WPCNR Across The Field. Special to WPCNR From Kim Wood, WPHS Class of 05, Clarinetist, University of Michigan Marching Band. November 21, 2006: I was at the game on Saturday and it was quite the experience. Everyone was excited for this game and even that's an understatement. The  atmosphere was so intense in the stadium. I've never had to scream so loud just to hear my own voice, which I lost the next day.

The band (driving in 6 coach buses) drove down the notorious High St. on campus -- it's a bunch of sorority/frat houses -- and the kids outside of the houses were making signs and taunting us. They didn't have the guts, however, to do any of that when we were walking into the stadium with our uniforms on.  No one was brave enough to.

White Plains own Kim Wood, Sophomore at U ofM and a member of the University of Michigan Marching Band on the sidelines at halftime just before stepping out onto the field for the halftime show, with close friend. Photo, Courtesy, Kim Wood.

Kim Wood, Class of 2005 at White Plains High School, former thirdbaser with the White Plains High Softball Team, and clarinet virtuoso, now a member of the 225-person, University of Michigan Marching Band, seen recently at Michigan Stadium. Kim auditions weekly to see if she will be marching with the big band at Michigan football games. Last week she played her way in to the big game. She is one of 40 clarinetists in the band. This is her report on her experience at the game of the century OSU and Michigan in Columbus. Photo, Courtesy, the Wood family.

We arrived at the stadium well before  kickoff as to avoid any sort of problems with fans. When it came time for us to do our pregame, the stadium got very loud. The stadium was  full well before the game started, which I guess isn't surprising  becaue of the magnitude of the game.

I've never heard booing as loud as  I did on Saturday when we ran onto the field for our pregame. Everyone in my section said it was the most tiring pregame they've ever done.  The entire stadium was booing us from start to finish and it was very  hard to hear.

As for the game, it was great. It was a game that any  sports fan lives for. It wasn't one-sided and it was always tense. One  minute I was screaming out of joy, the next I was quiet and depressed.  We really tested them. After that game, it became even clearer that  those two teams really do deserve to be #1 and #2. After the game was over, it seemed like everyone in the stadium rushed the field. It was a  great moment, if you're a buckeye fan. The fans' presence was really  felt that day and they were very impressive. They were loud when they
needed to be.

However, the Wolverines clearly never gave up. To keep  the game to a 3-point difference in Ohio Stadium, in that crazy atmosphere, at that level of football is something to be admired. They  deserve to be #2 still (which they are) and I (obviously being somewhat  biased) feel that no other team deserves to play the Buckeyes in the national championship game. We proved that we have the potential to  score against them, which no other team could do. We gave them a run  for their money.

As for the band, we had to wait at least an hour for the Buckeye fans to exit the stadium. The exit was, of course, right  next to our seating area. We had to sit there and watch them mock us with remarks like "Good luck in Pasadena" and "Michigan sucks", etc.

The fans (and even the band (who arranged it in the 40s) which I find very unclassy) sing this song called "We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan, we're from Ohio". They sing it at every game, so, even when they're not playing us. The fans enjoyed singing that in front of us as they exited the stadium. They were taking pictures of us as well, probably to remember our sad faces.

It seemed like everyone took a piece of the field with them and raised it over their heads like some sort of trophy. One fan decided to through their piece into our band's section. The field looked like the moon once everyone left -- there were so many empty patches that looked like craters. Finally, we exited the stadium quietly, got on the buses and departed Columbus for  Ann Arbor. All things considered, I had the time of my life. The atmosphere in that stadium was unlike anything I've ever experienced.

The game was probably the greatest game I've ever seen and I was proud of our football team even though they didn't completely live up to their name. Both teams/bands are fantastic and have such great tradition. The rivalry between them will always be special and will  never die. Hopefully we'll be meeting again on Jan. 8 in Glendale, AZ.

P.S. Derek Jeter was at the game as well. He was on the Michigan sideline. He was going to go to Michigan with a baseball scholarship  but decided to go pro instead. I attached a picture I took with him right before our halftime show.