ORANGEBURG -- The music builds to a final crescendo. A clap of artificial thunder crackles through the cold night air. The band stands posed, frozen, on the football field at S.C. State University.
The show is over, in more ways than one.
The members of the Rock Hill High School marching band have just performed their 2009 show for the last time in competition. The performance just happens to be in the finals of the state marching band championship in Class AAAAA, the largest classification for bands and the same competition that left the band oh-so-close to winning it all last year.
This season brought a sense of unfinished business. Their hopes — and their realistic expectations — are high this time around.
The performance is the climax of months of practice that began under the hot July sun and raced to a conclusion Saturday after a grueling couple of weeks leading up to what many students viewed as a defining moment, a legacy.
This is the story of the last lap of their journey.
‘Capable of being incredible'
Four days earlier …
It's a clear, sunny day: 72 degrees. The band is on the practice field preparing for its next-to-last full-fledged rehearsal before the state competition. What started in late July comes to an end in a few days. All the hours of practice (at least 10 hours a week, counting football games), all the sacrificed summer vacations and time with friends, will come down to eight minutes on a football field in Orangeburg.
Today is a time to focus on those final kinks. Mostly, it's just minor things. But minor things are major killers at contest. For a band that missed a state championship last year by a fraction of a point — .147 to be exact — there's pressure to be perfect.
The students set up for the show's opener. Drum major Harry Hicklin counts off.
The music begins.
Instructors bark directions. The students adjust. From his perch above the field, director Joe Gulledge surveys the group, pointing out problem areas.
“Straight line, trumpets,” he calls out through a speaker system. “Don't overplay, woodwinds.”
More instructions follow, along with lots of praise.
“Power,” Gulledge says, encouraging a strong performance. He sees lots of good.
The last note ends and the band strikes its final pose.
“Just so you know,” Gulledge says, “Best first run of a rehearsal this year.”
Still, there's lots to work on.
“You are capable of being incredible,” Gulledge tells the band.
Getting focused
The 168-member band arrives in Orangeburg around 1 p.m. The 68-degree weather is just about perfect. But they know it won't last.
“We hope it doesn't get too cold tonight,” Gulledge says. “That's what we're most concerned about.”
Forecasts call for lows in the 40s by the time the finals get going. Cold weather and musical instruments don't mix. If a band's not careful, the cold can turn normally beautiful notes into sour ones.
But all this is assuming the band makes the finals. There are 14 bands in competition today and, after the preliminary round, the judges will select the final eight based on musical performance, visuals and overall cohesiveness. For members of Rock Hill's Band of Distinction, making the finals seems inevitable. After all, it's been the normal the past few years.
After gathering with instructors for a pep talk, the band members put on uniforms and get in formation for the walk to a warm-up area. This is really where the concentration begins.
The band is told to visualize themselves being successful.
“Every moment, every step, every thought's got to have a purpose for getting you focused,” assistant director Randy Grantham tells the band.
The group marches away to warm up. No one says a word.
Soon, the band reaches its warm-up spot. The instructors lead students in a series of breathing exercises, followed by some more warm-up drills on instruments and then a quick run through the show music. This is where the weight of the day starts to sink in.
@Nyx.CommentBody@