On Nov. 11, the Sound and Spirit of Columbus marched into the Lucas Oil Stadium. The stadium was designed with marching bands in mind, and the combined bands of Columbus echoed loudly. Ayumu Nakajima’s last year at Columbus North as a piccolo player ended on a high note at their final performance. “In previous years, I’ve always been astonished by the size of the stadium and the jumbotrons. Just the atmosphere made us feel nervous. But it was definitely worth it,” Nakajima said. “Fighting through the anxiety of messing up, the pressure from the field judges; all of that changes to an accomplishment by the end of the day, which kept me in this program for four years.” The combined bands of Columbus marched with confidence as their constant practice paid off at the end of the season. “I don’t know if it is because I wasn’t experienced enough to know the feeling of desperation, but I had faith in this show. Now that the East band joined us, our team has created a stronger impact on the judges and audiences,” Nakajima said. “We’ve gone through strict rehearsals [and] we’ve marched about 15 hours each week.” Katlynn Gibson, a senior at Columbus North, shared similar confidence in her performance. A flutist for the bands for the past few years, Gibson had high expectations for competing. “That stadium always brings out a whole other level of excitement, and once the adrenaline gets going, then all that we have worked on for the past few weeks shines through with ease,” Gibson said. Gibson was excited for the opportunity to show the newly combined band’s hard work in their final performance of the season. “We have a great show, and we have done a lot of work to make it perfect, and Lucas Oil was our last chance to show everyone what the Sound and Spirit of Columbus was truly capable of,” Gibson said.