On March 9, UC High’s Winter Percussion (Winterline), is scheduled to compete against multiple schools at El Camino High, the first of four competitions scheduled for this season.

  A lot of preparation happens before a Winterline competition. According to Junior Michael Haley, “Before competitions, we practice our music by warming up and running through the show. We then stretch and practice our marching.”

   Senior Jeff Livers stated, “[Before a competition] we focus and practice a lot and we try our best to iron out any mistakes we might make. Then we perform.”

   “The competition itself goes by quickly since you play the show once, get out of the way, and let the other schools perform their own show. Once all schools have gone, we change out of the uniforms and into our normal clothes. Lastly, we see the final results and where we place amongst the other schools,” stated Haley.

   The final results are then presented by multiple judges who watch and score the performance. “Each band is given a total score from 1 to 100, which is decided based on different subcategories such as music, visuals, and effect. To win, you have to get the highest total score,” Livers continued.

   Judges look for specific things and the team has to apply certain strategies to obtain a high ranking. According to Haley, “Each of the individual judges grades you on certain aspects of your show. These categories include not being too quiet, not being too loud, having nice posture and having good technique. If you want to win, you have to sound great.”

   Sophomore Benji Davis added, “We are scored on how we look and how we sound. However, our score does depend on the comparison between us and how successfully the other bands are performing. As long as we reach our full potential, that’s all that personally matters.”

   “Some challenges that we face involve getting new members up to speed with what is going on. This can include various things such as memorizing the music, drills and visuals. We overcome these challenges by working together and practicing for many hours,” said Davis.

   The lack of better equipment is another one of the challenges that the UC High Winterline faces. “We play as loudly as we can and we focus on playing our parts well. We also have great technicians that teach us how to have good technique and to perform with confidence,” Haley stated.

   The previous year’s Winterline season was a very memorable one. According to Livers, “Last season we did extremely well, in my opinion, the best out of the four years I’ve been here. We practiced really hard that year and everyone worked together really well and as a result we had a ‘fire’ drumline.”

   Davis stated, “I enjoy Drumline because it’s really fun and rewarding. My favorite parts about Drumline would have to be the family that I’ve created and [the looks on] everyone’s faces when we receive awards.”

   Junior and Drumline Captain Alex Tong has been in Drumline for three years and enjoys the atmosphere that he has with the technicians and the people around him. “My favorite parts of Winterline are being with people who inspire me and being with people that enjoy the same activities as me,” stated Tong.