Photo by Ken Martinson/Marching.com
On Nov. 14, Avon (Ind.) High School’s marching band waited in anticipation to hear the results of the 2009 Bands of America (BOA) Grand National Championships. The suspense felt familiar to band members that competed the prior year.
In 2008, judges named the Marching Black and Gold the BOA Grand National Champion with a score of 97.75, the highest in BOA history. In 2009, the group learned that victory tastes just as sweet the second time.
With its top score of 96.60, Avon High School became the first band to consecutively win the BOA Grand National Championships in 18 years.
Plymouth-Canton Educational Park from Canton, Mich., won in 1990 and 1991. Avon received the Outstanding Visual Performance and General Effect Awards. It tied with Marian Catholic for the visual accolade and with L.D. Bell for general effect. Avon competed against 90 other high school bands from across the country. Its show, “Comm-UNIFORM-ity,” highlighted the band’s new uniforms and portrayed a struggle with conformity.
“Even though we win a lot, we’re not focused on winning,” says director Jay Webb. “We’re focused on being great.”
