"Duck, Duck, Duck, GOLD!" - written by Aaron Sickmeier

Season 38 is over and wow, what a memorable, emotional season it was in the division 1 marching circuit. Many breathed a sigh of relief, as the struggle ended, and new salutes were given as some drum majors accepted their very first medal for their organization.

It was a “Wicked” performance for The Marching Figments who placed 12th at finals with a total score of 92.185. Even though they placed 9th in winds, 8th in percussion, 9th in visual performance, and 9th in color guard, unfortunately their ensemble and GE scores were not “defying gravity,” which kept them in 12th place.

In 11th with a 92.870 were the Marching Marchers who surprisingly dropped from 9th after prelims, but after being invisible all season, attending no regular season competitions, they still managed to make a “Marching Redemption” securing a spot among the top 12.

The feeling of dizziness, the state in which all things seem to be engulfed in terror was what Wayne successfully depicted in their season 38 production, Vertigo. Finishing 10th place with a 92.915, Wayne moved up a place after semis.

Are you a Hoosier? If yes, the Hoosier Marching 100’s production “a Hoosier Tribute” was just for you. There is no Hoosier tribute without their signature song, "Sing Sing Sing!" I had no idea that there were so many variations of “Indiana Fight!” It's a Hoosier tradition to fit somewhere in their show the floating Indiana and the Spilt-I formations, but they always leave the audience guessing when these formations will appear. But even if you are no Hoosier, you still could appreciate an amazing performance, which was enough to place 9th overall but just 0.005 above Wayne.

Spirit of Westchestertonfieldville put on a solid performance placing 8th achieving a 94.225 with their show Sweet Dreams. It’s difficult to begin a show with a soft piece, but Spirit pulled it off. The pit started Brahm’s Wiegenlied, the classic lullaby, mimicking a music box, but just before you drifted away to dreamland, the band came in at triple forte blowing your face off. Their next piece was "Sweet Dreams", credited to Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. As I listened closely, I heard a bit of the Marilyn Manson version during the drum break. "Serenada Schizophrana" by Danny Elfman perfectly closed the show, proving that sweet dreams really were made of this…

Let’s go! Was the name of Firebird Pride’s season 38 production, and Firebird Pride’s repertoire featured “ditties for timeouts.” I say Kudos to the arranger for masterfully piecing together all of these ditties without making it sound corny. Placing 7th with a 94.475, Firebird Pride proved that this show was not a part of the itty bitty “ditty” committee.

Onachus’s show Outlaw Prince was a treat. It featured music by aspiring composer Hannes Johansson. Their ensemble and GE scores were nothing to scoff at. Placing a solid 6th, they scored a 95.085.

I loved this next show, New England Triptych. When Robinson Secondary School Marching Rams hit the field, they definitely wasted no time commanding your attention with the song "Be Glad Then, America." Their version of "When Jesus Wept" was breathtaking. Although the piece, "Chester" is used very much in marching music, Robinson Secondary School managed to make the piece sound fresh. Furthermore, the performance captions were really where Robinson shone this season. Even though they placed 5th overall, nearly 2 points behind 4th place, they ranked 4th in winds, visual performance and color guard, and 3rd in percussion.

“With Great Power,” it was. Incognito Elites fought hard for a medal, but according to the judges, the fight was not powerful enough to medal. They finished season 38 with a 97.120, just 0.58 outside of the top three. However, they were third in winds, visual performance, color guard, and music GE, but the judges screwed them in music ensemble. I wondered if I and the judges were in the same stadium. Incognito beat the bronze medalist, Marching Knights just four days before finals at the FBOA Championships. They deserved a medal, even if it were a tie for third.

Marching Knights galloped their way into the top 3, finishing third with a 97.700. Their show, Barbaro-A Nation's Horse, was befitting their struggle to reach the top three after finishing 9th two seasons before and doubting whether they’d even be a contender for a medal at the beginning of season 38. This emotionally-charged show was designed and performed well, and the judges felt the same giving perfect scores in BOTH GE captions! Marching Knights also were 1st in visual ensemble. I applaud their originality in design. It could have been very much like another show, Triple Crown.

Don’t adjust your monitors, folks. It finally happened. Their show was titled “Growth Spurt,” but it was more like a growth SURGE! Winning the silver medal for the first time EVER, Full Spectrum dominated in the division 1 marching band circuit, only placing second to ONE other band all season. You could taste the determination before they even took the field, and their hard work paid off. Their score of 98.370 put them solidly in second place. Unfortunately, the judges felt that they were 5th in visual ensemble and 4th in GE overall. Nonetheless, receiving the silver medal is an amazing achievement, and I am looking forward to seeing more from Full Spectrum.

“Duck, Duck, Duck” was no child’s play for the division 1 marching band champions, Red Devils. If I am correct, it was their 3rd time winning gold in the division 1 marching band circuit!!! Going undefeated and winning all performance captions, Red Devils played the role of the picker very well, as the geese chased them all season. They finished the season with a 99.350, just 0.23 from breaking the marching band world record score.

Wow! Excellent job Aaron. Can't wait to read more.....

Awesome review! Good go see these back

Thank you.. :)

aaron i sent you a message!

Hey fellow FMA'ers. I'm posting this for two reason. One, to put it at the top of most recent to catch your attention. Two.. ...READ IT! It is quite good.

Please support your commentators. It is not an easy job,. We do enjoy the feedback and like to make your life here more enjoyable.

Great job! I love reading what the commentators write. Hope to see my name in one at some point! Keep up the great work.

Thanks a lot, MrsRomo. . I enjoy writing. I appreciate you taking the time to read our reviews.

Damn I only just am seeing this... I went pretty inactive after season 38 :/ Very well done A. A. Ron! Thank you for the kind words!