'It was absolutely crazy': Grand Haven native shares Rose Bowl experience
GRAND HAVEN — Jan. 1, 2024, is a day Lauren Streng will never forget.
It was perhaps the most grueling day of her young life, but also one of the most exciting, as Streng and the University of Michigan marching band participated in a series of exhausting and thrilling Rose Bowl festivities.
“It was absolutely crazy,” Streng said.
A graduate of Grand Haven High School in 2022, Streng is now a member of the color guard in the University of Michigan marching band. She and her teammates carry and wave the flags that accompany the band. Because the school's football team competed in the Rose Bowl, Streng and the rest of her bandmates made the trip.
Here’s a rundown of the experience:
Friday, Dec. 29
After taking a few days to celebrate Christmas, Streng and the rest of the marching band returned to Ann Arbor. There, they went through an exhausting nine-hour rehearsal in which they learned their entire show for the Rose Bowl.
“We took three songs from three separate shows and mashed them together into one show, to highlight our entire season,” Streng said. “We wanted to feature some of our best songs, because the Rose Bowl is the most-televised and most-watched bowl game. We usually don’t get to perform at both pregame and halftime, and it’s usually not televised, but we had almost our entire second song televised.
“I got all of my choreography the day before the rehearsal, and was feverishly trying to memorize it. It was a lot to learn.”
Saturday, Dec. 30
Streng and the rest of the band flew from Ann Arbor to the Los Angeles area.
Sunday, Dec. 31
The band visited Disneyland, where they spent a few hours enjoying the park. They put on a performance for those in attendance.
“That was really cool having the band all together, and all the people at Disney crowding around watching us,” Streng said.
Later, the band performed for some U-M alumni groups.
“We had a blast — it was an amazing group of people, with so much pride and spirit — they love the university, and always have great stories to tell.
“I never understood why people were so proud of where they went to school, but Michigan really does have a great alumni community. Being a current student watching all the alumni chat and have a good time was a really cool experience to be reminded of what an incredible community we have.”
Since midnight in California is 3 a.m. in Michigan, the band didn’t stay up until midnight to ring in the new year.
“We were all exhausted,” Streng said. “We went back to the hotel for dinner, and I was up until 9. I called my parents to say hi, then went straight to bed.”
Monday, Jan. 1
Streng was up at 1:45 a.m. She and the color guard had to spend considerable time doing their hair and makeup. By 4, they were loading the busses at the hotel. By 5, they were on their way to the Rose Parade.
“Then we had to stand around waiting for a few hours as we progressed further and further up toward the start line,” Streng said. “It was a cold morning, but we knew it was going to be hot later.”
Around 8:45 a.m. local time, it was the Michigan marching band’s turn, and they embarked onto the 5-plus-mile parade route.
“Once we started, the crowd was ecstatic — so fun, I couldn’t help but smile the entire time,” Streng said. “For the first mile and a half, we played the 'Victors' almost non-stop. It’s a faster tempo, and playing it several times in a row is exhausting, but it’s so worth it, because you have the grandstands set up and all the TV stations right there.”
Streng isn’t a stranger to marching in parades — she’s marched in the Coast Guard Festival Grand Parade several times.
“It was definitely similar to the Coast Guard parade, just multiply it a few more times,” she said.
Once they finished the parade, the band was fed — “best food I’ve ever had because I was so tired,” Streng said — then it was straight to the stadium, where the band marched out onto the field for their pregame routine.
They also got to watch the Alabama “Million Dollar Band” do their pregame routine.
“It’s always fun to see other bands, what they do with their style of marching,” Streng said. “We did our pregame performance, then we did the 'Star Spangled Banner,' which was really cool with rockets going off, fireworks during the song, and the flyover.”
The band sat in the stands for the first half, then went onto the field for their halftime performance. Streng said it’s the first time she’s had opposing fans heckling her from the stands.
“I had Alabama fans booing me,” she said. “Then on the other side, you had the Michigan fans cheering for you as you progressed down the field. But overall, you just hear a giant roar."
That roar kept building until the game’s final play, when Michigan’s defense stopped the Alabama quarterback on the goal line to give U-M the victory.
“Watching (Michigan) score the touchdown (in overtime), we were so happy, we were right there watching it, it was right in front of us,” Streng said. “I don’t think I’ve ever screamed more at a football game, or been as invested in a football game.”
When the final whistle blew, the band played the “Victors” one last time, then burst into celebration.
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“We were in shock, screaming, but they still got their instruments up and played the fight song, then the second it was done, we were jumping up and down — it was a great environment to be a part of,” Streng said.
The band flooded onto the field, where they collected pieces of maize and blue confetti.
“One of the football players came over to us and said hi, and gave one of my friends a big hug — he was such a sweet guy,” Streng said. “People were doing snow angels in the confetti, soaking it up. Not everyone gets to be on the field. It was so cool.”
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: 'It was absolutely crazy': Grand Haven native shares Rose Bowl experience