By Staff
BIG SOUND Crystal Moore, left, directs the West Lauderdale band during its 15-minute performance at the Region 3 Mississippi High School Activities Association Marching Band Festival. The competition took place Saturday at Meridian High School's Ray Stadium. Photo by Fredie Carmichael/The Meridian Star
By Fredie Carmichael/The Meridian Star
Nov. 4, 2001
Hundreds of high school students from around the region converged at Meridian High School's Ray Stadium Saturday to compete in the Region 3 Marching Band Festival.
The Mississippi High School Activities Association's contest was postponed last month because of severe weather in the area. Weather wasn't a problem on Saturday, as the sun beat down on the bands during their 15-minute presentations.
More than 30 bands were originally scheduled to perform, but because of the delay, some bands opted to compete at other regional contests.
Class 1A and 2A bands began competition at 10 a.m., while the class 4A and 5A bands took the field from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. The class 3A bands competed at 2:15 p.m.
Six judges rated the bands in four areas: guard (flag girls), percussion, drum major/majorettes and overall quality. Three judges concentrated strictly on one of the first three areas, while the other three graded the overall performance.
A band receives a score from 1 to 3 in each category, with 1 being the best possible score.
Burton also said the bands are judged as much on their marching as they are on their music.
Fredie Carmichael is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. Call him at 693-1551, ext. 3228, or e-mail him at fcarmichael@themeridianstar.com.