Victory for Wildcats at Band Invitational

The Wildcat Band performs in Otsego | Photo provided by Cheryl Thomas

The Three Rivers Wildcat Marching Band is winning competitions. Last Saturday, September 26, the band placed first at the Otsego Band Invitational. The Wildcats also earned the award for Best Music. Three Rivers Community Schools’ Director of Bands Cheryl Thomas is in her first year in the position, having been hired this past summer.

In an interview at the time she was hired, Thomas told Watershed Voice that bands had a history of winning competitions under her leadership in previous positions. Thomas said she planned to continue that trend in Three Rivers. Speaking of the Otsego win, Thomas said, “I am very proud of the effort from our band members. They really pushed to do their best right for the performance.” 

Pandemic restrictions have required band members to rehearse separately during the week and perform drills on six-foot spacing. Aside from drills, the band rehearses together only one night a week. Despite that, Thomas said, “our band strived for greatness.  They really brought it all together and did a great job, which resulted in an outstanding performance (in Otsego).”

Thomas credited staff members for their role in the win, including Assistant Director of Bands Mai Lan Vo, as well as Alexis Carr, Shelby Glessner, and Marc Churchill, who oversee Color Guard, Front Ensemble, and Drumline, respectively. “We have a tremendous staff, so we have the ability to bring out the best in our students,” Thomas said. 

Band directors received performance results by email in the evening following the competition. “We have made adjustments and changed to a “new normal” with many COVID protocols,” Thomas said. Due to the pandemic, “there are only a few marching band competitions happening around the state, and many have been cancelled,” she said. “Usually we get to see other bands perform, but not this year. Each band could not arrive early, and also had to leave right after their performance.”

Thomas thanked the schools’ administration, Band Boosters, parents, and students for their support of the Wildcat Band, who she said “all want to see our band succeed. It truly takes a village, and our village is a strong one.” 

Thomas said she looks forward to “a time when we can perform while being part of the atmosphere at our home football games, wear our full Wildcat Band uniform, and fully experience marching competitions.  Until then we will continue to strive for greatness, traditions will carry on, and we will remind ourselves how thankful we are to get to “do” marching band. We will push to finish this marching season strong, and next year make it even better than ever.  This year is ‘for the kids & for the music.’”

At the Otsego competition, Three Rivers’ placement in first was followed by Vicksburg in second, Hastings in third, and Gull Lake in fourth place. In addition to the Wildcats’ Best Music recognition, Hastings won other awards for Best Marching and Best Color Guard, and Vicksburg won for Best Percussion.

The Wildcat Band’s next competition is on October 17 in Vicksburg. Thomas said she is awaiting further information about performance times and crowd limitations.

Dave Vago is a writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.