Demps News A Downer, but Wildcat Wrap is Still NUMB With Excitement

By Lake The Posts on August 13, 2011

Teddy Greenstein first reported that incoming freshman and potential STARTING PG, Tre Demps, injured his shoulder Wednesday in a practice with NBA players and may miss the entire season if he elects to have surgery. Demps, a highly touted recruit from San Antonio, TX, is getting a second opinion from an orthopedist in New Orleans where his dad is the president of the Hornets. In the small world category, I believe said doctor may very well be a good college buddy of mine. If so, he’ll be in great hands. This is HUGE news for the 2011-2012 basketball season as the ‘Cats have big question marks as it relates to the most important position on the floor in the wake of the graduation of Juice Thompson. David Sobolewski, an all-state standout from Benet Academy (Lisle, IL) would presumably be the PG along with SG Alex Marcotullio helping him ease in to the role. Either way, not good. Here’s to a healthy recovery for Tre.

Sailgate Wow

To anyone who doubts the emergence of the Wildcats fan base, well, you should them. We sold out four boats, including 570 full packages along with a total of nearly 700 tailgaters and overall fans. I cannot underscore enough how much Scott Sloane deserves the Purple Wildcat Fan Medal of Honor for his tireless efforts on this. Brian DeConinck gets a shout out for all of his technical assistance on the site and Scott Smith gets big props for putting together the itinerary on the “Sailgate” page.  NEW: Check out the nav bar that says “Sailgate” above and enjoy!  You will be getting an email soon and directions here on this site regarding next steps.

Strike Up The Band:

It’s time to bring Brittany Peterson back for a NUMB post that will get your fired up (and educated on all kinds of lingo).  It should be no surprise that NUMB is experiencing its best numbers since the 1990s now that they are under the domain of Northwestern Athletics.  To those who discuss how hard it can be to hear the band, well, big numbers help.  We realize there are still acoustic issues and will discuss that down the line. Today, you’ll get to know more about those famous folks wearing the funny hats on ladders in front of the band. That’s the LTP techincal term for it, anyway.  NUMBers are some of the most passionate fans I know and as such we are proud to have periodical reports here on the doings of our fearless band. Brittany, all yours:

Thanks for having me, LTP! With an incredible football season on the horizon, and in the wake of the announcement that Athletics will be taking over funding responsibilities for NUMB, you can bet the marching band is coming at this season full force. We have new uniforms on the way, the most registered band members in a decade, and a brand new set of student leadership. I sat down with this year’s SpiriTeam™, Weinberg senior & Spirit Leader Ksjusha Povod and Communications sophomore & Grynder Jalen Motes, to get their thoughts on the upcoming season, the new pimped-out uniforms, Nasty ‘Cats, and a trip to corn country.

Brittany Petersen: Hello SpiriTeam™ 2011! First up, for the uninitiated in the cult of NUMB, could you give us a quick explanation of what exactly your jobs entail as the Spirit Leader and Grynder of the marching band?
Ksjusha Povod: Let’s see here. We run around like crazy people and…nope, that’s about it! We’re just two normal people who like to have fun and have no problem pushing the boundaries of crazy.
Jalen Motes: Boundaries? I hate that word. Makes it sound like we do something people don’t like. Everyone loves our specific brand of crazy. The SpiriTeam™ brand, specifically.
KP: And for those that really want to know, the SpiriTeam™ specializes in chills, ills, spills, thrills and some general insanity. We make sure the band, the students, and all the devoted Wildcat fans can keep bleeding purple to the best of their ability. I think we also used to kidnap opposing team’s cheerleaders. We really ought to bring that back, dontcha think? Oh! And they also give us cool hats to wear. I don’t know about you, Jalen-o, but that’s why I signed up for the gig.

BP: The hats make the ‘team. So are you excited for your first year as a brand-new SpiriTeam™? Any concerns?
KP: Excited?!
JM: Excited!?
KP: You’re kidding, right?
JM: She’s kidding, right?
KP: We’ve spent a lot of time (JM: all kinds of time) getting ready for the upcoming season, perfecting our SpiriTeam™ act (JM: this one), and we’re ready to hit the field marching 494 beats a minute! I must admit though, I have one pressing concern, and that is falling off of the ladders that we stand on in front of the band during games. I’m not so graceful even on the ground.
JM: I will catch you! Trust me! We are both crazy amounts of excited for this year. My only concern is whether I’ll be able to be as awesome as my wonderful SpiriTeamate™!
KP: Aww, well buddy, I’ll catch you in return, though I’m not sure how much good that’ll do because I’ll probably trip on the way there. I’ll fall, you’ll fall, the band will be laughing thinking we planned it. Mission accomplished?

BP: Trust me, pratfalls will always be funny. Alright, let’s get down to business. I hear NUMB is getting new uniforms for the first time since the 1995 Rose Bowl. Can you give us the inside scoop on the special features of the new duds?
KP: They’re pretty spiffy. We can’t reveal all the bells and whistles but we CAN tell you that–
JM: Mr. Farris wants us to stand out a little more from the other Big Ten bands. Word on the street is that he’s having the illustrious Danry Derfield work on all-new 3D drill charts. What does this mean for our new uniforms? Let’s just say it’s jetpack-related. Those troublesome spats are out the window too, as all shoes will undergo a mandatory white-stripening. I’ve also heard that Nasty ‘Cat sleeve details are a big possibility.
KP: Yes! I heard that too, mostly because I was whining and whining and whining to the Deej (editor’s note: that’s an affectionate pseudonym for NUMB director Dan Farris) to bring back the Nasty ‘Cat. In addition, I know that our NUMB chemistry majors have been holed up all summer in Tech labs perfecting Hermione’s undetectable extension charm to add to the pockets so we finally have a decent place to put music when we’re out on the field so it won’t fall out.

BP: I’m hoping for a Gershwin-inspired jetpackpalooza myself. So we’ll want to show off the new uniforms; is the band traveling this year? Where you headed? What do you plan to do there?
KP: We plan to let all purple break loose in Iowa City this October. We’re super excited to be heading back to the cornfields again for a scrumptious Hawkeye snack.
JM: (stereotypical French cackle) Zee Franch call eet “Oeil de Faucon,” mademoiselle.
KP: We don’t plan on giving Io_a their W back anytime soon, either. Besides that, we’ll be headed to Pasadena for New Year’s, of course.
JM: Oui oui. ‘Twill be très bonne. Hah, why I am still talking like that? Anyway, if I know one thing – and I happen to know several (KP: yes he does) – thanks, Ksjusha – it’s that my hat keeps whispering to me how fantastic Pasadena is in January. Something about mild temperatures and endless skies. I can’t wait to see what the fuss is about!

BP: Before we can get to postseason, we should probably get through band camp first, which starts the first week of September. A few weeks out, NUMB staff is already reporting that more than 180 students will be marching this year. This makes it the largest Northwestern marching band in more than a decade. How will this affect the band’s season?
KP: You’re not going to believe it’s even possible, but this is going to make NUMB even more amazing than it was before.
JM: I already don’t believe it.
KP: We’ve always been proud of our superb musicianship, and you can bet that we will keep that up. With a bit more bulk filling out each section, that musicianship will just be magnified to a more glorious sound. Oh, it’ll be awesome alright.
JM: NUMB thrives on the energy of dozens upon dozens of prideful and gutsy souls. Adding more dozens can only help. And if they’re dirty dozens, the “Yo’ Mama” jokes will be endless! So it’s like a win-win situation.
KP: More like win-win-win-win-win.
JM: I can already hear the intensified collective Growl now.

BP: I can’t wait to see the field so full! Moving right along to another hot topic, NUMB’s move into the fiscally welcoming arms of the athletic department. What sort of things are you hoping to gain out of NUMB’s new relationship with Athletics?
KP: A couple dates, at least! No really, it’s really great to be coupled with Athletics when so much of NUMB’s life essence comes from, in particular, the football program. We have a lot of common interests, and it’s going to help NUMB, NU football, and Northwestern in general reach more people and have a greater impact. It’s really exciting. On the Spirit Leader side, where I only have one year of the new partnership before I graduate, I’m just sad I won’t get to be in NUMB as the relationship develops more.
JM: Don’t remind me! What am I gonna do without you?
KP: Well I expect you to shrivel up in a corner and cry salty purple tears before you accept my successor.
JM: Personally, it’s always been a dream of mine since I was a young whippersnapper to see a marching band be recognized as “athletic.” So this is a beautiful time. I honestly have no idea what to dream could be gained from NUMB’s new relationship with Athletics. Money? New uniforms and instruments? Both? I hope so.
BP: Well the new uniforms are definitely happening, so there’s one item on the checklist!
KP: Yeah! Besides that, I know I’m also looking forward to being more involved on campus in a few events outside of football games. It’ll be great to support the wider scope of Northwestern’s athletic teams.

BP: You bring up a good point about NUMB connecting more with other groups on campus. Besides hopefully developing a connection with other athletic teams, is NUMB collaborating with any student groups on campus?
KP: We’ve been working with the Wildside a bit more lately.
JM: Yeah, those guys are cool.
KP: It’s pretty awesome to get purple shirts and start kind of grassroots movements of purple obsession and devotion in all of our sports. Of course we also love our Ladycats and cheerleaders and have a lot of fun doing cheers with them and pumping up the crowd, getting together for key game moments.

BP: I can’t wait for football at Ryan Field! What halftime shows can we look forward to this season? Can you give us any hints?
KP: (laughter) I think Mr. Farris said not to say anything….but…oh well! Nah, I don’t think anything is really set in stone, but there will be lots of awesome new shows. There were many thoughts thrown around about doing a throwback show for our 100th year (editor’s note: more on this in the next couple weeks!), doing a West Side Story show for the movie’s 50th anniversary, maybe a Disney show, maybe something to have a bigger impact on the field. We’ll see, we’ll see. We do have some tricks up our sleeves!
JM: Nasty ‘Cats, specifically. As usual, I would hope that every year you’d expect nothing but fantastic shows from The Finest Band in the Land, but this year with our larger size, expect it to be even larger!

BP: Alright, one more before I let you guys go. As a NUMBALUM, and I’m not alone in this, homecoming is a highlight of the season. What are you most looking forward to about this year’s homecoming?
KP: I love watching NUMBALUMS old and new doing various forms of pregame steps. It’s really funny but completely amazing that people come back year after year to do this crazy exhausting stuff every October. It’s really great having them in the stands with us too, playing along to music, doing old cheers we know nothing about. It provides an awesome perspective as they tell us stories from the “good ol’ days.” Bahh, I just love the tradition of NUMB! Homecoming really brings that out. Plus my parents come to visit during homecoming and they bring me lots of food, so that’s always good too. Unrelated, but no one can deny the goodness of free food.
JM: I certainly can’t. The absolute best thing about Homecoming is that NUMBALUMS of all shapes and sizes come to bestow upon us all of their unerring glory. Their stories are grandiose and endearing and provide impetus for my own debaucherous stunts and follies.
KP: Wow, look at the Grynder’s vocabulary!
JM: Most importantly, when they come back they remind me that NUMB is forever, and that though time may destroy many things, the tradition of NUMB can never be torn asunder.

Brittany Petersen (Medill ’09) is a bonehead NUMBALUM, former Spirit Leader, and currently the Vice President of Publicity for the NUMBALUMS. She’ll be checking in all season long with updates on NUMB, the NUMBALUMS, and the rumored jetpacks. If you have any NUMB-related questions for Brittany, contact her at brittany.lynn.petersen@gmail.com.  Go ‘Cats!

Darren Rovell Is Trying To Become Godfather of Purple Mafia

Congrats (AGAIN) to Darren Rovell.  First, the CNBC reporter replaces John Feinstein as the DC ESPN affiliate show host. Now, it was announced Rovell will have his own sports busines show on Versus which will soon become NBC Sports Network. Check out the release on his half-hour nightly show here. (Thanks Willie for the tips!)