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Out of the office
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: September 10, 2015

Former Wildcat musician says just chill

I'll admit it. I laughed out loud when I saw a video of the Kansas State University marching band's halftime performance in Manhattan over the weekend.

The space-themed routine appeared to include a sex act against a University of Kansas Jayhawk. Maybe you've seen it.

It's worth a peek, if you're interested. Apparently, the Star Trek Enterprise (formed by marchers) looked like a giant male sex organ poking at the Jayhawk.

The band's directors are taking a lot of heat for this. The band issued an apology this week, saying the resemblance was purely accidental.

Accident or no accident, it must be difficult to be a member of the KSU marching band these days, I thought.

The band has a couple of recent Valley Center High School graduates. Cole Klinkhammer and Wesley Crow, who graduated this past spring from VCHS, are members of the marching band. Cole is part of the drumline, while Wesley plays trombone.

I reached out to Cole on Facebook to get a comment from him about the debacle. Rightly so, he told me that students have been instructed not to say anything to the press or on social media.

I'm just a casual observer, but I have to believe that the resemblance was just an accident.

Knowing Cole and Wesley, there's no way those guys would knowingly be a part of something like that, even though it's really only mildly offensive.

Anyway, I can't be sure, but I bet Wesley and Cole feel the same way that another VCHS alum does.

Jacob Miller, who graduated from Valley Center High School in 2010, graduated from KSU this spring. He was a member of the KSU marching band for five years and was the head section leader for the trombones the past two seasons.

He told me he was heartbroken by the amount of ridicule taking place.

"The incident from the band's halftime show this past Saturday is a perfect example of how social media has corrupted this country over time," said Miller, who is an assistant band director for the Dodge City school district. "People that don't even know anything about this band, its staff and traditions are so quick to whine and act like a know-it-all without understanding the situation because they love attention and a good argument."

Miller said the KSU marching band has really improved over the years because of former members and because of the efforts of the band's director, Frank Tracz, as well as assistant director Don Linn, who are coming under attack.

"This is not the first band in the country to poke fun at another school in a show," Miller said. "The KSU marching band is at a new experimental stage where creating new animations and entertaining formations is a regular. The directors designed the drill, but I guarantee had absolutely no intention of creating the inappropriate image others claim to see. This wonderful group is being criticized over something that they didn't intend to create, rather than be praised for a terrific and impressive first show of the season. Coming from a proud Valley Center and Kansas State graduate, it sickens me that my mentor and role model is in a great deal of discomfort and regret just because some people are so negative and can't handle a mild joke. I don't hate the University of Kansas, but I do bleed purple. Rock Chalk or EMAW, this isn't a big deal."

Well said, Jacob.

Chris Strunk is publisher of The Ark Valley News. Reach him at 755-0821, news@arkvalleynews.com or on Facebook.




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