By Sheris Mendiola and Catherine Nguyen, Courier Staff Writers
On November 18th and 19th 2017, the JLHS Band and Color guard won first place in prelims and finals in the Western Band Association championships.
After competing against bands both within Northern California and out-of-state, these students felt that winning the WBA championships was an amazing achievement because they stood out in “the most important and vital show out of the entire season,” said freshman color guard sabre, Jenelle Juco.
Band and Color Guard train hard around the clock, with weekday practices lasting 3 hours and weekend practices lasting 8 hours. “All the dedication and hard work we spend in practice definitely pays off at the end of the season,” said junior Nyah Belle Martinez.
Furthermore, Logan’s Band and Color Guard have a strong bond that helps them grow as a team. Romy Mastel, a senior Alto Saxophone said she “had to help members of the section build a family bond so [they] could work well as a team; this meant creating a balance between seriousness on the field and fun outside of band.” Molly Troxclair, a senior on the Flag Line, said that “It’s crazy how much better you work with people that you actually hang out with and truly care about outside of the sport.”
The competition this year was tough, especially against the Southern California bands. Logan’s main competitor was Ayala High School, located in Chino Hills, California. Competition was extremely close; so close in semifinals that Logan won first by only 0.05 points. “Throughout the season, we were actually [several] points behind our competitors, but in the end our efforts and willpower created a winning show,” said a senior alto saxophone. “It was fierce,” said a senior Tuba player.
The most exciting and joyful moments for band and colorguard were when they realized they’d won the entire competition. “My favorite part was during preliminaries, when they announced that we had beat Ayala HS. They have been our main competition for years, and us beating them was a shocker,” said a senior flag. Adding on, freshman Jane Vigil said, “everyone in color guard came together and we were yelling and crying because we worked so hard and it was just a really good experience.”
In comparison to the other sports at Logan, the JLHS Band and Color Guard feel that they should have more recognition. “I believe the band and color guard deserves as much recognition as other activities at Logan because it has made its mark across California as one of the best marching bands. It is sometimes disheartening to be praised by students from Southern California and then to come home and be ridiculed by my own peers, considering I put so much time, effort and emotion into marching band,” said a senior alto saxophone. “People… continue to harass us by calling band and guard not a sport. It may not be a sport but I think we put as much physical activity,” said Tayven Nguyen, a freshman on the rifle line. “The program has been one of Logan’s greatest for a long time, among other activities on campus. It always brings me so much joy when anyone talks about, congratulates, or wishes us luck. It should be done more often!” said a senior on the flag line.
Regardless of what others may think, the Logan Band and Color Guard capped off a fantastic season by grabbing the ultimate victory. Go Colts!