SSSSS ... BOOM ... AHHHH .... WHISTLE! The Band has just gotten your attention. But, why? Are they greeting someone, announcing a song or a cheer or are they about to tell a "joke?" Could be any of these but you know the Band has something to say and are using a skyrocket to do so.
The "skyrocket" has not always been an
exclusive band tradition, but today it only seems to exist as a
device by our UW musicians as a means of extending a greeting, an
honor or simply to announce a cheer or song.
As a student custom, the skyrocket may well date back to the beginning of the University. It was originally used as a means of greeting a favorite professor at the beginning of a lecture. It was well known by students from one end of campus to the other as to which professor rated a single skyrocket, a double skyrocket or a triple skyrocket. Students were brutally honest in their assessment of a faculty member's ability, and many egos were permanently damaged by their frankness. At some point in history, the skyrocket was discontinued by the student body but never by the Wisconsin Band who were perhaps more tradition-oriented and bound together by a common interest.
The procedure has always been the same: first, a long low hiss ... SSSSS ... followed by a short, loud BOOM, then a sigh ... AHHHH ... and finally a WHISTLE. Traditionally this was then followed by the name of the professor being greeted. More recently, the Band has used the skyrocket to gain attention before delivering a cheer, song or "humorous" statement. There have been a number of memorable "deliveries" in the history of the Band. Here is one of the classics: "SSSSS ... BOOM ... AHHHH .... WHISTLE! Hey Seattle, is that the Space Needle or are you just happy to see us?"