Anthony Violi Dots the I

[Thumper]

One of the premiere events in Big 10 football (if not all of college football) is the Dotting of the I. The Ohio State Marching band has a routine called Script Ohio, in which they march and spell out Ohio in cursive. The point of the pen is the Drum Major. After they finish off the second O, they dance out above the I and point a lucky and honored Sousaphone player to their spot dotting the I. I've witnessed this ritual in person several times, and am moved more every time I see it. This dates back to before I attended OSU, before I liked OSU, back with I actively hated OSU. I still loved this ritual. This last week was the alumni game. Former members of the OSU Marching Band form the Alumni band and they dwarf the actual band. That in itself is awesome. Then they often participate in a Double or Quad Script Ohio, which is more awesome. One of the alumni members chosen to dot one of I's Saturday was Anthony Violi. He's a hundred years old. He joined the band in 1937 the year after they formed. Then he and graduated and went and fought WWII. He's led out by a couple former majors who are probably 60 or 70. And then you can't get him off the field. He keeps turning around and bowing. If you can watch this clip without crying, I'm sorry that you just don't get it. I sent the clip to my Dad (certainly NOT a Buckeye fan).

He simply wrote back Now That is Something Special.

[SciFiFisher]

Pretty awesome.

[geonuc]

I didn't cry but that was very cool.

[Thumper]

I didn't cry but that was very cool.

I've showed it several times now. The woman trying so carefully to help him off the field while he is thoroughly enjoying saluting, waving, and bowing to the crowd is his grand daughter or possibly great grand daughter. I'm sure she was just worried about him falling and getting hurt out there. Right at the end of the clip, as she's holding him and ushering him to the sideline, if you can read lips, you can clearly see her say, "Good job, Grampa."
$hit, I just watched it again and teared up. I'm hopeless.

[Thumper]

Saw a news clip interview with him. He still teaches music part time at an elementary school in Eastern Ohio! They were there at the school when his students sang and played Happy Birthday for his hundredth.

[Swift]

I got a little watery. That is awesome.

Two related stories, though not close to that cool. One of the guys I work with is in the alumni band, plays the drums. I'm pretty sure he was there that day. We have a little band at work called "Ceramica" that he plays in.

When I was at Brown I had a lot of friends in the band. They are sort of the opposite of the Ohio State band, they are basically crazy troublemakers, that's why I love them. When I was there, the mayor of Providence was Vincent "Buddy" Cianci. It was common knowledge that he was a stooge for the mob and an idiot. He would show up at football games and the band would start playing the Godfather theme. He'd laugh, they'd hand him a pair of cymbals, and let him play with the band. They'd tell him that one day they'd let him dot the i in Brown.

One of the reasons I don't watch college football much on TV is they don't show the halftime shows any longer. I always thought that was the main point, and as an added bonus, they surrounded the show with a football game.

[pumpkinpi]

And this weekend they did the floss.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/10/ohio-s ... ckpack-kid

(If you don't know what it is, consider yourself lucky. )

[SciFiFisher]

And this weekend they did the floss.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/10/ohio-s ... ckpack-kid

(If you don't know what it is, consider yourself lucky. )

I know just enough to know that I don't want to know more.

[code monkey]

I couldn't resist the challenge. unless i'm missing something - entirely possible. consider what I most recently missed - it's just a silly dance.

[Thumper]

The band has done some really innovative an creative marching in the last few years. I saw video of that sped up yesterday. It was pretty funny.