Another state-ranked Superior is in the books for the Hoover Marching Band, but that doesn’t just happen overnight. The band starts their season in July, slowly piecing each part of their competition show together.
Each member has a role they need to fulfill in order for the show to come together and with new members joining in each year, it takes a few weeks for everyone to adjust and find their groove. Senior Tyler Fry, who took on the role as center snare, shared what it was like to get each individual member of the band to look as one.
“At the beginning of the season, it was very hard to get everyone on the same page with playing and marching,” he said. “With a lot of practice and hard work, we were able to come together and perform as one collective band.”
At the very beginning, the members are all starting at different spots. There are the seniors who have been doing this for four years, and the freshmen who are just starting out.
It takes time for each member to learn and adapt whether it’s your first year or your fourth year. Senior Josie Vaughn shares more on how the band worked together to become cohesive.
“Throughout my four years of being in band, I have never seen a group become so cohesive and strive for one common goal like this,” she said.
As the show slowly came together, the drive to put on a good show became stronger. After all of the hard work that was put into this show, the band wanted to have something to show off. All of this hard work was aimed at one opportunity for the band: a chance to perform in The Ohio State University stadium, The Shoe. The Buckeye Invitational took place on Oct. 11, where bands from all over Ohio performed and competed in The Shoe. Junior Sami Rankin shares more about this experience.
“It was a lot bigger than I expected,” she said. “I really enjoyed getting to perform there with the entire band.”
Most Hoover band members had never been to the OSU stadium.
“It was intimidating at first,” Fry said. “I quickly embraced it.”
The Shoe is nothing like any stadium the band has performed in, but the band was ready to accept that challenge. While most of the stadiums the band has performed in are relatively the same size, The Shoe towers over them in comparison. This not only caused some nerves but the band had to make= adjustments to how they played in order for the sound to fill the stadium.
“Having to look up at the steep wall full of people was very intimidating,” Vaughn said. “At the same time, it forced me to play out.”
Although the biggest challenge was the nerves that came with the size of the stadium, the band put on a great performance for all those who were in the audience. The band then got the chance to see the Ohio State Marching Band perform pregame and one of their halftime shows.
“My favorite memory was probably performing at Ohio State,” Rankin said. “Getting to perform in that big of a stadium and then seeing Ohio State’s Marching Band perform their “Oh the Place’s You’ll Go!” show with the band was so much fun.”
Overall, the band placed ninth out of 40 bands from all over Ohio. This was a great accomplishment for each and every member of the band, and this experience is something that will always be remembered.
“I do not have a particular memory that is my favorite, but rather small moments of realizing what we and I have accomplished through the marching band,” Vaughn said.
While competitions are a big part of what the Hoover Marching Band focuses on throughout the season, Friday nights are also a huge part of what the band does.
“My favorite memory of the season was getting to go to the football games on Friday nights. It was very fun to hang out with friends while supporting the football team,” Fry said.
While Friday nights still are a performance for the band, whether it’s pregame and halftime, or just halftime, the band finds time to relax and make memories with their friends. It could be the dances they come up with for the drumline cadences or fun traditions when it comes to playing stand tunes. While they have times, they need to be serious, at the end of the day they have created friendships that will last a lifetime.
“I will forever miss having a community like the Hoover marching band has provided,” Vaughn said.
