Spring Lake High School’s marching band has done it again! They scored a whopping 89.9 points at last Saturday’s Grandville Invitational. This earned them the win in Class B and the winner overall, making them the competition’s “Grand Champion.” Not only was the band given the title “Grand Champion” for the second time this season, but they also earned awards in music, marching, and drumline.
The marching band has been working on their show titled “Dark as Night” since July. It contains the songs “Night Watch” by Jay Dawson, “On the Dark Side” from Eddie and the Cruisers, “Bioluminescence of the Night” from Avatar, and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” by Elton John. It also features soloists Owen Timmerman on alto saxophone, Robby Tuck on snare drum, Anna Richards and Jack Moser on trumpet, and Riley Southerland on color guard.
Even though they have been preparing their show for so long, many band members still get the jitters before they perform. Junior baritone player Max Chalupa stated, “We did well during our first competition and I knew we were going to do well again, but competitions always make me nervous.”
Anna Richards and Jack Moser share the trumpet solo, so they alternate who plays it every night. Richards stated, “Being a soloist adds a whole new aspect to performing. I know for me personally, I’m definitely more nervous when I get to solo.” Despite the nerves that come with soloing, she still enjoys it. “I was really excited and glad I had the opportunity to even audition for it. I love sharing the solo with Jack and it set us up to become better friends.”
All the band members are proud of their fantastic feat, but 11th grade Drum Major Emma Miller might have been the proudest of all. She said that before she stepped on the podium, she was “very confident in the band.” When asked about how she felt while conducting, she stated, “I was so happy and it felt amazing. Everyone was sounding on top of their game. The sound was huge. Everyone’s energy was so high.”
Emma matched the band’s high energy not only throughout the performance, but also when she found out that the band had won 1st place at the invitational. She said, “I realized that we won when the announcer was reading off the Class A and Class AA scores and I noticed that ours was higher. I was ecstatic, but I had to stay calm.”
Other members felt similarly to Miller about the win. Chalupa stated, “Afterwards, I was very happy with my performance. The rest of my section did well too, and I’m very proud of them.” When asked how she felt about how she had performed, Richards stated, “I personally thought it was my best performance yet. There’s a lot to improve on, but I was proud of my overall performance.”
The marching band goes on to compete in two more invitationals this season. They will be performing at Allendale High School on October 16th and at Kentwood High School on October 23rd. They can also be seen at home football games and at their indoor performance, “The Huddle,” in the Spring Lake High School auditorium on November 11th. Go Lakers!
