The marching band began its season on Oct. 23 with a competition at Gilroy High School. As rain poured, band members struggled with the conditions and scored 77.5 out of 100 and placed last among the four schools in their division.

The 2010 marching band show is entitled “Thought Crime,” loosely based on George Orwell’s novel “1984,” depicting a fictional totalitarian state. The show uses a number of props such as scaffolds and ramps that debuted in the band’s performance at the Los Gatos football game the night before. The rain, however, meant they could not use these props. Additionally, the rain forced the band to remain on buses and then hastily warm up for the performance.

The competition included Saratoga’s long-time competitors James Logan, Homestead and Amador Valley. All three rival schools had previously competed in the Cupertino Tournament of Bands, which Saratoga was unable to attend because of Homecoming.

Although the rain may have dampened the band’s uniforms, it did not dampen the spirit of director Seth Jones. Jones said he received excellent feedback that will allow him to push the band further along in coming weeks. With the addition of the props, Jones hopes to make the upcoming competitions much more successful.

“I’m optimistic because nobody has seen the entire production” said Jones. “I think everybody is excited to see our final product.”