Also in this issue:
The Communicator
Staff
Editors:
Anita Harmeyer
Miranda Emmert
Eunice Kwon
Contributors:
Nicole Arias
Chantal Breedlove
Laura Moon
By Anita Harmeyer
It seems the Big Bass Drum Crew gains attention wherever it goes, and getting stopped by the police has been a common happening for its members. The Santa Monica police followed the tradition of stopping the crew while they were in California for the Rose Bowl, but it wasn’t because they had committed a traffic violation by wheeling around “the world’s largest drum.”
“It turned out that he (the police officer) just wanted to chat and ask the usual questions: How big is the drum? Can I hit it? Is it really the biggest?” said Rob Ballard, drum crew captain.
The crew is also gaining attention through one of its members, Carin Vahle, a junior in communication. Vahle is only the third woman to become a member of the crew that works with the drum.
Vahle, Ballard and five other students make up the crew. When on the field at a football game, four people push the drum, and two “beaters” play it. The seventh person serves as an alternate.
Vahle’s position is at the back right of the drum; her main job is to stop the drum. This is an important element in having the crew work effectively to control such a large instrument.
She said she loves being a part of the crew and thinks many people are surprised that she tried out and made it. Now that she is a member, the guys accept her as one of them.
Vahle was very excited about taking such a great Big Ten tradition to the Rose Bowl and getting so much media attention for Purdue. Reporters from two TV stations were at the band’s rehearsal, and the Los Angeles Times interviewed the drum crew for a cover story. The band had performances at Universal Studios, Disneyland and the Rose Parade. After a pep rally in Century City, which attracted more than 15,000 Purdue fans, people lined up for miles to get their photos taken with the Big Bass Drum and the crew.
“Usually we have a lot of people doing this,” Ballard said. “But it felt like we were Santa Claus in the mall.”
Game day proved to be no different than the others: a parade, three game performances, and a long flight home put the members into overdrive.
Vahle, who spent the spring semester studying abroad in Sweden, said she will always remember the fun times spent in the hotel watching TV, eating room service pizza and being exhausted from giving so many performances.
Did you Know ...
It is known as "the world's largest drum."
When mounted on its field carriage, the drum stands 10 feet high, is eight feet in diameter and measures about 4 feet between the two drum heads..
The drum was first introduced in 1921. The frame is still the original instrument.
There are signatures on the backs of the drum's heads. Notable signers include former president Harry Truman and astronaut Neil Armstrong.
Courtesy of Purdue Bands
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