On Nov. 2, PA’s Fabulous Marching Cavaliers traveled to Liberty University to compete in the Virginia Marching Band Cooperative State Championships. They finished the season as state champions in their class and placed seventh out of 14 finalist bands. This is their fifth state championship they have won in the past six years.
The FMC began the day competing in the preliminary rounds. Bands are divided into six classes based on size, and the FMC, who normally compete in Class AA, were moved to Class AAA this year. Band Director John Boyd explained this created a challenge as they “were by far the smallest [Class] AAA band because AAA went from 50-70 kids, and we were at 52 kids.”
Despite struggling to “sound full” as Boyd described, the band placed first in their class, with winning scores in Color Guard, Music, Effect, and Visual. That evening, they competed in finals, which consisted of the top 14 scores throughout the competition, regardless of size.
Although they were the smallest band in the finals competition, the FMC placed seventh, coming within half a point of sixth place and a point of fifth place. “You have to be far better than the biggest band just to be on the same field as them,” Boyd said. Sophomore Aura Kotigala, a member of the Color Guard, explained that she had an amazing time while competing. “That feeling coming off the field was unmatched,” she said.
Field Lieutenant senior Shilomae Santana described her experience finishing out the season as “emotional, but fulfilling.” She explained that “the show this year was way harder than the other shows we’ve done prior. We knew that we did a lot of hard work throughout this season, and it felt really accomplishing.”
The FMC has had an unconventional season this year, as their regular competition schedule was interrupted with preparations for their trip to New York City where they were featured on the “TODAY” show and attended Pharrell Williams’ premiere of his movie “Piece by Piece.”
“We had to put everything on pause and then work really hard for that performance,” Boyd explained. “The challenge was putting what was evolving into a really good season and putting it on pause for a week just so we could get ready for this event. Then, unpause the game and put everything back on where it was.”
Santana agreed, adding “The New York trip completely demolished our schedule, and having to come back from that, I’m proud of us.”
Kotigala, who was a flag-runner in the FMC her freshman year, described how her “engagement in the show was a lot more” this season. “I was here for the whole ride, from the first minute to the last minute,” she said. “Being there for the whole time felt so fulfilling. Making a lot of friends, learning how to perform, just being on the field is one of my favorite things in the world.”
Santana has devoted the past four years to the marching band, and she reflected on her last state championship competition. “Coming into finals, it made me really see how much work I’ve had the past four years,” she explained. “A lot of my friends, the peers that came and went, and seeing the show all come together, it was really fulfilling.”
As the FMC heads into its next season, Boyd explained that they are focused on recruiting more students to the band. “It’s a hard sell because people see how hard they work, but they don’t necessarily see all the fun they have,” he said. “[Band] is really about learning how to build relationships with the people around you and being part of a family, a team. The cool byproduct is the music.”
