On Nov. 2, the Phoenix marching band competed at the Virginia Marching Band Cooperative, placing first in the 2A division and placing fourth in the overall competition. There were 14 teams competing with four overall divisions. 

The trip to the competition was not an easy one. The members of the marching band had to wake up early, arrive at the school at 6:00 a.m., and drive three hours to Liberty University. In addition to that, bands had to compete in preliminary concerts to qualify for the finals. Once the awards were announced, the Phoenix marching band only had three hours to prepare for the final competition, and members such as sophomore Vern D’Souza, were feeling the pressure. “I was feeling pretty nervous because I didn’t want to mess up,” D’Souza said. “If we messed up, it would be pretty obvious, because it’s just like a show: anybody would [notice].”

The Phoenix marching band started off their performance with “Renaissance,” arranged by Cristobal Tapia de Veer, followed by “Confutatis Maledictis,” arranged by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “Love in the Dark,” arranged by Adele, and then concluded with “Starry Night,” arranged by band director Justin Ratcliff. “My favorite part of our show was ‘Love in the Dark’ by Adele,” D’Souza said. “It really showed off each part of our band and was the center point of our show.”

While the results were impressive, achieving this level of excellence wasn’t an easy path for the Phoenix  marching band. They faced many challenges with extensive amounts of training and time commitments. Junior Jade Lewis, a mellophone player for the band, explained how intensive training was during the days leading up to the competition. “We had rehearsals almost every day and sometimes Saturday rehearsals leading up to the competition,” Lewis said. “There were times where rehearsals were tough and we were so burned out. Some people even considered quitting due to how much we were doing.” Nevertheless, the band’s relentless drive and determination allowed them to push through and become better. “Everyone pushed each other to be better, and it always leads to an amazing outcome,” Lewis said. Senior Ragya Verma, a drum major for the band, felt similarly about how much the band worked for this opportunity. “It required a lot of hard work and countless hours that we put into the performance,” Verma said. 

Despite the demanding nature of the competition, the experiences were deeply rewarding and brimmed with memorable aspects. Performers like junior Karis Huang, a drum major, enjoyed their time and were overjoyed with the outcome. “Taking pictures was really fun, and being around my friends and celebrating was very nice,” Huang said. Even with the early mornings, long rehearsals, and pressure to perform, the Phoenix came together as a family and achieved something worth noting. 

However,  the journey doesn’t stop from here. “We envision bigger shows with more people in the future and hopefully could be as big as we were before,” Lewis said. “There is always room for improvement and change, but it’s all in the hands of the band as a whole.”