The Walt Whitman High School Marching Band heads down the road to Huntington High School this Sunday, October 16th, for a New York State Field Band Conference competition. The Wildcats take the field at 1:05 p.m., and band members and directors are hoping for a big show of community support for both South Huntington and Huntington. Walt Whitman is introducing some new moves and props, including an hourglass, into their show, A Journey in Time, for this competition.
“Music, especially now, is extremely important for the kids, and to have two successful marching bands within a few miles of each other is really significant. What I’d like is to have the community come out and support Walt Whitman but also cheer on Huntington because the Huntington parents would do the same for us,” said Whitman Band Director Greg Modelewski. The Whitman Marching Band won’t be hosting a competition on its home field this season, so Huntington High School’s turf will serve as the next best thing. Modelewski added that Whitman band parents and fans, who might not have been able to travel to earlier competitions this season, won’t have to go far this weekend to see all the hard work that has gone into these performances.
When asked about a rivalry between the bands, Modelewski says it’s more about respect with just a touch of rivalry because the two groups don’t directly compete against each other currently, although they did about ten years ago. This year, they’re in different divisions within the New York State Field Band Conference but they compete on the same field. The NYSFBC classifies bands according to school size and “competitive potential.” Walt Whitman is in the Large School III category while Huntington is in Large School II.
At the championships in Syracuse last October, Whitman placed 3rd in their category. And Huntington placed 3rd in their category as well. “We both kind of cheered each other and it was one of those moments that really brought the township of Huntington together and it was a really proud moment for both groups,” said Modelewski.
While the Wildcats see this competition as a way to celebrate all the hard work the South Huntington and Huntington band communities have put into their performances, Modelewski admitted with a smile that there will be a little fun competitive spirit heading into this year’s championships in Syracuse. “While there isn’t quite a rivalry and we don’t actively compete against them, we're always trying to see if we can do better than them.”
The New York State Field Band Conference championships take place in Syracuse on October 29th and 30th. For more information, you can go to https://nysfbc.org.