Marching to victory
FDSH, area bands take 1 ratingsBy HANS MADSEN, Messenger staff writer
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State Marching Band Results
When the announcer at the annual State Marching Band Contest asks the bands over the public address system at Dodger Stadium if they are ready, the drum majors answer with a flurry of arm motions, turns and a final salute to the judges and the audience.
Then the field explodes in a crescendo of music, fluttering flags and the motion of instruments gleaming in the sun as they move to the beat while students march, forming and breaking down then reforming their carefully practiced formations.
Behind each of those polished performances are countless hours of practice, and behind all that, support from home.
It would be pretty hard to mistake Mike Shelton for anything other than the father of several members of the Fort Dodge Senior High School marching band. In addition to his Dodger baseball cap and shirt, he wears a button with Charlie and Jake's picture pinned to his shirt.
''We collect the buttons,'' he said, explaining that the family keeps each year's.
Musical himself, Shelton plays violin and sings in the Trinity Methodist Choir. He got his children started early with piano lessons to lay the groundwork for other instruments. Charlie plays clarinet and Jake performs on drums.
The family attends as many of their children's performances as possible, watching from the sidelines with a smile of pride and plenty of applause at the end.
Behind the visitors bleachers, the Fort Dodge marching band was getting lined up to take the field under the careful eye of drum major Matthew Carlson and majorette Maria Fink.
His mantra is simple.
''Hats forward, shoes tied, gloves on, zip up your jackets,'' he shouted over the din of music from the field and the rustle of instruments. In a few minutes, the band was to perform selections from West Side Story.
Their efforts earn them a Division Rating of 1, the highest possible.
Afterward, director Curtiss Klein was beaming.
''They were at the peak of their performance so far,'' he said.
One thing that's helping performances this year is the new artificial turf installed on the field over the summer.
''It's easier to do all the things we learned how to do,'' Matthew Carlson said.
According to Curtiss Klein, director of the Fort Dodge Senior High School Marching Band, the new turf is a good thing.
''It feels good to march on,'' he said. ''It puts a spring in their step and they feel more comfortable.''
The new field eliminates some of the problems that make it hard for a band to perform - bumps, uneven terrain, mud and even holes have all been eliminated.
Bret Lee, band director for the Marshalltown Bobcat Marching Band agreed.
''This is nice to march on,'' he said. ''It's even and consistent.''
Most band members also seemed to like it. Alex Shimkat was particularly fond of the noise when the band marches out.
''Crunch, crunch, crunch,'' she said.
Contact Hans Madsen at (515) 573-2141 or hmadsen@messengernews.net