(U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.) — On Saturday, Oct. 28, the Colorado Bandmasters Association (CBA) hosted its annual state championship competition for larger high school marching bands across the state at Falcon Stadium.
FOX21 News photojournalist Cora Mitchell followed Rampart High School’s Rampart Regiment as they braced the cold to strive for gold.
The Rampart Regiment had an early 5 a.m. wake-up time in order to head to Falcon Stadium to prepare for their 10 a.m. performance time for the semifinals. When the Regiment arrived, it was snowing, but the students persevered in the cold.
The Regiment’s competitive show for the 2023 season is entitled, “The Ecstasy of Emerald”. The show used emerald green props, sequins, and uniforms to illustrate the famous Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz.
Unfortunately, due to inclement weather intensifying throughout the day, the finals portion of the competition was canceled, leaving the Regiment only one opportunity to secure a win for their class.
“Honestly, the scores are really tight for regionals, so it’s just all luck now,” said Mason Miller, a snare drumline member of the Regiment. Rampart led its class during the CBA Regionals competition, securing a bye for the quarterfinals.
“I feel like you left it all out there, so mission accomplished for today,” said Kevin Acuncius, the Director of the Regiment. “The same thing we said three years ago coming out of the pandemic remains true. We are here to plant seeds to make this a fertile garden for people to come be part of our organization, and you guys do that every day with the way you guys treat each other, the way you perform, and the way you’re dedicated.”
Rampart finished the semifinals in fifth place with a score of 81.4 out of 100. Despite the result, the Regiment remains optimistic about growth and how it did overall this year in comparison to previous years.
“I think today went really, really well,” said Eden Warner, one of the drum majors for the Regiment. “I think no matter what we place, we did a really good job out there and we left everything on the field. No matter what number we get, we still won in our books.”
