Ohio State drum major Bowman picks himself back up after fall
You can't see too much when you're about to make a ramp entrance at Ohio Stadium. Standing at the north end, in the shadow of the rotunda, the throng of 100,000-plus scarlet-and-gray-clad fans reveals itself gradually as you descend to field level.
At top speed, it gets to you in a blur. And when you're about to make your debut as the drum major for The Best Damn Band In The Land, it's a lot to take in all at once. Saturday afternoon, as the Buckeyes played their first home game in front of fans since the 2019 season, Austin Bowman felt his adrenaline pumping as he charged down the ramp and into the sunshine. Then, suddenly, he was falling.
“It was like you were going down the stairs, but it's dark and you don't know where the bottom step is and you want to keep going down more steps but there's level ground there,” Bowman said. “That's basically what happened, and I just lost my balance and kept flying forward.”
A native of Hebron, Ohio, Bowman was named the 64th drum major of The Ohio State University Marching Band during the spring. From that moment, he said, the mental clock began ticking toward his first performance.
Then, as soon as he hit level ground, Bowman took a spill. It took about four steps, and he was down, inches from the flag pole, as nearby military personnel clutched their heads in their hands. As of Sunday afternoon, a video taken by The Dispatch had reached nearly 3 million views.
But it didn't just show Bowman falling. It showed him getting right back up, sprinting onto the field and continuing on with the pregame routine.
“Just knowing that no matter what, the band is always going to drive through for me so I felt like I had to return the favor,” he said. “If I can return that favor, maybe it'll make whatever I'm about to do worth it.”
Ascending to the rank of drum major has been a dream for Bowman since eighth grade. After months of rehearsing his baton work, Bowman became the first freshman in Lakewood High School history to be named drum major.
When he got to Ohio State, the accounting major knew he wanted to continue down that path. He spent his freshman year in D Row, a required training program for potential drum majors, before being one of five candidates trying out for the full-time job this season.
Bowman became the first sophomore head drum major since Jason Stuckert in 2010. It was the culmination of five years' worth of work and dreams that all led to Saturday's game against Oregon. After going through Skull Session, his primary concern was sticking the backbend on the field.
“That's the most important part for me,” he said. “That's when most people are watching me. If I mess up the backbend, then I mess up the biggest part of game day for me.”
That part, like everything after the initial ramp entrance, went flawlessly. In falling, Bowman wound up with bloody knuckles on both hands but did not have a single baton drop. He didn't realize he was bleeding, the sophomore said, until someone motioned to his hands while the band was playing “Carmen Ohio” near the end of the pregame program.
At the conclusion of pregame, Bowman said his hands were cleaned and bandaged. That, plus the adrenaline, helped him power through the remainder of the day.
“After something like that happened that probably everyone is going to see at some point, it feels good to know that I didn't let it faze me and I was able to carry on and push through and drive like we're supposed to,” he said.
Yes, he's seen the clip.
“I wince a little bit like, ‘Aw man, that's embarrassing,' ” he said with a laugh. “I saw it once. Don't need to see it again. It happened. That's it. It is tough to watch, though. I should've paid a little bit more attention.
“As soon as I start going down, it starts opening up, and I can see everyone. I got caught taking that all in instead of paying attention to where level ground was.”
This Saturday, the Buckeyes will host Tulsa. When the band takes the field, Bowman will again lead them in front of what is expected to be another crowd of at least 100,000. That's what happens after you fall. You get back up and keep going. ajardy@dispatch.com
@Adamjardy