The Spartan Regiment made school history on Saturday, Oct. 5 when they qualified as regional finalists in the BOA Memphis marching band championships. BOA, or Bands of America, holds nationwide marching band championships and regional competitions throughout the United States. In Memphis, the Spartan Regiment competed against 24 other teams, qualified as finalists for the first time in school history, and placed 10th in the finals.
Senior Tia Harlow, one of the band’s two drum majors, helps to lead the band both at practice and through competitions, but even she did not expect their level of success in Memphis.
“Our goal was always to make finals, but we’ve never done it before, so there was an expectation that we would either be barely into it or barely outside of it,” Harlow said. “There was definitely a point when we were on the field during awards where we thought … maybe we didn’t make it. There was a little bit of that fear.”
Senior Drum major Evan Schmidt leads the band alongside Harlow. Though the Spartan Regiment has been successful at competitions in the past, he believes that the extra commitment from each member of the band is what set them above other bands this year.
“The level of commitment from each person [changed]. We finally realized that we have the potential to do better,” Schmidt said. “[They] put in the work, they worked hard every single day. Every person committing made all the difference.”
Junior Addie Law, the clarinet section leader, expressed a similar sentiment.
“The thing about marching band is you can’t hide anyone. It’s not like a team sport where you can just sit people out,” Law said. “Everyone has to be in. If everyone’s all in… it makes success a whole lot easier.”
Marching band is about more than the musicians — bands are also scored on visuals and the general effect of their performance. This year’s theme, The Gateway, is conveyed through the band’s music, shapes and props. However, according to senior Katelyn Kohler, the color guard captain, the color guard is what brings the theme to life.
“The first chunk of the show is pure chaos … so our choreography is very chaotic … It is nonstop,” Kohler said. “But by the time we get to the third movement, [we use] all white poles, all white flags, very slow choreography, and the entire color guard is together. It’s more unified [and] shows that sense of relief.”
Whether down on the field like Law and Kohler or up on a stand like Harlow and Schmidt, the Spartan Regiment came together to achieve something never done before. Even before they were announced as finalists, Schmidt recognized that there was something unique about this competition.
“I was just in awe,” Schmidt said. “It was a really cool experience to be able to conduct in such a huge stadium in front of a really large crowd of dedicated fans that love the marching thing, as opposed to a football game where [people] don’t really care as much.”
After their preliminary performance, the band sat anxiously in the bleachers. The sun beat down relentlessly as they waited to hear if their name would be among the twelve called for finals.
“We were on the bleachers and the sun was pounding. I just thought, ‘Oh my God, I want to go inside,’ because I knew we probably didn’t make it,” Law said. “Then, they said our name, and I thought, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, what?’ And then I saw [band director] Mr. Griffin turn his head and look at me. His jaw dropped, and he was in shock… we all just started screaming.”
Down on the field, apart from the rest of their band, Harlow and Schmidt waited with the other bands’ drum majors to hear the finalists announced. When Harlow and Schmidt heard Francis Howell Central called as one of the finalists, they were both stunned.
“Honestly, I was shocked,” Harlow said. “Evan and I had to step forward to do our salute. And then afterward, we started walking off the field, and I started crying because I just wasn’t expecting it. And it was just such a proud moment for me to be able to represent us like that.”
Back in the stands, members of the band couldn’t believe their ears. Hugging, cheering, and crying, they celebrated the months of preparation leading up to this moment.
“[Our directors] turned around with jaws dropped and giant eyeballs,” Kohler said. “We started screaming. I hugged my friend Toby, people were crying, and my color guard coach turned to me and jokingly said, ‘Okay, guys, we’ve been here before, let’s act with class.’ And I looked her dead in the eyes and said, ‘No, we haven’t. We’ve never done this, we’ve never won a BOA final before. We just made history.’”
