Letter to Bridgeland kids

[tubapop]

I'm a BHS parent. As far as I know, I'm the only BHS parent who posts here. I have learned recently that a ton of y'all read this forum, so I hope you see this and I hope you share it with your friends.

You're probably aware that we are scheduled to perform right after Vandegrift tomorrow in prelims. That might induce some anxiety in you - but it shouldn't. The one thing that has impressed me after 30 years in the Texas marching band community is how willing judges are to give credit where credit is due. No band walks onto the field with special treatment. You are judged based on your run, and that is it. Just look at BOA San Antonio results from last night. Vandegrift dropped several places from the year prior. Newcomers like MacNeil and Seven Lakes made it to finals. Flower Mound won. The judges' scoring sheets were all over the place!

It goes to show that any band can win on any given day. It comes down to your run, and your run isn't luck. It isn't something that just happens to you and you hope for the best. Your run is in YOUR control. YOU happen to IT.

So, focus on what McAnear, Marquart, Moore, Nguyen, and Willie have been telling you. Execute those things down to the last detail. Because when you're talking about the very upper tier of Texas bands, details matter. It's like the Olympics - fractions of a point separate the champion from 2nd place.

If you want Bridgeland to move up in the rankings and in the eyes of the Texas music community, then tomorrow is your chance. You get to be compared side-by-side to last year's champion, who perhaps doesn't look quite as good this year. You might remember the details your directors have taught you, execute them perfectly, and have judges begin to think that maybe, possibly, Bridgeland should start to be mentioned in the same breath as top 5 bands. Top 5 bands, you say? Ridiculous, you say? Yeah, well, there was a time when people would have thought the same thing about Hebron, Vandegrift, Marcus, Woodlands, Flower Mound, Vista Ridge. There was a time that it would have been ridiculous to think any of those bands would be top 5. I know this because many years ago, I was in a top 5 band, and I would have laughed at all of those names.

Today, nobody thinks it's ridiculous. And tomorrow, you can make that your reality. Going on right after Vandegrift isn't scary. It's an opportunity. Seize the day.