Not about the trophy, but being good people
Not about the trophy, but being good people
By LINDA MESSMER
For The Times
The Northview Marching Knights took 1st place at the Indiana State School Music Association Marching Band State Finals on Saturday, October 29. It was the 9th state title this band has earned in the past 33 years under the direction of Bob Medworth. But there was something very different about this year.
The Greenwood High School Band was not there. Northview and Greenwood have been fierce competitors for almost, forever.
“Over the years, unfortunately, there was some bad blood,” Medworth said recently when discussing this year’s event. “But their directors and I always got along. Their current director has been at Greenwood about five years. He’s a straight up guy, doing everything for the right reasons.”
Greenwood beat Northview at all three invitational contests this season. Then Northview scored a victory at the Regional contest. Northview and Greenwood were the only two bands to win all three of the Distinction Awards, Music, Effect and Visual. Greenwood has been at the State Finals every year for more than 30 years. But not this year.
Medworth doesn’t like the way the ISSMA scores the bands. “Their scoring method can be very inconsistent,” he said. He and the Greenwood director plan to attend the next ISSMA meeting to voice their concerns.
Twenty bands compete at the semi-state. A panel of judges scores each band in various categories. The top 10 move on to the state finals. After all their victories and accolades this year, Greenwood didn’t score high enough to be considered one of the top 10 bands. One judge scored them at number 20. Northview had a judge placing them at 14 but their overall scores averaged out high enough to move on.
Medworth said he always gets very nervous at the events when it’s time to name the winners. So he leaves and walks two or three blocks away where he can’t hear the announcements. He paces until someone texts him with the results.
He didn’t get a text for a long time at the semi-state and was really getting worried. He finally got the message. Northview made it, barely. Greenwood did not.
“I was sick to my stomach,” Medworth said. “I immediately went to their buses to console them. Most of the kids were crying. We talked and hugged. I ran into Ruth Ann (Medworth). She was so upset she was crying. She knew how terrible they felt. And it could have been us. ”
At the semistate all senior band members are on the field when the announcements are made. When Greenwood realized they had not made it, some of them broke down in tears. The Northview seniors heard them crying and some went over to console them even though they’re supposed to remain in line.
Greenwood appreciated all of Northview’s concern and compassion. During the following week there were many Facebook entries from the Greenwood kids wishing Northview good Luck at State. On Saturday, the day of finals, when Northview buses stopped at the Plainfield rest area on their way to Indy the Greenwood band director and another person were there holding up signs saying “Good Luck NMK” and “Respect”.
And during the State Finals performance, more than 100 Greenwood band members were there cheering for Northview. When Northview was declared the winner the Greenwood band members screamed as loud as the Northview contingency chanting “Greenwood loves you.”
“2016 will be more than just another year we won,” Medworth said. “I think it will be known as the year the kids realized they can be competitive but they can all get along. We’ve always tried to teach the kids, it’s not about the trophy. It’s about being good people. Our kids will never forget this. It will make them better people.”
The Northview Band family has more to be proud of than a trophy.
Keep smiling.
Linda Messmer can be reached at 812-448-8725.
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