Maddisen's Marching Band Season wrap up

[Jon Brakel]

For those of you that don't know this is Maddisen's first year of High School and her first year as a Wheeling Wildcat Marching Band member. She's playing the piccolo in the marching band. Unless you're playing air guitar this is the lightest instrument ever made...nice choice Maddisen! 

They play during half-time at the football games and they still have two of those left, but contest season is over for them. Their first contest was rained out. It was that Saturday that had flooding all over. Normally during rain they would do the contest indoors and just judge appearance and play but they called it off since so many roads were closed.

Their second contest was the CMBF which they hosted at Wheeling and just did an exhibition show. They did their exhibition last and everyone in the band was required to volunteer at the festival so they were all tired. It was not their best outing but it was good practice and the first time that they performed in front of over 1000 people.

Their third contest was Saturday at Lincoln-Way High School in New Lenox. They did well and took second in class. Their drumline took first place in class. Wheeling is a AA marching band. Had they played up a division in AAA, they also would have taken second in class.

Their fourth contest was on Sunday at St. Rita High School in Chicago. They looked and sounded their best. They really brought everything to that contest and everyone did a great job. At the awards they won for best drum major, best auxiliary, best winds and 1st in class. Maddisen said that it wasn't even close in their class and they weren't too surprised that they won. I don't understand all of the scoring but the directors of the bands are given scoring packets from the judges after the event and the director of Wheeling's band took a quick look at them before leaving the stadium. They had an overall score from one judge of 18 out of 20 points and 7 out of 20 points from the other. That didn't make much sense...it was like they weren't watching the same band. Then looking at the notes of the judge that gave them the 7 showed that the notes did not reflect a score of 7. So the director went to the judges and contest officials and they figured out that the second judge's score had been copied incorrectly. The judge actually awarded them a 17 NOT a 7. This gave Wheeling the score to win Grand Champion not just 1st in their division!

So the band that had been accidentally awarded Grand Champion were told of the mistake and then Maddisen's director told the Wheeling band of the error and that they were Grand Champions. The band was on their buses and he told Maddisen's bus first. Then Maddisen called me to tell me since she had already texted me the results. Then I heard the screams as the director told each of the other Wheeling marching band buses. It was pretty funny and exciting.

I've been videoing the half-time shows and contests for the director this year. They are basically his game films so that he can see where they need to practice and see where there are places that they can tweak the show to make it more fun. He doesn't get caught up in whether they win or not he works on getting their best performance that they can and he tries to make it fun in the process. Anyway, other than CMBF where I was shooting video all day, I have not been staying all day for the contests. I arrive about 30 minutes before they are going to go on, get setup, shoot 'em and then get out. Yesterday I really wanted to get home and see the Bears game. But on my way out I saw Mike Walsh and said a quick hello. It's always fun to run into random people at other events! If I were going to stay for the rest of the contest I would have asked if I could sit with you guys Mike since Becky was working.

I'm really glad that I did not stay to see the rest of the contest and awards though. It would have upset me a little bit that they won Grand Champion and did not get it awarded to them at awards in front of the spectators. However, Maddisen said that the band found it to be an exciting surprise but they felt sorry for the band that thought they won it. In the meantime the director of the band that was erroneously awarded the grand champion apologized to the director of Wheeling's band. A lot of apologizing going on but it wasn't that bands fault.

In ending this rambling story I'd just like to say PICCOLO PLAYERS ROCK!!!! 

[tree]

I'd just like to say PICCOLO PLAYERS ROCK!!!! 

Me too

[Grayson Dewey]

I go to Lincoln-Way Central.

[dgnickster9224]

haha, lets turn this into the where do you goto highschool thread. i goto lincoln way also.

[airspuds]

IL state next week ?

Rice/Mcauley/ QoP/ St Lawarnce play around 330 ish

my monster has enjoyed the competition band  for all 4 of her years
trumpet 

our band director doesnt tell the kids the scores

they are a small band but play in a higher class becasue they group all  4 schools numbers together
so typically they dont score well verses big schools from the suburbs

our band director picks some obscure stuff to do sometimes
and their program is still coming together - looked much better yesterday, I heard


all i can say is that is nice that i dont have to drive the kid to and from these events anymore