Marching bands on full display during weekend invitational
Ned Lauber didn't need any reminder about how nervous he was before stepping onto the field at Wheaton North High School.
Moments before the 15-year-old freshman sousaphone player from Wheaton Warrenville South High School was to compete in his first-ever marching band competition Saturday, Ned's thoughts focused on making sure he didn't slam into his partners.
Then the school flags started flying in the stands.
"Go South!" a few scattered parents began shouting. "We love you!"
Some in the stands wore "Got Wind?" shirts. Others had "Band nerd" buttons attached to their purses. And the Tiger paws from Wheaton Warrenville South were definitely in ample supply.
"I didn't think people got this excited about marching bands," Ned said after his school's performance.
Welcome to the marching band life, Ned.
Eighteen marching bands from as far away as Davenport, Iowa spent Saturday performing through the evening. For many schools, like Fremd High School, Saturday was the first such performance of the season. A similar contest scheduled earlier in the month at Lake Park High School in Roselle was wiped out due to weekend rains.
"Our field's still under construction at the school, so this is the first time we've been able to get on a real field this year," said Matt Moore, Fremd's marching band director, who orchestrated the Palatine school's performance around a "West Side Story" theme. "These kids totally played their hearts out."
For the 46-member band from Streamwood High School, Saturday was a chance to get the school's program to dip its toes in the waters of marching band competitions.
"We're getting in there gradually," said Jaimie Abney, the school's marching band director. Abney took over the program four years ago, and Saturday was just the second competitive performance for the school.
"We were here last year," Abney said. "Our goal isn't to be the best band out there (but) we're definitely improving."
The Wheaton North parking lot was awash in moving metal as band teams rolled drum kits, xylophones and other musical equipment on and off the field through the evening.
Some, like Naperville North High School, rolled in with moving trucks filled with elaborate set designs.
The school planned a "cops and robbers" theme complete with a police chief's desk, exploding safe, money bags and a "lineup" of wooden frames painted with jail uniforms. Organizers began writing the routine in May, and the band learned the 77-set routine during a five-day camp over the summer.
"All this work for a few minutes of gimmick," Moore said.
The gimmick, apparently, paid off. Naperville North won first place in its class.
The results
Finalists for the 21st Annual Wheaton North High School Falcon Marching Band Invitational
Class A
First place: Sycamore High School
Second place: Round Lake High School
Third place: Marmion Academy
Class AA
First place: Naperville Central High School
Second place: Wheaton Warrenville South High School
Third place: Fremd High School
Class AAA
First place: Naperville North High School
Second place: Plainfield Central High School
Third place: Oak Creek High School
Overall caption awards
• Outstanding visual performance: Naperville North
• Outstanding musical performance: Naperville North
• Outstanding general effect: Naperville North
• Outstanding percussion: Naperville Central