The 2018 Bands of America Tennessee Regional brought together 27 bands from 8 different states to Clarksville, TN. The day was filled with fantastic performances and some pretty decent competition across the the four classes of bands.

The Jist Of It

Union City (TN) won single-A class over three other bands: Murray (KY), Campbellsville Independent (KY), and Good Pasture Christian School (TN). Union City earned the outstanding performance caption awards in music and visual, while Murray had the best general effect.

With ten groups in AA class, it was a tough day as groups tried to squeeze into the top three of their class, and if they're really good, the top ten to make it into finals. Clinton (MS) won the class with North Hardin (KY) in second and Russell County (KY) in third—who we saw have a very successful weekend in Oxford, OH, last weekend.

North Hardin and Clinton went on to earn 4th and 5th overall, a great finish against some tough competition that you often don't see from most bands of their size. North Hardin actually passed Clinton on their way up as well, just short of a top-3 spot (behind Castle (IN) by .100).

Paragould (AR) was fourth in AA, and placed 11th overall in prelims, just barely missing the cut for finals behind Central Hardin (KY) in AAA.

Castle (IN) won AAA in prelims but was passed up by Franklin (TN) in finals, who earned second in prelims. Thep prelims gap of .350-points that existed between the two flopped the other way for finals; Franklin pulled ahead by 1.350 in finals to take the overall runner-up spot.

In prelims for four-A, we saw O'Fallon Township (IL) take all outstanding performance awards and nearly 3-point the second place group with an 82.100. Mill Creek represented Georgia well this weekend with their 7th place finish in finals and second in their class for the day. This was O'Fallon Township's second ever win at a BOA Regional Championship.

O'Fallin For You 

Tarps and O'Fallon Township: name a better duo.

Since tarps entered the marching band design vocabulary one question has always hung over the activity: when will a band cover the entire field in tarps? In 2017, O'Fallon Township did that very thing. In 2018, they're doing it better.

On their way to the 2018 Bands of America Grand National Championships, they made their first stop in Clarksville, TN and began their season with a win. Their next stop will be in Missouri for the 2018 BOA St. Louis Super Regional.

Their show  "Stretching the Canvas" uses the concept of stretching and flexing, pushing and pulling, etc. Although their show is still very incomplete, the sheer number of skills being demanded of every performer on the field for the first half of the show would take an entire season to learn for some band programs.

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As their ballad came to a finish on Saturday, the members had to immediately sprint to the edges of the tarps and start offloading the field—no doubt to practice the 15-minute time crunch that they will have to deal with at larger events, especially when they have their full show on the field.

The visual program is clearly very difficult with multiple movement techniques being executed by different sections of the band, often at the same time. The stretching and flexing drill fills the all-white blank canvas with mesmerizing forms as they progress from an exciting, whimsical opener, to a playful yet lyrical ballad.