THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 30, 1996 TAG: 9610300402
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 52 lines
Concerned by a melee that erupted Friday night between rival marching bands at Booker T. Washington High School's new $1 million stadium, City Council members met privately with school officials Tuesday to get answers.
``People were asking me, `What happened,' and saying, `These things shouldn't have happened,' '' said Councilman Herbert Collins Sr., who represents neighborhoods surrounding the school. ``I'm personally embarrassed.''
After a 15-minute closed meeting that included Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr. and city Police Chief Melvin High, council members said they were satisfied that school officials had handled the matter responsibly.
``They're in control,'' Collins said. ``It looks like the bands just got overzealous. It could have been a lot worse.''
Fighting broke out after a half-time show involving the marching bands of Booker T. and old rival I.C. Norcom High School of Portsmouth. Nichols said officials made an innocent mistake by allowing both bands to exit to the same side of the field.
Norcom's band played first and filed to the home side of the field to watch Booker T. When Booker T. finished, band members left the field at a trot, as is customary, toward Norcom band members who were on the home sidelines. Bumping and shoving ensued, which sparked the fighting.
``We'll never allow that to happen again, for one band to march through another,'' Nichols said, saying that officials recognized the potential for problems in hindsight. ``I guess that's part of the learning curve of having a new stadium.''
School officials said they are continuing to review videotapes of the fighting and that some students may be suspended.
``If a student engaged in fighting, that's a violation of school rules and there will be punishment,'' Nichols said.
Nichols called the fight an ``unfortunate incident,'' but maintained that none of the estimated 4,000 fans watching in the stands were in harm's way. Security couldn't have been better, he said - 24 police officers were on hand that night.
``I think that incident tested our security system and showed we had it set up fine,'' Nichols said.
Nichols said he ``regretted'' the fight but ``came away feeling very optimistic'' because football players played the second half as good sports and shook hands afterward. In addition, fans from the rival teams were orderly after the game, which was won by Norcom, 27-7.
Collins said his initial concerns stemmed from the $1 million the city spent to build the stadium.
``That's a tremendous investment, and there needs to be some accountability here,'' he said.
KEYWORDS: HIGH SCHOOL BAND FIGHT by CNB