The world of marching band is a tightly run and enduring practice. The hours and work that go into making a good marching band rival those of any football or baseball team. The physical and artistic attributes that blend to make a fantastic field show could even be, arguably, twice the amount of work that sports teams put in. But here the question remains: Is marching band a sport?
Many people in the band at Valencia High School happen to agree.
Steve Yun, active flutist in the marching band also agreed with saying, “The amount of practice and time we put into this is so much. It’s definitely a sport, and you can tell from the excitement and cheering at out competitions.”
With all the hype and serious efforts these students put into their bands, it is surprising that marching band isn’t already considered a sport. Elizabeth Song, also a flutist tells us, “I believe that marching band is indeed a sport because it incorporates both rigorous marching as well as good playing.”
In marching band, not only do you have to know where you stand, you also have to be aware of your surroundings and check that the spacing between people is even.
The physical endurance the players must go through is quite trying and takes months to work up to. In fact, the coordination and strength training for the marching band year starts even before school starts. In the blazing heat of August, aspiring band students take weeks out of their well-deserved summer breaks and migrate back to their schools early.
They begin the training to learn how to march well and in time. On top of this they have to learn the music, which is not at all simple. After they learn the music and memorize it, which is hours of practice out of their own free time, they must blend it in perfect time with the vigorous physical activity that goes into marching. Getting these both in perfect time and coordination with the other members of the band is the difficulty faced in making a perfect team.
The other part of the definition of sport was pertaining to competitive nature. Anybody who has witnessed or competed in a marching band competition would know that it is more than competitive. Bands come from all over California to show the hard work and practice they’ve worked on. At the end, the best of the best are chosen as the winners. For sure, marching bands are competitive in nature.
Sports, in essence, start with a team of people that are slowly transformed into top-notch players. They grow together and learn and are led by a strong leader. They compete and all strive for greatness and fame. The dedicated marching bands from all around California absolutely meet all the requirements. So the next time you see a marching band practicing or giving it their all in a competition, give a nod of appreciation for these dedicated sportsmen.