How the 89-year-old tradition of Script Ohio and dotting the i defines Ohio State and its band

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Lots of kids who turn up successful Ohio imagination of scoring a touchdown successful beforehand of 100,000 Buckeyes fans astatine Ohio Stadium.

While galore imagination of celebrating successful the extremity zone, a smaller radical of Sousaphone players aspire to dot the one and implicit “Script Ohio” earlier the Buckeyes instrumentality the field.

At 89 years old, Script Ohio not lone remains 1 of the top traditions successful assemblage football, but besides serves arsenic a signature for Ohio State University and the full state.

“It is thing that I’ve been dreaming of for years,” said Joseph Orr of Chillicothe, Ohio, who volition beryllium the one dotter erstwhile the top-ranked Buckeyes big UCLA connected Saturday night. “For maine to beryllium capable to bash that and correspond my household successful South Central Ohio means a large woody to me.”

The contented is intertwined with the band’s legacy. This is the 148th variation of The Ohio State University Marching Band — nicknamed “The Best Damn Band successful the Land.” However, Script Ohio itself began connected Oct. 10, 1936, against archrival Michigan.

Band Director Eugene J. Weigel designed the publication enactment aft seeing the marquee motion supra the Loew’s Ohio Theatre successful Columbus.

“I deliberation Script Ohio is 1 of the astir important things that we do. It’s 1 of the astir important things successful assemblage marching set history, and truthful we evidently instrumentality it precise earnestly and we cognize our fans admit it,” existent set manager Dr. Christopher Hoch said. “We are alert that fans crossed the state cognize astir it and expect it whenever we instrumentality the field, adjacent not successful our ain location stadium.”

The grant of dotting the one is for fourth- and fifth-year sousaphone players. There are 8 this year. Each volition person 1 accidental to bash it astatine Ohio Stadium this season, either earlier the crippled oregon astatine halftime.

Earning the accidental to dot the one starts the infinitesimal a sousaphone subordinate makes the band. Out of 28, lone 24 march during games, expanding the competition.

The bid successful which a sousaphone subordinate chooses which crippled they volition dot the one is determined by rank. Most points are awarded for the fig of performances a subordinate has completed during their OSU career. Players with higher constituent totals person precedence successful selecting their game. Like shot players competing successful practice, set members besides situation 1 different to beryllium acceptable for crippled day.

“There are truthful galore radical who person supported maine and lifted maine up erstwhile I’m down,” Orr said. “I did not marque the set connected the archetypal try, but I deliberation that was an important portion of my improvement to support moving hard and digging heavy and uncovering retired what it truly means to me. Now this is conscionable benignant of the cherry connected top.”

Each i-dotter brings a unsocial story, similar Sydney Reeves, who dotted the one astatine halftime during the Grambling and Minnesota games. She follows successful the footsteps of her parents, Wendy and Chad Reeves, some erstwhile sousaphone players and i-dotters.

Interestingly, a sousaphone subordinate didn’t commencement dotting the one until 1937. John Brungart, an E-flat cornet player, was the archetypal to bash so.

On uncommon occasions, elder sousaphone players invitation a non-band subordinate to dot the i. Two-time Heisman Trophy victor Archie Griffin was the astir caller honorary i-dotter during the 2024 opener against Akron. Others person included Bob Hope (1978), Jack Nicklaus (2006), Sen. John and Annie Glenn (2009), 100-year-old alumnus Anthony Violi (2018), and erstwhile coaches Woody Hayes (1983) and Earl Bruce (2016).

Script Ohio is performed portion the set plays Robert Planquette’s “Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse.” The enactment begins with 3 blocks and unfolds into a long, singular line, each led by the drum major.

Near the end, arsenic the set begins the last letter, the drum large joins the one dotter. They often high-five. The drum large starts hyping up the i-dotter. With 16 measures near successful “Le Régiment,” the 2 strut to the apical of the i. The drum large points to the spot. The i-dotter turns and bows to some sides of the crowd.

“This is simply a immense infinitesimal for them. They get to dot the one successful beforehand of 100,000 people, the top contented successful assemblage football. It’s encouraging them to clasp the moment,” adjunct drum large Brian Speckman said.

For the dotter, the one is breached into 2 parts — the strut to the one and the bow. Orr said helium has practiced the strut a batch implicit the past year.

“It’s benignant of similar a hitch footwear question wherever you’re driving your genu up and past flicking retired your ft and trying to support your toed pointed,” helium said. “It’s hard to get bully limb tallness with a sousaphone connected your back, leaning back. It’s benignant of disorienting. But that’s thing that we specialize successful here, conscionable having precise athletic, precise trained radical who privation to marque things look the implicit champion that they can.

“I’ve received a batch of proposal astir technique. If you tin find idiosyncratic who marches a batch similar you, they tin beryllium of large assistance.”

Tradition besides doesn’t instrumentality a backseat to anyone. An ESPN cameraman learned that during a 2009 crippled against Southern California, helium got excessively adjacent to Frank Cosenza. As Cosenza did his bow, the doorbell of the 40-pound sousaphone took retired the camera.

With the College Football Playoff expanding past year, determination are present astatine slightest 2 further opportunities to dot the i. These are decided successful a “dot off,” wherever sousaphone players execute their strut and showcase their abilities.

“Script Ohio is 1 of those everlasting parts of Ohio State tradition," Orr said. "I deliberation that says thing astir the radical of Ohio: we similar tradition, we similar honor, and it means a batch that we ever prioritize being the champion we tin be, whether it’s our shot programme oregon our set program. Some things conscionable aren’t meant to change, and I deliberation we find large comfortableness successful that.”

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