The air is thick as mud and the temperature increases by the second.
Some students are nervous.
Others are used to the routine. It is 9 a.m. on the first day of tryouts for the Notre Dame Marching Band and the Irish Guard. The nearly 500 candidates are hopeful, but only 300 will have the honor of playing in the band. Another 50 students compete for the coveted privilege of being named one of five new Irish Guard members who will lead the band into Notre Dame Stadium before every home football game. The competition is tough this last week before the beginning of the fall semester.