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Music, marching and a cowbell Mail Tribune / Drew Fleming Sean Andries, left, and Annette Nicovich, right, and their North Medford High School band teammates keep warm Thursday morning with extra clothes and the occasional blanket. They were practicing for their trip with the football team to the Class 4A championship Saturday. North performers prepare for appearance at Autzen By Jonel Aleccia With numb fingers and icy toes, the players are practicing yet again, positioning themselves for an all-out effort in the Class 4A state football championship Saturday. But these North Medford High School teammates aren�t the ones who�ll don helmets and pads at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. The 150 kids shivering in the high school parking lot Thursday morning do plan to take the field as the Black Tornado faces down the Jesuit High School Crusaders. Instead of blocks, tackles and passes, though, they�ll demonstrate their strength with lively harmonies, sharp marches and the occasional cowbell. They�re the boys and girls in the band, the supporting players who hope to make the state finals a little more fun for everyone. "We encourage the football players," explains Aren Sharp, 15, a freshman who plays the xylophone and the suspended cymbal. "We give the cheerleaders something to dance to," adds Amy Dickson, 15, who plays the cowbell. The excitement has been building since summer, when band director Steve Thickett organized this year�s group. Back then, practices were held on the blazing pavement in 102-degree heat as the musicians learned drills that cover a dozen pages in Thickett�s thick book. They demonstrated those drills at home games throughout the season. It didn�t take long to notice, though, that this year�s Black Tornado football team had a good shot at the state crown. "I�ve been telling them since the middle of the season to plan on (going to the finals)," says Thickett, dapper in black at a final rehearsal. About a half-dozen kids will be unable to make it Saturday morning, when the band boards the bus at 6:45 for Eugene. The rest of the group has to realign spacing and march formation to account for the missing players. "Kyle! To your left, please!" Thickett yells across the foggy lot. "Come on, baritones, you don�t have to adapt. This shouldn�t be hard! Percussion! You�re all bunched up here!" By the end of the practice, the group is looking and sounding fine as it marches through "Cat Scratch Fever," the North High fight song and the national anthem. Preparation hasn�t been easy, says Courtney Clark, who supervises the color guard. For every athlete who practices football drills and memorizes plays, there�s a musician who�s putting in time and effort, too. "They�ve worked very, very hard," says Clark. "They have to balance this and school and their concert season." Sometimes, Thickett says, the athletes and the musicians are the same kids. This year, however, no varsity football players were in the band. The animosity that can exist between the two very different groups isn�t particularly evident at North High, says Spencer Hunt, 18, a senior. "As assistant drum major, I�ve gotten comments from football players who run by and say �Good job,�" says Hunt, who also plays trumpet. Whatever their role in the championship game, the North High students who get to participate will always be glad they did, says Thickett. "This is such a memorable thing for them," he says. "There are memories being made here that these kids will have forever." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.