The Westwood Warrior Band attended the Bands of America (BOA) Super Regional in the San Antonio Alamodome on Saturday, Nov. 3. The band practiced long and hard hours for their final competition of the season and wanted to make it a memorable experience.

“It’s sad thinking about the fact that this is my last competition ever,” Ally Marquis ‘18 said. “It’s crazy to think how three years ago I was a freshman and the last competition didn’t really mean much to me because I had so many years ahead of me.”

The band students were dismissed from class on Friday and left for San Antonio at 11 a.m.. A fourth of the band stayed behind to perform at the pep rally and then followed close behind the rest of students.

“It was so funny how some of us stayed back for a pep rally and had fun,” Vivian Tran ‘19 said. “Then not too long after we had to refocus and perform in a competition in front of judges.”

Once all the students reached San Antonio, the band warmed up Alamodome. Students carried out quick before competition traditions like bumping shakos and having pep talks. The students got back in line and wished each other good luck. At exactly 2:45 p.m., the band entered the field, ready to perform.

“This was it. This was the last competition of the year, and hopefully the most memorable,” Hamsi Nathan ‘18 said. “I am so unbelievably proud of this band program, and as long as each and every single one of us is happy with how we did, our placement doesn’t matter.”

The Westwood band was announced and took the field. The audience went quiet as the first note was played. Choreography was performed with precision, guards’ flags were in sync, and the band was determined to have the best show they could.

“After leaving the field, I had a huge sense of pride,” Pilar Padilla ‘20 said. “It didn’t really hit me until later in the day that this might be the last time we truly perform Bluebird, and it was a bittersweet moment because I’m so proud of how far we came with this show, but I’m sad that the season is almost over.”

After competing, the students quickly gathered their things and made their way back to Austin to cheer on the football team. The band returned to San Antonio the next day at 2 p.m. to watch a few of the final bands perform in the preliminary round and hear their placement. At 5 p.m., the finals bands were announced and unfortunately, the band didn’t make it.

“The bus ride back to Austin was really emotional,” Danielle Efruss ‘18 said. “That was the last time I would be performing with the Westwood marching band. I will forever be grateful for the many opportunities that the Westwood band gave me. This truly was the greatest experience I ever had, and I can’t wait to watch how the band grows from here.”

The students later found out they placed 19th, which was seven spots higher than the year before. The directors talked with the students about how they felt and their favorite parts of their performance.

“It’s crazy to think how far we’ve come since day one of band camp,” Assistant Director Thomas Turpin said. “[The students] don’t have to think ‘I wish I was with the big kids’. Given the results from this competition, we’re already there. We beat some really tough schools and were close behind others. [The directors and I] are already preparing for next year; we are so excited for what this band program will be like in the future.”