Plastic Piano Pelts Poly Players

The Long Beach Poly Marching Unit competed at Huntington Beach High School last Saturday, Nov. 1, against five other bands, including Millikan. Edison High School hosted the competition.
This was the first time in marching band history that Poly has competed against Millikan in a field show tournament. They have been at tournaments together, but never in the same division.
During halftime at the Poly/Millikan football game, the marching band performed its entire field show better than it ever had before, according to Director Chris Stevens.
The field show this year featured the music of Elton John.AP Chemistry teacher Casey Gillett and Stevens teamed up to build a bright red Styrofoam piano. The Polyettes (color guard) and junior trumpet soloist Hunter Davis used the piano as a prop during the performance.
However, during the first movement, “Funeral for a Friend,” the flimsy piano collapsed in the gusts of wind and broke into pieces that knocked into various members of the band and color guard throughout the show.
Each band member handled the mistake with grace by recovering from trips and falls while continuing to stay in step. Of course, some band members were hanging their heads low in spite of the high level of performance that was maintained.
The biggest worry after the piano fiasco was how it would affect the scores. In prior competitions, Poly had scored 53 and 56 out of 100, which placed Poly’s band second and first.
Especially because of the competitive nature between Poly and Millikan, band members began to get anxious after the show. Millikan exhibited great skill with the drill they had been taught, and performed their music with great aptitude. This only increased the worry of the Poly band members.
Rivalry is especially tough in the marching band world, which many people fail to realize. Millikan and Poly performers exchanged taunts, while band veterans attempted to stop the shenanigans.
Soon came the time for the awards. In the bitter cold sat all 93 members of the Poly Marching Unit, freezing cold and absolutely crazy with nerves.
When the judges reached Poly’s division and the scores began to be read, each member of Poly and Millikan became squeamish with anxiety and anticipation. The judges reached second place and exclaimed, “Jackrabbits of Poly with 72.5 points!” A sigh of disappointment from Poly mingled with the victorious cheers of Millikan.
However, Millikan was in for a surprise when their score was read, they learned that they had beaten Poly by only .15 of a point.
Both Poly and Millikan exhibited great improvements from prior years and competitions, and the rivalry will undoubtedly continue.