RHS Marching Band Practicing Long and Hard for Football Season and Competitions

A lot of people might not think of marching band as a physical sport, but that view might change after watching the 54 members of the Ridge High School Marching Band limber up, haul heavy instruments and march in formation during long and intense practices during the end of summer.

Ridge Band Director Dan Zugale said the students have been practicing not only for half-time shows at Ridge High School football games, but to perform during six competitions this season.

The band's "The Wild, Wild West" show will premiere during halftime for football season's opener pitting Ridge High School against Immaculata High School at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 10. The event will be televised as the first game in MSG Varsity television's Friday night football series.

Zugale said the band also has a full schedule of competitions, including a major competition at home scheduled for Oct. 30. That competition will bring together eight New Jersey high school bands and the marching band from Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pa., he said.

To prepare,  members of Ridge High School Marching Band from all grade levels completed a week-long band camp during the last full week of August. During the full-day sessions lasting each day from 8:15 a.m. until 8:15 p.m., students learned the music and marching formations for their 2010 show.

"This is just as physical as any sport, and you have to get in shape," Zugale said. He said his goal is for the marching band to put on a good show no matter whether or not they are performing at a game.
 
The student practices spilled over into the following week through a hot Tuesday morning. Students also will hold regular practices during the week and prior to Friday games once school starts. "They've done a nice job," Zugale said of the band members.

 "The Wild, Wild West" will feature three popular tunes, according to Don Grossmann, publicity chairman for the band. Those songs include Billy Joel's "The Ballad of Billy the Kid," "The Ecstasy of the Gold," from the movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," and the theme from the movie "The Magnificent Seven."

The band's 2010 competition schedule features appearances at the Yamaha Cup held at the new Meadowlands Stadium, and the New Jersey State and Northern States Regional championships, Grossmann said.

The competition at Lee Field on Oct. 30, the first annual "Ridge Marching Band Festival will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. said Jen Kluger, president of the Ridge Marching Band Association.

Although band camp required hard work from all members, Grossmann said most students describe the experience as one of their best during their high school years because of its many opportunities for fun and friendship.

The Ridge band also has scheduled its annual car wash fundraiser from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, at Ridge High School on South Finley Ave. Members of the band and their parents will hand-wash cars for a donation, rain or shine. Reservations are not necessary.