On crisp autumn Saturdays, as the roar of the crowd echoes across Gesa Field, another sound rises above the din — the bold brass and rhythmic percussion of the Cougar Marching Band. For more than a century, this ensemble has been the pulse of Washington State University’s game-day traditions, rallying the Crimson faithful with music, pageantry, and pride.
With 230 members this season, the Cougar Marching Band (CMB) ranks among WSU’s largest student organizations. Its reach extends far beyond the music department, according to Jon Sweet, director of Athletic Bands. “Over 80% are students who major in a discipline other than music, and we have representation from nearly every academic discipline on campus,” he said.
The CMB has morphed and grown since it was founded in 1923. Open to all majors, the CMB performs a new half-time show at each home game during the football season. The requisite practice and preparation can seem intimidating, but plenty of support exists throughout the band community, including its alumni members, many of whom recall their experiences with pride and joy.
“The sense of community is so tangible,” said Matso Limtiaco, a graduate teaching assistant from 1988 through 1990. “I had worked with other marching bands, but at WSU everyone was especially invested in doing it well and working together and pulling for each other.”
The sense of community is so tangible. I had worked with other marching bands, but at WSU everyone was especially invested in doing it well and working together and pulling for each other.
Matso Limtiaco, alumnus
Washington State University
David Sokoloski, class of 1991 and a CMB alumni, recalls that the marching band felt like the ultimate group project.
“We had 160 people all working on one show, and you had to rely on your bandmates doing their part,” he said. “You had to know the choreography, so you didn’t accidentally hit someone passing you, and it fostered a ton of trust and created a shared work ethic.”
Claire Sokoloski, class of 1990 and David’s wife, remembers how she first encountered her future husband during band rehearsals. “I met David because we marched next to each other,” she said, recalling how her participation had been encouraged by a high school teacher. “I attended Tonasket High School in eastern Washington, and my senior year we had a new band director who encouraged us all to try band in college. It sounded fun, so I did,” she said.
Encountering students without marching band experience doesn’t surprise Sweet, the band director. “Here in the Pacific Northwest, high schools may have pep bands or parade bands, but not a marching band,” he said. “Field shows are very new to some of our students, and we teach them all what they need to know.”
Field shows, especially while on the road, live on in alumni recollections.
“There are a lot of fond memories around the band trips that we took. The 1987 Apple Cup was a long and very tiring trip, but the camaraderie got us through it,” said David Sokoloski, referring to a particularly strenuous set of appearances that fall.
That grueling schedule in 1987 began when the marching band departed Pullman on Thursday, Nov. 19, performed at Puget Sound-area high schools, and then recorded a performance in Olympia the next day. That was followed by the Apple Cup on Saturday, Nov. 21, and then a field performance at the Seattle Seahawks game in the Kingdome on Sunday, Nov. 22. After a deserved rest day, the band boarded a plane to Japan and accompanied the Cougar football team playing in the Coca-Cola Classic, a special regular season matchup against the California Golden Bears in front of 54,000 spectators at the National Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
“It was brutal, but also super fun and just an amazing bonding trip with all of our bandmates,” said Sokoloski. His long-time friend Matso Limtiaco agrees. “At WSU, it’s pretty easy to find a community that you can belong to or be a part of,” said Limtiaco. “Honestly, quite often that community might come find you. There’s always something for every interest.”
