Glencoe Tide Marches to Triumph
Originally Published On January 25, 2018
By Jami Makin
One hundred and fifty-three hours of hard work and dedication. One hundred and fifty-three hours of sweat and emotions. One hundred and fifty-three hours is what it takes to make a record-breaking band.
Opening with two weeks of twelve-hour rehearsals in ninety-degree weather, many second guess their decision of joining marching band. The overall outcome makes marching band worth the work for the majority of members. The Marching Tide has had spectacular achievements this year. With a seasonal improvement of 13 points, the band scored above an 80 (higher than any score with previous marching bands at Glencoe).
The Northwest Pageantry of Performing Arts (NWAPA) has an overall scoring system based out of one hundred points. Broken into five categories based on how frequently performers achieve the set standard, the lowest one can score with any performance is a zero.
The competition season began with a show at Hillsboro Stadium called the Spectacle of Sound, hosted by Southridge. Glencoe placed third out of five in the preliminary round and fifth out of ten in the final round. At this first contest, members got a better understanding of what their hard work was going towards. A common goal now in mind, they collectively found the motivation to push through this season.
“The energy that the band and the crowd reflected on each other was exhilarating and surreal,” explained senior head color guard captain Alyssa Abonitalla.
Hosted in Grants Pass, Pride of the Northwest was an overnight trip that got extended due to an impromptu hour push back in scheduling. After discussing possibilities of leaving early and leaving when the show was over, staff had come to an executive decision to stay another night to ensure the safety of students. Score improved by 3.4 points between preliminaries and finals. First place out of four was awarded to the Marching Tide in the preliminary round and third out of 13 in the final round.
At Hillsboro Stadium the Liberty Marching Arts Challenge, hosted by Liberty High School, wind and rain took many by surprise. A 0.9 point improvement, Glencoe received second place out of eight in prelims and third out of 13 in finals. In the end of the season, they pushed through the last two weeks to perform their show to its highest quality.
Confusion and uncertainty swept individuals as awards were called for the preliminary round at the Festival of Bands, hosted by the Oregon Marching Band. Only fifteen bands made it into finals. Twenty-six bands traveled from parts of Washington and Oregon to Eugene for NWAPA’s 2017 championship competition. Receiving fifth place out of ten bands in AA class was not an absolute guarantee into finals. Many crossed their fingers, held hands, and squirmed at the announcement of the finals schedule. Then they heard it.
“At 7:05,” a long pause. Most of the band was washed over with disappointment. “Glencoe high school Marching Tide,” the announcer’s enthusiasm was tripled as individuals realized they got one more performance as a group.
Nothing but positive emotions overwhelmed students and staff in the Marching Tide when finals awards came around. The band went into finals in tenth place with a score of 77.5, an impressive score for the program, and took home eighth place with a score of 80.2. During director Ray Severns and coach Amy DeGiovanni’s time at Glencoe, the marching band had never broken 80 until this year.
One hundred and fifty-three hours of diligence, passion, and teamwork pushed the Glencoe Marching Tide to be the record-breaking band they are today.
