Round two of the annual Winter Guard International Sport of the Arts World Championships came to a close over the weekend. Just two weeks ago, color guard teams from all over the world converged on Dayton. This time it was the percussion and wind drumline teams battling it out in several venues across the Miami Valley.
At an early morning practice on Thursday at Lebanon High School, the percussion directors were putting 36 young performers through their paces - making some last minute adjustments to the routine just hours before the world championship competition began.
See more video at the bottom of the page.
The students crisscrossed the stage in a choreographed routine that was frantic as it was organized. Director Jared Thomas said performers were ready.
“They seem to rise to the occasion really well so, we have a lot confidence and faith in their ability so I feel great," he said.
Fellow director Matt Hahn said the students have a real passion for performing.
“The way that they care about each other and the way that they care about their community, and they have pride, and so like there’s all of those elements that come together that give them that extra push that really is special to watch.”
Senior Katie Shafor and Junior Ian Anstaett said it is the music that drives them.
“They don’t tell us ‘Hey, be happy here, hey be angry, you hey, do all this stuff.’ They just say let the music speak to you and let that come through in your faces because people love seeing that,” said Anstaett.
Shafor felt the same way.
“You’re just kind of playing the music but actually it’s playing you and you want to make the music proud and the people proud, and Matt is an amazing writer and his music is so beautiful,” she said.
Lebanon High School finished 11th in the WGI Scholastic World Class with a score of 88.425. It is the 2nd straight year that they have placed in the top fifteen indoor drumline ensembles in the world.
This year Winter Guard International celebrated it’s 40th year - 30 of those competitions have been held in Dayton. This week, 270 wind and percussion marching bands were vying for the world title.
And this Tuesday, April 25th, Lebanon students will perform their 2017 WGI routine in an open to the public event at 6:30 pm at the high school.
