Bands of America AKA the Big Leagues
Have you ever had stage fright? It is the term to describe when you start to get anxiety in front of a crowd of people, caused by the fear of failure. Now I want you to imagine, you are giving a presentation about something you know. Then imagine the best of the best in that field are watching this presentation in a Super Bowl size lecture hall. Where the people in the audience are cheering and clapping. To make matters worse, it is streaming for thousands of people to also see. That is the feeling of competing in a Bands of America Marching Band-or as us band nerds call it BOA- competition for the first time.
Bands of America BOA Marching Championships - BOA Marching Championships are national marching band competitions that are hosted all over the United States. High Schools from all over the US come to compete with each other. It is the best of the best.
Going to my first BOA competition my freshman year of high school, was very overwhelming. At this point I had only competed in one local competition. Going to BOA was like going from little league to the Super Bowl. I was a pretty green marching band student at this time, but I guess you have to roll with the punches.
The site of this BOA was located at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. Jax State - The Friendliest Campus in the South. This was the first time I had ever been in a college football stadium much less performed in one.
Competitions are usually an all-day event. A BOA competition is a whole weekend event. It started with arriving at school early Friday morning to practice and make final adjustments to the show. Around lunch time we got on the charter buses that would take us from Lexington, SC to Jacksonville, Alabama. We did stop at the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia to eat dinner. By the time we arrived in Jacksonville it was time to get in our rooms and try to get some sleep for the big day. The BOA competition was on Saturday and Sunday was a travel day back to Lexington.
On Saturday, the day of the competition, we arrived at the stadium at Jacksonville State University very early in the morning. Once off the buses it was a nonstop day of walking, practicing, and performing. At this point my entire body was sweating and I was so anxious about what was going to happen.
I remember feeling like I was going to throw up walking out onto the field to perform. I had never performed in front of thousands of people that were cheering and clapping. I now know what a deer in headlights feels like. To say it was overwhelming would be an understatement. The performance was a blur to be honest. But it was one of the most exciting things I had ever done.
Although we did not make it to finals that year, I was very happy with our performance that day. The experience at BOA, although was nerve wracking, it was also awesome. It was another thing that I love about marching band. I have gone on to compete at more BOA events that we did make it to the finals. This past October we placed 3rd at a BOA event. The first time in River Bluff High School History to place in the top three at a BOA event. 2025 BOA Scores | bandScores
