Sara Stadem | Editor
The West Central Marching Trojans jump started their season on Friday, September 17, when they hit the streets for the Parker Pheasant Marching Band Festival under the direction of Daniel Eye.
According to D. Eye, the awards given were first place, second place and third place along with Outstanding Colorguard, Outstanding Drumline, Outstanding Winds and Outstanding Drum Majors. The Marching Trojans performed “Galeon” and earned second place overall and also received Outstanding Drum Major.
When asked how he felt the festival went overall, D. Eye said, “We struggled a bit in our first competition. It was the first time putting on our new uniforms and that took longer than expected.” He continued, “The parade was also running ahead by almost 30 minutes which cut into our warm-up time. We typically warm up, tune and rehearse about 30 minutes prior to competing. The first and only time we played it on Friday was in the judges section.”
Since the competition, D. Eye said they have been working on their transitions in the street show and having more showmanship for their upcoming performances.
D. Eye concluded, “It was great to see the new uniforms on the street. Also, it was the freshman’s first time competing and it was also great to show them what this is like.”
Marching Trojans compete in Marshall
The West Central Marching Trojans took on their second competition of the season at the Pursuit of Excellence competition in Marshall, Minn., on Saturday, September 18, under the direction of Daniel Eye.
In this competition, the Marching Trojans marched off against Mitchell, Hastings (Minn.), Anoka (Minn.), Sioux Falls Washington and Madison Central. The category for awards were Outstanding: Brass, Woodwinds, Battery Percussion, Concert Percussion, Colorguard, Commanders, General Effect, Music and Visual. The West Central Marching Trojans took fifth place in the Crimson Class.
“We played really well! We had a very tough class as they determined classes by band size,” D. Eye said. He continued, “They stepped up against some really tough band programs. We were only a couple points from moving into third place!”
D. Eye concluded, “We had a great day in Marshall starting with a 90-minute clinic in the morning. Then we took the whole band to the movie theater and enjoyed some down time in the afternoon.”