Heavy rain forced the cancellation of the WBA Regional Championships on November 15, removing one of the season’s highlight events for Selma High School’s Black Bear Brigade and Color Guard. Regionals is a one-day competition where bands in the area compete for a regional title, so its cancellation was a major disappointment for students.
Despite the setback, Selma delivered a strong competition showing at Grand Champs. The band placed sixth out of 12 in the 2A Division during semi-finals. After advancing to finals, they ranked 17th out of the 20 groups statewide across the combined 1A, 2A, and 3A classes. It was a solid finish, especially since the season didn’t go exactly as planned.
For seniors, the cancellation of Regionals meant more than just losing a show. Senior Ezra Tapia, who plays tenor saxophone in the saxophone section, said the announcement came as a shock.
“I knew the rain put the show at risk, but part of me was hoping they’d still let us perform,” Tapia said.
She described the moment as “a lot of emotions all at once,” especially because Regionals is a show she looks forward to every year.
Ezra added that the sudden change shifted the way she approached their final run of the season.
“The cancellation definitely changed my mindset. As an ensemble we wanted to push, but as an individual, I just wanted more. I really wanted to end my season with a good feeling”, she expressed.
She noted that Grand Championships started tense for many seniors.
“I was nervous because I didn’t want my last run to be one I’d regret,” she said. “But once we got into warmup, I could feel everyone start to relax and enjoy the moment.”
Freshman Belen Cazares, who plays snare in the battery, experienced the field show season from a first-year perspective. She described her first field show season as “fun and enjoyable,” sharing that she made new friends and learned quickly. Hearing that Regionals was cancelled left her “sad and disappointed,” knowing it meant one less performance with the group.
Grand Championships, she said, felt like a bittersweet ending to the season.
“I was proud that we made it to the end, but also sad because I would never perform this show again,” Belen said.
Despite the unexpected turn in their season, Selma High’s Black Bear Brigade and Color Guard finished the year with a championship performance that meant something different to everyone, marking a final bow for seniors and a first big ending for freshmen.
