Brown Looks for/Celebrates Commitment in 2010
PETTICOAT JUNCTION- In a booster meeting February 2nd, Kritsin Brown, director of bands for Silver Bluff High School, called on students and parents to look at and consider a new commitment letter for the 2010 marching band season. Said Brown of the letter, "We need more commitment from our members to achieve our goals, and that is why I have made these changes." Members will notice changes in conduct and attendance. Letters will be due April 16th.
In addition to one spring date to remember, members need to also take note of May 8th. This willl be the annual Silver Spirit Banquet. New for 2010, all band members (including class band) will be invited to attend. Brown cites recruitment as a major factor in the decision.
Brown Announces Winter Schedule
PETTICOAT JUNCTION- Director of Bands at Silver Bluff Kristin Brown announced plans for a few events last week for the winter and Christmas season.
Christmas parades will kick off the festivities, first with a trip to New Ellenton, SC for their annual parade December 5th including a march down NE's main drag, Whiskey Road. The following week, December 13th, the band will meet at Jackson Middle School for the march down Highway 125 for the 2009 edition of the Jackson Christmas Parade.
Thursday, December 10th will round out the Winter performance season for Concert members for the annual Silver Bluff Winter Concert.
Times and more specifics will be added soon...
SB Takes Colorguard Caption As Sole Compensation
BLYTHEWOOD- It was a long day for the Silver Bluff talent Saturday as the band traveled to Blythewood, SC for the 2009 Tournament of Bands hosted by the city. Blythewood is situated around 10 miles north of Columbia proper and was full of big-name bands known for making a splash on the SCBDA scene, several of which will be major players in the SCBDA's Lower State Prelim round qualifier next week.
Brown threw some intense research into her plans for the 2009 season, and this weekend was slated to pit Silver Spirit against some of the toughest competition for the SCBDA Prelim round next weekend. In 1A, Cane Bay and Hanahan will be seen next week and in 3A, Strom Thurmond will be seen at the Prelim. Silver Bluff marched in 2A Saturday against SCBDA foes Cheraw, Ashley Ridge, Mid-Carolina, Saluda, and Batesburg.
Silver Bluff came off the field in high hopes after what was arguably one of the best runs of their season, and they placed 4th in class 2A for their efforts claiming Best Color Guard as their sole caption award on the day. (See below for contest results).
Next week will be the test for the Bluff. Concurrently with Prelims at Lower State, an Upper State contest will be held. The top six from both contests will press on to the show at Batesburg-Leesville Halloween Night. Silver Bluff's performance time at Lower State will be early and their will be a journey to Charleston and West Ashley High School, so be sure to check out the This Week tab at silverbluffband.com for the latest details as the week presses on. See below for score breakdown of some of the bands SB will be up against next week.
Strom Thurmond - 86.55
Cheraw - 83.925
B-L - 83.8
Silver Bluff - 80.9
Saluda - 79.85
Silver Spirit To Look For Redemption
HONEA PATH- Silver Bluff traveled around 215 miles round-trip Saturday to compete for the first time in the upstate of South Carolina. It was a chance to see some new faces and re-encounter some from the past. The rains held off for the competition after what looked like could have been a dreary day, and the Bluff along with 13 other bands took the field for the third annual James R. Golden Invitational.
The two big stories of the day were another matchup in 2A with Ninety-Six and a chance to compete against 2A finals rival at the SCBDA level, Pendleton. Silver Spirit ended up third in their class with a score of 82.525, less than half a point behind 2nd place Ninety-Six (83) and five points back from class champion Pickens (87.3). If this wasn't wakeup call enough for the Bluff, they were just under ten points back from 3A competitor, Pendleton (91.05), a band that SB has the potential to be up against for a state title come Halloween night.
Caption awards in 2A went as follows: Percussion went to Pickens (92.5) [SB 91 (3rd)]. Colorguard went to Ninety-Six (79) [SB 74 (4th)].
For the second consecutive week, Terry Kellems (SB Booster Club President), Crendall Kinard, Steve Meadows, and all the great prop assistants were indirectly honored for receiving "Best Pit Crew", an award that was also received at North Augusta last week. The award went to the best parents and staff in class 2A and 1A that worked to get the band on and off the field in a swift and continous motion. Meadows serves as prop coordinator and truck driver for the band, and Kinard is responsible for assisting the front ensemble in anyway possible on and off the field.
This week, Silver Spirit will have to work hard as they will face yet another trial this coming weekend as they prepare for the Blythewood Tournament of Bands, where they will see a good deal of tough talent including more 2A Prelim rivals including Batesburg-Leesville and Cheraw. Be sure to check back on silverbluffband.com under the "This Week" tab for all the latest news regarding upcoming competitions.
Silver Bluff Takes Silver at BATS
NORTH AUGUSTA- Silver Spirit had a long and eventful day at the sixth annual Bands Across the Savannah at North Augusta High School this Saturday. The competition was based in a Preliminary/Finals round, so of the thirteen bands competing, ten had the chance for a second showing.
In the prelims, the Bluff competed in class 3A against Midland Valley's Pride of the Valley and Brookland Cayce. Silver Spirit took the class championship, winning high music, high visual execution, high overall effect visually, high overall effect musically, and best colorguard. Silver Bluff's drumlime finished 3rd, and Overcash lacked just a point on best drum major.
Silver Spirit was pitted against the other top bands of the day for the nightcap, which included: Westside, Ridge Spring, Grovetown, Lakeside, Brookland Cayce, Midland Valley, Burke County, Wade Hampton, and Evans. Overall, Silver Bluff placed second behind Evans with an 88.125 to Evans' 91.175, respectively. Fellow 2A prelims rival at the SCBDA finals in a few weeks, Wade Hampton was just over 2 points back with an 86.2 and a 4th place finish in the finals.
A big thanks to Chuck Deen and his entire staff with North Augusta and the Jacket Regiment for another great year of BATS. Silver Bluff will begin a two week road trip starting this Saturday as they will make their maiden voyage to Belton High School for the Honea Path competition. There, they will have a rematch with Ninety-Six and get a chance to compete indirectly with another rival at the SCBDA Finals, Pendleton. Maps and a full schedule will be posted to silverbluffband.com in the coming days. Be sure to check under the "This Week" tab for the latest details.
Silver Spirit Wins Class In First Showing
BURNETTOWN- Silver Spirit faired well in their first competiton of 2009. The Mustang Classic, the annual first showing for many bands celebrated it's twelfth gathering Saturday. Boasting ten bands in competition plus an exhibition by the host Midland Valley's Pride of the Valley, the evening was full of great showings from each organization.
Silver Spirit won captions in 3A including Best Drum Major, Best Colorguard, and Best Drumline. Best Hornline went to the Aiken High School Band. In 3A, Aiken was 3rd with 84, Ninety-Six placed second with a 85.9, and Silver Bluff was the high scoring band in 3A with an 86.15.
Overall on the day, Silver Bluff was 4th place, coming in behind TL Hanna (grand chapion of the day), North Augusta (2nd place in 4A), and fellow 2A rival at the SCBDA Prelims, Wade Hampton.
A big thanks to Silver Bluff Alum Dave Hastings and all who produce the Mustang Classic. The event made it through all competiton times, but a sudden lightning storm surfaced, and Hastings and his staff moved the entire stadium to the safety of the Midland Valley gymnasium where an impromptu retreat and awards ceremony was held for the event.
Silver Bluff will next perform at the sixth annual Bands Across the Savannah, hosted by Chuck Deen and the North Augusta Jacket Regiment in North Augusta, SC. The event is based on a Prelims/Finals schedule, so Silver Spirit will have the potential to perform twice in the coming week. Check out the This Week section of silverbluffband.com later in the week for full B.A.T.S. information -jm
Brown Announces 2009 Schedule
PETTICOAT JUNCTION- Brown announced the lineup of competitons last week that Silver Spirit will attend in 2009. Silver Bluff loyal will note a few changes in the lineup from recent years due to some schedule changes at host schools and October has an extra weekend this year allowing for an extra competiton weekend.
The Bluff will first travel to Dave Hastings' Mustang Classic, hosted by Midland Valley High School in Burnettown, SC, just over ten miles from the Silver Bluff campus. The Classic will be held September 26th and Silver Spirit will have a single performance in class 3A. Midland Valley and Hastings will celebrate it's twelfth edition this year and the Bluff has traveled to the Valley since the inception of the competiton.
Silver Spirit's next showing will be at another convienent location. Former Silver Bluff director of bands, Chuck Deen will be presenting the sixth annual Bands Across the Savannah (B.A.T.S.) competition at North Augusta High School just off I-20's Exit 1 October 3rd. Deen has again geared his competition based on a Preliminary/Finals round, so Silver Bluff will have the potential to perform twice on the day. Deen will take the top ten scores of the afternoon and those bands will be invited to participate a second time in a Finals round Saturday night. Like Hastings' competition, Silver Bluff has supported Deen's Bands Across the Savannah since it's inception in 2004.
Brown will next take the band to Belton, SC and the Honea Path competition October 10th. This is the first of two new competitions for the Bluff since Brown has been at the helm.
The "regular season" will conclude with a trip to Blythewood, SC on October 17th. This is another competition that will be new to the program and will be exciting for Silver Spirit as they will get a chance to see some of the SCBDA Preliminary Round rivals for the coming Lower State week.
The SCBDA Lower State qualifier for the State Championships will be held on October 24th once again at West Ashley High School just outside of Charleston. The 2A section of the Prelim will get the afternoon session this year and Silver Spirit will be going on early in the judging period that afternoon. This will be an early morning and long day for Silver Spirit.
The final weekend of competition for Silver Bluff will be the SCBDA State Championships, traditionally held at Batesburg-Leesville High School in Batesburg, SC. Participation in the event and performance time will be based on scores and placings from the previous week's Prelim qualifier at West Ashley. The State Championships for 2A will be in the evening for 2009, and they will be on Halloween night.
Silver Bluff has numerous Lower State champion trophies and four State Championship Medals (1997-At the Castle Gate (Deen), 1998-Ship of Dreams (Deen), 2005-Dreams (Piner), 2007-Pandora's Box (Brown)). Silver Spirit has also traveled to two Bands of America regional championships, Daytona, FL (2002 Colors of Imagination (Deen)), and Johnson City, TN (2003 Nascar, the Need for Speed (Deen)). The Bluff has also been to a BOA SuperRegional in Atlanta's Georgia Dome in 2002, and BOA's premier event, Grand Nationals in 2003 at the now defunct RCA Dome in Indianapolis, IN. In addition, 1998 marked the first year Silver Spirit was noted on a national scale when the traveled to New York City and marched/performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.