- Every year during the rivalry week between Michigan and Michigan State, members of the Spartan Marching Band stand guard at the Spartan Statue to protect it from vandals.
- The tradition is still going strong this year, and Spartan Football Head Coach Jonathan Smith stopped by to deliver pizzas to the band.
- Video shows Smith's appearance, as well as members of the band sharing why they value the tradition.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm your MSU Neighborhood Reporter Colin Jankowski. We're continuing our rivalry week coverage with a look at a decades-long tradition at MSU. One that I was a part of during my time on campus—Sparty Watch.
As Michigan and Michigan State prepare for this week's battle for the Paul Bunyan trophy...
"You know this makes the game really special with Michigan," Marek Jaros said.
Members of the Spartan Marching Band are hard at work continuing their tradition of guarding the Spartan Statue from any potential vandals from Ann Arbor.
"Traditionally, Michigan fans have come and tried to vandalize the statue, Morgan Schwarz said. "Pretty much throw paint on it."
While there have been a few years without incident, the band members haven't let their guard down, and the tradition is going strong again for this year's rivalry week with a few special guests stopping by to say hello.
"We have Zeke the Wonderdog coming, which is always a highlight," Schwarz said. "We also have Coach Jonathan Smith coming, and typically the football coach always brings pizza, so that's really exciting."
WATCH BELOW: Jonathan Smith delivers pizzas to students guarding Spartan Statue
For some members, like Senior trumpet player Marek Jaros, the tradition is a special part of rivalry week.
"The time that you invest in being here, I mean, I remember all of my Sparty Watches from my three years previously," Jaros said. "And it's just a really special memory because I don't know anybody else that does something like this, and creates this anticipatory atmosphere around the whole event."
Others, like third-year member Morgan Schwarz, say it also serves as a week of bonding for the band.
"I think it's a great way to get to know people," she said. "It actually was really how I got out of my section and out of my shell and was able to meet people across the band. I'm looking around at all the people here and I could say hi to almost everybody and know almost all of them by name."
The group will be standing guard each night for the rest of this week until they travel with the team to Ann Arbor for Saturday night's game.
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