All About That Bass (And Pom Poms)
Halftime is usually a time to do one of three things: (1) relax, (2) perform or (3) get ready for the second half. For these athletes, halftime is a delicate balancing act between two different “lives.”
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Sophomore Patrick Beake plays both the trumpet and football, which gives a little insight to what his life is like after school. “It is a lot of work, both physically and mentally,” Beake said. “I have to learn formations for football and marching band and when you throw in fatigue, it becomes very hard.”
Students stand in the middle of the football field, flags high in the air, with hats and plumes nice and clean, instruments shined to perfection, uniforms straight and unwrinkled. Unlike these people are a few others, who stand out from the rest.
In the middle of the field, in lines of student instrument players, marching band uniforms and multi-colored flags, a handful of students stand with pride for our school in their sports uniforms. Students like senior Emma Miller and sophomore Patrick Beake are two of some students who participate in both a sport and marching band. Spending over five hours every day at both practices seems to only faze those who don’t do it.
“I don’t get home until about eight-thirty, nine o’clock on some nights,” Miller said. “So what keeps me in it is basically just my love for the two things.”
The fact that Miller and Beake spend about nine hours in school and an additional five at practice simply shows the dedication to both extracurricular activities.
“I think I’m there for the most important stuff,” Beake said. “I try to do other things too. I have a job and a girlfriend, so I have that to juggle too. I try my best to work everything around those two things.”
“They’re both hard, but cheer is much more physical, while marching band definitely requires constant thinking,” Miller said. “If I had to pick one, I would say cheerleading is harder.”
Giving up that much time after school is a lot of time sacrificed for high school students. Instead of hanging out with friends or going shopping, they dedicate hours upon hours of their time to something they love.
Knowing how much time they spend practicing for games and competitions, both Miller and Beake have said that had they not involved themselves in both marching band and a sport, it would have had a large impact on their social lives.
“I’ve made so many friends that I wouldn’t have seen myself making,” Miller said. “In middle school, I didn’t really know if I was going to cheer or if I was going to do band, so both of those combined just puts me in an amazing place to meet so many different people in school.”
The social dynamic that is created for these two students is an amazing one. Being included in both activities is something that is highly recommended by the two of them. Keeping in mind that school comes first, students like these are those who succeed solely because of their determination and work ethic.
