At A Fever Pitch Northwest High Schools Step Up For Band Competition

The competition at Joe Albi Stadium on Saturday wasn’t about scoring touchdowns.

It was about pounding drums and blaring trumpets. It was about flutes and saxophones and cymbals. It was about precision marching.

Top high school marching bands gathered for one of the biggest band showdowns in Washington state - the seventh annual Pacific Northwest Marching Band Championships.

For many of the bands, the championships are the defining event of their season, said event chairman Larry Lidel.

“Most bands gear up for us,” Lidel said.

The winners take home a trophy and the knowledge that they are among the best.

For most bands, the event kicks off the marching band season, which includes competitions throughout the Northwest.

Some bands spent as much as $15,000 to attend Saturday’s competition.

During the preliminaries, Lidel watched the bands closely. A District 81 band teacher for years, he knows the challenges each group faces. On the field, Central Valley High School was going through its routine, playing a difficult score while marching in and out of complex patterns.

From the stands, where Lidel watched, the patterns were beautiful and mesmerizing.

“That was good. That was real good,” he said. “If you get goose bumps, you know they got it.”

Twenty-three bands - 2,700 performers - competed in the championships, sponsored by the Spokane Lilac Festival Association. About 6,500 spectators were on hand to watch.

Money raised from the event pays for the Lilac Parade and other Lilac Festival association activities.

A panel of eight judges picked the best 12 bands during preliminary performances in the morning for a final round in the evening.

“They are scrutinized in every aspect of the show, from the music to the visuals to how they coordinate all the elements together,” Lidel said.

Band director Phil Hartman, from Centennial High School in Boise, said his band does not worry about winning.

“I know it sounds like a cliche, but we never talk about winning a show,” he said. “We never enter to win. We just enter for the thrill of putting on a show for the audience.”

Ironically, he said, it was when the band stopped talking about winning that it started winning - a lot.

The band, the only one from Idaho at Saturday’s event, has won the last four of its annual hometown competitions. The next one will be next week.

Most band directors and performers say that belonging to a marching band - from practicing to competing - is a grueling endeavor.

But Hartman says it’s worth it.

“It teaches them communication skills, responsibility, work ethic, teamwork, a sense of self-esteem, perseverance, a sense of accomplishment - I could keep going,” he said.

And how did Centennial do? Band members said their preliminary performance was the best ever.

“We did awesome!” said high school senior and band flutist Jessica Yeggy. She has been with the band for four years.

“You could feel the power,” Yeggy said as she left the field after their afternoon performance. “We showed ‘em what’s up.”

It’s that feeling of accomplishment, and not necessarily who won, that’s important, Hartman said.

Band results Sweepstakes Award Central Valley Class AAA (120-plus performers) 1. Mead 2. Centennial 3. Clarkston Class AA (71-120 performers) 1. Mt. Spokane 2. University High 3. Kamiakin Class A (70 or fewer performers) 1. Rogers 2. Southridge 3. Richland Spirit of Lilac Award Mt. Spokane Best March-in Central Valley Best Auxiliary Central Valley Best Drum Major Centennial Best Percussion Central Valley Best General Effect Central Valley Best Brass and Winds Central Valley