town to help them prepare locally. Q: What were some of the feelings that you felt Saturday and every time you played for the band? A: One of the most incredible things about playing in the OSU band on the field is the crowd response. This time, I made a real effort to listen to the crowd during the Script and take it all in. When the drum major meets you at the bottom of the i to complete the word "Ohio", the crowd noise escalates and continues to increase to an absolute roar as you strut out to the top of the i. The stadium consistently has more than 100,000 people in the stands when the band performs. A crowd that big makes a really loud cheering section. It is awe-inspiring to feel that kind of positive synergy in such a massive crowd. In the moments I was leaving the field there were definitely many feelings–gratitude for the people who have given me the opportunity; sadness for the people whom I wish could have been there, like my dad for example; joy that everything went smoothly, relief that nothing went wrong — but in the moment, I think that overwhelming awe is the foremost feeling. Q: What was your favorite trip with the band? A: I was lucky to go on several really great trips. I marched in five bowl games, all of which included a trip with lots of fun activities to balance out the performances and hard work.