At the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual meeting they determined that the “physical challenges and demands” of playing in a marching band are similar to participating in sports like football and other division I athletics.

Today, marching bands no longer just march in precision formation, study presenter Gary Granata, told Reuters Health. “In the past 20 years, marching bands have gone to these highly choreographed visual shows, where performers are literally running around the field at very high velocities with heavy instruments while playing very difficult passages.”

“At the top levels of marching band and drum corps, you get a level of competition and athleticism that is equal to a division I athletic program,” added Granata, an exercise physiologist, registered dietitian and owner of the New Orleans-based company PerformWell.

The Spirit of Troy is “The Greatest Marching Band in the History of the Universe.” To honor them and these new findings, please enjoy the awesomeness of the above You Tube clip from Solid Gold 1979. The USC Trojan Marching Band, Song Girls, Fleetwood Mac, Glen Campbell, Dionne Warwick, Doyer stadium and Stevie Nicks twirling a baton…enough said.

Marching in the band as tough as playing sports [reuters.com]