But starting in August, that sentiment will change.
The band and intramural sports will soon have a new turf practice field at the corner of Munn Field. At this week’s MSU Board of Trustees meeting, trustees approved naming the new field the Forest Akers Trust Practice Complex and the Ed and Wanda Eichler Teaching Tower and Gallery.
The Eichler family has a long history of performance at MSU, as well as donating instruments, while the Akers family has donated more than $10 million to the university.
The Forest H. Akers Trust Fund gave $1 million to the project and the Eichler family gave a $300,000 gift.
“These people have been giving forever,” board Chairman Joel Ferguson said. “They’ve never given based on an incentive, just for their love of the university. When you have new facilities like this, it’s nice to be able to do something for them.”
The band’s current practice space carries risk of injury for band members, as the field’s condition becomes worse in the late fall and early winter months of football season.
“Through September it’s fine, but starting in October we get hit with the rain, sleet and sometimes snow,” twirler and chemical engineering freshman Ashley Burkin said. “Mud makes it hard to twirl. I once went to go run to my next spot and completely fell into a split. ”
Burkin said the turf practice field will help her avoid injury and be able to practice hard all the time, not just when the weather is nice.
“I’ll be able to go full out all season,” she said. “I’ve had the transition from grass to turf before, so I’m not worried.”
Support for the new field is strong among band members. Big Ten flag corp member and marketing freshman Megan Garrod said injury is on the mind of the flag corp, which is one of the more cardio-intensive sections of the band.
“When we’re prancing and coming down the field, we could hit a pothole and turn our ankle,” she said. “Our current field is slightly tilted. It’s better when the field is flat.”
Spartan Stadium has a grass field, but despite the change in playing surface, Garrod does not think the band will be affected on game day.
“Our Saturday morning routine is on Ralph Young (a turf surface),” she said. “That doesn’t have an effect at all.”
