Marching band rained out in finals

The show must go on … unless there’s rain, that is.

The marching band participated in its final tournament of the season on Nov. 20 in Fresno. They placed in semifinals and were eligible to compete in finals, which were cancelled due to the rain.

The more than 200 members of the band competed in the two-day Western Band Association Championship semifinals, placing sixth out of the 10 competing bands in the 5A division with a score of 88.7.

The band was set to compete the next day at WBA Finals, but were disappointed when the finals were cancelled due to a downpour of rain that made marching on the competition field too dangerous.

“I don’t think we realized that our semifinals performance was the last time we would ever perform,” said junior Christine Liu. “But all in all we made major improvements throughout the season and didn’t place too badly.”

Saratoga placed third in the music category, eighth in percussion, and seventh in auxiliary, or Color Guard.

The competition was the last time that the band performed their 2010 show, “Thoughtcrime,” and many members were disappointed about the cancellation of finals.

“I felt kind of disappointed because we didn’t get a second chance at getting a better score,” said sophomore Justin Hang. “Still, during championships, we got to spend lots of time with friends and bond within our respective sections.”

Instead of competing on Sunday, band members were given the opportunity to go to a shopping mall or stay in the hotel to study.

A banquet for the marching band members on Nov. 21 was celebrated with awards and videos recounting memories from the year.