You know you're in band when…
You cheer for the participation award.
Our show was pretty difficult. The music had lots of 16th note runs and the drill chart involved a few complicated sets. It was set up in four movements. We practice twice a week, have low funding, and our only assistant is the Guard instructor, Rachel. We have a great show though. We all worked really hard and practiced our hearts out. So when it came time for our first competition we thought we had this in the bag from the second we set foot on the field.
Our morning rehearsal had gone great, bringing out Drum Major, Sara, to tears when we performed so well. We were confident as we walked out onto the field. The bigger AAAAA bands didn't scare us. We were told to focus only on ourselves. When we asked Mr. James who we would be competing against, he had told us that we were competing against ourselves.
When retreat came and the seniors went onto the field for awards, we sat on the bleachers waiting for our school to be called out. Following tradition, we cheer for anything we win, including participation. When the participation plaques were given out, we were the only band to stand up and cheer loudly. Granted it was awkward but we had fun doing it.
After fifteen minutes of waiting, our band hadn't won anything. We waited to win best Guard or best Drum Major. We had fingers crossed for best Music or best Show but none of them came. Finally, when it looked like we would come in last, we won third place. Out of four. But hey, we weren't last which was enough for us. We cheered longer than any of the other bands. Three cheers for participating! We were there!
I like reviewers. And nothing makes me sadder than to see people are reading and not reviewing. I cried a little. (Not really.)