So much for Nitchampburg.... - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jan 11, 2005

So much for Nitchampburg....

Date: Jan 11, 2005

Time to close Nitchampburg down! I mean, what a stupid name anyway...makes no sense, even for those who like basketball.

Date: Jan 11, 2005

who cares about USM-Louisville? I want to know how OG and HHS did in soccer tonight!

Date: Jan 11, 2005

It took me forever to figure out what it meant -- I mean, a "nit" is a lice egg.

Date: Jan 11, 2005

And I suppose the guys who select the teams for the National Invitation Tournament (which as I recall is the consolation prize for teams that don't qualify for the NCAA play-offs), would be... um... dare I say it?

NIT-pickers

I still have a USM NIT Champion t-shirt. How long ago was that? 20 years? C'mon, somebody has to do better than naming the basketball tailgating area after a consolation prize that USM won two decades ago... Yes, it was exciting -- the high point of M.K. Turk's coaching career. But it was a long time ago.

FWIW, I also have the radio broadcast of the legendary 38-29 victory over Bear Bryant's boys in 1982 on cassette. I have utterly no idea if the oxide is still on the tapes...

I sure hope that guy who thinks we are all down on athletics reads this.

So, did you get an OG-HHS soccer score, SCM?

Date: Jan 11, 2005

The NIT championship was 1987 - will you ever forget Casey Fisher with a "NY" carved into his hair?

Date: Jan 11, 2005

how about og--hhs in soccer? come on sports fans!

Date: Jan 11, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: 1/USMTTT
"The NIT championship was 1987 - will you ever forget Casey Fisher with a "NY" carved into his hair? "

Or who can forget how one player said after the game, on national television, "We came, We saw, We tore the house down."

I'll leave it to those more poetic than I am to comment on that slice of fine literature.

Date: Jan 12, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Invictus
"FWIW, I also have the radio broadcast of the legendary 38-29 victory over Bear Bryant's boys in 1982 on cassette. I have utterly no idea if the oxide is still on the tapes...
"

Heh. I have the pic of Bear walking off the field looking up at the scoreboard. I gave it to my dad years ago, and when he died, I stuck it in my office on campus. People have no clue what it's doing there.

All of this forced fake tradition is what bothers me...creating "nitchampburg", all of the football pregame festivities that are so annoyingly choreographed. None of it seems honest, all of it seems forced, and 20 years from now, it won't be there, and nobody will miss it.

Now, the Pride drum line wearing green leis...

Date: Jan 12, 2005

The "fifth quarter" band concert is a keeper. I always stick around until they finish "It is Well" even though it seems an odd choice to play at a secular athletic event. A hymn about resignation wouldn't be the usual selection to rouse the old competitive spirit: "When sorrows like sea billows roll." Eh what? But it is a stirring and beautiful arrangement. And the "Ascending Drummers" add a touch of irreverence that I have always appreciated.

I don't know how that tradition came to be, but I suspect it was not imposed. It seems the best traditions are things that either happen fairly spontaneously or are started as a single event, then perpetuated. These artificial traditions remind me of those events that include in the name "First Annual" something or other. I find them presumptuous and egotistical. The initial organizers presume that their successors will see fit to carry on what may turn out to be a total waste.

I'd bet that if USM had just designated a basketball tailgating area, in a year or two some more acceptable name would have been devised by the people who actually used the place. It may anyway, if the location ever gains widespread use. Nitchampburg seems to be widely reviled.

Date: Jan 12, 2005

Even the fans aren't impressed by "Nitchampburg":

Killerfrogs.Com CUSA Forums ->C-USA Fan Forum

http://www.killerfrogs.com/cusa/index.php?act=ST&f=4&t=14055&hl=nitchampburg&s=2be2b296f0690934ab7341809c972027

quote:

USMjournalism
Posted on Dec 3 2004, 10:07 AM

the name NITchampburg is being hotly debated over on Eagletalk so I thought I'd open it up to CUSA in general and get some feedback on it. Some people think it sounds ridiculous, others think it sounds a bit too much like Nuremberg.

[poll results]

Poll choices
Votes
Statistics

sounds good
0
[0.00%]

sounds ridiculous
13
[86.67%]

sounds too much like "Nuremberg"
0
[0.00%]

rename is Eustachyville
0
[0.00%]

rename it Champsburg
2
[13.33%]

Date: Jan 12, 2005

did anyone notice at the game last nite (louisville) that when the student section started getting involved in the game an armed security officer with black gloves on stood in front of the student section? needless to say at that point all the students sat down and not much more student involvement.............granted it was a terrible game but this sort of "show of force" certainly doesn't encourage students. there was probably some sort of "reasoning" behind moving over this armed security guard, but of course there was "reasoning" when security removed the students with the shelby protest signs last spring at a bb game.

one more observation, the athletic department sure has alot of suits running around at these games with headphones looking important. i know athletics is a big business, but if i didnt know better i would have thought it was the mississippi junior bankers association meeting.

is the athletic director still constipated about the bond issue or is he having second thoughts about his basketball coach....i saw him a couple of times with a frown, oops he was sitting next to shelby

Date: Jan 12, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: late
"did anyone notice at the game last nite (louisville) that when the student section started getting involved in the game an armed security officer with black gloves on stood in front of the student section? needless to say at that point all the students sat down and not much more student involvement.............granted it was a terrible game but this sort of "show of force" certainly doesn't encourage students. there was probably some sort of "reasoning" behind moving over this armed security guard, but of course there was "reasoning" when security removed the students with the shelby protest signs last spring at a bb game."

I betcha the reasoning was based more on the "involvement" of the student section at football games this year. Remember the "throwing" incident at the Houston game?

As far as the AD needing Metamucil, I think you answered your own question. Would you smile if you were sitting with Shelby, who no doubt knows more about roundball coaching than Eustachy.

Date: Jan 12, 2005

Sevarl years ago, a German exchange student stayed with my family. I believe she was from Nitchampburg.

Date: Jan 12, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: ram
"The "fifth quarter" band concert is a keeper. I always stick around until they finish "It is Well" even though it seems an odd choice to play at a secular athletic event.

I don't know how that tradition came to be, but I suspect it was not imposed.;"

It wasn't imposed, the band just wanted to play some more...although the choice of music was imposed. It used to be that the Pride played just about the whole catalog, and sang Dixie acappella.

In about 1984, Dixie got the axe.

Date: Jan 12, 2005

Have you ever noticed that Hattiesburg has at its root "Hades" ... the name fits the town, the school, the whole scenario, as a living hell. What's amazing is that all the weird stuff going on just seems so commonplace now, just normal stuff. This IS the most F***ed up university in the U.S. Nitchampburg, how idiotic. I wouldn't step foot in Nitchampburg, and who wants to go to the stupid NIT tournament anyway, talk about aiming low.

I hate to say this, but just cancel all athletic programs and shut this baby down. I'll go watch intramurals.

Date: Jan 12, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Miles Long
"
In about 1984, Dixie got the axe."

Wasn't that about the time the band started playing "Are You From Dixie?"

Date: Jan 12, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Etymology of Hattiesburg
"Have you ever noticed that Hattiesburg has at its root "Hades"

I beg to differ...Hattiesburg was named after Hattie Hardy, Capt. William Hardy's wife. I don't think there is any etymology of the name "Hattie" that connects it to the term "Hades."

Date: Jan 12, 2005

Queen,

It was a pun. OK?

Date: Jan 12, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Invictus
"

Wasn't that about the time the band started playing "Are You From Dixie?" "

Yep...and they debated for years about rewriting "Southern to the top" to remove the one bar that had the 4 beats of "Dixie" in it.

Date: Jan 14, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: ram
"The "fifth quarter" band concert is a keeper. I always stick around until they finish "It is Well" even though it seems an odd choice to play at a secular athletic event. A hymn about resignation wouldn't be the usual selection to rouse the old competitive spirit: "When sorrows like sea billows roll." Eh what? But it is a stirring and beautiful arrangement. And the "Ascending Drummers" add a touch of irreverence that I have always appreciated. I don't know how that tradition came to be, but I suspect it was not imposed. It seems the best traditions are things that either happen fairly spontaneously or are started as a single event, then perpetuated....

Hymnsong is an arrangement a grad student (I think Long) wrote of David Holsinger's arrangement, "On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss," which is an arrangement of Philp Bliss's "It is Well with My Soul." Holsinger's arrangement is a very popular work played in concert bands everywhere and Long's arrangement for the Pride perfectly showcases its wonderful sound. The playing of hymnsong was actually a tradition from the students. The band directors were tired of playing it and took it off the play list for a year. There was such a strong student reaction against this that it seems to be permanent now. Also, don’t forget the tradition of Amazing Grace that is also a spiritual. Getting to play that trumpet solo is almost the Pride’s answer to dotting the I at Ohio State.

Miles...I think you have the traditions backward, I think the 5th quarter was imposed but the play list comes from the band. Also, I don’t know where Dixie is in “Southern to the Top.” By the way, the name of the fight song is a great example of tradition rewriting. The name of the fight song is “Southern to the Top” but it got renamed to “Southern Miss to the Top” to keep with our branding.

Date: Jan 14, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: asdf
" Hymnsong is an arrangement a grad student (I think Long) wrote of David Holsinger's arrangement, "On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss," which is an arrangement of Philp Bliss's "It is Well with My Soul." "

Thanks asdf. The hymn "It is Well with My Soul" was written by Horatio Spafford. Philip Bliss wrote the tune "Ville de Havre" to which the hymn is set. There's a sad and interesting story behind the hymn, and irony in the tune name:

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

Date: Jan 15, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: asdf
"
Miles...I think you have the traditions backward, I think the 5th quarter was imposed but the play list comes from the band. Also, I don’t know where Dixie is in “Southern to the Top.” By the way, the name of the fight song is a great example of tradition rewriting. The name of the fight song is “Southern to the Top” but it got renamed to “Southern Miss to the Top” to keep with our branding. "

Well, 20-some odd years ago, we still did the 5th quarter, but it wan't called the 5th quarter. A very few band members would leave, and they weren't required to stay. We basically voice voted what we wanted to play next.

When it came time to sing Dixie a cappella, many members of the Pride would leave, predominantly black members. This whole Dixie thing was kind of a tacit tradition: we never practiced it, we never talked about it, we never did anything about it until we were told not to do it anymore.

So then, Dixie was removed, and "they" began the work to remove the 1 bar from Southern to the Top that was the opening phrase of Dixie. I believe it took a few years, but that bar was also expunged from "Southern to the Top".

Re-"branding" the song as "Southern Miss to the Top" is a new one on me.