Bleacher Butt

Bleacher butt. I've got it. Thursday was volleyball, child #2's team fighting a hard one to victory against a well matched team. Those 7th grade girls seem very poised.

Child #2 ready to play!

Friday night was football, of course, with  contest dress rehearsal following of the guest band, and our home band.

Half time, marching it out!

Saturday morning was volley ball again- and another victory. Only had to move my seat once to avoid the parent of an unlucky child with APS (Athletic Parent Syndrome, only there is a different "A" word used).. he felt it would be useful to scream regularly at the 12 year old girls to "WAKE UP!" and "YOU CAN'T LET THE BALL TOUCH THE GROUND!" and other useful tidbits I'm sure they were not previously privy to.
His helpful bonmots weren't quite enough to cheer them to victory over our team. Perhaps if he stayed home? ( Then the AAPS -Absentee _____ Parent Syndrome, much healthier).
Saturday night, another set of bleachers. This time for the first Band Contest of the year. Band is not a part of my history. I think I mentioned in the blog "Football Friday Night" that my high school barely had a football team, let alone a marching band. So, I have a learning curve that is long and looping in the Band World. Not so, my husband, who was  a handsome young band geek in high school, then in college, even spending some summers playing with Drum Corps. He "gets" the band stuff. I "get" the horse stuff. I rely on him to keep me on track with the band; schedules, contests, rules, lingo etc. He occasionally fills up the horse's water buckets. See? Balance. Anyway, the Band is there, certainly to cheer on and entertain the team and the crowd, but they are also there to compete against other bands. Thus, band contests. Bands perform their show and are judged, getting scored and placed. You have to receive a "superior" rating, or a "1" at a contest in order to compete at the State level against the best bands in Ohio.
To this end, beginning in late July, the band begins practicing, long days, even an entire week of overnight camp to practice and practice. My eldest, a floutist and fine marcher, acquires a marchingbandtan and a bleached ponytail spending the hottest days of the summer marching around on a blacktop parking lot in the sun.  She still loves it. The show is created by the band directors, in our case the Director, and the Percussion Director, plus two other members of staff who write music, and make up the complicated charts that place band members on the field to create all sorts of forms.
This year, our Marching Band "The Golden Sound of the Vikings" has a show titled "Joy", and features classical pieces, including "Ode to Joy" by Beethoven. The music is wonderful, and difficult, and the marching forms are intricate, and require precision. They have perfected 3/4 of the show, but here it is, time for the first contest, and 1/4 is not done. Hmm. Well, required time is just barely met with the 3/4, so let's try for a superior rating in the first contest of the year.
"Please Take the Field for your OMEA Adjudicated Performance" And here snakes the long line of blue and gold ants, white plumes on their heads to line up and become a flowing musical force. My long suffering weekend in the bleachers had already seen the performance twice, but this time it was marvelous. These kids like crunch time! They were terrific. The other bands had different shows, different uniforms, different sizes and flags, but they all paled a bit to me... biased momma.
After all the bands performed, the drum majors from all the bands, usually a few Senior captains with them, line up in front of the stands for the award ceremony. Again, our band stood out. The rest of the kids walked onto the field in a loose group. Our team of 8 Marched on. Tight. The representatives of the two bands that followed our Captains, quickly tried to mash themselves into a better looking form...not nearly as successfully.
 The bands are divided into classes by size of school. Our school is in Class A. There is one class larger, that is Class AA. Two classes are smaller, Class B and the smallest, Class C. They awarded C, and B before awarding Class A. Our school placed first in Class A! Then, the gravy, there are awards for Best Marching -ours, Best Music- ours, Best Percussion Section- ours and Best Auxillary(the flag corps)- also ours. Wow! That is some proof! Maybe I'm not just biased. They then awarded the Class AA bands. One AA band received three of the 4 extra awards, the music, marching and percussion. What I didn't know, is that we weren't yet finished. They then awarded Best Marching, OVERALL- ours! Best Music, OVERALL- theirs. Best Auxillary, OVERALL- ours! and then.... BEST BAND OVERALL- OURS!!!! YOWZA! Our band had taken the #1 prize. I'm not biased, I'm right!  Just when I think it has gotten as good as it can get........ they announce "The following are the bands that have received a Superior Rating, and are approved to compete at the State Marching Band Competition".....ours! Wow, now the kids are feeling top notch. Then the announcer says "On behalf of the schools, I would like to thank you all for coming today...." HUNH? What about the other schools? Did no one else get a #1? Nope. Just the one band. Ours. Maybe I should sneak this bleacher butt out of the stands, there are bleachers to sit in tomorrow.

Jessie, the Assistant Drum Major, holding one of the 9 trophies awarded to the band this night.

 I have a video of  the show- the first minute I couldn't decide where to stand, and it is a bit shaky, it gets better! I've been trying, since last night, to post it on youtube and then I could set up a link. Unfortunately, hours later, I have no success. Tod will try to get it up on youtube tomorrow. Check back for a link!
And here it is...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBx7GgIP-l0