Marching Engineers place second in first contest
It was a beautiful day, Saturday filled with sunshine and cooler temperatures as the Estill County High School Marching Engineers traveled to Montgomery County for their first marching competition of the season. They placed second in their class which included 3-A powerhouse Bourbon County.
The young band took the field behind Field Commander Kourtney Emmert with an air of confidence and performed with a lot of heart. They looked like seasoned performers and for some of them, it was their first ever contest.
Estill’s program began with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and continued with Fur Elise, Pathetique Sonata and finished with a joyful Ode to Joy.
The tuba, played by Justin Winkler, was prominent in most of the selections and he did an excellent job.
The other bands competing in their class were Holmes and Greenup County.
At the end of preliminary competition, the band gained a spot in the finals competition for later that night.
Out of 17 bands this young band placed fifth overall and were fourth runner-up to Bourbon, Anderson, George Rogers Clark and Henry Clay. Director Jason Bowles was pleased with it.
“We were thrilled with the performance. The band exceeded everyone’s expectations for their first time out,” Bowles said. “The kids were focused and determined and it paid off.”
He said their goal was to make finals but never dreamed they would place fifth.
“Their potential is finally starting to show. Because of the difficulty of the music and the drill we have had to be very patient because the progress has been slow,” Bowles said. “That being said, if we improve as much this week as we did last week, it will be an amazing season. My goal for the outcome of the Hazard contest is seriously…grand champion.”