By Cate Meersman
Staff Writer 
This weekend Prospect’s own Marching Knights will head down to Indianapolis, Indiana, to compete in Bands of America. The band hopes to be as successful as last weekend where they were crowned Grand Champions at the University of Illinois.
Color guard caption and senior Allyson Munn said, “It’s good to have confidence but at the same time we shouldn’t expect to be good. There are bands from other states that are going to be there and there is a lot tougher competition.”
To prepare for the tougher competition, the band has added yet another day to their already intense practice schedule going over tricky sequences in their routine. Each week every band member comes at least seven hours to practice, but before large competitions the practice number can rise to ten or eleven hours in a week.
However, the band will have to push themselves to perform their best at the Bands of America. During Munn’s freshman year, the band did not qualify to move on to finals, but this year she hopes to end the band’s last competition with a strong performance.
One of the three drum majors, senior Stefanie Kopp, said that one of the biggest things she will miss when the season is over is the community of the band.
“It’s 160 people who are all trying to to do the same thing and want to see each other get better,” Kopp explained. “It’s a really awesome thing to be apart of.”
Between the pre-show pep talks, the color guard’s sister circle, or a proud parent in the stands chanting a Prospect cheer, the support for the band is almost overwhelming.
Kopp explained that during her freshman year when the band performed during football games and walked in front of the student section no one really ever acknowledged them. However, now the student section comes to life when their marching band passes them.
“For some reason lately it has become ‘GO PMK!,’ and bowing, and chanting,” Kopp said as she explained the feeling of walking in front of the student section at home games.  “It’s so cool. I love that the school supports us because that’s not something that a lot of schools have. I love seeing that, it makes me proud of my school.”