It was a perfect day in California that Saturday afternoon when the Davis high school Marching Band entered the LA Coliseum for the Bands of America competition. This competition is always dominated by legendary Californian high school bands, and can be quite intimidating for bands from other states to even think about entering. Luckily, the DHS band is not a band that gets intimidated easily.

As nearly three hundred of DHS’s most dedicated students marched silently out to the football field to once again please the crowds, one can see the determination and desire to win in their eyes and the hard times they have experienced to reach this point. All the competitions where American Fork swept all the awards leaving Davis in second place every time had given motivation to those unmotivated, a desire to those not caring.

Every rehearsal in the rain, every competition that they lost has led to this very moment, just as the three Drum majors begin leading the band into the performance that everyone has enjoyed. According to many in the stands, it was a fantastic performance, but as our marching band was leaving the field many had a very bad feeling, stating that they did terrible. Now most people in the band say this after every competition, but this time the statement “that wasn’t my best show” seem to be a reluctant truth instead of humility.

In a depressing awards ceremony the ten finalist bands were announced, and Davis was not one of them. Davis placed fourteenth out of the eighteen bands that participated in the Bands of America competition.

Do not let this change the understanding that the Davis High Marching band is one of the most incredible programs at Davis High and has come second to only one band in Utah.

Even though Davis did not represent Utah in Bands of America very well this year, DHS’s friends from American Fork truly shined as they took second place out of the top ten bands from the west coast. Let DHS take a little credit for their outstanding performance, for if they had not been such a large threat they would not have worked so hard.

This year was not a failed year, or a waste of time. It has been stated by all of the Marching Band staff that this was the best band that they have had the opportunity to lead to glory. All one can say to this outstanding band is that Utah can’t wait to see how they will amaze with next year.