A white hash mark near the 40-yard line on the Ohio Stadium field occupies a special place in Ohio State football fans’ hearts.

It’s not the spot where running back Maurice Clarett bowled over a Michigan defender last year en route to a national championship. Or where quarterback Craig Krenzel dove for a first down against Washington in this season’s opening game.

It’s the patch of grass where Kari Storts, a seventh-year OSU student, stood last Saturday, blowing into a sousaphone and bawling her eyes out.

Storts is latest sousaphone player in the Ohio State Marching Band to dot the ‘i’ during the band’s halftime performance of ‘Script Ohio’ – a musical routine in which band members spell out a cursive ‘Ohio.’ A different sousaphone player is selected to dot the ‘i’ for each game. Dating back to 1936, it’s one of college football’s most venerable traditions.

‘It was a surreal experience,’ Storts said. ‘It was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life.’

During the performance, with the ‘Ohio’ nearly finished, a preordained veteran sousaphone player like Storts high-steps 10 yards from the top of the last ‘o’ to dot the ‘i.’ All the while, Storts swung her sousaphone, a 45-pound marching tuba, from side to side – and worried about tripping in front of 101,000 fans.

‘When we tell someone good luck beforehand, we say, ‘Don’t fall,” Storts said. ‘It’s like telling someone in theater, ‘Go break a leg.’

‘You just have to make sure your horn goes back and forth, which is really the flashiest part.’

Storts took a long journey to ‘i’-dotting immorality. She was cut from the band during her first three years at OSU. She made it as a senior and in each of her three years of graduate school.

Indeed, OSU’s band is fiercely competitive – perhaps the reason why it’s dubbed The Best Damn Band in the Land. During the summer, band members practice twice a week for two hours a day. They currently practice six hours every weekday since OSU doesn’t start classes until later this month.

‘And most of us put more time into memorizing music,’ Storts said.

But these are no band geeks.

Over the past 66 years, the band has allowed only a few honorary ‘i’-dotters, including Bob Hope and legendary OSU coach Woody Hayes. When Storts tells fellow students that she dotted the ‘i,’ they marvel. The ‘i’-dotter is so honored at OSU that the university helped Storts secure some tickets for her 28 family members who attended last Saturday’s game against North Carolina State.

Though understandably intimidated – she only slept four hours last Friday night – Storts wasn’t alone during her performance. Since OSU played a non-conference opponent, the band performed a double script in which members form a cursive ‘Ohio’ in front of each sideline. So Tim Adler, Storts’s band buddy for the past six years, dotted the other ‘i.’

After halftime, Storts and Adler had their picture taken. While wiping their still-moist eyes, they talked about how they’d qualified for the band together in 2000 and how far they’d come.

‘It’s something that, as an individual, you strive for,’ Storts said, reflecting on her moment.

If Ohio State makes a bowl game, Storts and Adler will have another shot at dotting the ‘i.’ Veteran sousaphone players compete in a dot-off during practice, and younger musicians vote on the bowl-game dotter.

But even if they miss out, they’ll always have that hash mark.

Central Florida (+4) at Syracuse

Saturday, noon, ESPN Regional (Ch. 26)

Now that the Orangemen are finally on television, more fans will be able to see if they actually have any reason to be optimistic about SU’s season.

The game is airing on the channel formerly occupied by Spike TV, dubbed ‘The first network for men.’ Too bad ‘Blind Date’ host Roger Lodge couldn’t drop by for some witty halftime remarks.

Central Florida boasts a dangerous passing game led by quarterback Ryan Schneider (350 yards per game) – bad news for the Orangemen’s secondary.

Pick: Central Florida 42, Syracuse 35

Bowling Green (+21.5) at No. 5 Ohio State

Saturday, 12:10 p.m., YES (Ch. 53)

The YES Network is airing every Buckeyes game until they lose. While this one appears a snore-fest, it’s certainly better than watching the incessant ramblings of Chris Russo and Mike Francessa on their ‘Mike and the Mad Dog’ radio show, which airs on YES.

Krenzel, OSU’s quarterback, may miss the game (right elbow injury), buoying Bowling Green’s chances. The Falcons are 3-0 and beat Purdue, 27-26, two weeks ago.

Pick: Ohio State 38, Bowling Green 21

No. 12 Tennessee (+3.5) at No. 17 Florida

Saturday, noon, CBS

The good folks who run www.FireRonZook.com must have been glowing after the Gators collapsed last week against Miami, blowing a 33-10 third-quarter lead.

The Web site – which launched shortly after Florida hired Zook to replace Steve Spurrier as head coach in January 2002 – hawks T-shirts and features anti-Zook Haiku poems. How inventive.

Florida (2-1) boasts no significant wins this year, having slammed San Jose State and Florida A&M. The Gators get one Saturday. And the repugnant anti-Zook Webmaster continues to have no social life.

Pick: Florida 24, Tennessee 21

No. 3 Michigan (-7.5) at No. 22 Oregon

Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC

Nike hooked Oregon up with new uniforms for this season. The alternate home outfits including bright yellow jerseys and pants (the official color is ‘lightning’), rendering the Ducks a bunch of rather nimble traffic cones.

Michigan, which still sticks to the trusty blue and maze threads, slammed Notre Dame, 38-0, last week.

Pick: Michigan 38, Oregon 10

No. 16 Arizona State (+8.5) at No. 18 Iowa

Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPN2

This is the toughest game of the season so far for both teams.

Iowa boasts a potent offense, scoring 96 points in its last two games – wins over Buffalo and Iowa State. Led by quarterback Andrew Walter, Arizona State has beaten two cupcakes, Northern Arizona and Utah State. Something has to give.

Pick: Iowa 42, Arizona State 35

Published on September 17, 2003 at 12:00 pm