Yesterday made up for the last two miserable days we spent watching marching bands!
Dear Husband and I spent the day together. While he went for coffee and a pecan roll, I got my hair cut. Then, we stopped at the Farmer's Market for apples, pumpkins, dried fruit and corn for the squirrels. When the chores were finished, we began a leisurely trip to Chesterton, Indiana, to watch another marching band competition
My nieces have been competing in the Class C marching band competitions through out September and October. Last week I told you about our visit when they marched at Fort Wayne. It was a chilly day, overcast and gray. The weather didn't seem to dampen the spirits of the families who attended, but it wasn't the day we all hoped for.
Yesterday, we planned to meet my sister and her husband. We arrived early and watched several of the bands while we waited. We'd seen some of them last week, and there were others that were new to us. The competition was tough!
When my sis arrived, we climbed to the upper seats for the second half of the Class C competition. It is absolutely astonishing the effort that goes into these programs. Bands now hire program designers, and specialists to craft shows that will feature the strong points of the band, and wow the crowds. The kids start marching in mid summer with a two week band camp that covers the basics of field marching. Then they start learning the marching and maneuvering for the specific show, and the band boosters start working on the props. It's a tightly timed dance to bring the kids to their peak in time for the State competition the third weekend of October.
I'm not totally familiar with the judging standards for Indiana, but generally marching bands are judged on General Effect, Marching and Maneuvering, and Music. At Fort Wayne, there were also awards for the best pit crews, and the best drum majors. The kids who conduct the band are to be commended. I saw some whose conducting was more expressive than some band directors I know. And, the percussion ensembles that are being fielded are just astounding.
The weather yesterday was GLORIOUS!!! It was the sunny, golden day, with slightly crisp, cool temperatures that we associate with Midwestern football or homecoming weekends, not a cloud or raindrop in sight! The bands put on a splendid performance. Of eighteen bands, roughly ten were given a gold medal for their performance, and only five of those earned the right to go to State for their region.
My nieces were in the very last band to compete, so when the drum majors and guard majors came out to receive awards, they were the last in line. We had to wait through 17 bands to learn that they had received a gold medal!
Then, the announcer stated that the following five bands, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, would be going to State. We sat through the first four, assessing how our band had done, compared to the winners, with each moment getting more and more tense. "And the final band to go to state IS....." OUR BAND!! YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I killed my vocal cords screaming with delight!
This last week will be tough for the girls. They have daily practices before school and in the evening, in addition to their other obligations. They'll board busses early Saturday to head for Indianapolis, where they will march in the Hosier Dome. I'll have to get my sister to promise to call as soon as the awards are announced!
It was a wonderful weekend. We got to be with family, at an activity we all enjoyed, on one of the most beautiful days of the year. Just wonderful. *S*