On August 22nd, the Wildcat band performed at the Arvest Baseball Arena. This was the season’s first performance, and the underclassmen left the performance feeling better prepared for their upcoming season. But some of the upperclassmen had a whirlwind of emotions as this was their last first performance of their high school career. How are some of these seniors feeling as the beginning of their last year in the Har-Ber High School band begins?
“It definitely made me feel kind of sad because it’s the last time I’m going to be able to play at an Arvest game,” Kayla Espinosa says, “but I was just really happy to be there with my friends.”
While Espinosa had a more sentimental feeling, other seniors had opposing feelings.
“To be honest, I don’t really get sentimental very easily and I had no reminiscent feelings while playing at the game,” Steve Interiano says, “but I never really liked playing at the Arvest games, I’m more looking forward to playing the football games. Those are so much more fun to play at.”
Senior Ariel Gonzalez shares similar views with Interiano.
“Because I’ve played at the Arvest field 3 times now, it’s just a very familiar feeling,” Gonzalez says. “But this was the first time my parents came to see me play, and I couldn’t think of a better audience to watch my last time playing there.I wasn’t super sentimental because we still have the football games to play at and marching on the football field is a whole different indescribable feeling.”
While Espinosa shares her reminiscent feelings and Interiano and Gonzalez exclaim their eagerness to play at football games, other upperclassmen share the feeling of playing on the field.
“The feeling of playing on the field is enthusiastic. It causes a drive when you play with your group and you feel confident because of the music you’re making together. It’s a united sound resonating through the stadium,” Josiah Thomas says. “It brings this overwhelming power. It feels mental. I think to myself ‘Oh it’s my senior year, it’s the last time I’ll ever do this and it’s probably the last time I’ll attend an Arvest game.’ It made me think back to the last two years. About what they’ve meant to me and how they’re gone now.”
As Thomas reflects on the previous years that brought him to this moment (leaving us a bit teary-eyed), Kayla Espinosa also describes what she was feeling while playing on the field.
“I’ve done this for 3 years now, so it’s not much different. But the first time I played on the field, I was pretty nervous because there were so many people,” Espinosa says. “But I’ve grown to love the crowd and see how happy they are because we’re playing for them, and that’s a feeling I’ll never forget.”