Senior drum major Jasmine DeMeyer suited up for her final Greeley Invitational Marching Festival on Saturday, October 13, where she and her band competed against bands from five other schools. Windsor, Berthoud, Roosevelt, Mountain View, and cross-town rival Greeley Central all attended District 6 Stadium early in the morning for one of the few competitions they get in the marching season.

“We’ve put a lot of work into this day. We started practicing for it early in August, before school even started,” DeMeyer said. “Rehearsals got exhausting but by competition, our energy was very real, seeing us progressively grow as a band is awesome to see.”

West came out on top, receiving a superior rating, or a score of one, along with Windsor. Both Greeley Central and Roosevelt received an excellent rating, or a score of two, and the remaining schools did not have their scores announced, meaning they received a score of 3 or less.

Since 2015, West has slowly been rising back to the top of the competition, where in 2015 was the last year they received a superior rating. With the loss of a strong senior class, following classes have fought to return to former glory. In 2016, West received a score of 3 where DeMeyer says they “took a big hit”. DeMeyer’s junior year, 2017, the school scored a 2, or an excellent rating.

Senior Tracey Marcum, member of the marching band, said, “Jasmine clearly wanted to prove herself as a successful leader this year. She’s been such a prominent figure in the band in all 4 years.”

DeMeyer noted the energy of the band she led. She said that on the day of the performance, the energy of the band was apparent.

“We got to competition, and it was 8:15 and everyone was tired, but the performance – that was one of the best performances we’ve ever had.” Everyone could feel the energy, the judges, the parents.”

Performers have yet to hear the scores they received out of 100, which will reveal who the winner of the tournament is. DeMeyer is nervous for the results, as she admires the competitiveness of Windsor, but she is very pleased with her band.