The drum break begins, and junior trumpet player Grace Drennen’s shoe gets caught in the turf. Then, in front hundreds of people at the Owasso Marching invitational, she falls over and rolls near the front sideline, scrambling to get back into form.

“Once it sunk in, I was absolutely terrified,” Drennen said. “We worked so hard for so long, and I felt like I just messed everything up.”

The Legacy of Bryant High School Marching Band attended the Owasso Marching Invitational in Owasso, Okla. Sat., Oct. 1 in hopes to make it to finals with their 2017 show, “If the Shoe Fits.” This was the band’s first large out-of-state contest. They made it to the finals and placed 11th out of the 12 final bands.

Prior to the performances, Drennen was excited for the jam-packed day that lay ahead.  People would finally see what the band had spent endless hours putting together on the field.

“I was really looking forward to spending the whole day with the band,” Drennen said.  “We’re a huge family.”

Center snare player senior Bryce Wilkerson thought that the contest was “a different experience.” In the beginning of the preliminary performance, the tempo between the drumline and the rest of the band was off, which frustrated him.

“We were up against some tough competition,” Wilkerson said. “I feel like even though we didn’t perform as well as we could have, we were prepared enough.”

Clarinet section leader senior Gabby Stewart said she spent the moments before performance reassuring her section members. She knew how much time and effort they had put into the show.  She remembers being in their position and occasionally doubting band.

“I kind of thought, ‘Maybe just quitting [band] would be an easier option,’” Stewart said. “But then, we get to Owasso and we compete, and all that stuff [goes] away and [I am] glad I stuck with band.”