Representing Blue Valley Northwest, junior Annie Fischer was selected to take part in the 180-member Macy’s Great American Marching Band to perform in the 2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Fischer claims that she is the first representative from Blue Valley Northwest in school history to play in the parade.
Originally, Fischer was going to audition last year and the year before, but by the time she got to look at applications, the deadline had already passed, Fischer said. However, this did not affect her in trying out this year, BVNW Colorguard coach Megan Hennes said.
“She really wanted to do this last year and so I’m so proud of her for sticking with it another year,” Hennes said.
For Fischer’s audition, she had to submit a video of control and basic spins, slams, and another routine that was pulled from her winter guard routine. When Fischer received the acceptance email online, she and her family were excited she was going to represent Kansas in the Colorguard group, Fischer said.
“Getting that email and then, at the bottom, it said, ‘you [are] representing Kansas,’” Fischer said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, [it’s] so much bigger than myself.’”
The rationale behind her seeking to try out in order to be able to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade was because of her love for the sport, Fischer said. Although not a particularly well-known one, Fischer said the sport bodes a massive community and she hopes to meet the other kids participating in the Colorguard from other states.
“It’s huge. I mean, everyone knows [of the] Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, so I’m really excited,” Fischer said.
There are 20 members in the Macy’s Great American Marching Band Colorguard. This small number of accepted applicants makes being selected into the band extremely competitive, Hennes said.
“Probably thousands of applicants put in [an application] across the entire country,” Hennes said. “So, I mean, it’s a very competitive environment and requires a lot of practice and execution to be able to show that you can learn at the speed that they need you to learn in order to be part of a big ensemble.”
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will take place Nov. 26 in New York. Fischer will march with the entire band on a 3-mile route.