Marching Bulls go out with a bang

The Marching Bulls’ 2022 competition season comes to a successful close as they earn 2nd place in the state. Although the competition weather threw a curve ball, the Bulls still pushed through to give a great performance at Central Broward Regional Park in Ft. Lauderdale on Nov. 20.

The Band was in full swing working very hard in preparation for finals. Despite nothing new being added to the show, the Bulls were still doing reps upon reps of their show. The staff then found out that there was a possibility of rain the day of their competition, so the prep was a bit different then it’s been in past seasons. Junior and drum major Trevor Lewis explain some of the preparations done at rehearsals.

“Some of the finals preparations the band made were cleaning the rough spots of the show,” Lewis states. “[and] in preparation for a high chance of rain, we practiced logistics and how we would go about a standstill performance.”

This “standstill” performance is very self-explanatory. The band worked on how their performance would look if they ended up having to perform in an auditorium. For example, the color guard would have to stand on the stage along with the front ensemble, while the band was out in the house playing the music. The guard was also not allowed to toss their equipment, which did prove as a bit of a challenge.

Unfortunately, the high chance of rain predicted did in fact ring true. Throughout the competition day, the field ended up turning into a trench of water and the pouring rain was barely letting up. At this point, the staff had to make some very hard decisions for the band in order to keep everyone safe, but still get their performance they had worked so hard to create. Show designer Branden Anglin explains a bit about how the rain was dealt with overall.

“It was a moment-by-moment decision. The staff decided that we would do an indoor performance later to make sure that we kept our kids [and equipment] safe,” Anglin exclaimed. “And then waiting and finding out more information as it came available required a lot of logistical decisions to be made very quickly.”

The Marching Bulls ended up staying in their buses, under tents, and inside of the equipment trucks in order to keep as dry as possible and ended up waiting several hours for their performance. This didn’t discouragement the band however, as they took this time to relax, clear their minds, mentally prepare and go over their show.

Out of the several other bands in their division, there was a total of three bands performing in the indoor version of the competition. After a performance that will definitely be remembered for its unique location, the Marching Bulls received 2nd place in the state for their performance, officially ending their competition season. As reported by Anglin and several other staff members, the staff was very proud of the student’s hard work ethic and performance score. Senior and Color guard Captain Caroline Gordon explains her overall experience as her last season comes to an end.

“This experience was interesting to deal with, but as a senior I have experienced a lot with the FMBC competition throughout my years as a marching Bull,” Gordon explained. “Each are all so special to me and I’m so glad to have had all these experiences.”

As the Marching Bulls close the book on their competition season this year, they can look back on The River Styx and be proud to have received 2nd in the state. Even if it wasn’t the performance they had necessarily planned for, the show still showcased all their hard work and ended the season on a high.