RCHS marching band turns rain into shine
Marching band members mingle on the stands at the Tri-Force State Marching Band Championship, November 2 at Echo Park. Band teacher Mr. Fruits organized the event following the cancellation of the state competition.
By Jana Seal, RCHS intern writer; photo courtesy of Emily Wilson
To many, marching band sounds like a small commitment to play an instrument at football games. At Rock Canyon High School (RCHS), this could not be further from the truth. Marching band members put in hours upon hours preparing, practicing, and competing routines. The peak of their season is the state competition where marching bands around Colorado gather at the U.S. Air Force Academy for a showcase and competition.
“We made it to state. We had good people this year; people were willing to work, and we were pretty dedicated, so it went really well. I think I improved,” marching band member and 80108 resident Kylie Olsen said.
This year, however, the state competition never happened.
Thursday, October 31, the Colorado Bandmasters Association (CBA) disseminated a statement canceling the marching band state championship due to unsafe weather conditions.
Despite their disappointment surrounding the cancellation, members of the marching band knew that it wasn’t baseless.
“I was pretty upset. It is my senior year and I truly believed that we had a good chance of making finals,” Emily Wilson said. “However, I know that it would have been a bad idea with the roads and weather, so the decision was a smart one in my opinion. The other kids basically had the same reaction. We were all disappointed to not be performing again at the Air Force Academy but we all understood that the costs outweighed the benefits and nothing could be done about it.”
Although it is true that nothing could be done about the competition, the RCHS marching band program took action to ensure that their hard work would pay off in a successful conclusion to their season.
“Mr. Fruits organized the first ever Tri-Force State Marching Band Championship on November 2 and Highlands Ranch High School and Chaparral High School both came. We went to Echo Park to perform one last time,” Wilson said. “It was amazing because it was just band kids having fun at one last performance. There was no stress, so it was just a fun day where each band was really supportive and enjoyed the work we all put in. I thought it was a great way to end the season and I know Mr. Fruits put a lot of work into organizing that for us so we all really appreciated that,” stated Wilson.
