Band rises (early) to the occasion
by Raquel Ortega on Nov. 24, 2006, under Education, LocalCatalina Foothills musicians up at midnight to get ready for Macy’s parade
Catalina Foothills High School marching band members brave cold, wet New York City on Thursday during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The first thing I have to say is, I can’t believe it’s really over.
After all the rehearsal, with hours of marching around the track in the Tucson heat during our weekends, we finally made it to New York City for the experience of a lifetime.
At first it wasn’t so pleasant.
What people don’t know is that the bands that participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade have to show up extra early to rehearse the televised part of the show.
That meant that we had to wake up at midnight and go out into the street for our final run-through.
Because we had flown over on the red-eye the night before, everyone was suffering from jet lag. Many of us only got two hours of sleep.
Nevertheless, we were anxious for our performance and were prepared for anything . . . until it started raining.
After grabbing breakfast at the local Planet Hollywood and a nap on the bus, we were out on the street again, but this time in 42-degree weather and rain.
Brass instruments were frozen to fingers, socks were soaked with dirty water, and icy winds blew our plumed hats off our wet heads.
As I stood there in Central Park, I admired the floats around us and listened as the raindrops played a delicate melody on the bars of my keyboard.
Julie Andrews, famous for her role as Mary Poppins, and Miss America were a few of the famous people who rode on the floats in front of us.
But nothing was more exciting than the cheers from the millions of people yelling out for us. “Stay warm, Arizona!” and “Good job, Foothills” were some of the motivating cries heard above our marching.
The adrenaline running through our bodies kept us warm as we marched from Central Park down Broadway and through Columbus Circle, ending at Herald Square.
When it was finally time for our big performance at the end, we waited for our cue.
Renee Shane-Boyd, our director, and Tina Walton, our assistant director, gave everyone their final words of reassurance. It was then that I realized we had made it.
All the hard work and sacrifice was all for that moment. And we nailed it!
The best part about it was that we weren’t there only for the parade, but we were privileged to be a part of an American tradition our parents and grandparents grew up watching.
Well, because it’s Thanksgiving, it’s time for me to go and give thanks for everything I’ve gone through.
I’ll see you soon, Tucson!
Raquel Ortega is a senior at Catalina Foothills High School. She has been playing percussion in the school’s marching band for four years.
Catalina Foothills band members prepare to board a bus after the parade on their way to a Thanksgiving dinner cruise in New York Harbor.
Catalina Foothills senior Leila Ortega blows her trumpet to signal a triumphant end to this year's parade.
