2011, A Year In Review

2011, Ohh 2011. OHHHHH, 2011! What a magnificent year. I remember it like it was yesterday. In 50 years, when people think back to this year there are three things they will remember: the killing of Osama bin Ladin, the Occupy Wall Street movement, and the Princeton University Band’s undefeated year (just because it happens every year doesn’t make it any less special). So that future historians may more accurately chronicle the phenomenon which was the 2011 PUB, let’s take a look back at it: the fighting 2011.

DEANS DATE GIG

This year, like most years, started out in January. While some people were worried about “writing papers” and “passing classes” we were more worried about the people who were worrying and so we decided to spread cheer.

WINTER SPORTS

Following dean’s date, finals, and other insignificant “academic” work, basketball and hockey season were in full swing.  Surprisingly, our hockey team seemed to consistently play teams with short, fat, smelly, unskilled, and/or ugly goalies. Fortunately, the band was there and more than willing to offer the opposing goalies honest and good-intentioned banter throughout the game.

Basketball season was also a blast.

One special treat this year was the opportunity to hang out with our bestest buddies: the Brown Band. Our winter trip to Brown gave us an opportunity to march around the campus accompanied by some of our Brown friends. The police even showed up! After the march around we played at the basketball game.

But no basketball season would be complete without a trip to the NCAAs, well except for maybe a Harvard or Penn basketball season. While the Women’s team outright won the Ivy League, the Men tied for the Ivy League title and had to play a playoff game against Harvard for the NCAA bid. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves and then add captions under the pictures to hammer in the point. I’ll admit that subtlety is not my thing.

Okay, so this is not from the playoff game, but it is instead from the first Princeton Harvard game. It was featured on ESPNU, hence the sign that Jemma Stember-Young ‘13 is holding. We won that one 65-61.

The Men’s team went to Tampa Bay. Despite a close loss to Kentucky, the trip was a major highlight of the year.

The Women ended up in DC. Unfortunately, like the men they were eliminated in the first round.  Nonetheless, it was an amazing trip.

SPRING SHENANIGANS
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After that adventure, we went to DISNEYWORLD. Okay, I lied. However, in addition to our usual gigs, we recorded an album: Songs in the Key of Loud. You can buy it on our website. While you’re looking at our album, check out some of our other fabulous merchandise. SHAMELESS PROMOTIONAL!

REUNIONS & DEAD WEEK

​Finally, the year started to wind down. Hold on. This all started to happen around May. May can only mean one thing. Well, maybe it means a few things, but the most significant of those things is REUNIONS. Reunions are basically what happens when you recycle dead unicorns to make something even more magical. Leading up to reunions were the regular dead week shenanigans.

This year’s White Castle Meat Product Tolerance Marathon had some great moments. Not only did Simon Fox Krauss ’11 make it to the career century mark, but an all-time record was set by Marcus Theus ’12 with 33. This year’s queen was Peggy Young ’12 with 14. The only real losers were everyone who ate White Castle burgers.

Finally, the festivities began. Gigs were played, legendary alumni were met, the P-Rade was nothing short of amazing, and somewhere life happened.

I KNOW WHAT THE BAND DID LAST SUMMER AND SO CAN YOU!!!

After a crazy gig like that, you may think that the band rested over the summer. Even if you ask Nicole Rafidi ‘12, our former president, she might tell you that we don’t have gigs over the summer. But, that’s an elaborate cover up. In reality, the band did some of its most important work over the summer.

A.  We traveled to the future and saved the world from robot, ninja, alien ghosts.
B. We wrote a pregame show earlier than the night before a game.
C.  We tuned once. We would have done it more often but it takes soooo long. It’s like 15 minutes.
D. We made amends with Santa for how the trash section treats him.
E. We found people who were funnier than me to write the shows.
F. The Penn Band.

BACK TO FOOTBALL

After all the craziness of the summer died down, we got back on campus and started a busy football season. This season had 5 road trips including trips to Hampton—a school we had never been to before, and they didn’t even try to beat us up—and Dartmouth—where the men are men and the sheep are scared. One special part of this football season was our stop to play on the Capitol building on our way back from Hampton. Unfortunately, we couldn’t break into the Library of Congress to lobster. And who could forget the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade where we marched with some friends from the Columbia band. Oh, and did I mention freshmen?  I think I counted a bazillion freshmen this year.

END OF THE YEAR AND THE FUTURE

Our football season had to end, as all things must, in a tacky banquet. There are no bandquet pictures here for the sake of those involved. Rejuvenated with a new officer core and an especially good looking AC, 2011 finished on a high note with the start of what I’m sure will be amazing basketball and hockey seasons. But what lies in the future for the PUB: more adventures, a plaid zeppelin, world domination? No one really knows. All I’m sure of is that I’m excited to be a part of it.
-Matthew Kirschner ’14 AC
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*Photos were provided by Jemma Stember-Young ’13 and other band members