William World News William F. Yurasko's blog v.14 – Nats, Penn State, Redskins, greater DC , travel, more

How The Song “Seven Nation Army” Conquered The Sports World – Deadspin
“Seven Nation Army” made a beachhead in American sports in State College, Penn. According to a 2006 story in the Harrisburg Patriot-News, Penn State spokesperson Guido D’Elia—who is still the director of communications and branding for the embattled football program—was inspired by hearing a [...]

Blue Band Scraps Glitter’s “Rock and Roll” – Onward State
The Penn State Blue Band sort of dropped Rock n’ Roll Part II from its pregame. I wanted them to do this years ago because Gary Glitter was convicted in 2005 of the things Jerry Sandusky is accused of right now. The article linked above says [...]

Since 2005, P.J. Maierhofer served as Blue Sapphire, Penn State’s feature twirler. The 2007 Q&A with P.J. has been one of the most popular features on this blog. Last month she answered another round of question.
WFY: Let’s start with a question about the Capital One Bowl — how much did you have to perform on [...]

I’ve got a programming idea for the Big Ten Network — Big Ten Bands, a weekly showcase of Big Ten marching bands. Each week the program would show at least one march from all of the bands performing at home games that week. The show should also feature profiles of band members, traditions and more. [...]

Blue Sapphire will shine for final time – The CollegianTomorrow’s Penn State vs. Indiana game is also Senior Day for PJ Maierhofer, blue sapphire for the last five seasons. She leaves behind an impressive legacy. The big question for me though is whether she’ll get proposed to on the field tomorrow. Both of her immediate [...]

5 Questions with Penn State Professor and Director of the Blue Band Dr. O. Richard Bundy – Town & GownIt is always good to hear from the Blue Band Director — they must be getting ready for the new season by now.
Penn State, Dick Bundy, Blue Band, marching band, ODB
©MMX William F. Yurasko
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‘Sapphire’ takes twirling title – The CollegianPJ Maierhofer: Blue Sapphire, Crown Jewel – The Penn Stater BlogP.J. Maierhofer, Penn State’s feature twirler since 2005 won the College Miss Majorette of America. She says it is the “biggest honor of baton twirling — like winning the Masters for golf.”
That’s great and congratulations to her. Since they [...]

I did not get to see them march in the Rose Parade live, but from what I have seen on Facebook, they apparently handled the sharp turn well. Does anybody know if video of that is online?
Penn State, Nittany Lions, Rose Bowl, Blue Band, 120th Tournament of Roses Parade
©MMX William F. Yurasko
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I just noticed on the Blue Band Web site that two visiting bands have been announced — Coastal Carolina and Oregon State. This means the first two games of the 2008 season will feature visiting bands. Hopefully, a Big11Ten band or two will make the trip as well. A Blue Band road game appearance has [...]

From the Football Letter:
The Blue Band’s national champion twirler, P.J. Maierhofer, and former national champion Bobbie Jo Solomon (1999-2004) performed a fascinating twirling duet at Tailgreat and at halftime.
Hopefully, there will be video of the two. But wait, there’s more:
Solomon was also surprised at the end of the Alumni Band show when her boyfriend appeared [...]