(LEX 18) — Springtime at the University of Louisville isn’t just for flowers blooming- it’s for notes swelling and feet marching.
"It's kind of a unique circumstance where you resurrect the band out of darkness,” said band director Jason Cumberledge.
The U of L marching band is the official band of the worldwide horse racing spectacle.
"We are as close to the horses as anyone on the track is; you can feel the ground shake. We are staged a little before the finish line, so we get to experience it twice as the horses go around twice," said Cumberledge.
He tells LEX18 that most bands only perform in the fall, but their band is year-round.
"We take a hiatus for January, February, and March, and now it's April, and we are rallying the troops and bringing everyone out of hiatus," said Cumberledge.
Drum major Laren has been to the Derby four times.
"It's hard to put into words, the experience is so different from if you're just a patron in the infield, you're right in front of the horses, you can see the inside of Churchill Downs and million's row, it's overwhelming in a good way, it's the fastest two minutes of sports right in front of your face," said Laren.
She helps prepare her fellow band members for an unforgettable experience.
"Soak in every single moment of what you're doing, no other college marching band in the US, in the world, is getting ready to do what we do," said Laren.
