Storm Marching Band leave for Texas competition

RIO RANCHO — It's 10:30 a.m. on Friday morning and Lauren and her family — husband Ray and son Rayce — are gathered on the side of Cleveland Heights Road with nearly 100 others, signs clutched tightly to guard against the mesa wind.

But they aren’t protesters. No, these are band moms, band dads, band brothers, sisters and friends.

And the signs? They read, “Go Storm!”, “Go CHS Marching Band!”, “Good luck in Texas!”, etc.

Laura, whose daughter is in the Storm Color Guard, says this is something of a tradition. Families and friends gather every time the marching band leaves town to wave goodbye and good luck to the kids.

It wasn’t long before a long line of buses and vans made its way down the road. The crowd yelled their support as the state champion Cleveland Storm Marching Band left the grounds, heading to Midlands, Texas, for the Bands of America Regional Championship.

According to a release, Bands of America Championships are “the nation’s premier marching band events, showcasing outstanding student musicians and visual performances.”

The Storm Band is one of two New Mexico High Schools competing on Sept. 28 at Ratliff Stadium in Midlands, the other being Hobbs. There are 16 Texas bands enrolled.

This is the first major competition of the season for the Cleveland Storm, and Texas has a strong tradition in marching band. But the Texans may have a surprise in store for them. New Mexico is sending its best.

The Storm won the 5A NMAA State Championship last year and are looking to dominate again this year under the direction of Daniel Holmes. The Storm also won the title in 2022, under the direction of Holmes.

CHS performs at 11:15 a.m. Sept. 28. A livestream is available on Box5tv.com. Results will be posted at rroberver.com.