Thank you very What is a moment in time that you can explain in the most detailed way possible,
minute for minute, all the sounds, tastes, smells, emotions, do you even have one?
Well, I do, and I'll tell you my story.
It's senior year and it's the beginning of the last quarter of my high school career and I'm tired and I'm happy.
I'm excited and I'm anxious.
I feel the pressure of freaking out what I'm supposed to do with the rest of my life but I'm never going to forget that one time my junior year
on a Saturday morning in September, where most kids my age are either asleep, up playing video games, or out with friends.
I, on the other hand, was packing for the craziest 24 hours of my life.
Blanket, squishmallow, snacks, sunscreen, drumasters, my black band t-shirt, and gallon of water.
At my high school, I longed to dislike at 4 a.m.
Who would have thought, right?
7.20 a.m., walking around our first rest stop.
I'm trying to figure out what I'm getting.
But that thought quickly ended when all my friends came running up to me
happy The link in marching ban made me happy
Charter buses and the feeling of being stuck in a vehicle with peers and friends has a lot to it
The four-step staircase I ended up going up and down on hundreds of times.
The carpet seat that smelled like old people bird watching for hours at a time.
And absolutely no room because I'm crowded by instruments and everything we need for the day.
My personal AC even above my seat is what kept me saying on my seat.
Voices of about 30 different conversations all happening at once, on a bus, together, traveling country, just making memories.
at the Centimineal Park in a part of Iowa, off the bus side.
Excited, curious, anxious is what I felt grabbing my uniform.
Getting my black gloves taped and putting my trumpet together, realizing this is real life.
In about two hours, I'll be performing in front of thousands of people.
But with the best group of people too.
During the warm-ups, everything is pretty normal.
We do our repeated routines.
It's all but this time it was more special, more important.
The tuning in cords is what my opinion truly fuels the fire and shows us how hard we've worked
and that we deserve to be there.
It's hard going into a warm-up site knowing what I represent.
For me, I represent my band program, my school, my town, my state, and the home at West.
11.35 am at the gate on the side of the field where you're getting ready to perform is when
most of the pressure sinks in.
For me, it's knowing that we were the first band to perform in combat.
I'm trying to remember every single detail from where the props are deeply set,
went to take each step on each count,
went to take the breath before each note,
every single detail from the really appealing things,
all the way to if my thumb is tucked in and not just for a judge to see.
From the silent crowd to the band on the field,
the clock turns 11.45 and everyone starts rushing on to the field to get ready for the show in about two minutes.
The announcer says our band name, and it was our time to shine.
Everything fell into place like it was supposed to.
Getting off the field, curiosity filled our heads, wondering what was going to happen next.
We found out that we made it in the finals, and would perform later again that night.
What we didn't know is that we would perform at 10.15 pm, yeah, that's right, pm.
We had a big break from our first performance to our next, so we were able to relax, recharge, and the right mind space again.
Watching the sunset, listening to bands warm up and perform, puts my mind at ease.
The preparation for the final performance was very similar to the one before.
But, this one was my first
That people and judges liked their show and that we were able to share it and perform it one more time
So at the trailers putting my uniform on for the very last time that night
Clenched every single nerve and muscle in my body knowing how far we've calmed and that we're just here sharing something so special So,
going through the tunnels, hearing the screams from the stands to the vibrations of the basses and the speakers with my heart pounding.
With every wrong possible scenario going through my head, everything went silent.
Silent like freshman year.
Silent, like the feeling of being unheard, the feeling of being judged, the feeling of doubt, but it was all different.
I stood there knowing I had a place I belonged to, I stood there knowing I had a place where I would never be judged.
And I would never have to feel alone ever again.
189 students on a field, just playing instruments they've played for many years, just doing something they loved.
The best way to walk off the field is to do with confidence and knowing you put everything
out there and you did the best you could, right?
But at the end of the day, all I've learned is that you laughed, you smiled, and you had fun.
So yes, the process of this day had nerves running through my body, like me here, speaking on the stage tonight.
But one thing I learned through the last four years of me being in that band program is that it's okay to be scared,
but turn that into excitement,
to succeed and push yourself to know that you can do anything in the world if you try, if you show up.
from my last few weeks of high school,
yes, I am tired, I am anxious, but I've also smiled, laughed, and cried along the way on my journey.
Because it's these moments that, because it's these moments that define who we are and who we become.
So take this time to cherish those memories, cherish those times, because life is too short to not.
So that's why I'm always going to have this memory for the rest of my life to cherish.
Oh, and by the way, we won.