y joe scotchie
jscotchie@antonmediagroup.com
On Monday afternoon, members of the Roslyn High School Bulldogs made a triumphant return to Roslyn, returning from Syracuse where they captured their first-ever state championship.
On Sunday, the band won the highly sought-after Governor’s Cup at the New York State Field Band Conference at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.
The resounding victory was the culmination of the Marching Bulldogs most successful season in its history. It capped off a string of first-place finishes in previous competitions.
The year began with a stellar performance at the 2015 Roslyn High School homecoming game. But that was just a prelude to the marching band competitions. The Marching Bulldogs became the top-ranked band in the state following award-winning performances in Brentwood, Sachem, Mineola, Copiague and Huntington. Roslyn won both the Copiague and Huntington competitions, while coming in second to Division Avenue at the Sachem show. Following Sachem, the Bulldogs held onto their top ranking by winning the prestigious Mineola Band Show. After conquering Long Island, it was off to upstate New York for the Syracuse competition and the victory in the Governor’s Cup. For years, band members have worked hard to give Roslyn the top marching band in the state. The Marching Bulldogs have long displayed a particular drive and intensity to reach that goal and with the support of coaches, parents and the school district administration, they now stand at the top of the heap. As with any winning team, the head coach, or in this case, the band director, plays the major role in both preparing the band for the top shows and keeping a winning tradition ongoing from one year to the next. Pat Patterson is succeeded admirably and the state title is the culmination of his determination to make the Marching Bulldogs the top high school band in all of New York.
