Southern Showcase

Southern Showcase was one tough competition.  A lot of great bands performed, including ours.

It was HOT again. It wasn't hot in the wee hours, but it sure was by the time we got out there. It was so hot that students fell out and some were unable to compete in Finals. We had holes. Mr. Pirzer subbed for one Drum Major in the Finals. Our featured duet became a solo. And yet, the Gainesville Hurricane Marching Band was AWESOME in both the preliminary and final competitions!

Eighteen bands competed in the preliminary competition, with 10 moving on to the finals.  Your Gainesville Hurricane Marching Band was amazing, sweeping Class 3A and taking Best In Show in Drum Major, Auxilliary, Percussion, General Effect, Visual and Music, and moving on to Finals. The Hurricanes received a Superior with Distinction for Drum Major and Music, and also scored second highest of 18 bands with an overall score of 84.70!!!  

Finals were stressful.  The heat had taken its toll.  Parents sat with bated breath, awaiting the Final performance. And what a show!!! You would not have guessed that Drum Major Jessica Pu was conducting a part of the show that she normally does not conduct, or that Ryan Sagul was cranking out an impromptu solo instead of a duet.  In fact, Ryan Sagul took Best In Show for Featured Performance with that solo! 

The GHS Hurricane Marching Band placed First Runner Up in the Finals with a score of 83.95. It would have been fantastic to take home a sixth straight Grand Master Championship at the 2009 Southern Showcase, but after five years, the torch was passed to our brethern, Buchholz, with a Final overall score of 87.80.

We salute you, Buchholz, and look forward to competing with you and Santa Fe at the Tropicana Dome on November 21st!  Let's hope the weather is better by then.

And parents, especially our freshman parents, know that it's not usually like this. My daughter's a senior this year.  I've weathered three, and now nearly four, wonderful marching band seasons. I suspect this season's flu and heat combination have impacted our marchers in a big way this year.