MOORE — The Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps are a national marching band that travels around the entire country performing in competitive band events. They are based in Casper, Wyo., where student band members trained for the rigorous summer schedule they are experiencing now.
The band members include both high school and college aged kids ranging from ages 16-22. The time commitment they are required to endure is 11 weeks total. Two of the weeks were spent doing nothing but training and the other nine weeks traveling and performing across the nation.
“It’s amazing what these kids have to do day in and day out,” tour director Rod Owens said. “They work extremely hard to get the job done and they get it done.”
The Troopers hold tryouts every spring and choose 150 kids to be a part of the group. Six Southmoore High School students were chosen to be a part of the band, which is the most by any one high school in the country. The Troopers were able to practice at Southmoore High on the football practice fields before they drove up to Oklahoma City to perform the same night.
The Troopers arrived at Southmoore at 4 a.m.Tuesday and began practicing at 8 a.m. so there was not a lot of sleep had by the group.
“For one high school to have six students a part of the band is unprecedented,” Owens said. “It really shows a lot about the band program Southmoore has and the facilities here are unbelievable, very impressive.”
The six Southmoore students are guard members Madeline Witzke and Nicole DAoust, horn players Zac Kemp, Daniel Lewis, Stephen Lewis and John Arambula.
So far the Troopers have played in eight parades and six concerts. They travel in four large charter buses and have a self-contained kitchen trailer that they use for most of their meals. The summer tour runs through Aug. 19. Their usual schedule is rehearsing all day then perfoming around three hours every night and traveling during the night. There are roughly 180-190 people overall in the group when you include all of the adult help that is required.
“We are having a blast with the competition and are doing well so far this summer and plan on continuing the successful summer,” Owens said. “The students really love to perform, its fun to watch.”
