When the Oakville Marching Tigers won their first competition at Farmington, little did they know that the winning would continue throughout their season. The band placed first in three of their five competitions and is now nationally ranked as a division one band.

At the Farmington Marching Invitational (Sept. 15), the band scored 80.0 and won first place. They also received the captions for Outstanding Visual and Outstanding Music for the AAA division. For their second competition, the Lafayette Contest of Champions (Sept. 22), the band placed third in their division for the preliminary performance. During finals, however, they tied for fourth overall but were given fifth due to a lower general effect score.

“The disparity between our score and second place gave us tons of confidence in ourselves,” said soprano saxophone soloist David O’Donnell (12), “But the lower placement at Lafayette brought us back to earth and got us back on track.”

Things turned around at the Fort Zumwalt North River City Showcase (Oct. 13). The band placed fourth overall in their preliminary performance, but shockingly moved up to first after their finals performance. The next week, the Marching Tigers went to the Jaguar Pride Marching Invitational (Oct. 20) at Seckman. They won first overall and won the best percussion, best visual effect, and best music effect.

After their preliminary performance at Fort Zumwalt, Kaitlyn Boggs (12) said, “everyone was really nervous about what our score would be. But when we made it into finals, it was really exciting.”

“This season was pretty successful compared to the other years that I’ve been here, so it has definitely been a unique one for sure,” Adam Zapf (11) said. “It’s challenged the amount Oakville and the band students can do during a season.”

To end their season on a high note, the band competed at Bands of America. With this being their last competition, the band wished for their best. They barely passed their goal of a score of 75 points by scoring 75.25. They placed 34th out of the 74 bands competing that weekend.   

While they did not make finals this year, the band is proud of their performance. They were to able to increase their score from last year by about eight points. Drumline section leader Jake AuBuchon (12) said, “it was our best run we’ve ever done. The amount of dedication that everyone had made me really excited about years to come.”

All these wins were the result of a changed style. AuBuchon said, “We had a higher visual demand than ever before. I feel like rehearsal etiquette was more focused.”

Zapf added that the changes in rehearsal style, the show concept, music, and visuals were all more challenging this year than in previous seasons.

After this intense season, the band hopes to keep pushing their limits and continue their winning streak in the following years. “And I know for sure that if we keep working and going at this rate,” Zapf said, “we’ll not only keep up with other bands, but potentially pass them.”