At every football game, band members perform a pregame show, play in the stands during first and second quarter, perform during halftime, and only have third quarter to take a break and eat before having to be back in the stands, ready to play, by the fourth quarter. In the past, this led to congestion at the concession stand and increased stress as around 180 band members attempted to buy and eat food during their short break. This year, however, saw the debut of a unique solution to these problems: a VIP pass.
Each band member had the opportunity to purchase a VIP pass at the start of the season, which can be used at the concession stand at every home game. It works much like a punch card, allowing each pass-holder to get anything from concessions without having to spend time paying up front.
“They pay $50 in advance, that’s $10 per game, and they get three of any items off our menu,” senior drum major Lizzie Thomas said. “They do not have to pay again throughout the entire season for home games, and we have special VIP lines that we put the band kids in to try and move them through a little bit faster.”
The idea for these passes was developed when the Thomas family took charge of home-game concessions this year. Their goal was to understand the needs of the students and to help minimize stress for band members.
“My parents this year took over running our concession stand, so part of that was them asking student opinions about what we could do to make it a better experience for our band members, as they only have one quarter to get through the concession line,” Thomas said. “With that, we came up with the idea for the VIP card.”
So far, the VIP passes have made a positive impact on the band, reducing stress and allowing band members to eat unrushed. Still, the new VIP system doesn’t always run smoothly. The Thomas family and students alike are putting more thought into the current system in order to work out some of the issues with getting all band members fed.
“There are so many kids, and even when we have the away concession stand open, it’s really difficult to get that amount of kids through the line. We’re trying to, over this season that’s like a test season, see what does work and what doesn’t work. We’re thinking about introducing pre-orders, and just ways that we can kind of stream line the process,” Thomas said.
“This is a trial year to see if it is a worthwhile venture,” Band Director Nathan Heath said.
While the current VIP system may not be perfect, it is certainly an improvement from previous years, and is a stepping stone to better ideas in the future.
“I like the VIP passes. It’s nice that band kids have a way to get food faster so we can make it back to the stands on time,” senior drum major Alex Eisenreich said. “It’s not perfect, they’re still figuring out the best way to go about it, but I think once all the kinks are ironed out, it’ll be really nice.”
All band members deserve to have sufficient time to eat during their allotted break, and the VIP passes have allowed that to happen. Overall, the VIP passes have made home games easier and less stressful for the band, and will continue to improve the band’s break time as the current issues are worked out.
