<\/p>\n
In this Oct. 9, 2010, file photo, Ohio State\u2019s band performs \u201cScript Ohio\u201d before an NCAA college football game against Indiana in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo\/Jay LaPrete, File)<\/p>\n
In this Oct. 9, 2010, file photo, Ohio State\u2019s band performs \u201cScript Ohio\u201d before an NCAA college football game against Indiana in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo\/Jay LaPrete, File)<\/p>\n
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Who gets to dot the i?<\/p>\n
The honor of dotting the i is for fourth- and fifth-year sousaphone players. There are eight this year. Each will have one chance to do it at Ohio Stadium this season, either before the game or at halftime.<\/p>\n
Earning the opportunity to dot the i starts the moment a sousaphone player makes the band. Out of 28, only 24 march during games, increasing the competition.<\/p>\n
The order in which a sousaphone player chooses which game they will dot the i is determined by rank. Most points are awarded for the number of performances a player has completed during their OSU career. Players with higher point totals have priority in selecting their game. Like football players competing in practice, band members also challenge one another to be ready for game day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are so many people who have supported me and lifted me up when I\u2019m down,\u201d Orr said. \u201cI did not make the band on the first try, but I think that was an important part of my development to keep working hard and digging deep and finding out what it really means to me. Now this is just kind of the cherry on top.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each i-dotter brings a unique story, like Sydney Reeves, who dotted the i at halftime during the Grambling and Minnesota games. She follows in the footsteps of her parents, Wendy and Chad Reeves, both former sousaphone players and i-dotters.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, a sousaphone player didn\u2019t start dotting the i until 1937. John Brungart, an E-flat cornet player, was the first to do so.<\/p>\n
On rare occasions, senior sousaphone players invite a non-band member to dot the i. Two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin was the most recent honorary i-dotter<\/a> during the 2024 opener against Akron. Others have included Bob Hope (1978), Jack Nicklaus (2006), Sen. John and Annie Glenn (2009), 100-year-old alumnus Anthony Violi (2018), and former coaches Woody Hayes (1983) and Earl Bruce (2016).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Archie Griffin, two-time Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State, dots the I in \u201cScript Ohio\u201d during half time of an NCAA college football game against Akron Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo\/Jay LaPrete, File)<\/p>\n Archie Griffin, two-time Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State, dots the I in \u201cScript Ohio\u201d during half time of an NCAA college football game against Akron Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo\/Jay LaPrete, File)<\/p>\n Add AP News on Google <\/p>\n Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Taking center stage<\/p>\n Script Ohio is performed while the band plays Robert Planquette\u2019s \u201cLe R\u00e9giment de Sambre et Meuse.\u201d The formation begins with three blocks and unfolds into a long, singular line, all led by the drum major.<\/p>\n Near the end, as the band begins the final letter, the drum major joins the i dotter. They often high-five. The drum major starts hyping up the i-dotter. With 16 measures left in \u201cLe R\u00e9giment,\u201d the two strut to the top of the i. The drum major points to the spot. The i-dotter turns and bows to both sides of the crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a huge moment for them. They get to dot the i in front of 100,000 people, the greatest tradition in college football. It\u2019s encouraging them to embrace the moment,\u201d assistant drum major Brian Speckman said.<\/p>\n For the dotter, the i is broken into two parts \u2014 the strut to the i and the bow. Orr said he has practiced the strut a lot over the past year.<\/p>\n Sousaphone player Brayden Hyder takes you along for Ohio State University Marching Band\u2019s tradition of dotting the i to complete \u201cScript Ohio.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s kind of like a hitch kick motion where you\u2019re driving your knee up and then flicking out your foot and trying to keep your toe pointed,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to get good leg height with a sousaphone on your back, leaning back. It\u2019s kind of disorienting. But that\u2019s something that we specialize in here, just having very athletic, very trained people who want to make things look the absolute best that they can.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve received a lot of advice about technique. If you can find someone who marches a lot like you, they can be of great assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n Tradition also doesn\u2019t take a backseat to anyone. An ESPN cameraman learned that during a 2009 game against Southern California, he got too close to Frank Cosenza. As Cosenza did his bow<\/a>, the bell of the 40-pound sousaphone took out the camera.<\/p>\n With the College Football Playoff expanding last year, there are now at least two additional opportunities to dot the i. These are decided in a \u201cdot off,\u201d where sousaphone players perform their strut and showcase their abilities.<\/p>\n \u201cScript Ohio is one of those everlasting parts of Ohio State tradition,\u201d Orr said. \u201cI think that says something about the people of Ohio: we like tradition, we like honor, and it means a lot that we always prioritize being the best we can be, whether it\u2019s our football program or our band program. Some things just aren\u2019t meant to change, and I think we find great comfort in that.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here<\/a> and here<\/a> (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ap-top-25-college-football-poll<\/a> and https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/college-football<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) \u2014 Lots of kids who grow up in Ohio dream of scoring a touchdown in…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":379683,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[182125,182132,182128,182130,182137,435,182139,182138,1428,1369,182133,171,182135,1318,182134,57,31150,182131,182126,181121,1317,1315,1316,1574,1573,57463,4733,83542,182127,62,182129,61,8800,67,132,68,182136],"class_list":{"0":"post-379682","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-annie-glenn","9":"tag-anthony-violi","10":"tag-archie-griffin","11":"tag-bob-hope","12":"tag-brian-speckman","13":"tag-celebrity","14":"tag-chad-reeves","15":"tag-christopher-hoch","16":"tag-college-football","17":"tag-college-sports","18":"tag-earl-bruce","19":"tag-entertainment","20":"tag-eugene-j-weigel","21":"tag-football","22":"tag-frank-cosenza","23":"tag-general-news","24":"tag-jack-nicklaus","25":"tag-john-brungart","26":"tag-joseph-orr","27":"tag-local-news-for-apple","28":"tag-ncaa","29":"tag-ncaa-football","30":"tag-ncaafootball","31":"tag-oh-state-wire","32":"tag-ohio","33":"tag-ohio-bobcats","34":"tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","35":"tag-ohio-state-buckeyes-football","36":"tag-robert-planquette","37":"tag-sports","38":"tag-sydney-reeves","39":"tag-u-s-news","40":"tag-ucla-bruins","41":"tag-united-states","42":"tag-unitedstates","43":"tag-us","44":"tag-woody-hayes"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n