For those of you who have been in marching band, you know the grueling hours you have to put in. Freedom marching band is VERY good. For the first two weeks of band camp they tried to kill my son. They practiced outside in August from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with only a 2-hour dinner break. Then for a week of 6 hour days. Most of that time was spent doing burpees, pushups, throwups and Roxannes (ask Weston about it sometime) in order to get them physically ready for the what they had to accomplish. The football team didn't even practice as much as the marching band (could be why they only won one game this season???).
The band has 150 members (probably not as big as AF band) and once school started he had practice for 2 hours three days a week. He attended 7 competitions from West Virginia all the way to a national competition at MetLife Giants stadium in NJ last weekend.
At the regional competition at University of Maryland they won first place and performed amazingly in POURING RAIN. And at MetLife they performed at 10:30pm in 20℉ temps. Freedom has an impressive pit--one of the biggest at the competition--I know because I was a chaperone and got to drag the bass drum on and off the field at the appropriate time. They took 4th place there but won the Cadet's Choice Award. The Cadets are an elite student band and gave their award to their favorite marching band.
We are so proud of his hard work, team spirit, and marching band soul. (He frequently marches in square formations in the kitchen and walks backwards and sideways like he's still on the field.) He is already excited about next year and hopes to be drum major as a senior.
Here is a youtube link of their whole performance. You will see their program this year titled "Rain Forest." Watch for the "haka" dance--which Chancie loves to do in the kitchen too. Weston is the handsome one in the black and white uniform playing the baritone.
