Oswego High School Marching Band
Fiesta Bowl trip to Phoenix, AZ
DAY Five - January 1, 2000:
The Marching Buccaneers worked under the deep blue sky and warm sunshine in Tempe, Arizona today in preparation for their appearance in the Fiesta Bowl National Pageant of Bands tonight at the Bank One Stadium in Phoenix. Normally the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team, the stadium will be transformed to house one of the premiere band competitions in the country beginning at 6:30 PM (MT). Bands in the competition include Port St. Lucie (FL), Parkway Central ( ), Dickson (TN) Champlin Park (MN), Valley View (CA) Jefferson (IA) Corona Del Sol (AZ) and the Marching Buccaneers from Oswego, NY. Fiesta Bowl participants from the University of Tennessee and the University of Nebraska will also perform in exhibition as well as the Fiesta Bowl "Play It Again Band" . Opening ceremonies will feature the US Air Force Academy parachute team flying into the open roof of Bank One Ballpark.
The last 36 hours have proven to be grueling yet extremely exciting. New Years eve morning began very early in preparation for the Fiesta Bowl Parade. The parade is the centerpiece of all activity surrounding the Fiesta Bowl and the production of the event involves literally thousands of volunteers from the Phoenix area. National television coverage, live local television coverage as well as nearly 500,000 spectators jammed into the beautiful downtown area of Phoenix for this year’s event. The 2 1/2 hour parade was telecast live in its entirety on December 31st and will be re-broadcast on the Fox Network January 2nd.
The Bucs were the second band to appear in the parade, 13th of the more than 100 entries into the event. The students began their 3.5 mile trek down the long corridor of bleachers that lined Central Avenue to an outburst of cheers from the huge and enthusiastic contingent of Oswego parents, grandparents and friends that made the trip. The Buccaneers looked especially sharp as they came through the national and local TV areas, and proceeded to shine through the competition area, even after thirty minutes of continuous playing for the enormous crowd on-site. The Bucs finished 4th in the class B competition, 5 hundredths of a point from the 3rd place Thunderbird HS (AZ) and 3 tenths of a point out of second. Marshalltown HS (IA) was the winner in class B with a score of 83.85. Oswego received 82.35.
Preparation for the National Pageant of Bands was exceptional according to band director, Bill Palange. "Our pace the last few days has been phenomenal." He added, "I am amazed at the amount of effort the kids put forth this morning, especially considering our late night in Phoenix last night (New Years Eve). I am absolutely sure that the members of the band are prepared for tonight physically and mentally."
Palange gave a great deal of credit to the parents that have been working with the students during the week in Phoenix. "These folks have been nothing short of amazing. The care they have provided for our kids as well as the stamina they have shown day and night is just unbelievable." Palange said that often times he receives credit when it comes to the success of the Marching Buccaneers. "It continues to be true that our success is a combination of a staff that is gifted and dedicated to the children in the band, a group of parents that is behind them and the program, and, of course, dedicated and caring students."
Tonight's performance will be the very last for the seniors in the Bucs, and it will be an evening that will be highly charged with emotions. Palange said "I will miss these young men and women and our connection in this activity. Getting to know them and their parents has been an honor for me. But I couldn't think of a more fitting way to close out this season than in Bank One stadium with some of the best marching bands in the country, and our students and parents. It has been a truly fantastic trip, and I know these kids will remember this for a lifetime."
The Marching Buccaneers are scheduled to arrive back in Oswego on Sunday evening, January 2nd.
The article was composed by Band Director Bill Palange.
This page was posted on Saturday, January 01, 2000 at 09:03 PM
Ó1999, 2000 Oswego High School Band Parents Association, Inc.