Kennedy High School’s (KHS) marching band seniors performed their last show with the band at the Waukee Marching Invitational at Waukee Stadium
The performance was like no other, with rain pouring down. The 4A bands started at 7:40 pm, with Kennedy playing at 9:15. The band competed against 8 other bands, placing 3rd in the 4A class with a score of 86.800 ,which was 1.75 points behind winners, Theodore Roosevelt with a score of 88.550.
Kennedy’s ensemble won the awards for Outstanding Winds and Outstanding Drum Major, despite the weather being uncooperative.
“It was cold, I couldn’t feel my fingers, and I thought my mallets were gonna go flying because they were wet,” senior Gabbie Weber said. “But as much as I wanted it to be over, I also didn’t want it to be, because I was having fun performing in the rain.”
The weather impacted how students performed. The wind was even blowing the pouring rain sideways at times.
“Performing in the rain was weird. I’ve never performed in that kind of rain before. The flags got soaked and stuck to themselves and to me,” junior May Turner, a 3rd year color guard member, said. “It was hard to spin with it due to the wind pulling on it a lot. My rifle was so wet, I could barely grab a hold of it, so it was a little awkward.”
Students thought of it as a cool experience, while others didn’t enjoy it.
“It was definitely an experience. It was our first time marching in the pouring rain. We’ve only marched in sprinkling rain, but it was never that bad. It felt like I was drowning, and it was so cold, you couldn’t really feel your fingers or anything else,” said senior Elle Crilley. “It was a way to go out for my last year. I’ve been doing this for 4 years, and I was so happy for it to end.”
The Waukee Band Invitational was the last performance of the year. For seniors, it was their last time marching for KHS. As seniors move on, the juniors are left to step up into their new roles.
“It was very bittersweet, especially with it being Gabbie’s last performance, so that was in the back of my mind,” said sophomore Hayden Weber. “Overall, it was a fun and cool experience because it was the last one with seniors in the drumline.”
In the last four years, Kennedy’s band has never performed in a downpour. The rain added challenges and pushed the kids to perform at a different level. Director Lesley Fleer stated she was proud of her seniors for stepping up and taking on the challenge.
“When we got done, one of the guys who helped us in the summertime and the fall said, ‘If there’s one thing I’ll say to the kids is that this is the first time I’ve actually seen them perform with some emotion. They weren’t holding back anything. They went for it,’” said Fleer. “Even with the rain, the vibe was still good, and that was a perfect way to end it. It was the last show and everybody was calm.”
Senior Camden Neff, 3rd year drum major, won the award for outstanding drum major. He described the last show as strange, but the rain made it special.
“Performing on the field in the 3rd movement of the show, with the rain pouring down, was pretty cool,” Neff said.“The best part of the night was getting onto the field for my solo and seeing the ‘drum battle’ in the pouring rain. It was like an extra layer to enhance the show … I wouldn’t have expected to end the season or my high school marching band career exactly like that, but I certainly don’t think that I’ll forget that performance for a long time.“
