Following a heat index of 118 degrees for the Sept. 19 football home game against Auburn University, the Tiger Band and Golden Girls are taking the usual precautions to beat the heat for tomorrow’s matchup against Eastern Michigan University.
Besides the football team, the Tiger Marching Band is one of the largest and most visible organizations on gameday, with 325 members playing 15 different types of instruments.
“The heat can be an issue when it comes to the Tiger Band’s uniforms,” said biological engineering freshman and French horn player Nick Moss. “The material that the uniforms are made out of is pretty heavy, but it breathes pretty well. It’s not as hot as you would think.”
Band director Roy King tells his band members to hydrate in the days leading up to each game, Moss said.
“No one has passed out, which is very surprising because of the heat,” Moss said. “They do everything that needs to be done to make sure we don’t pass out. They’ve been doing it for such a long time that they know exactly what to do to prevent us from overheating.”
Other victims of the heat include the Golden Girls, who perform outside at the pregame show, at halftime and during the traditional walk down Victory Hill.
The capes they wear before the game are as heavy as the band members’ uniforms, said Golden Girl Meagan Rodrigue, a civil engineering junior.
“We practice every day in the heat from 3:30 to 5:20,” Rodrigue said. “Because of this, we are encouraged to stay hydrated for practice as well as games. Our band director and captains always advise us to drink lots of water before games so we can perform at our best.”
Students who are not under the watch of a director or captain are often the people most in danger of passing out or getting overheated, Moss said.
“I have almost passed out at two LSU football games this year,” said psycholoy freshman Amelie Kramer. “I forget to drink water and stay hydrated. You get caught up in the activities of gamedays and forget to take care of your body.”