A Weekend With The Green Machine
Trip to Disneyworld for Old Spice Classic Highlights Semester for Pep Band
Staff Writer Damien Sordelett

A sunny Orlando in late November is a place for vacationers to enjoy a little time off from the working world and head to Disneyworld. For four days, Doc Nix and the Green Machine got to enjoy life in the sun and on ESPN2 for the Old Spice Classic as George Mason battled to a third-place finish. This is their story.

Day One
The previous night’s pre-Thanksgiving dinner settling into their stomachs, most of the band members had thought of ways to make a 15-hour bus trip from Fairfax to Lake Buena Vista more enjoyable than it would be normally.

Opening up the drive down was the DVD of George Mason’s 2006 run to the Final Four. Most of the band yelled and cheered as if they were watching the game for the first time. A couple of people chimed in, “We know how it ends,” but those words were not as loud.

Following that was a viewing of the South Park movie, which was a favorite of the band members sitting in the back. Those guys and gals did not seem to want to go to sleep.
Most of the band would fall in and out of sleep, as the tight quarters made the ride somewhat unbearable.

It would come to an end at 11 a.m. when the bus finally pulled into the Coronado Springs resort at Disney. The band would be on display in 10 hours.

As the clock struck 9 p.m., it was show time for the Green Machine. With an ESPN2 audience in tow, Doc Nix put on a show. The cameras loved the band, as a cameraman was by the band throughout most of the performances. It was like that most of the three days.

For a fond farewell to Kansas State, the band had one last thing to say:  “Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU.”

Day Two
The band actually was able to get a decent night’s rest when the Patriots were scheduled to play in the afternoon session at 5 p.m. This allowed band members to visit the Disney parks and enjoy the amenities of the area.

By the time the clock hit zero for pregame festivities, the band was ready to go. Twenty minutes later during halftime though, the larger Villanova crowd had worn down the pep band. In their third day of action, some of the band members were feeling the effects and their throats had grown sore.

Day Three
The off-day of basketball play did not mean the Green Machine had a chance to rest. The Disney Pep Band Classic was held at 11 a.m. at Downtown Disney and all signs pointed to the pep band being the star attraction at the event.

Along with two local high schools, the pep band rocked on, despite the host stating that the band was from Georgetown University. That did not get a good reaction from the members.

While the high schools played four songs, the Green Machine showcased their wide variety of music, ranging from “Livin’ on a Prayer” to “Sweet Caroline” to the university fight song.

Afterwards, the band members got to head back to several of the Disney parks, including a group that toured Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. Ask Doc Nix about the photo of a group that made “GMU,” YMCA-style, on Expedition Everest. It is worth a look.

Day Four
The final day of the band’s stay at Disney began early. The band had to check out of the hotel by 11 a.m., exactly three days after arrival.

As the band made their way into the Milk House, a band member nicknamed Moose saw Michael Beasley, a star player for Kansas State, walking out of the locker room towards his team’s bus.

In a moment of brilliance, he brought the words of Greedo from Star Wars to life: “Oota Goota Beasley.” That got a smile out of Folarin Campbell as he headed onto the court for warm ups.

For the third game, the Green Machine had ESPN cameras with them during performances. The only difference was the PA announcer, who said during the game, “Doc Nix and the Green Machine.” Friday and Sunday’s games only referenced them as the George Mason pep band.

Soon after the Patriots’ victory over South Carolina, the band was packed and boarded back on the bus for the ride back. Again, the 15 hours were filled with more movies, ranging from Finding Nemo, Gone in 60 Seconds, and the television show Scrubs.

Arriving back in Fairfax around 10:30 a.m. Monday morning, the weary band had played for five straight days. Their efforts from the weekend did not go unnoticed, as Mason coach Jim Larranaga noted to open the press conference following Mason’s victory over Kansas State.

“My opening statement is this: Doc Nix and the George Mason band are awesome,” Larranaga said. “It made our players feel very much at home to have them here cheering for us and playing that music which we love at home.”