The Southington High School Marching Band, and three buses of supporters, traveled to MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands for the USBands National Championships on November 10. After a tailgate dinner for over 400 people, the band competed against 15 other bands in the Class V Open category. These bands, which were all in the same size category based on the number of performers, were from several East Coast states ranging from Massachusetts to Virginia, plus Texas.
All bands entered the field via the stadium's tunnel system. Their performances were projected on the four sets of jumbo screens which allowed the audience to gain a unique overhead view along with close ups. Each group was judged on music, marching, percussion, visuals, color guard and overall effect. The evening concluded with an awards ceremony. Southington placed 7th with a score of 93.088 out of 100. The scoring was very close, there was less than a 3.5 point difference from the first place band.
This was the Blue Knights Marching Band's final competition of the season. They had previously competed at other 5 shows including events hosted by Maloney HS, Rockville HS, Lyman Hall HS, Cheshire HS and the New England State Championships. The SHS Band also exhibited at their own competition, "Music of the Knight." Photos and video from the Band's season can be viewed on their Facebook page - www.facebook.com/shsbands.
In addition to the Thanksgiving football game, future band performances include the Winter Concerts on December 19 and 20 and Surround Sound, a SHS Marching Band Theatrical Performance, on March 8, 9, 10, 2013.
