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CAMPUS NEWS NEW BAND ADDS "PEP" TO BAC BASKETBALL
By KEVIN SWITZER
Students and members of the Belmont Abbey community walked into the Wheeler Center for Friday night’s basketball game to find a small section of the stands occupied by the Abbey’s brand new pep band. It was the first men’s home game of the season against Shaw University, and the six-piece ensemble was making its debut.
During timeouts, the band entertained with numbers such as “Smoke on the Water,” “Louie Louie,” and “Tequila” (renamed “Crusaders” for Abbey events). The Belmont Abbey Cheerleaders collaborated with the pep band, and prepared routines for several of the numbers.
The new band so far consists of talented students Clark Mcnabb (Fr.) and Doug Poole (Fr.) on alto saxophone, Stephanie Lingerfelt (So.) on trumpet, Amanda Coates (So.) on flute, Chad Sanders (Fr.) on drums, and Chris Ragusa (Fr.) on bass drum. The pep band is directed by its founder, Karen Jacob, instructor in music at Belmont Abbey, and started meeting in September of this year.
Jacob says that much credit is due to Eliane Kebbe, Director of Athletics. Said Jacob, “A few years ago, Eliane was the first one who started saying, ‘can’t we have a pep band?’ She nudged me to do it, and she’s been very supportive now that we have one.”
The Belmont Abbey Pep Band will be playing for Christmas at the Abbey Dec. 3. They will also be riding and performing on the BAC/Belmont Rotary float in The Belmont Christmas parade on December 5th. Look for the band at future home basketball games and other events.
The pep band invites all interested students, staff, or faculty who already play an instrument to join the pep band. Contact karenjacob@bac.edu. The band practices most Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.
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