Heavy wind and rain from Hurricane Isaias put a damper on the Cedar Cliffs Classic Tournament of Bands on Saturday, October 10. The competition announced the Thursday night before that the competition would be moved inside.
The Andrews High School Pride of the Valley Marching Band left AHS at 6:30 in the morning to make their way over to AC Reynolds High School in Asheville. The competition began roughly around 9:30 AM and began with the 1A bands. Andrews, a 1A band with 16 members in total, performed second. Due to the competition being held in the AC Reynolds gymnasium, the band did not march their show, but rather only played the music from this year’s show entitled “Out of This World”.
Making the best of the harsh weather outside and the lack of cell service in the gym, the Pride of the Valley band members enjoyed the concession foods, fun of the “Sweet Caroline” and other songs, and excitement of other bands, especially those in 2A and 3A. The competition was split into two sections: Class 1A-3A, and 4A-7A.
The awards for the 1A-3A captions began at around 2:40. The awards presented to each class were for Drum Major, Color Guard, Percussion, Music, and Overall Band. Because the Pride of the Valley Marching Band lacks the former two, there was no score. The band was awarded first place in percussion, second place in music, and second place band for Class 1A. While there was disappointment of the latter two placements, there was also great excitement in winning the first place percussion award, an award that has not been won in a few years.
Moments of the competition were filmed on an old Flip video camera found in the band room. AHS Marketing Specialist Joshua Badillo-Jimenez, who is also a member of the band, filmed the event and captured some of the fun moments of the trip. To make the most out of the vintage, a compilation was made on Windows Movie Maker of the moments of the trip. The video will be shared on October 14.
Andrews High School congratulates the Pride of the Valley Marching Band on their efforts!
Want to watch the band perform? “Out of This World” will be performed October 30, the Senior Night game, at halftime. Solos will be performed by Lauren Cochran (flute) and Joshua Badillo-Jimenez (clarinet), with the field direction of seniors Stephanie Hernandez and Natalie Garrett.
The Andrews High School Pride of the Valley Marching Band is comprised of 16 talented students from Andrews Middle and High School. Under the direction of Samuel Kolodski, the band consists of seven middle schoolers comprised of one in seventh grade and eight in eighth grade, and nine high schoolers comprised of two ninth graders, two tenth graders, two eleventh graders, and three twelfth graders. The Pride of the Valley Marching Band started in 1973 and is in its 54th season. Donations to the band can be made out to Friends of the Andrews-Marble Bands, Inc. For other ways to support the band, contact Samuel Kolodski, director, via email at [email protected].