Thirty-five bands sat at Galena Park ISD stadium on a Saturday afternoon anxiously waiting, pacing, and praying that their name would be called.
As the results were being announced the Tomball Cougar Pride band members gathered together to hear the outcome. Then they heard it; they were going to state.
“It was a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” said Emmie Schubert, senior. “The entire band was squished on the bleachers desperate to find out if we had made our No. 1 goal of the season.”
Many members couldn’t hold in their tears because they had worked so hard to get to that very moment.
“Everyone in the band got really emotional some people even started crying and we just all hugged each other,” said Jonathan Preston, freshman.
It wasn’t just an emotional moment for the students, but for the directors as well.
“We heard our name announced and I got to look at Mr. Sullens and see the pride in his eyes,” Schubert said.
All their hard work had finally paid off, and the sometimes long and cumbersome rehearsals had led to this moment.
“We started with 12 hour days in the summer, and we go to practice everyday,” said Kiah Green, senior. “It’s usually like 2 hours everyday after school, and an hour in school.”
Weekdays for rehearsal are a given, but weekends aren’t necessarily excluded from this schedule.
“Occasionally we’d go on Saturdays, like one time we went for 8 hours on a Saturday,” Green said.
Working as hard as they do there are bound to be some injuries. Just because you’re hurt doesn’t always they’re out. Even injured members participated if they were able to.
“At the time I had hurt my ankle, so I hobbled down the steps to listen to see if we went to state in pain and everything,” said sophomore Kaylee Baldwin.
Despite all the time that is sacrificed and all the pain that’s acquired from being a part of the band program, members agree that the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Especially now that they’re heading to state.
“You learn to make it fun because you’re surrounded by your peers,” Green said. “Even though it’s work everyone around you is doing the same amount of work so I think that’s what brings band people closer to together.”