No one doubts that high school football players work hard: They practice most of the summer despite the heat, preparing for a season culminating (they hope) in regional and state contests.

Not everyone realizes, however, that marching bands work just as hard and are just as competitive as football teams. Casey Turner, 17, St. Peters, Mo., described a typical marching band contest: "It's just teenagers everywhere, parents showing the colors, everybody cheering for everybody, buttons, T-shirts, lettermen jackets, little sisters in uniforms, buses everywhere, uniforms everywhere. Just the most organized chaotic thing you'll ever see, and it's the best thing in the world."

Y-Press talked to Casey and five other band members: Joe Eck, 17, Spring Valley, Ohio; Amanda Briggs, 18, Washington, Pa.; Michael Collins, 17, Lexington, Ky.; Kevin Whalen, 18, New Brighton, Minn.; and Jeremy Felix, 16, Elberta, Ala. All attended the Bands of America Summer Symposium in Normal, Ill.

Countless hours are required to ready a marching band for the competition season, typically in the fall. Band directors and adult staff members write and arrange the music and drills. Starting as early as May, members must learn the music, marching techniques and formations, then put them all together.

"They rehearse a lot of times four or five hours a day, sometimes on weekends for almost eight, nine to sometimes even 12 hours a day, and they rehearse out in the hot sun," Joe said.

"In a lot of ways, we've made marching band harder than a lot of sports," added Michael. "In basketball, if you've got a freshman who can't quite cut it, they're not making their shots, what do you do? You take them out. But in band, there is no bench. Everybody plays."

Not only do members need to have the stamina to march a show, they must be able to play music that often is difficult.

However, the music cannot be too difficult because band members also have to memorize it.

Contributing to the difficulty of mastering a routine, some kids believe, is the level of competition.

Bands of America sponsors competitions in 14 states, as well as the Grand National Marching Band Championships in November in Indianapolis. Scoring is usually on a 100-point scale; judges rate bands in many areas, including music, marching, the performance of the color guard and percussion section, and general effect of the show.

Michael recalls a competition in which "there was less than one point between the first-place band and the fifth-place band."

What compels these musicians to push themselves?

"I have a passion for music," said Amanda.

Jeremy likes the adrenaline rush of competition.

"It's what you've worked for all year, and you get to those competitions, and there's a packed stadium, and you get out there and everyone's cheering for you. And then you just perform, and whether your band falls apart or you do the best performance in your life, as long as you know that everyone did their best, it's great."

These band members value competition, saying it prepares them for life.

"I think that's the real world," Amanda said. "You're not gonna go somewhere and they're just gonna be like, 'Oh, you don't have to compete against anybody for your job. We'll just hand you this one.' "

Competition also helps bands improve.

"Our philosophy on competition is that after we learn our show, each time we perform it, it has to come up a level," Kevin said.

But there are downsides to competition. These musicians say some bands have lost sight of the true meaning of marching band.

"Sometimes it can be a little bit dangerous, with bands that focus only on beating other bands," Michael said. "The main focus of marching band is supposed to be creating something, and creating it only for yourselves as your goal."

Michael said that in Kentucky, band competition has become a source of controversy as participation has declined. Some say competition creates strict standards, which discourage students from joining marching bands. Others argue that without competition, quality would deteriorate.

All of the band members have seen the ups and downs of competition but believe that overall, it is a positive experience.

The rewards of participating in marching band have little to do with competition, however.

"The best thing about band," said Joe, "is that you learn to appreciate other people for their positive sides and their negative sides, and you learn a very high sense of teamwork and how to deal with all types of people throughout your life."

ASSISTANT EDITORS: Justin Riley, 15; Lisa O'Connor, 16.

REPORTERS: Katie Stergar, 12; Rajpreet Heir, 13.

Coming up

The Indiana State School Music Association marching band state finals will be Oct. 25 in the RCA Dome. Bands of America's National Marching Band Championships will be Nov. 13-15 in the dome.