By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor
For parents who attended the Winter Guard International World Championships last weekend, things got a little crazy in the stands.
‘It was palpable, you could feel the energy in the arena when those kids were performing,? Jodi Reetz said, mother to cymbal player Kaelee Belletto. ‘When they were done, the entire arena came to life, stood up and went crazy.?
No other team got a standing ovation.
‘I’m still on cloud nine,? Chelle Martin said, mother of senior Emily Cole.
The entire arena, which hung around to watch the Lake Orion Winter Percussion Ensemble finish their performance titled ‘The Shield,? exploded for good reason: the Dragons had just won the WGI World Championship.
‘More than anything, to me, it means that in eight minutes we proved we could bring an entire stadium to their feet, and could perform well enough to earn recognition not only from judges, but from competitors across the world,? senior Kaelee Belletto said, echoing her mother’s sentiment.
Percussionists competed against other scholastic marching groups that made it to the world championship in Dayton, and moved seamlessly through the preliminary round, semi-finals and finals.
Overall, they conquered 57 teams from across the U.S. and as far as Sweden, beating top scores by almost two points, huge for this competition.
The group consists of a front ensemble, drum line, cymbal line, movement line and auxiliary percussion. The winter ensemble practices up to three times a week and 12 hours every Saturday, individually with their section, and even through video analysis.
‘We didn’t even realize, after we got the high score for preliminaries, that we even had a shot to make it,? Casey Phipps said, father of senior Dan Phipps who plays center snare. ‘Then it just got even crazier that we had the possibility to even win it.?
The Dragons performed ‘The Shield? three times throughout the competition, with costumes created almost entirely by dedicated Lake Orion parents.
‘We all knew it was a great show and have loved watching it evolve,? Ruth Arnott said, mother of a five year marimba player.?’For each show more elements were added until the very end when they used confetti to depict the blood.?
‘You’re inside, so all that music washes over you, through you. You don’t miss any of it,? Martin said.
Their story line is almost as epic as their win. Mimicking the preparation and battle between the Spartans and the Persians, percussionists march with oil drums, traditional percussion instruments, and shields in hand, enticing the crowd with sounds of battle. For the final scene, the Spartan hero carefully walks across the oil drums, carrying a spear, to defeat the Persians.
Not only did the parents fashion four separate costumes for the different elements of the show, they help transport instruments to and from competitions, fundraise, and feed hungry drummers.
Phipps and the parents had a different perspective up in the audience.
‘We see a different part of it, we hear other people commenting around us, ‘that show is so awesome,? which really proves how powerful it is.?
Reetz heard it too.
One man commented in the audience while speaking to his wife, ‘Well, that’s how you do that,? she said.
For good reason.
‘They’ve taken this program to a completely different level,? she said. ‘I personally didn’t know how much this would encompass our entire family, but I have younger children who now know what they are going to do when they start high school because they watched their sister.?
For Reetz, who percussionists call Mom Reetz, and the many parents who support the team, LO Percussion hits home.
‘It becomes the band family. It’s such an amazing group of people all the way around. And for them to win is simply amazing.?
‘This was their moment. They’ve worked so hard to grow into this group that solidified into a family. The energy, the hugs, the grins, it was amazing,? Martin said.
Check out their finals performance here: http://youtu.be/NugCBBV1QCg.