Marching Band wins fourth place in their last competition of the season

By Sierra Williams
Staff Writer

With a score of 83.7 out of 100, the Mira Costa Marching Band and Colorguard received fourth place out of the 12 bands in their division on Dec.1 at the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association Championships in Downey, California.

This was the first time that the Mira Costa Marching Band and Colorguard participated in a competition at the championship level and was their last performance of the 2012 season.

“We all knew that it was our last show with the current senior class, so that encouraged us all the more to do the best that we possibly could,” junior saxophone player Thomas Alexander said. “We had great student leadership, amazing staff and dedicated members.”

The band only had a week to practice for this competition.

“Even with a week to practice, we wanted to do well and took the championships more seriously than any other competition,” junior Colorguard co-captain Chelsea Williams said.
The majority of the 2012 marching band and Colorguard seniors have been part of the program for four years.

“We do something called Legacy Arcs where all the seniors step out and watch the band perform one last time,” senior percussion section leader Casey Choi said. “That is when it really got emotional and people started crying.”

Although it was a bittersweet event, the marching band members believe they had a great season with their performances of “Electropolis” this year.

“I was in denial that this was my last show and I would be done forever,” senior colorguard captain Rachel Azafrani said. “I am so proud of the Colorguard. We ended the season strongly.”

The freshmen of the Costa Marching Band and Colorguard also had the opportunity to participate in Costa’s first championship competition this year. Freshman trumpet player Jenessa Gonzalez felt that she learned from her experience with the marching band.

“Not only did I learn how to do something new with marching band, I experienced something far greater which was being a part of a team,” Gonzalez said. “Whether a senior or freshman, we put in one hundred percent.”

“Electropolis” helped the band receive a total of fourteen awards throughout the 2012 season for their performances.

“There have been groups attending the championships for 10 years and have never cracked the top 5”, band director Joel Carlson said. “The hard work we have done was confirmed to be the right work by the judges.”