Photoessay #495 - Homecoming half time

Scenes from the Homecoming half time show at the football game last Friday night. We've had kids at Shorecrest for 12 years and I guess I've attended by share of games, assemblies, concerts, back to school nights, etc etc. Probably one more picture of Naomi actually dancing.

Here, the Shorecrest Highlanders band plays at half-time. As I've mentioned, whoever dreamed up this uniform....the real kilts with all the la de da, they should get a crown in heaven. And whoever, behind the scenes, who maintains them, ditto. All very real authentic, the kids love it. Everybody wears a kilt, the boys in the neighborhood always enjoyed getting all dressed up with the kilt. When Susanna picked up her band uniform and rode home with Dennis in our 79 toyota, she observed (truthfully) "this kilt is worth more than this car". They do some spring marching, do the Ballard parade, often go to Victoria, every 4 years they try to go to Ireland. And when they get all the parts together with the bagpipers and the dancers, all with the kilts, it's pretty impressive. However, they do not participate in the same way that my sister describes at large midwest high schools.

I remember that the spring marching always conflicted with the softball district tournaments. I remember April marching in her cleats in the Ballard Parade. I remember Dennis swooping up the band girls who played softball and rushed them to the ferry so they could join their band in Victoria. Only occurred to him later that he was taking a bunch of 16 and 17 year old girls over the Canadian border with no written permission of any kind.

I remember one time sitting in the stands with a mom whose son played on the football team and she was terrified that he would be injured 'You are SO lucky that you have a kid in the band, that's a great idea, the band. You don't get hurt playing in the band. Why does my son have to play FOOTBALL!!!!" and she wailed and hid her face in her hands when he came out on the field. I think he came out of it alive, I think he was third string and saw very few downs.

So there's the band in full regalia, playing with Mr. Johnson up on the high ladder with the drum line in the middle. Other picture shows the Lassies and Pipers forming a ceremonial greeting with the upraised swords for the Homecoming Court. You can't see Naomi (that 5'0" thing), she's in the front on the right.

I remember Susanna, as a goalkeeper on the soccer team, played behind Adrian, a senior. Adrian was a homecoming princess her senior year and paraded all around the field in the high heels (which she was not accustomed to) Threw out her back, Susanna got some extra playing time.