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
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