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Chandler High band vies at national championship
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MARCHING FOR HONORS: The Chandler High School Marching band, The Wolf Pack, performs during the preliminary round Thursday of the Fiesta Bowl National Band Championships at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
Tim Hacker, Tribune
Chandler High School marching band members started their New Year's Day early - 5:45 a.m. - gathering to prepare for a trip to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale for the Fiesta Bowl National Band Championship.
The 146-member group took part in local television interviews, donned uniforms and warmed up instruments and toes, several times over.
A few minutes after noon, they marched onto the same field that will be used for Monday's Fiesta Bowl and competed for a shot at the national band title. By late afternoon, the band learned it had not advanced to the finals, but George Mendez, president of the band boosters, said Chandler High had given its best performance this year.
It was the second time in three years the Chandler band has been invited to compete in the Fiesta Bowl National Band Championship. Fifteen bands from around the country competed.
This year, Chandler High's show was created with original music. The show was titled "The Passion Within," and the performance followed a storyline of love found, love lost and love found again.
"I thought it was the best performance we've had all year," senior drum major Chris Sambrano, 17, said after the show. It was his second time at the national competition.
"It was different because we know what's expected, what to look for, what we're capable of. Today was about unleashing our potential," Sambrano said.
Lauren Horne, a 17-year-old senior on the color guard, performed a solo during the competition.
"I was excited to be able to come here and do our best," she said. "It's kind of scary, too. I was really scared about my sabre solo. Once I got that over with, I felt like crying."
A big bonus: Her older brother was in the stands.
"We had so many Chandler fans," she said. "My brother was there, too. That helped."
After group photos, Chandler High's band director, Sheryl Kitamura, asked the band members to take out the small, pink paper hearts they had carried with them all day, including during the show.
"As you performed, I had this in my hand," she told the group. "It was such a joy to watch you."
The top eight bands from the morning performances competed in finals Thursday evening.
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