Creek’s Marching Band took fifth place in their 5A State Championship competition on Saturday, after competing at the Air Force Academy. The band completed the performance with a score of 85.500, just 5.4 points under Fossil Ridge’s winning score of 90.900, which is one of their highest scores ever. The band had high hopes of a third place or higher finish after placing first in their regional competition on Oct. 17, but still appreciated the fifth place finish.
“I honestly am happy with our placement,” junior Drum Major Ava Marae said. “Yes, we were trying to go for third, but we ended the season with our best run yet. We got the highest score in CCHS Marching Band history, and that is definitely something to be proud of.”
This year, the band focused on stamina and endurance in practice, with most practices lasting for about two and a half hours. The drum majors, Seniors Coleman Rissmiller and Dylan Chen-Becker, and Marae, led practices throughout the season, aiming to help the band succeed and work together.
In the days leading up to the competition, the band focused on the nitty-gritty details; hoping to ensure they wouldn’t be counted off for any small mistakes during the competition. “The practice that we had on Thursday was mainly focused on cleaning very small things up and doing lots of reps of everything to ensure we were as consistent as possible,” Rissmiller said.
Taking the motivation from placing first in Regionals, the band aimed to carry their success into the state competition. However, many members of the band believed that they’d scored low in regionals, and had room for improvement.
“Going from Regionals to State was amazing,” Rissmiller said. “We were so focused throughout the week because we knew how we wanted to perform, and we knew that we wanted to show what we could do. Additionally, our run at regionals was not the best so we knew we could do better.”
Throughout the season, the band saw a large shift in team culture; one where members were more excited to learn and play together, which helped the team bond.
“During band camp I saw the world’s most ‘locked-in’ newbies who were putting in so much effort into getting to a point where they could keep up with the people who had been doing it for a long time,” senior trumpet section leader Alejandra Valentin-Marti said. “People who picked up on traditions and routines and expectations so much quicker than I ever did.”
Marae saw the shift as well, and believed that everyone was demonstrating more of a passion for playing. “Going in everyday, you could feel the energy and the passion radiating off of everyone, just being there made you feel like anything was possible,” she said. “We worked really well together, even with our ups and downs. Everyday was a day to get better and we continued to push through everything thrown at us.”
For seniors in the band, ending the season is bittersweet. Most are extremely proud of the way the competition ended, and believe it’s a good note to finish their time with the band on.
“Although this is my last year in the band, this is one hell of a way to go out,” Rissmiller said. “It was truly a special feeling knowing that our last show was truly our best show and I couldn’t have asked for it to go any other way.”
Seniors also agreed that the band will continue to do well in the future, especially due to the levels of underclassmen commitment they’ve seen. Some, like senior clarinet woodwind captain Bel Perez, have specifically told their members that they know the program will succeed, even after seniors graduate.
“All of the veterans and underclassmen are wonderful people and I know they will lead this band to do great things once again,” Perez said. “I told my section that I don’t need to worry about the future of this program because of all the growth they had this year.”
Some seniors also attributed the imminent success of the band to its increase in underclassman enrollment, which has allowed more motivation among the whole band.
“I know that the band will do great things next year,” Valentin-Marti said. “I’ve seen the amount of effort the freshmen and new sophomores have put in to bring the show to the next level, and I know that the seniors next year will take everything they’ve learned and give it to them.”
Juniors in the band agree with Valentin-Marti, believing that after this season, they’ll be prepared for even more, and hope to achieve even higher scores.
“Next year I think we will be hungry, hungry for a good show and hungry for the same outcome, or possibly better,” Marae said. “With so many freshmen interested, our band seems like it will be full of dedicated people and students who want to make history again.”
