Two local marching bands kicked off competition season last weekend by attending the Ironhead Invitational Contest in Eufala on Sept. 28. The Pride of Chandler won first place in the prelims and second overall in the finals, among other awards. The Pride of Prague landed in fourth during the prelims.
During the prelims, Chandler also won Outstanding Percussion, Outstanding Drum Major with Madelyn Ledford getting a perfect score and Outstanding Colorguard. In the finals, they won Best in General Effect, Best in Marching, Overall Marching, and drum major Ledford won second overall with a score of 47 out of 50.
Ledford said she was shocked and happy about her perfect score in the prelims and is eager to see what the Pride of Chandler does next.
“I’m very happy! I’ve watched us work hard. Moving forward to our next contest has big opportunities,” she said.
Colorguard Section Leader Bethany Descher said she is pleased with the attention the band is getting.
“I’m so happy Chandler is getting the recognition and respect we deserve,” she said.
Percussion leader Sam Gardner was proud of the effort the band has put in, saying. “We put in so much hard work and I think we are all glad to see the overall results. I’m excited to see what the rest of the season brings.”
Chandler Director Zachary Fisher said he thought the performance was really great, though there are a few things they can work on.
“Mostly, I was proud to see that it was as good as we have been rehearsing it. We didn’t have a whole lot of performance anxiety, I think, or maybe a tiny bit, but not much,” he said. “They just were able to go out there and lay it down, just like they’ve been doing every day at school. So that was really, really great to see.”
This was the first in a hectic competition season for The Pride of Chandler. Fisher said they have Glenpool on Oct. 5, followed by OBA Bandmasters on Oct. 12 and OSSAA Regionals on Oct. 15, where they are hoping to make a three-peat with sweepstakes. Chandler competed with their program “The Raven,” which includes music from Metallica, Beethoven and Chopin. It is inspired by the works of Edgar Allen Poe.
While The Pride of Prague didn’t make it to the finals, director Trevor Harrold said he was very proud of his students.
“This was a great first outing for our very young and growing group. I am most proud of the integrity our students displayed throughout the day in both their professionalism in uniform and their care of the school grounds and our school equipment,” he said. “We are committed to growth in the areas of uniformity in our marching technique, personal instrumental proficiency and group musicality.”
Harrold added that they will continue to work diligently toward upcoming competitions at the OSSAA Regionals on Oct. 16, as well as being at every home and away game. They have an band fundraiser coming up on Oct. 24 followed by their huge Christmas concert on Dec. 10.
They competed with their program “Rock and Roll Rewind.” The Ironhead Invitational had 18 marching bands from across Oklahoma compete in six classes during the prelims: 2A, 3A White, 3A Black, 3A Maroon, 4A White and 4A Maroon. Chandler and Prague competed in 3A Maroon against Sequoyah-Talequah, which placed second, and Beggs, which placed third.
In the finals, the top 12 marching bands competed against each other with no classes. Inola High School placed first overall, while Checotah High School placed third, just one point behind Chandler High School in second.
Above photo: The Prague band. Right: The Chandler band.
Photos/Jennifer Pryor