The Leigh marching band performed Oct. 11 at the Cupertino Tournament of Bands and Field Show competition. The band received the following awards from the competition: field show, music, marching (tied with Homestead High School) and showmanship sweepstakes. The band also won the following awards in Class I, or larger bands: first place for brass, first place for auxiliary, second place for woodwinds and second place for percussion. Their field show, incorporating more than 180 members, is titled "A Dead Man's Tale" and is based on the movie Pirates of the Caribbean.

The band—which includes Los Gatos residents Rebecca Maiten, a sophomore who plays clarinet; freshman Travis Gary on French horn; Justin Goodsell, a sophomore who plays mellophone; juniors Alisa Ahmadian and Vanessa Hoffman on color guard; and Gina Miano, a sophomore on trombone—swept an Oct. 18 competition at the Del Oro Band Spectacular Field Show competition in Loomis, Calif. The crowd rose for a standing ovation after the performance, and judges awarded the school every field show sweepstakes award, including grand, music, auxiliary, percussion, brass, woodwinds and showmanship sweepstakes, as well as marching and maneuvering sweepstakes (tied with Foothill High School in Pleasanton). They also won the first place award for Class AA, or large bands. The band has two upcoming competitions at the Pacific Grove Band Review Nov. 1 and Napa Band Review Nov. 8.

The Los Gatos Wildcat marching band and color guard entered the field of competition twice this season and placed first in both events.

At Merced's ninth annual Preview of Champions on Oct. 4, Los Gatos was awarded first place in Class A and won the Best Music Caption Award.

They entered the field of competition Oct. 11 at the Cupertino

Tournament of Bands in Class III and again were honored with the first-place trophy for field show. Qualified adjudicators pay special attention to musical execution, show concept, visual and musical flow and difficulty of marching.

The 70-member band rehearses daily and on weekends to prepare for performances at football games, community events and statewide field competitions. Due to recent budget cuts, the high school's marching band and color guard activities are solely supported by student fees and fundraising, which are entirely managed by the Band Boosters, run by parents who support the band.

The band's next two competitions are at Buchanan High School in Clovis Nov. 1 and at Spartan Stadium in San Jose Nov. 8.