<< Back 9/25/02 Tournament of Champions marching band competition returns to WCU Oct. 5 SMN Western Carolina University’s E.J. Whitmire Stadium is known as a backdrop for great marching band performances, with Catamount football fans treated to one halftime show after another by the university’s own Pride of the Mountains Marching Band. That tradition of high-quality marching band performances continues to grow and influence young musicians across the Southeast as the WCU band once again hosts the Western Carolina University Tournament of Champions, an invitational competition for high school marching bands. More than 2,500 high school musicians from five Southeastern states will gather for the second annual tournament at Whitmire Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5. Representing 25 high schools, the bands will be vying for numerous awards, including the Chancellor’s Award, a large glass, art-quality traveling trophy that is awarded to the grand champion for one year. The marching band from Alan C. Pope High School in Marietta, Ga., named grand champion last year, will return to Cullowhee to defend its title. Including parents and supporters, the tournament is expected to draw a crowd equal to or larger than last year’s number, when more than 9,000 people filled the stands to watch an exhibition by Western’s band. “There’s always significant parental involvement in good high school bands, and these are good high school bands,” said Bob Buckner, WCU’s director of athletic bands. The list of competitors includes two current state championship bands, but many states, including North Carolina, do not sponsor state championship contests for high school marching bands, Buckner said. The 25 bands are the maximum the tournament could accommodate, and four bands are on a waiting list to participate, he said. The first Tournament of Champions in October of last year attracted 22 high school bands to Cullowhee and thrilled organizers both in terms of quantity and quality, Buckner said. “One of the big positives last year was the quality of our judges, and we have an equally great panel this year,” Buckner said. This year’s adjudicators include three who participated last year — Bruce Burritt, retired veteran director of the award-winning band at West Genessee High School in Camilus, N.Y.; Charles Menghini, director of bands at VanderCook College in Chicago; and Norman Ruebling, former director of athletic bands at the University of Missouri. Joining them will be Greg Bimm, director of the seven-time national champion high school band of Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Ill.; Nola Jones, veteran band teacher at Martin Luther King Magnet School in Nashville, Tenn.; and Jay Dawson, an internationally renowned band composer and arranger. Just in its second year, WCU’s band tournament is proving to be an effective recruiting tool, Buckner said. Several students who performed at last year’s tournament joined the WCU band this year as Catamount freshmen. This year’s competition will consist of two sessions. During preliminaries, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., bands will be divided into three classifications based on the number of musicians in the band and judged in categories such as musical performance, visual performance and general effect. The champion from each classification, plus the five highest-scoring bands not represented as class champions, will compete in a 6:45 p.m. finals session. Once again, the afternoon preliminaries will end with an exhibition by the Pride of the Mountains. Participating high school bands from North Carolina are Concord; Croatan (Newport); East Davidson (Thomasville); East Lincoln (Denver); Eastern Randolph (Ramseur); Lincolnton; North Buncombe (Weaverville); Northwest Cabarrus (Concord); Polk County (Columbus); Reynolds (Asheville); Smoky Mountain (Sylva); Southwestern Randolph (Asheboro); Swain County (Bryson City); Tuscola (Waynesville); and Weddington (Matthews). Out-of-state participants, in addition to the Alan C. Pope High School band, are Wheeler High School, Marietta, Ga.; Chapin High School, Chapin, S.C.; Clinton High School, Clinton, S.C.; Travelers Rest High School, Travelers Rest, S.C.; James F. Byrnes High School, Duncan, S.C.; Wren High School, Piedmont, S.C.; Lugoff-Elgin High School, Lugoff, S.C; Science Hill High School, Johnson City, Tenn.; and Bassett High School, Bassett, Va. Spectators are welcome at the tournament. Tickets are $5 for the preliminary session, and $5 for the evening finals. For more information, call 828.227.2259 or click on http://prideofthemountains.wcu.edu/html/.