Marching Spartans do well at state competition

SPARTA — On Sunday, Nov. 11, the Sparta High School Marching Band culminated their successful season by competing in the US Bands Group IVA New Jersey State Championships at Piscataway High School.

The Marching Spartans finished eighth, marking the third time in four years that the band has finished in the top 10 in State Competition. Also, the band received a score of 91.483, which is the highest score ever received by a Sparta Marching Band in competition.

The road to championships, however, was an unusual one.

Due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy and the recent snow storm, the band was unable to practice for two weeks. The Marching Spartans were finally able to get onto the practice field one day prior to States; and through their hard work, they were able to put together a great show, echoing the theme of the Championships, “Sandy Can’t Stop the Music.”

This season, the Marching Spartans successfully performed in five competitions, including the Yamaha Cup at MetLife Stadium.

This year’s show was entitled “Amelia.”

The Sparta HS Marching Spartans are led by Drum Majors Lauren Waselik and Lizzy Willis; Percussion Captain was Jake Schultz; Color Guard Captain was Melody Tillyer; and Field Captains were Linda Carlson, Neale Donovan, Derek Dykstra, Gillian Ritchie, and Ollie Fishstein.