When you walk up to the warm up area at Duncanville High School, in Duncanville, Texas, you see many 300 and 400 member bands. Then you see a small band, broken up into the little groups, going over their show. Hitting every single detail they have spent the past 3 months on just for 8 minutes under the lights at finals, the veterans giving advice to the frightened rookies. Some would say that they are weak with only 86 winds, 18 guard, 11 person drumline, and a 15 person pit. The difference in size is striking. Many of the other bands stare, point, and laugh. No one has ever heard of such a small 5A band from Texas. They used to be bigger. They were once one of the most prestigious high school bands in the country, known by people as far away as Florida for their cutting edge and top level performances.
All of the sudden the band starts to play their ballad. The musicality of the band shocked those who were observing and some said they sounded like a college band. The sound that flowing from the instruments was of an intense caliber, the likes of which they had never heard. Then the director cut off the band, tears in his eyes, and his voiced cracked while he explained how they must play like that to earn a top spot. But it wasn't about the grade. It was about stealing the heart of the audience and making wonderful music. The band pulls it in towards the director. A giant black mob surrounded the red shirt of the director. He reads quotes about perseverance and ambition, explains how they can come out on top even though they are down in size 2 to 1, and tells how they have changed a whole community, making them understand what a marching show was all about. "Hey band! Great day to be a wildcat?" he yelled. They had heard this many times before, but somehow this time felt like the first again. A resounding "OH YEAH!" rang around the warm up area.
The band hit the field with an intensity they have never experienced. The adrenaline that was pumping through them seemed to thicken the air. The fire in their eyes told a story of hardship and severe fatigue. But that didn't stop them, and from the first note to the last, that energy didn't lessen.
When they left the field, the seniors were hugging and some were holding back tears, thinking about all the years they spent dedicated to something they never really understood until now. They headed up into the stands talking about how amazing it felt to be done and how well their last show went. They sat together and anxiously waited for the results. Finally the results came… they won 3rd place! The highest placing the band had ever received at that contest. From the screams that erupted, you would think that they had just won 1st place at state.
I know… I was screaming the loudest.
It really was a great day to be a wildcat.