The marching band has been practicing for 13 hours this week to prepare for its second competition of the season at Evergreen High School in Vancouver Oct. 11. “I’m excited for Saturday,” said band major Katie Handick, junior. “We will perform our show once; twice if we get to finals, (and) watch other bands and bond as a band family.”

Last week the band placed fifth after being marked down for having too short of a show at a competition in Seattle.  The show this week will be different because it has added a second part, known as the ballad. “Our show is constantly growing and improving,” Handick said.

Out of nine bands, Lincoln also placed second in music and third in percussion. The results were better than expected, according to freshman trumpeter Matthew Brayton.  “We were expected to get like seventh or eighth place, so we did awesome,” he said.  “It was a great experience,” said freshman saxaphone player Dylan Armstrong.  The group competed on Saturday and spent Sunday exploring Seattle.

Competitions often include at least 10 to 15 other bands warming up together and performing throughout the day. The one on Saturday will last for 16 hours. “Competitions,” said bassoon player Cameron Joublin, junior, “are where you see what everybody acts like on a bus after being awake for a ridiculous amount of time.”