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University of Montana touts records over Montana State University – Daily Montanan [1]

['Keila Szpaller', 'More From Author', '- November']

Date: 2023-11-21  

The Griz-Cat rivalry sparked record food drive donations this weekend at the University of Montana — along with a little crowing about UM’s scholarly achievements compared to Montana State University’s, but also some irritation from marching band aficionados.

First things first for the sports fans, though: The Grizzlies “mauled” the Bobcats 37-7 during the Brawl of the Wild — the annual football game between the two Montana flagship universities.

“Then, Griz fans won the battle for kindness and charity,” UM said in a news release.

UM raised 870,000 pounds in food and monetary donations, “far and away the most ever raised during ‘Can the Cats.'” Bobcats helped too, though, raising 600,000 pounds.

“What a tremendous outpouring of love and support for a great cause,” said Karen Schlatter, a UM organizer of the event, in a statement. “Here in Montana, it’s part of our DNA to help our neighbors.”

The Brawl wasn’t all fun and games, though. In a petition, marching band supporters decried a decision they said was from both UM and MSU to cancel a long-standing tradition of the flagships’ Grizzly Marching Band and Spirit of the West band performing together. They also said live music got the short end of the stick, supposedly because UM decided “canned music would ‘pump’ up the audience more.”

Petitioners — 4,715 and counting as of Tuesday — signed on to express “disdain” for such decision, especially from a university that calls itself a liberal arts college.

“My experience in the GMB (Grizzly Marching Band) and as a fan in the stadium molded me as a person, and cemented my love of tradition, camaraderie, and collaboration,” said petition sponsor and UM alum Ashley Barber. “I also highlight one of the first things I learned at Freshman orientation — and a phrase I think about even now in my life and career: Lux et Veritas. I encourage you to remember the core tenets of what light and truth are and how that relates to being a Grizzly. It may not specifically just be at sporting events, but rather at any level of the University experience that shapes and defines us. I think you will find that it was not only impactful then, but resoundedly relevant even now, as we are always and forever Grizzlies.”

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, UM Athletic Director Kent Haslam said the changes were minimal, and UM will keep working with the marching band. He said usually, the Grizzly Marching Band plays the fight song after every Grizzly score, and if it’s a touchdown, the band plays it twice. However, on Saturday, after the final Grizzly touchdown, the band was asked to play the song just once and allow “marketing to play music after the extra point.”

“What that means is during the football game Saturday, the Grizzly Marching Band played the fight song 11 times after Grizzly scores,” Haslam said.

Fans were underwhelmed by the explanation of that and other changes. John Keyes @jkeyeser responded — kindly, compared to some — on X:

“Sounds like to me you were trying to break something that wasn’t broken for whatever reason. While you are the Director of Athletics, sometimes it’s best to just leave things alone. The times the band plays during Brawl of the Wild should be no different than any other game.”

Still, UM took the opportunity to strut a little about the superiority of Missoula over Bozeman, with a better nickname (Zootown over Bozeangeles), first-established campus, and real hub of the filming of the “Yellowstone” television series.

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[1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2023/11/21/university-of-montana-touts-records-over-montana-state-university/

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