Alumni bowl games

Josh Slusarek, A&E Writer

Bowl games are a way for NCAA teams to compete postseason and with that comes the appearance of the marching bands. Many Midwestern college bands contain Xavier alumni such as the bands for Iowa State (Caleb Burken, Marissa Cosgrove, Anna Garbe and Anthony Karl), Notre Dame (Lauren Korbel) and The University of Iowa (Lizzie Leu and Kristen Leu).

“The biggest difference performing at Notre Dame, compared to Xavier, is that the goal of our performance is to entertain, rather than to compete. Additionally, it is different being part of such a large marching band. The band I play for has just under 400 members, compared to somewhere around 80 members for Xavier’s marching band,” Xavier alumnus Lauren Korbel (X19) said.

Korbel performed at the Camping World Bowl for Notre Dame. The Camping World Bowl was in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 28, 2019. 

“It was an incredible experience to perform at the bowl game in front of so many people. After marching onto the field, I always look into the huge stadium to see it filled with people,” Korbel said.

Alumnus Caleb Burken (X18) also performed at the Camping World Bowl this year but for Iowa State.

“It was honestly so amazing. Even though we were in Florida, there were still so many fans from Iowa that were there. There was about 20,000 people that were at the game to cheer on the football team and the marching band,” Burken said.

A lot of work goes into getting ready for each performance with multiple rehearsals each week to get ready for the games. 

“For the bowl game, we had two rehearsals in the weeks leading up to the bowl game to practice our show,” Korbel said.

The chance to travel somewhere is also exciting for band members. 

“It was awesome to travel to San Diego and participate in Battle of the Bands with the USC band,” Xavier alumnus Kristen Leu  (X19) said. 

Kristen and her sister, Lizzie Leu (X17), traveled with the Iowa marching band to The Holiday Bowl  on Friday, December 27, 2019 in San Diego, California. 

Bowl games are a good opportunity for the teams and bands to show their audiences what they have to offer. When asked for any final words in relation to those interested in watching or attending bowl games in the future, Burken said, 

“Pay attention to the bands! They are working so hard to put on a fun performance! We don’t get a lot of TV time either, which is unfortunate, but hopefully in the future the networks will recognize the hard work of the bands.”

From The Camping World Bowl in Orlando to The Holiday Bowl in San Diego, these former Marching Saints still carry on the legacy of Xavier.