With Paula Scott
The Icon received a tip that Ada High School graduates Victoria Ross (college senior) and Alaina Robirds (college sophomore) are both playing in the Ohio University Marching 110. We recenly chatted about this life-changing experience.
Q. Is it a coincidence you are both at Ohio University (O.U.)?
VICTORIA: In high school we were alway really good at encouraging each other to take whatever path would really benefit us the most and get us to the places we wanted to go, to reach our goals.
I like to think that telling Alaina of how much fun the Marching 110 is and what a family we have at O.U. I want to think I made it sound like a ‘must come’ kind of deal.”
ALAINA: Victoria is pretty spot on. I was looking at O.U. because I had a teacher who went [there. He said] “Oh you should totally look at it. It’s got a bunch of really great opportunities. Not just course work wise but extracurriculars, intramurals and so I was really drawn to O.U.… and because I had a really good support system here with Victoria.
CONTINUES
Q. Tell us about the "110."
VICTORIA: There are around 250 of us in the “Marching 110”--named back when it was a men’s only band. It opened to women in 1975. The “110” now represents giving 110%
ALAINA: College band is crazy. I didn’t think it was going to be this difficult. In high school band, we did things at our own pace and just trucked through the season. But this is high energy, high stakes. Every single day you put work in or you’re not getting anything out of this.
VICTORIA: All of that hard work, I don’t think we thought it would pay off to the extremes that it has. We’ve had just amazing opportunities with this band. We have marched for the Bengals and the Browns and we got to be the main feature in the Bands of America competition in Indianapolis last year.
Our most special event is called Varsity Show at the end of the year, and it feels like a Broadway production. We get to go to the Palace Theater and we put on all of the music we have memorized over the season. It’s just really an amazing opportunity to play under those stage lights.
ALAINA: For all of our friends and family and alumni, it’s a really special experience.
Q. How many performances are there in a season?
VICTORIA: Like a million! (Laughs) We do a different show for each game. Some of the music and movements might be recycled but we do a different show every game and we do about six games. If we’re going to a championship or a bowl game, we’ll take a greatest hits. And we do a lot of small events on campus for students.
Q. Alaina plays the clarinet and Victoria plays the mellophone. Victoria, what is that?
VICTORIA: That is specifically made for the marching band. You’re not going to see that in any concert band settings. It’s pretty much a marching french horn.
Q Are these instruments you played in the past?
ALAINA: I’ve played the clarinet since 5th grade.
VICTORIA - I had an opportunity to play the mellophone with the Dayton group Inertia Independent Winds. I found a really big passion for the mellophone. I loved how it sounded, how it felt, everything about it. I love it so much.
Q. Tell us about the audition process.
ALAINA: It’s really different from how it used to be. If you talk to older alumni, they’ll tell you they came 2 weeks before school started and they didn’t know if they made it or not. Because you just signed up and came down here and you do the audition on day one. If you didn’t make it, you had to meander around campus on your lonesome until everybody else got her. If you made it, you stuck through the next two weeks and you were in it, babe. Now, since the pandemic or a little bit before, there’s been a signup sheet where we put our name, what school we’re from, who’s our band director, and then we submit videos of ourselves playing the music they give us. A month and a half later we either get that monumental email saying you’re in or you just don’t get an email.
VICTORIA: Mine was a unique experience. My freshman year was during the pandemic and so our auditions were completely online and our band camp. So they had a few of their staff members, the students that would teach you the music and the marching, and Zoom call all the freshmen. We would have to watch from our living rooms and try to learn the music and the marching technique. Depending on your major, would determine if you went on campus, and so about 50 of us my freshman year were allowed to be in the marching band. We got to put on one show and had a week to learn it. It was the craziest week of my life but it taught me so much. And it opened my eyes to the organization in such a unique way. They really showed how much love and energy and drive is behind everything we do.
Q. Do you have updates for Ada students and teachers?
VICTORIA: I’m supposed to be graduating this spring with my marketing and strategic leadership certificate. I was able to do an internship in Brazil and an internship here in Athens for Mt. Zion. The opportunity that is always going to stand out is the 110. It’s just where I’ve found family, where I’ve found a home.
ALAINA: I’m just chugging along. In my psychology major, I’m going to be looking into research projects. I’m thinking about doing a study abroad program for my minor in Spanish. I should shout out to the two big guys who pushed me into doing this… Scott Henning (Ada choir director), he’s been a big mentor who really pushed me in music and the one who kept me doing this is Jacob Austrino (former Ada band director); he is a 110 alum. He and his fiance Francesca showed me videos, they talked about it, I just fell in love with the 110 before I got on campus. We’re going to see them on Saturday for homecoming. Shout out to them. Thanks for pushing me!
Q. Anything else?
ALAINA: Thanks to our moms for reaching out to the Icon. It’s great for the people coming after us to see you can still do music after high school. It’s still so much fun.
Victoria: Absolutely. If you think you’re getting a little burned out in high school, just do it. You won’t regret it. A million doors will open for you and you’ll make the best friends in the world.
ALAINA; Or keep a best friend! That’s what Victoria did!
Send "15 minutes with..." leads to [email protected].
