Palm Beach Central’s Bronco Band Brings Home The State Championship By Y. A. Teitelbaum
The Palm Beach Central High School marching band triumphed over the competition to claim the state championship crown for the 2016-17 school year. The Bronco band won the Class 3A crown at the Florida Marching Band Championships (FMBC) for the first time in school history last November at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Palm Beach Central earned first place with a score of 87 points, pushing past Miami Coral Park High School, which took second with 85.45 points. “I could tell early on in the summer that the group was special,” said James Yaques, director of bands at Palm Beach Central since 2005. “We were really happy with our show design, and the band was taking the product and bringing it to life.” The Broncos bounced back from an off-year in which the band missed finishing in the top five for the first time in four years. In 2015, heavy rains moved the semifinal competition indoors and the bands performed at a standstill — which hurt the Broncos. “Our show is most effective with the music and visual together,” Yaques said. “With half of the component taken out, we just missed the finals. Based on results from prior events in the season, if the semifinals would have not been rained out, we probably would have finished second or third. I think missing finals [last year] without the opportunity to perform their full show really hurt the kids. It may have been a motivator to be even better.” Bronco band performances throughout the 2016-17 season were impressive, finishing first in the semifinals, in addition to winning a regional competition at Jupiter High School and placing second at a regional competition at Park Vista High School. The championship-winning show was performed to the music of Sleeping Beauty. This upcoming year’s show will be based on the fictional character Poison Ivy, one of Batman’s many enemies. The repertoire changes every year. Emma Pitot, a rising senior, has been a member of the 24
august 2017 | wellington the magazine
marching band since her freshman year. Pitot plays the alto saxophone and will be the section leader for the second year in a row, as well as having added responsibilities as band captain. “Our biggest challenge is keeping everybody motivated,” she said, with a current focus on leading the team to a repeat championship. “We have to do the small things to get to the big picture, which is winning states. My job is to help lead, but it’s a team effort.” Pitot’s teammates are proud of their most recent accomplishment and have high hopes for the future. “It’s harder to maintain than to win,” said Madison Pompos, who is entering her junior year. “We have to work twice as hard. Last year we had motivation; this year we have to fight to get that feeling again.” Pompos, who has been in the band since she was a freshman, was one of 12 saxophonists in the 105-member state champion marching band. She has been elevated to the important role of drum major for the upcoming year. The Broncos have spent much of the summer learning new steps and formations because they perform a different show every year, Yaques said. Each show runs approximately 10 minutes. Motorists on Forest Hill Blvd. can often catch a glimpse of the band practicing in the Palm Beach Central parking lot on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m. during the school year.