Walled Lake Competitive Marching Band shines at Grand National Championships

The Walled Lake Competitive Marching Band shined on the biggest stage at the 2024 Bands of America Grand National Championships in Indianapolis over the weekend.

The combined band from Walled Lake Central and Walled Lake Western hit all the high notes on Thursday leaving the judges in awe with their performance of Enchanted in the preliminary round, earning them a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.

The Walled Lake Competitive Marching Band then left it all on the field on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium earning a score of 80.550, finishing 29^th overall out of 114 bands that competed at the Grand National Championships.

"I could not be prouder of the Walled Lake Competitive Marching Band on an incredible showing at nationals and how they carried themselves this season,” said co-director Grant Prater. “Placing in the Top 30 in the country is a big deal, and I can attest that our students got there because they sought to get better every day.”

"Advancing to semifinals at the Bands of America Grand Nationals is an incredible accomplishment, but our success this season is far greater than the competitive results,” added co-director Patrick Dudzinski. “This band truly embraced a growth mindset through the very last rehearsal. I am so proud of the entire WLMB team of students, parents, and coaches who worked so hard this season!"   

Earlier this month, the Walled Lake Competitive Marching Band claimed the MCBA Flight 1 State Championship at Ford Field beating out 6-time defending champion Rockford, as well as took home four of five caption awards in General Effect, Visual, Auxiliary and Percussion.