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SALT LAKE CITY — When the biggest high school marching band in the state recently lost its main mode of transportation, rival schools put aside any competitive nature for the sake of allowing everyone to participate.
Westlake High School's marching band director Randall Brady posted on Facebook in September that the band's 1994 model semitrailer — "bit the dust." Being the largest band in the state, with 225 players, meant Westlake needed help fast, considering it had a competition that very weekend.
The trailer transports the band's instruments and set props: dozens of snare drums, tenor drums, bass drums, sousaphones, baritones, mellophones, marimbas, vibraphones, xylophones, as well as the band's sound system.
Brady called in a favor when he found out the 8- to 10-inch crack in the trailer's frame would cost more to repair than buying a new trailer.
"(American Fork) and Cedar Valley were really quick to be, like, 'Oh yeah, absolutely. You can use our stuff,'" he said. "It really helped us out that first weekend, which was really cool because we compete with both of them directly."
With the competition season just beginning, the timing of losing the trailer was inconvenient. Brady knew something needed to be done quickly, but still hasn't found any permanent solutions, as a new trailer will cost between $30,000-$50,000.
If Westlake didn't secure a trailer for that weekend, Brady said the school wouldn't have been able to compete — which would have been all the more advantage for their rival marching bands in American Fork and Eagle Mountain. The band put in over 200 hours of summer practice, including eight to 10 hours each week since school started in August.
American Fork High School Band Director Orien Landis said the rivalry is not nearly as important as giving the kids in the band a chance. "We are in this field to support, educate and nurture students to become great adults and we do that through music. ... We love it when other bands do well. We love seeing students have success. We all rise together," Landis said.
After borrowing trailer from other schools, Westlake has been using a donated rental trailer from Salt Lake City-based Pride Transportation based in Salt Lake City. Brady said the band is looking for grants and donations to buy a new trailer, hoping to secure something before the end of the season.
For anyone interested in helping Westlake's marching band find connections and donations to secure a new trailer, email Brady at rbrady@alpinedistrict.org.
