Marching Chargers "Band of the Day" in Danville

Congratulations to Mr. Cottrell, staff and the young Northwood Marching Charger Band. Our marching Chargers earned the only "Superior" rating presented at the Old Dominion Dixie Classic in Danville, Va. on Saturday. This honor is the result of hundreds of hours of work on the practice field, classroom and at home.

In addition to the superior rating, the Northwood High School Marching Chargers received 1st Place overall in Class AA and to top it all off, our Marching Chargers were named "Grand Champion Band" for receiving the highest "points" awarded in all classes, regardless of band size. "What a way to begin the competition season"!!!

One additional award must be mentioned. The Northwood Marching Charger "Pit Crew" won 1st place "Pit Crew Award" beating out all other pit crews from the competing schools. This is a "1st" for the Northwood pit crew. Congratulations to Liz and her team for winning this award.

The competition at Danville was not without its challenges. The weather conditions were not exactly what we had hoped for. The band endured a misty drizzle for the majority of the day. During the "Awards Ceremony" the mist turned to a steady light rain. Because of the rain and the wet field conditions, the officials at Danville decided to keep the competition off the football field. There were concerns of injuries to students while marching, not to mention the wet shoes, feet and possible mud everywhere. All bands and color guard teams performed on the track in front of the stadium. This brought the bands right up front and close to the spectators. This was a first for our band and they stood up to the challenge.

The next opportunity to see the "Marching Chargers" in competition will be Saturday, October 18th at the 35th annual "Central North Carolina Band Festival" to be held at Western Alamance High School in Elon, NC. The time and schedule for this event will be announced later. My desire is to have our 1st opportunity to preform mid-afternoon when the props will be displayed in a "sunny" environment. Leslie Burwell and her many volunteers deserve perfect conditions for the hours they spent designing and painting these fixtures.

My final comments are to the students. I know the guard and band members really enjoyed your trip to Danville. You deserve the many awards you carried home. But more importantly, you will carry the memories of the day much longer than the trophies and plaques. Take time to be thankful and proud for your hard work and accomplishments. Continue to have fun, but to work hard. The competitions will get tougher as the season matures. Other bands will be gunning for "Northwood". Your competitors will improve with each performance. You must do the same. I have no doubts that you will meet the challenge, just as you did on Saturday! You have earned the right to these precious memories.

As a Northwood parent, I want to congratulate each and every one of you for being members of one of the finest Northwood Bands that I have been exposed to. I am excited to see what the balance of the season will reveal.

Go Marching Chargers!!! Enjoy the photos. I wish I could have posted many more.

Thanks,
Richardson

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE UNC CONCESSIONS SAT 9-20-08

Northwood Marching Chargers are in "Fast Pace Mode" A very busy time!!

Greetings to the "NHS Marching Chargers" out there!!

Please allow me to begin this blog on some "Marching Charger Family" info that involve our wonderful Marching Charger Family. Since I am writing the blog, I have the option of doing that, right?

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Absher Family this week. We love these folks and when they hurt, we hurt. We want you to know your sadness is being shared with us in the passing of Ron's brother. May God comfort you during this time.

With "PRIDE", I want to thank my wife Robin for 25 wonderful years of marriage. (Can any of you imagine hanging around me for 25 years?) Sept. 24th, 1983 was a day that I became the luckiest man alive. I hope and pray she will stay with me at least 25 more.

Now to Marching Charger Business.

This past week has been a whirlwind. The NHS Marching Chargers have been involved in the following:

1- Played at the opening ceremonies of the County Fair on Wed. the 17th.
2- Completed the painting of the props on Thursday night. (Thanks to Leslie Burwell for this and to the students and parents who assisted)
3- Assembled the full props Friday night prior to the football game.
4- Performed the complete program in uniform and with props at Friday nights game.
5- Senior Night on Friday night for our wonderful 8 Seniors in the Marching Charger Family.
6- Worked UNC Concessions on Saturday Sept.20th. (Thanks to those who worked)
7- I know there are other items that have taken place that I am not aware of. I apologize for leaving anything out that you may have contributed to.

It takes a lot of work and dedication for all of these things to happen. Thank you to each of you that were involved. We have a "great group" who really step up to the task that come before them. Thanks again.

All of the events above were and are important. I won't take time to write about each individually. I would like to focus mainly on two of them.

Thank you to our Seniors and their families for all they have done over the years. Our band is what it is because of the leadership you provide. We have memories that will never be erased from our minds. That is more valuable than anything else you could have given us. Lets give a shout out to our seniors!! Yea!!!!!

The other thing I wish to focus on is our 1st competition is next Saturday, Sept. 17th @ Danville Va. We need everyone there. Parents, please do whatever you can do to make this event part of your schedule. George Washington High School has a beautiful campus. It is an easy drive up Hwy. 86 through Hillsborough and Yancyville. If you turn your name in by Tuesday to Mr. C., you can dine with the band at Mary's Diner in Danville promptly at 2:30 PM on Saturday.. Band Members meal will be provided by the Boosters, however all others will be responsible for the expense of their meals. (The cost is $11.00 per adult)The meal is well worth it. A full county cooked meal with desert.

The band has to be on the GWHS campus by 5 PM. Trust me, it will be worth your time and $$$ to go to this competition. Our students and Mr. C need us in the stands cheering. They also need us to work the pit and handle the props during competition. I ask you to volunteer to assist on the field and off. If you haven't already signed up to help, you can do so by e-mailing me @ legacymillwork@mindspring.com or by contacting Martha, Liz, Sharon or MR. C. If I receive information from you, I will forward to the proper person.

Well, I have said enough. Some of the photos that I have taken are attached. I want to say. We have the best looking Guard in the world. You girls are beautiful and you make your Marching Charger Family "PROUD". The uniforms are fantastic. Well Done!!

See you soon,
Richardson

UNC / Va Tech Game Time Announced

IMPORTANT NOTE-

Game time has been officially announced for the UNC game for Saturday Sept. 20th.

Game Time- 3:30 PM
Gates Open 1:30 PM
Concession Workers must be in the stand by 12:30 PM.

More information to come later in the week from Richardson.

This will be a "Big Game" and is being televised by ABC Sports.

Get ready to work and have some fun!!!!

Thanks,
Jerry R.

MARCHING CHARGERS "GETTIN READY"

The last couple of weeks have been full of activity for the Northwood Marching Chargers. Mr. C has continued working with our wonderful band and guard getting them prepared for September 27th. Our busy schedule has included 2 home football games, UNC Concessions and multiple nights and days of working on the 2008 props. (More about props later in the blog)

The band has a great sound and they are working hard to be ready for that 1st competition. We know they will be up to the challenge!! Go Marching Chargers!!

Props- WOW, what can I say? The facts are. If it weren't for Leslie Burwell, we would be in deep trouble. Hours upon hours have been put in by Leslie and her husband Lee. Our group will be indebted to them for a long time. They have spent hours of their personal time on props. I thought about posting photos of the props on the blog, but I had rather they be a total surprise to those who have not seen them. They are not like anything we have ever had before. Our thanks go to Leslie & Lee for going the "extra mile" and for the time spent and hard work they have done. Thanks to the many other parents and for the students who have assisted a long the way. It will be exciting to see them on the field for the 1st time.

UNC Concessions were a success on Saturday Aug. 30th. It would have been a perfect day if it had not been for the 2 hour delay in the game. (thunderstorms and lightening) It made for a long evening. I know some of the parents were at the event from 1 PM until 12:30 AM. Thanks to all of those who worked and especially the ones who worked the whole time. Our next event with UNC will be on Sept. 20th. "Time to be determined"

This upcoming week will prove to be another busy one. We will continue working on props and we have our 1st Band Booster meeting since school has started. In addition, there is a special event planned for Thursday night by the NHS Arts Education Foundation. The Foundation is sponsoring an event called "New Faces at Northwood". It will give everyone an opportunity to welcome and meet Mr. Blice, (New Principle) Marilyn Shugart, (Northwood's new Choral/Drama teacher) and Mr. Logan, our CCS Superintendent. Refreshments will be served after the meeting. Please mark your calender and plan on attending.

I have uploaded some of the photos from the last couple of weeks for everyone to enjoy. Thanks to everyone for all they do.

We look forward to a wonderful trip to Danville on Saturday the 27th for our first competition.

Jerry Richardson