Last home game of the season for UTSA
This year has been the year that has changed a lot. For the UTSA Marching Band, Spirit of San Antonio aka SOSA, it changed a lot.
I’ve been photographing SOSA since it has started back in 2011 and I haven’t taken a year off. SOSA has face many challenges even in its first year. This year the students of SOSA had to face the reality of not being on the field to march. What is a marching band with marching. Well SOSA did come up with the answers and took those challenges head on. They came to the home games with their spirit (and after all spirit is part of their name. ) They kept playing while practicing safe distancing. 6 feet apart, masks with a small opening for their instruments otherwise, masks stayed on. And they were on for almost a whole 6 hrs. Even I have problems with this.
Just ask their Head Drum Major, Mary Shaw,“Going into 10.OSA I was confident in our program, and that hasn’t changed. I knew our membership was full of bright, committed individuals that would make our season as best as it could be. The only reservation I had was if we could give the best experience we could back to those students, and I believe we did.”
All in all everything was great! Band performances were stellar and seemed as if the band got louder since they were spread apart more than normal. They took up most of the student section. UTSA still had Mr and Ms UTSA. It was a great time that is untill the end. Thats when it all hits us, this is the last game of 2020. The last one for 10.SA and for some the last game they will ever be part of with SOSA. Sure they can come back for the homecomings but its not the same as being in and part of SOSA.
As the Head Drum Major put it,
“This last game was bittersweet. I plan to return to SOSA next fall, but something about the last game, and an unofficial farewell to our senior members reached me. I looked to our band in the stands and I saw a family I never knew I would need as much as I do.
I spoke with a few of our senior members, and it brought a few tears to my eyes. This last game is a game I will remember because of them.”
You can find all of images of the last game of 2020 on our Facebook page and this link if you like to purchase a print of one of them.