OTROTH

On the rim, On the head


You may be wondering what "On the rim, On the head" actually means. It's
quite simple really.  It is the drum cadence that they play when the band
marches from the quad to Kyle Field. They call out as we start marching,
"OTROTH" to signal this cadence.  Then they play the cadence one time on
the rims witch is a clicky sounding thing.  Then they come down and play
the cadence full force with the drumsticks hitting on the heads.  And it
is much louder.  When I was a sophomore and junior, there was an A-Company
white belt named Rod Hatter who played bass drum.  And for two years,
instead of "OTROTH", they would cry, "On the Rod, On the Hatter!" to
signal the beginning of this cadence.  They became so accustomed to crying
the name like this, that when I was a senior, I was shocked, but pleased
that they started shouting, "On the Richard, On the Hay!" to kick it off.
It was really quite surprising since I was not a drummer.  Had they not
been crying out Rod Hatter's name for two years, I don't think I would
have been honored such as I was.  But with the trend started, they used my
name as it conformed to the RH standard needed to fill in the significant
letters of "OTROTH!" 

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I am reachable at rhay@tamos.net
Copyright © Richard Hay 1998