“So when the bus didn’t show up, I really felt the weight, the weight in the battle, the struggles, and then we got there, I felt it more.” (Reese, sophomore, flute)

“Utter panic, because never in my four years, we’ve been late to a comp and I really didn’t want to get disqualified because I very, very much love band.” (Mars, senior, bass drum 5)

“I was very scared to be honest, because this year was my first ever year in marching band, and I was not ready at all for the competition.” (Carlos, sophomore, alto sax)

“It was a mix of panic, and understanding that the people around me knew what they were gonna do and knew how to do it, and I trusted them for that,” (Noah, sophomore, alto sax)

“What was going through my mind was the actual title of our show. The Weight of the Mind was going to play a huge part into how they were going to perform.” (Mrs. Ledford, band director)

This is: The Weight of the Mind.

October 3rd, 2026, 1pm- Band Room

On Saturday, the Marching Wolfpack competed in their first competition of the season, at Tocoi Creek. And that Saturday held a lot of excitement for the band.

Call time was 1:00; buses scheduled to depart at 2pm. The band was ready, trailer already heading over to Tocoi Creek. But the buses? They weren’t there on time. 30 minutes go by, they still didn’t show. Another 30, again, weren’t there.

The drivers of the two buses forgot about the job. The band didn’t know if they were going to make it on time, if they were going to perform. There was a high chance that they would be disqualified from the competition because of the chance of being late. But, because of our principal and the people at the bus company, two bus drivers, on their day off, were able to get to the school and got the band to the competition.

They lost their warm-up time, their hydration time, and their prep time. Before reaching Tocoi, the woodwinds and some of the brass had to put their instruments together on the bus and hope that they were in tune due to there being little time to tune at the comp. When they got off the bus, it was straight into competition tops and those with larger instruments, like drumline and sousaphones, had to quicky get their instruments out. And then it was time to line up, right as the band before them headed onto the field.

The stress and emotion on their faces and in their heads was obvious. The weight of everything that had happened was visible. This wasn’t just a routine show; this was a competition that real life had kept them from going to. The Weight of the Mind wasn’t just the show title, it was the band.

4:26- FFCC Tocoi Creek

That familiar snare drum rhythm played as the band marched onto the field. And so the show began: Dies Irae, Numb, drum break, Paint It Black. They made it through the show, with all the obstacles the world threw at them. No warm-up, no prep, just pure musical skill and weight. The Marching Wolfpack made it through.

The Awards Retreat. The officers of our band, and the other 3A and 4A bands lined up on the field. The Marching Wolfpack scored:

Effect: 18.45- 4th place.

Music: 18.60- 2nd place.

Visual: 12.85- 3rd place.

Colorguard: 5.70- 5th place.

Percussion: 6.90- 1st place.

Overall score: 62.500- 4th place.

They may have gotten 4th overall, but 1st was 0.55 points away, all bands in 3A with extremely close scores. But, the Marching Wolfpack did get 1st place in something: percussion. Great job drumline and front ensemble! And great job to the band as a whole, you crushed it out there without a warm-up.

Bandtober has just begun, and it lasts until November. With a little more time (and a warm-up), the Marching Wolfpack CAN get 1st and a superior at MPA. It will be an exciting season for them, as they approach their next competition this Saturday, at Flemming Island. Good luck band, and, as always, go pack!