On Saturday October 12, 2013, The West High Entertainment Unit attended the Valencia High School Field Tournament. Participating with other schools, the West High Band and Color Guard performed as part of their 2013 season.

   Performing and competing in the largest division of 6A, Band and Color Guard played against schools such as Upland, Riverside King, and South Torrance. South High performed third to last as West High performed right behind them. Replying to what he thought about performing right after South, William Liang (10) commented, “Well I didn’t really care who we performed after. I just thought it was cool that we got to see their field show.” Performers left no room to get intimidated as they were determined to keep focused and play on.

   After the various performances, Band and Color Guard waited anxiously for their score. After the judges finalized their decisions, West High ended the day with a score of 70.8%.  Though they were hoping for a higher score, the West High Entertainment Unit understands there is room for improvement for future competitions.  Grace Qian (11) commented, “I believe we did well and are slowly continuing to improve as we start adding smaller details into our show. People’s individual efforts are starting to show and we’re making great strides towards a successful season.” The next four competitions this season will represent the improvements they continue to make. Aaron Garcia (11) however, is not too sure about the success of the band. “We are behind on memorizing the field show and the music which leaves little time for improvement”. Following a tight schedule may seem troublesome at times, but the amount of hard work and dedication will pay off.

   The West High Entertainment Unit has a long way to go before high scores will shine through, but that doesn’t mean progress will end. Fredrick Douglass once said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”