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Post by cinnamonpromenade on Apr 9, 2024 14:56:02 GMT -6
Over in the 2024 Show Announcements thread, bigtrombone posted Lincoln's 2024 schedule: I've never heard of a school with only ONE in-state competition in a given year—and it's their home show! lol Lincoln to Omaha, NE = 3 hrs Lincoln to Waukee, IA = 4 hrs Lincoln to Orange City IA = 1.5 hrs Lincoln to St. Louis = 9 hrs So their closest drive is still an hour and a half away (and that's what Google Maps estimates; who knows how much longer these drives will be on buses??).... Meanwhile on the East Coast where I grew up, almost every show we competed in was within an hour of home. It was common for groups from different regions of the state to not meet until state championships. I cannot comprehend the logistical issues that a group like Lincoln faces just to compete. The fact that Lincoln has attained (and maintained) their competitive excellence is truly nothing short of amazing. So now I wonder: what other groups have similar show schedules, where most shows are out of state, several hours away, or both? It could be because they're geographically isolated from other groups/circuits, or it could be because they're an elite ensemble that must travel in order to compete against comparable groups. |
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Post by bigtrombone on Apr 9, 2024 19:38:43 GMT -6
In South Dakota, there's really only 3 big shows. The first one is the Big Sioux Review in Brandon, SD, which is normally a dual festival with a parade/field competition that takes place earlier in the day in Luverne, MN. The second one is Festival of Bands in Sioux Falls. The last one is the USBands Quad State Championships in Vermillion, SD in the middle of October. Back in the day, Lincoln used to be a mainstay at Quad State, but they haven't gone since 2011. And it seemed Lincoln was going to become a mainstay at Big Sioux Review, but the introduction of the Iowa Regional in 2019 and the subsequent move to Des Moines in 2022, made the regional more enticing for Lincoln to attend.
For comparison here is Brandon Valley's travel schedule for this year:
Brandon Valley to Rosemount, MN = 4 hours
Brandon Valley to Marshall, MN = 1 hour, 30 minutes
Brandon Valley to Luverne, MN = 25 minutes
Brandon Valley to Sioux Falls, SD = 20 minutes
Brandon Valley to Minneapolis, MN = 4 hours
Brandon Valley to Indianapolis, IN = 11 hours, 30 minutes
And here's Rosemount's travel schedule for this year:
Rosemount to Apple Valley, MN = 10 minutes
Rosemount to Marshall, MN (tentative) = 3 hours
Rosemount to Waukee, IA = 4 hours
Rosemount to Champlin, MN (tentative) = 50 minutes
Rosemount to Minneapolis, MN = 35 minutes
Rosemount to Ankeny, IA (extremely tentative) = 3 hours, 35 minutes
Rosemount to St. Louis, MO = 8 hours, 40 minutes
Rosemount to Indianapolis, IN = 10 hours
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Post by bigtrombone on Apr 9, 2024 19:41:37 GMT -6
It might just be me, but I do not recall Bentonville competing at any other competition in Arkansas aside from their home show & their state marching assessment. I know they've usually gone to Owasso's and/or Union's shows in Tulsa (2 hours) & this year they're going to Prosper, TX but I don't know if they done any shows in Arkansas recently like the Power Band Class. |
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Post by statechamp1239 on Apr 9, 2024 19:56:22 GMT -6
Well, I think Montana won.
Havre/Gallatin/Bozeman having no in state competition going far places like Pocatello, ID for Mountain West Invitational = 8 hr 15 min, and WSU Championships in Pullman, WA = 9h hr, and even Bozeman going to Nevada to compete at MBOS in 2015 = 12 hr 40 min
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Post by cybrunette on Apr 9, 2024 20:25:41 GMT -6
Alaska has 1 competition that Colony hosts. Article says they hit a record of 5 bands that attended last year in 2023 Here's a good read, if you haven't already, on how schools around the state have recently been trying to build up the scene since directors / staff are moving up from Texas, Utah & other states. alaskapublic.org/2023/10/05/the-epitome-of-school-spirit-alaska-high-schools-embrace-marching-bands/Just to give an idea... while Palmer to Colony in a 7min drive, Kenai Central to Colony is 3hr 42min. |
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Post by fr0ntline on Apr 9, 2024 20:28:25 GMT -6
I think that a lot of schools’ travel mainly depends on the magnitude of the program. Marching bands that have more funding are able to travel further based on wants instead of needs. For example, Nebraska has a state circuit with weekly competitions in either Omaha or Lincoln. Schools like Gretna (4th at state this year) exclusively compete in state, whereas schools like Millard West/North, Papio South, and the Bellevue schools frequently travel to Youth In Music and BOA Iowa/St. Louis, with Bellevue West even going to grand nats back in the 2010s. If you look at MW’s average travel time from 2022, it’s only slightly less than Sioux Fall Lincoln’s, giving the illusion that it’s geographically isolated. Another example includes a large number of Texas/Oklahoma bands that often go to St. Louis or Indianapolis, both of which are hours away. These competitions, despite being so far away, offer strong bands the ability to compete at a higher, national level. These are all want-based competitions, as these schools have the option of competing weekly within an hour-or-so radius. As mentioned, there are need-based exceptions, such as bands in Montana having to travel for hours to compete, or Sioux Falls Lincoln having minimal competitions nearby, but the vast majority of marching band travel comes from the desire to compete, not the need.
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Post by neop on Apr 10, 2024 10:59:49 GMT -6
Alaska has 1 competition that Colony hosts. Article says they hit a record of 5 bands that attended last year in 2023 Here's a good read, if you haven't already, on how schools around the state have recently been trying to build up the scene since directors / staff are moving up from Texas, Utah & other states. alaskapublic.org/2023/10/05/the-epitome-of-school-spirit-alaska-high-schools-embrace-marching-bands/Just to give an idea... while Palmer to Colony in a 7min drive, Kenai Central to Colony is 3hr 42min. Alaska’s marching band community is certainly doing it right. That’s pretty explosive growth in the past few years for a state that previously had just one band. These isolated bands can keep each other alive and growing by working together. It’s cool to see and I hope the snowball keeps rolling. |
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Post by statechamp1239 on Apr 11, 2024 20:31:33 GMT -6
There are two schools I know that barely competes in their own state and that is Port Chester H.S. from New York who's located in Westchester County near the border of Southwest Connecticut, and Tottenville H.S. on Staten Island. Port Chester completely stopped competing in NYSFBC back in the early 2010s and was a regularly contender in USSBA, MAC, EMBA in PA, CT, and NJ and now USBands. Tottenville never competed in NYSFBC normally competes in USBands and TOB back then. The only NY competition they both compete in is USBands NY State Championships and since they're in the large class they usually win their class since the low enrollment was mostly small NY bands. For Example, 2023 schedule: Port ChesterNew Milford, CT = 55 minWest Milford, NJ = 56 minLudwig Classic: East Rutherford, NJ = 46 minDanbury, CT = 42 minNew York State Championships: Lindenhurst, NY = 1hr 7 minUSBands V A National Championships: Allentown, PA = 2hr 7minTottenvilleHunterdon Central Regional, NJ = 49 minSouth Brunswick, NJ = 40 minLudwig Classic: East Rutherford, NJ = 39 minSomerville, NJ = 29 minOld Bridge, NJ = 25 minNew York State Championships: Lindenhurst, NY = 1hr 22 minUSBands IVA National Championships: Allentown, PA = 1hr 26 min |
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Post by kdivine on Apr 12, 2024 6:13:49 GMT -6
It might just be me, but I do not recall Bentonville competing at any other competition in Arkansas aside from their home show & their state marching assessment. I know they've usually gone to Owasso's and/or Union's shows in Tulsa (2 hours) & this year they're going to Prosper, TX but I don't know if they done any shows in Arkansas recently like the Power Band Class. Two things, the first being cross-scheduling on the same weekend-- a lot of years their event and Lake Hamilton happen on the same day. The second one is location. There's a lot easier travel to Tulsa and Missouri from NWA than to Hot Springs--- after Fort Smith, there is only two towns of significance and lots of twisty-turny-steep coming in on US-70. Also, Bentonville is much more geoculturally affinated to OK and MO-- I've always used the the idea of "The part of [stateyou'renotin] that pays [stateyouAREin] taxes." |
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