A Dawg’s best friends Posted On: Thursday, Oct. 29 2009 07:42 AM By Alicia Lacy
The Cove Herald

Editors Note: This is part two in a five part series on Bulldawg spirit.

Three groups come together each week with one common goal: to motivate fans, promote school spirit and cheer and support the Dawgs.

Though each has its own, separate competitions, for one night a week the Copperas Cove High School Pride of Cove Band, color guard and Copperettes team up to put on a show for Bulldawg fans at halftime.

The band

The disorder of the random notes blaring from instruments can be heard as each band member warms up, practices and tunes on their own. It sounds far from the melodic tones heard playing in the stands or on the field during the halftime show.

All at once, what sounded like chaos seconds before ceases and all together, in tune the band sounds as crisp and uniform as it looks when one of the directors or drum majors steps up to the podium. They lead and direct the band through scales, warm-ups and performance pieces before they take the field.

Band members, through extensive and strenuous practices that begin in the summer months and carry through the school year, commit hours after school to getting it right — learning and polishing the art of marching and coordination.

Marching is not as easy as it looks.

"It takes a lot of work, but once you get it down and build your muscle strength, it's fun," said Sophomore Derek Novak, who plays the clarinet.

Marching requires being in step with everyone else in the band, watching the drum major, knowing and playing the music and facing the audience at all times, regardless of the direction the marcher is moving in.

Miguel Ochoa, a freshman flute player, said marching band and learning the proper steps was harder than he expected.

However, in the stands it's a different story as fans watch the band moving and grooving while they play familiar tunes.

At every Bulldawg football game, the band is ready to cheer on its team to victory and entertain the fans during the halftime show.

But the performance is not just for the Dawgs, it's for the band, too.

Junior flute section leader Betsy Kelley said during marching competition season, the football games are practice, so the band is able to perfect the marching show for competitions.

After competitions wrap up in October, the band focuses strictly on the entertainment of the fans.

Diana Ochoa, a member of the Band Booster club and grandmother of two band members, said she has rarely missed a game with the band in the past four years.

Ochoa said she doesn't do it just to support her grandchildren, Miguel and Arnold Ochoa, but to support all the kids.

Color guard

The 20-member color guard team's focus during Dawg games is to perform with the band during halftime. Before and after halftime the team can be seen in the stands dancing, screaming and cheering for the team.

Kaiti Henrick, junior captain, said her favorite part of the games is performing for the fans and support the team.

Senior captain EJ Hasse said she enjoys seeing how "amped the fans get. It's the most amazing feeling to hear the audience screaming."

Copperettes

They are the girls sitting with the band every game night, the girls performing with the band during the halftime show and the girls who always seem to have a smile on their faces.

They cheer for the Bulldawgs, dance for the fans and dance to the beat.

The 13 girls on the varsity Copperettes team are challenged with remaining focused and energized during games, while being tasked with the balancing act of their schoolwork and the requirements of being a Copperette.

Their year begins in the summer before the start of the school year and doesn't end until school ends in May.

Dedication is what it takes to be successful as a Copperette with two practices a day for the varsity Copperettes, performances on game nights when they perform an average of 10 routines, some old and some new, and the courseload they carry.

"We just have to memorize it like muscle memory and then eventually it gets to come natural," Kelsey McCarter, senior and varsity co-captain, said describing the many routines she has to know.

With the normal pre-game and stand routines, the girls have a new routine for the halftime show every other game, Copperette Coach Jessica Harris said.

McCarter describes the football games as organized chaos.

"We know what we're supposed to be doing … but there's so much going on — it's everywhere," she said.

"Football game day is nerve-wracking," said sophomore Meaghan Dorroh, a Copperette lieutenant. "From practice to that night, I'm focused all day"

"I love being out there and showing everybody, fans from Cove or the opposite team, what we worked on all week," she said. "But the hardest part is getting everybody to want to watch you."

Contact Alicia Lacy at alacy@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7476.