Marching band attended the Virginia Marching Band Cooperative State Championships this past weekend at Liberty University. Fifty bands attended the competition. Champe’s marching band scored a 90.25 in the preliminary group and advanced to the final Commonwealth Cup, earning a final score of 91.51, which put them in fourth place out of the twelve finalist groups. They were behind James Madison University, Bassett High School, and Hickory High School, and they lost to James Madison by 2.22 points overall.

“We had a lot of issues that occurred on our way there and had a rough run, but when we found out that we made finals, we were so happy,” senior and captain of the band’s Front Ensemble Cherylyn Thompson said. “We have worked for months, since the beginning of August, on our show. Everyone is given their own responsibility, and marching band is an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.”

“Before we went on the field for our final performance, I wanted to remind [the] Front Ensemble section, made up of mostly freshmen, to put on a great show,” Thompson said. “It’s my job to give constructive criticism, so I told them, ‘as your leader: if we start strong, there’s a higher chance we’ll end strong. And as your friend: I love you guys so much. I believe in all of you. And good luck out there.'”