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Fact Box

'PURSUIT SCHEDULE'

Field Competition

All classes are determined by the total number of winds and percussion.

Gates open at 4:30 p.m. Saturday

5:25 p.m. - National Anthem

Gold Class 1-60

Winds and Percussion

5:30 p.m. - West Lyon HS, Inwood, Iowa

5:45 p.m. - Pipestone Area HS, Pipestone

6 p.m. - Andover HS, Andover

6:15 p.m. - Madison HS, Madison, S.D.

6:30 p.m. - Huron HS, Huron, S.D.

6:45 p.m. - ROCORI HS, Cold Spring

Crimson Class 61-80

Winds and Percussion

7 p.m. - Hastings HS, Hastings

7:15 p.m. - West HS, Sioux City, Iowa

7:30 p.m. - Sheldon HS, Sheldon, Iowa

7:45 p.m. - Spirit Lake HS, Spirit Lake, Iowa

8 p.m. - Sibley Ocheyedan HS, Sibley, Iowa

8:15 p.m. - Judges Break, SMSU

Drumline

Navy Class 81-120

Winds and Percussion

8:25 p.m. - Central HS, Aberdeen, S.D.

8:40 p.m. - West HS, Bellevue, Neb.

8:55 p.m. - Roosevelt HS, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Ivory Class 121+

Winds and Percussion

9:10 p.m. - Eden Prairie HS, Eden Prairie

9:25 p.m. - MOC Floyd Valley HS, Orange City, Iowa

9:40 p.m. - Lincoln HS, Sioux Falls, S.D.

9:55 p.m. - Rosemount HS, Rosemount

Judged Exhibition

10:10 p.m. - Marshall High School

Exhibition

10:25 p.m. - Star of Minnesota Marching Band, SMSU

10:35 p.m. - Awards

When Wayne Ivers, the band director at Marshall High School, sent out an e-mail in April to 60 bands, inviting them to this weekend's Pursuit of Excellence, he got a quick response.

"Fifteen minutes later, I had nine positive responses," Ivers said Monday. "The e-mail wasn't even cold yet, and we're half full. "That's encouraging. We're doing something these bands value."

When Pursuit of Excellence started about a decade-and-a-half ago, "we only had five bands," Ivers said.

Marshall will have 18 bands in a competition that has gained a stellar reputation and attracts top-notch musicians from four states. Those bands will bring about 2,000 students, plus their families to Marshall on Saturday.

"Bellevue West is one of the top two bands in Nebraska," Ivers said. "They've never been here before, but the director's been up here to watch."

"Eden Prairie is coming," he said. "Have been here before and was champion of this festival before, a long time ago. Very good, too, so it will be good to have them."

Another returnee is Pipestone, one of the closer bands to Marshall. Coming from the Twin Cities for the first time are Hastings and Andover. Some, like Aberdeen, S.D., and West Lyon from Inwood, Iowa, are also first-timers who are here because of Marshall's growing reputation.

"They heard about it from other bands that it was a good competition to come to," Ivers said.

The Marshall kids know they have a reputation to uphold.

"Ivers told us we have top bands from Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska," said Austin Soupir, a junior trombone player. "He said if we had one more top band from the Midwest, Pursuit of Excellence would be the second best competition behind BOA (Bands of America). So I think it's really important to Marshall and our band to host the competition and not be competitive for one competition and see how other bands are doing."

While Marshall's performance will be judged, they are not part of the competition because Ivers thinks it would give them an unfair advantage since they are hosting.

The kids are alright with that.

"Just being able to watch them and see what their strengths and weaknesses are," said Erika Lee, a junior who plays tenor sax.

"It gives us a good perspective on what other bands are working hard to do and gives us a drive to work harder and be better than them," Soupir said.

"The competition is based on the size of the band, not the school enrollment," Ivers said. "We're the only ones who do it that way."

Marshall fields 200 band members.

"We're one of the bigger bands," Ivers said. "Sioux Falls Lincoln will be here. They're bigger than us."

The Tigers will perform at 10:10 p.m. Saturday.

"They'll go at the end, while the scores are tabulated," Ivers said.

He likes the position.

"Gives my kids the chance to perform for the biggest crowd. You add 2,000 band kids into the crowd" that are waiting to hear the results of the day-long competition and the stands will be full of fans.

Even though they are not competing, the Marshall kids like getting the chance to participate in the clinics and play in front of the hometown fans.

"It feels good to me," said Lee. "We know our fans are behind us and will always give us support, even if we don't get first."

"To see half the crowd wear orange, it automatically makes you want to do the best you can," Soupir said.