October 22, 2018
Dear marching band student and parent,
The purpose of this letter is to provide information concerning our “double-header” competition day in Charlotte, NC this weekend! As you will note, the day will run much like our other Saturdays except that we will not be rehearsing before departure and we get to perform the show twice in one day!
PORTER RIDGE H.S. “PIRATE COVE CLASSIC”
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Report to Athens 10:00am
Change, load
Inspection in senior lot (in 1/2 uniform) 11:15am
Travel to PRHS via activity buses 11:30am
Eat lunch (provided by boosters) 2:30pm
PERFORMANCE 4:40pm
Store instruments/equipment in semi following performance
Awards Ceremony 5:30pm
Depart PRHS 6:45pm
*Students will remain in full uniform during the awards ceremony and for the trip to Providence H.S.
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PROVIDENCE H.S. “PROVIDENCE CUP COMPETITION”
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Arrive Providence H.S. 7:10pm
PERFORMANCE 8:30pm
Change and eat dinner (provided by boosters) 8:50pm
Awards Ceremony 10:00pm
Depart PHS 11:00pm
Important Competition Day Logistics
1) Provided that you come to school with a good breakfast in your stomach, you will not have an issue with food throughout the day. However, if you want to bring something to snack on for the trip to/from Charlotte, that is fine.
2) The students will be wearing their uniform shoes, black socks, bibs and “Be a Sport” Show Shirt for the bus ride to Charlotte. Please wear a lightweight type of shorts under the uniform so that you can change out of the uniform outside near our semi-trailer.
3) The boosters will provide TWO MEALS for the students: First when they arrive on the campus of Porter Ridge H.S., and second after they perform at Providence H.S.
4) Before we leave Providence H.S., students may change into more comfortable clothes for the bus ride home.
5) This is our LAST BIG TRIP of the season! Although it is a “hike,” please consider making the journey to Charlotte to root on our band! Plus, you get 2 performances out of this trip!!!
And remember, WE NEED HELP MOVING EQUIPMENT!!! Our show is so cool—but there are a lot of “moving parts!” Thank you so much!
6) You will find the schedule for both competitions attached.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
1) We perform at 9:00pm at Cary H.S. next Saturday. Please, please, please attend this show—and bring guests! We’ve saved our “home show” for the end. Let’s paint that “green school” ATHENS BLUE!
2) Our annual Fruit & Nut Fundraiser kicks off today! Please be on the lookout for information that SHOULD BE brought home by your child(ren). I know… We are going to announce a MAJOR TRIP at the Marching Band Banquet on Nov. 17th. You are going to want to start collecting your pennies! So exciting!
THANK YOU to everyone who made last week a success! We enjoyed a wonderful Military Parade at the State Fair, a terrific Senior Night at our last home football game on Friday (and let’s “give it up” to Tyrone and Angelica—our homecoming King and Queen!), and another terrific performance at Western Alamance H.S. on Saturday. I realize that the “numbers” and the final “rankings” were not what we hoped for, but let’s not forget things that are truly more important: The audience really enjoyed our performance…from our drum major “football play,” to “We are the Champions,” to the giant golf ball finding the hole. Our kids performed very, very well—true heart, great enthusiasm, and musical playing! I am so proud of everyone involved in this organization, which includes our awesome field crew in their youthful-looking athletic jerseys to our “chuck-wagon” team feeding this circus! What an exceptional team we have!!! It is absolutely critical that we keep the “big picture” in mind at these events.
The truth is that ALL of these bands have great kids and do great things on the field. The “judging” is far from an exact science and no one is perfect. We are loving the journey and we are growing as people and as musicians. Please realize that the top bands in each competition are usually only separated by a single point! (For example, we came in 3rd in class with a score of 89.33. Second place was 90.00 and first place was 91.13.) Yeah, that close…
“Doc”
