2006 Marching Band Season in Review

Northwestern High School Band
The Regiment > 2006 Marching Band Season in Review

The Marching Season Began . . . .

Well, the first competition show was held on Saturday, September 30, at Irmo HS in Columbia. This is the 11th year that they have held the show and the weather was picture perfect.

Mr. Tim Hinton's "magic" showed on the field and the show took on an entirely different look & feel over what we saw in Fort Hill on Exhibition Night a few weeks ago. It was an exciting show to say the least and parents and other band members from all over applauded when we performed.

The results were impressive to say the least and every member of the Purple Regiment needs to be proud of their performance. [PHOTOS]

At the end of the night, the results were:

Best Auxiliary (Class AAA & AAAA): NWHS
Best Percussion (Class AAA & AAAA): NWHS
Best Music (Class AAA & AAAA): NWHS
Best Overall AAAA: NWHS
Gold Class Overall Winner: NWHS

. . . . And Continued . . . .

BOA was early this year and that event is behind us . . . . hopefully with pleasant memories for all involved. The ride down and back was fairly uneventful (although we all started to question the value of GPS units on the busses . . . .) and we checked in Friday afternoon. After a solid practice session, the band went to the nearby mall for dinner and relax a bit. After some "wind down time", lights went out and Saturday dawned picture perfect in terms of the weather. The Purple Regiment drew the final slot in preliminaries and performed at 4PM. We made the finals and after dinner and another practice session, we took the field in finals competition. When the awards were handed out, the Regiment took 7th place overall, and while not a #1 slot, the entire band, staff and supporters should be proud at placing that high in the midst of the stiff competitors we faced . . . . great job Purple Regiment and keep working on the performance through the end of the season . . . we have a definite winner under the guidance of Mr. Well's and his staff's! [PHOTOS]

. . . . And Continued . . . .

The annual Tournament of Champions hosted by Western Carolina University was held on October 21, 2006 in Cullowhee, NC. The departure time was early like usual and by 5:45 am the five buses and our trusty truck were heading down the highway. After a short breakfast break on at a rest area off I-26, we were off and arrived at the University around 9:45 am. Cold would be an understatement as you could see your breath in the parking lot. All of the gear was unloaded and the band got ready for their 12:30 pm preliminary performance. By the time we took the field, the sky was a clear, brilliant blue and with the sun pouring down, the Purple Regiment marched out to a large crowd. To a standing ovation, we headed back to the truck for lunch. The preliminary results were announced at 4:15 pm and we made the finals . . . . a field of 10 out of the 24 that started the morning. Dinner and rehearsal led up to the 9:00 pm finals performance. As the results were announced, Northwestern High School received 6th place overall . . . . . something to be proud of considering the competition we had gone up against. [PHOTOS - GROUP #1] [PHOTOS - GROUP #2]

. . . . And Continued . . . .

The Purple Regiment headed into North Carolina on Saturday, October 28th to attend the 16th Annual Carolina Cavalcade of Bands hosted by Central Cabarrus High School. The departure was a bit delayed but the band arrived around 6PM in Concord, NC. Due to inclement weather on Thursday and Friday, other band competitions had cancelled because of field conditions so more bands showed up than had originally been expected. The Purple Regiment took the field at 6:45 pm, and despite the mud along the edge of the field, had a good performance. There were parents from other bands standing at the end of the show. Awards were announced at 8:45pm and while not a total sweep, the Northwestern High School's Purple Regiment took 1st in the class for most caption awards and was awarded the 2006 Overall Grand Champion and received the Viking Cup for that accomplishment. [Photos]

. . . . And Came to an End . . . .

The South Carolina Band Director's 5A Championships were held at Rock Hill's District Three Stadium on Saturday, 11/4/06. The Regiment got started at 9am at the school and were ready to "strut their stuff" when they arrived at the field. The weather was picture perfect and as the band took the field, the stands erupted with the cheers of our supporters. What a preliminary performance it was! All of the students were "in the groove" as they came off the field and they knew that this had been the performance of the season they had been working for. As preliminary awards were announced, Northwestern High School made the finals joining the 7 other top-rated bands from around the state. We drew the 8pm finals performance slot . . . . . and the temperatures were already starting to plunge. After the exhibition performance by Furman University's marching band, a full retreat was held and all bands lined up awaiting the results. With an overall score of 87.15, the Purple Regiment took 6th place in the 2006 SC State 5A Championships . . . . . . Every student should be proud of their performance and the hard work and dedication they exhibited throughout the 2006 marching and season! [PHOTOS]

GO PURPLE REGIMENT!