Fight Song

Lake Erie College finds first-ever fight song (Storm.mp3)

Lake Erie College, a former all-female institution not only has a new football team, but it now has its' first-ever fight song thanks to the nationwide contest the College hosted.

Realizing the school didn't have a spirited song to help cheer its teams to victory, the College kicked off a nationwide fight song contest. A total of 27 entries were submitted from as close as campus to as far as Peru. In addition to traditional entries, submissions varied from folk to rock and rap to church hymn.

After collecting the submissions, the judging panel narrowed the field to three finalists.
The three finalists included Brian and Daniel Boyd from Ravenna, Ohio, Lowell and Susan Burch from Tulsa, Okla., and John Drebus from Rochester Hills, Mich.

The Boyd's took the opportunity to turn the contest into a father-son bonding moment. Daniel even talked his mom into helping him sing "All Hail the Raging Storm," the fight song he and his dad came up with. Brian is an instructor in the Recording Arts Technology Department at Cuyahoga Community College and Daniel is in preschool.

Drebus studied classical piano and trumpet through high school and has continued playing since as a hobby. He has composed approximately 10 songs, primarily for family, including tunes for his parents' 50th wedding anniversary, his eldest daughter's wedding and in honor of his father and wife. A retired Lt. Col. of the U.S. Army Reserve, he is currently serving as a software consultant for IBM Corp.

Putting the vote in the hands of the students, faculty and staff, Susan and Lowell Burch's fight song titled, "Here Comes the Storm," was chosen as the College's first-ever fight song.

Both Lowell and Susan work in the education arena. Susan is a vocal music teacher for Neuman Middle School, is the choral conductor for the German American Society of Tulsa and is a member of the Tulsa Oratorio Choir. Lowell is an adjunct Instructor at Tulsa Community College. With trumpet as his major instrument, he recently played with the Tulsa Signature Symphony.

Together they have written and arranged a number of vocal and instrumental arrangements for soloists, school and church ensembles; though, this is their first fight song.