By Kalena Reynolds | Staff Writer
Tau Kappa Epsilon returns to the stage for Pigskin Revue after ending their 48-year hiatus from All-University Sing. The fraternity is gearing up for an even better version of their robbers vs. pizza boys themed “Papa Tiki’s Balliamo!” performance. They are using what they learned from Sing to impress the crowd and showcase the brotherhood within the group at Pigskin.
For Jackson, Miss., sophomore and TKE Pigskin Chair Will Meck, preparing for the upcoming performance has been an intensive, yet rewarding experience. It has brought the group together and allowed them to implement what they learned from Sing in February.
“I think it’s a great honor for us that our first year back in Sing, being able to make it to pigskin and just coming together,” Meck said. “For us, it’s a big brotherhood aspect, and it’s more of us coming together to do something as brothers and less wanting to be recognized because, at the end of the day, none of us thought we would make Pigskin.”
The groups were allowed to start practicing for Pigskin on Sept. 3. Since then, TKE has focused on improvements and unity within its rehearsal regimen.
Boston senior and TKE assistant Pigskin chair Will Obar said the group is excited to showcase everyone’s hard work and eagerness in their Pigskin performance. While the group was grateful just to be doing Sing after the hiatus, they are now ready to prove themselves as top contenders.
“It was always good to have the confidence going forward because there was definitely very low confidence in the beginning,” Obar said. “I wouldn’t say we really had confidence until the second weekend, and it wasn’t confidence that we were gonna make Pigskin. It was confidence that it was gonna be okay, and we weren’t embarrassing ourselves.”
While the group has a new wave of faith, they have made sure to prioritize rehearsals and intentionality in their work to ensure they continue progressing forward.
“Our chapter motto is brotherhood above all,” Meck said. “Our purpose is putting together something that we’re proud of and to have fun with. And we hope that the audience will have fun with us and be entertained by what we put together.”
Meck and Obar focus heavily on ensuring performances are precise. They also place a lot of importance on the group’s morale and maintaining a sense of brotherhood while going through intense practice regimens.
“I can’t emphasize enough that at the end of the day, performing in a group like this is just getting a large group of people to come together towards one goal,” Meck said. “And we’re spending a lot of time together, and we’re having fun. We’re learning things, pushing people out of their comfort zone, which is also something new to me.”
Obar said that one of the best parts about rehearsals and preparing for Pigskin has been seeing the guys’ confidence rise as they work in unity for one goal.
“Energy was probably our biggest thing,” Obar said, “and really just having a smile on our face and being happy to be there, which is something we talk about a lot,” Omar said. ” I’m just happy to be here; that was pretty huge for us. So I would say continuing that is really important. I don’t really want the energy to change, and I haven’t seen change that much so far, which is good, and seeing guys excited to show up and excited, and realizing that they remember their dances is a nice feeling.”
