A huge crowd of 32,000 people attended the Battlehawks game on May 4; around 60 of those were members of our band and color guard.
In preparation for the big game, the band and color guard both had only one rehearsal each. The band rehearsed all of their pep tunes, and the guard went over the fight song routine. Even though there was a limited amount of practice time, it didn’t hold them back from performing their best.
When the band arrived at The Dome at America’s Center, they did not get set up right away. They got out their instruments and flags and then had some time to kill. They spent this time embracing Star Wars Day by hosting lightsaber battles with pool noodles. Members of the band and guard would jump in to fight on one, and it lasted for about 30 minutes. It was the perfect way to kill time.
When they finally set up the block and marched toward The Dome, the team spirit was evident. There were people dressed up as birds, people dressed up as Jedi for Star Wars Day, and many people were chanting “Kaw is the Law,” the team’s most popular chant.
There was music blaring from speakers all around, cheerleaders dancing, and a DJ that was hyping up the crowd. The band and guard set up facing them, and once the music died down, the band immediately started playing. The guard started spinning after them.
After playing around five pep tunes, the football team showed up. The energy was ecstatic as the fans cheered for them. The team signed hats, gave high fives, and took pictures with the fans.
The players filled into the stadium and the fans followed soon after. However, the band and guard did not follow. They packed up their things, set up the block, and marched back to the buses. As they were marching, the 70-degree weather felt way warmer in the hot sun. When they arrived at the buses, they sat outside and enjoyed their cold waters and a lunch made for them by band parent volunteers.
After an hour of eating, the band got to enjoy the game. They walked down in one big group, not letting anyone venture outside of it. However, this led to some trouble. When finding their seats, there were some disputes over what path they should take. When the leader of the group finally decided, they realized too late that it was the wrong one. They ended up taking a wrong turn and spent several minutes trying to find their way back. After they figured it out, it was time for the game to begin.
The band didn’t do anything else for the remainder of the game and were just there to have fun. This was the band’s third season performing at the Battlehawks game. They chanted and cheered, screamed “ka kaw,” and generally had a good time watching the Battlehawks win against the Houston Roughnecks, 22-8.
