Of all the types of celebrities inhabiting the globe and the tabloid stands, everyone’s favorite type must be musicians. Sure, actors are pleasant to look at and we can watch athletes for hours without losing interest (their glistening sheens of sweaty muscles obviously help), but what can they do for collegiettes™ romantically? How can they make us swoon? Right, they can’t. At least, not nearly as effectively as a studly musician, ready and willing to serenade us. But musicians aren’t exactly in abundant supply on a college campus – unless you know where to look. And the perfect place to look is on the football field during the halftime show on a Saturday. There you will find copious amounts of our favorite celebs in college: the marching band!
Now, forget that image of a band geek that high school and television have seared into your brain because it definitely no longer applies. For all intents and purposes, these musicians are athletes. (You try marching in those formations carrying a heavy instrument. It’s like an hours-long step aerobics class – hello, glute definition!). On top of that: boy, can they make good music! If you want to find a perfect example of a marching band hottie, look no further than this week’s Campus Celebrity, Mark Losinski. This OSU freshman made the band with his trumpet-playing his first time out, and with how amazing TBDBITL is, you know Mark must be good with his hands … on his instrument, of course. But a stellar propensity for music isn’t all this musician has to offer. He is part of the scholars program as well, and to be able to retain media and marketing facts, in addition to band formations and sheet music, proves that Mark Losinski goes above and beyond the criteria to be OSU’s Campus Celebrity!
Name: Mark Losinski
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Gahanna, OH
Major: Actuarial Science
Relationship Status: Single
Involvement on Campus: I am a member of the Media, Marketing, and Communications Scholars Program and a current member of TBDBITL. Also, I plan on possibly getting involved in a fraternity at some point.
HC: What is your favorite thing about OSU so far?
ML: The atmosphere. Just knowing that there are so many traditions, big and small, surrounding me proves I made the right choice coming to OSU.
HC: What is your least favorite thing about OSU?
ML: The amount of students. Not necessarily all the time, just the traffic on the way to and from class, and the lines for food and whatnot.
HC: Being in TBDBITL, do you feel like a celebrity?
ML: (Laughs) No, I honestly don’t. We don’t get nearly as much attention as the actual team. In fact, I don’t really tell random people I’m in the band because that’s so egotistical and that’s not really me. However, if people ask me a question where the inevitable answer is “Because I’m in TBDBITL,” then I tell people, and that’s when they flip out.
HC: Can you describe how it is to be down on the football field on game days?
ML: As the center of attention during pregame and halftime, we are under a ton of pressure to stride for perfection and, to be honest, it can be nerve-racking, but when the crowd of 105,000+ releases a huge cheer for us, there is no better or more exciting feeling in the world. Think about it: you are surrounded by people who love (and pay) to see you perform. It is truly awesome.
HC: Is it awful to wear your full uniform in the heat of the day games?
ML: Without a doubt. The navy wool uniforms (yes, navy; everyone thinks they’re black) are very hot to begin with and a high of 97 degrees does not make things any better. I remember the first game of the year against Akron. At halftime, we were told the temperature on the field was over 130 degrees. It was not a fun day, to say the least.
HC: How difficult is it to perfect the timing for the band’s formations like Script Ohio? Because they are incredible!
ML: The short answer is practice. We practice two hours every day. The long answer is that the drills are made to succeed and please the audience. I know when we perform a halftime show or, more famously, Script Ohio, the band looks like complete chaos and we accidentally run into each other, but it somehow comes out perfectly at the end. The truth is, we know what we are doing and we don’t mess around, and when we perform our drills correctly we don’t run into each other at any point—it just looks that way, doesn’t it?
HC: Is it difficult to balance your involvement in band with the academic rigors of your scholars program?
ML: It is a little difficult because there is so much to memorize during the week for the shows on Saturdays, in addition to being regular students just like everyone else. We just buckle down and spend our time wisely because we always have something to do during football season. Also, some members of the band will intentionally lighten their class load to make marching season easier for them.
HC: How do the realities of college life measure up to your expectations?
ML: So far, they have been awesome. I’ve only lived here for about a month and I can say I almost have a routine down and am meeting new people every day, and especially on the weekends.
HC: Name one thing you want to do before you graduate.
ML: Do something that nobody, or not very many people, can say they have done before. What that is, I haven’t decided yet, but I want to be different and not like the average college student.
HC: Where will you be in five years?
ML: Five years from now, I hope to be either just finishing up school or have a degree of some sort, and I will hopefully have a somewhat decent job and a girlfriend/wife at that point. But who knows what will happen by that time.
HC: Describe your ideal girl.
ML: When it comes to physical features, all guys roughly have the same girl in mind: cute face, nice body, gorgeous eyes, and the smoothest hair you could imagine. But I feel what makes the best girl is her personality (yeah, it sounds corny, but it’s true). To me, a girl needs to have two sides to her: a side that gets her schoolwork done and you could show to your parents and they would approve. But also a darker side where she will leave the dorm room and she knows how to honestly have fun.
HC: If you could meet anyone on earth, who would it be and why?
ML: Tom Hanks. He is my favorite actor of all time and I’m sure I would have a very interesting conversation with him.
HC: What is one fun fact about yourself?
ML: I’m in the band? Haha, I’m kidding. I guess a fun fact is that I was born in Michigan and I grew up a Wolverine fan until about my junior year of high school.
(HC: Really, Mark? Are you sure you want to admit that … ?)
HC: What is the quote that you live by?
ML: “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”–Walter Bagehot
HC: What is something you’ve learned about college that you would pass on as advice to freshmen next year?
ML: If you go to a larger university like OSU, find a smaller group you can be a part of to make it seem smaller and more comfortable to you. At least, until you can get a better grasp on the university as a whole.