The competition field has been silent for the past 2 years when you ask marching band students; however, on October 16th, the lights were lit once again. This was the first competition since 2019, and the first competition seniors have experienced since their sophomore year.
The season was set to start off strong even with a large group of rookie students who have worked to be the best that they can be even, despite COVID-19 restrictions still not being fully lifted.
Brittany Usery, the color guard instructor, commented that “There's a lot of obstacles coming back from the COVID-19 year with rebuilding the guard and band,” and she pointed out that “Switching band directors was also a big obstacle.”
With the competition season looming, many underclassmen and upperclassmen sat with bated breath to see how the new season would turn out, especially after a year of not having competition.
Neveah Harris (9) says that “I was very nervous for sure,” and “At first it was scary and not very fun to be at a competition, but after seeing more of the big bands, I liked it.”
She also elaborated that “Meeting other people from bands just like ours was honestly the best part, it was fun to see other people enjoying the thing I loved.”
Autumn Saunders(12) commented that “It was nice to be back but we weren't up to the standard we usually are because of Covid.”
Lilly Booker (12) elaborated that, “I'm very happy and grateful to have this year back. It's strange to go from such a strict competition year to no competition at all, and this was one of the hardest parts for all of us.”
If students are interested in joining next year, Brittany Usery states “Don't think that you need experience, we can teach that. It’s a fun activity you’ll grow fond memories with.”