Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 24, 1993 TAG: 9311170248
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON RICHERT STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
\ AT 8:15 on a recent Saturday morning, while most teens are snoozing the day away, a sleepy bunch of Staunton River High School band members gathered in the school parking lot.
Wrapped snugly in coats, they lugged their instruments to the van and carefully loaded them for the trip to Rocky Mount. And while Staunton River's football team had lost the game the night before, most students' spirits were high. Well, as high as could be for a chilly Saturday morning.
This was competition day. The second of four for Staunton River this fall.
From the press box or out on the field with the band, band competition judges look for anything from out-of-step marchers to superbly played music. Their opinions are what this day is all about for some bands.
But not Staunton River's.
It doesn't matter if they beat no other bands on this day. This band's philosophy is to beat itself. And to enjoy the process. On this morning, as they assembled in the band room, they knew they had their work cut out for them.
``If you can duplicate your frame of mind last night - and I don't know what that frame of mind was,'' began band director Steve Hedrick, ``but last night I saw this show, and I was very proud. I thought it was very good.''
That meant it was very good. This band knew their director rarely found their half-time performances as good as their best practice.
On the old bus - the bus filled with students with the most seniority - the drive down Virginia 24 to Rocky Mount was unusually quiet. No cheering, no unison singing of the ``Brady Bunch'' tune. Only chatter. These students knew what lay before them, but they wouldn't worry now. Not yet.
At 10 a.m., the Staunton River buses were the first to pull into Franklin County High School, where about 12 bands would compete in A through AAA classes.
With an hour and a half to kill, the students gathered in the bleachers to contemplate the strange-looking one-yard markers between the customary yard lines.
``Ignore them, they don't exist,'' Hedrick told them. The small lines in one-yard intervals along both sidelines were new to the Staunton River band. These markers could confuse members whose positions during the show happened to be two steps off the yard line - that's about 45 inches to the 36-inch marker.
When the first band took the Franklin County High School field at 11:30, the Staunton River students left the stands to put on the rest of their uniforms. Behind them, the stadium filled with the sound of brass, drums and woodwinds.
At the buses, the students unpacked their uniforms, buttoned up their jackets and straightened their sashes. Some tucked strands of hair into their hats, while others passed around a can of hair spray to hold french braids in place. A few warmed their instruments while waiting.
The preparation did little to rattle their nerves. It was too early, still. And hot. The day had heated up to the 80s, and the uniforms made the temperature barely tolerable.
The nervousness wouldn't hit until they marched to the field. Then, ``you have butterflies in your stomach, and you feel like you're gonna throw up,'' said sophomore bells player Joan Thurman.
``And it feels so good,'' answered Jason Thompson, a sophomore trumpet player.
``When you have butterflies in your stomach,'' explained junior Shannon Hannabess, ``it helps you perform better. Hannabess doesn't get nervous until measure 11 in the band's opener.
That's four bars before his trumpet solo.
At that point, co-drum major Kristy Montgomery called the band to attention. ``Band, ten-hut!''
To a steady drum beat, all smiles faded to stern faces aimed straight ahead. The band filed in two long rows to the practice field.
Warming their instruments and their minds, the players tuned their horns and played some pieces from their show. The color guard practiced their flag tosses, then rolled up their flags. It was 15 minutes before show time.
The nervousness, while helpful, isn't as severe for some. ``It's like a family,'' senior trombone player Jessica Allen said, her own butterflies approaching. ``All your friends are with you, and if you get upset all of your friends are there to comfort you. I don't get as nervous because I know people aren't gonna get mad at me if I mess up.''
Teffany Henderson was more excited than nervous. ``I feel all right,'' said the sophomore in the color guard. ``Now I feel sort of excited, and I can't wait to get out there and perform, 'cause I enjoy performing.''
Then, the drum beat again, and the band marched to the field to await its turn.
``Just remember, you can't control what that band does,'' Hedrick told his students from the field's sideline, pointing to a band from Princeton, W.Va. ``You can only do what you do to be successful and focus on beating yourself. OK guys, look alive! Band, ten-hut!''
The band snapped to attention again as Hedrick turned toward the bleachers. From there, he would watch his band perform the show they've marched hundreds of times.
Taking their place on the field, the Marching Eagles stood at attention for what seemed like an eternity before until the speakers boomed: ``Staunton River High School, you may take the field in competition.''
The drum majors saluted the judges and the crowd, and the nine minutes of music and marching ticked away. Each of the 61 band members concentrated on his or her best show. When it was over, they filed off the field to a funky drum cadence.
The crowd cheered, and the band members' faces glowed with pride. Hedrick met them, and together they marched to the buses, formed a tight circle, and took off their hats.
``Well, I think it was a good show,'' Hedrick began. ``How do you think it compared to last night?''
There were several low groans. They knew today's show hadn't clicked. It was not last night's show.
``It wasn't better than last night,'' Hedrick agreed. ``But we're making progress, guys.'' We've got one week to beat this band. One week.''
Stripping off uniform jackets, the band shifted their concentration to cooling off, and reflecting.
``It wasn't as good as last night,'' Damon Arrington, the other drum major said. ``It was good though. It was 10 times better than a week ago.''
Drum major Damon Arrington summed up the band's feelings: ``We're not here for competition. We're striving for our goals. Competition is nice, but we just love doing [the show].''
``Yeah, it's a great rush,'' agreed Joe Shrewsbury, a junior trombonist.
Their performance over, the band grabbed a concession-stand lunch and gathered high up in the bleachers to cheer the other bands. ``You always cheer for other bands,'' explained junior trumpet player Mason McCloy. ``They work real hard. ...They've had a long hard season, and so have you.''
That camaraderie is part of what makes band something special. ``It's about personal pride and a personal sense of accomplishment,'' Hedrick said. ``Your friend pushes you up, you pull your friend up.''
At close to 3 o'clock, the competition drew to a close. Band representatives assembled on the field for the awards ceremony. The trophies shined in the sunlight while the bands in the bleachers cheered loudly.
In the A class, Staunton River took third place for percussion and auxiliary (a mixed bag category for drum majors, rifles, majorettes, flags and percussion) and second place for drum majors.
They placed second over all in their class, winning $150 in addition to their trophies. They received an ``excellent'' rating for their overall show. (Ratings ranged from ``good'' to ``excellent'' to ``superior.''
``I have to admit, I'm disappointed,'' confessed sophomore color guard member Jeanette Eades as the band walked back to the buses.
She wasn't alone, but Hedrick had good news when he arrived with score sheets at their buses. Although they received second place in their class, their overall general effect and marching scores were the best. And, they had lacked only a half-point getting a superior rating.
``We can do a whole lot better,'' Misty Brown, a sophomore in the color guard, reminded fellow members. ``We proved that last night.''
The Staunton River band will have plenty more chances to prove it - at ball games, competitions and after-school practices. It doesn't matter where they do it, after all. Their goal simply is to beat themselves, and have fun doing it.
by CNB