Star Valley High School’s Marching Braves won the 3A State Marching Band Championship trophy at the 2026 Wyoming State Marching Festival on Saturday, October 17 in the Casper Ford Events Center. Earning a Superior rating and 700 points from the judges, the band also walked away with four of the five offered Caption Awards in Music, Marching, Colorguard and Woodwinds.
This is “officially the first marching band state championship for the Braves,” said Kurt Sand, SVHS Band Director, in an interview on the SVI Radio Network Monday morning. Last year, the band finished in second place behind Cody High School with a devastating score difference of only a half point. “We wanted to have no doubt this year, so we worked even harder,” which earned them a “pretty wide margin” with the second place 3A band this year coming in over 60 points behind the Braves. Kelly Walsh, the band that emerged as the 4A victor, was the only other band scoring 700.
Titled “Desert Winds,” this year’s band program offered an Egyptian theme with three movements that were “really fast-paced with lots of energy,” said SVHS Senior Jocelyn Burgess, who serves as this year’s Senior Drum Major. “We had two trumpet solos and three mini snare solos. We had some really cool percussion features and a lot of stuff showcasing the musical talent that we have in the band this year.” Receiving four Caption Awards is a nod to that talent, acknowledging a very high level of excellence in a particular aspect of the performance. The band has earned caption awards in the past, but earning four in one performance has never happened before and is clear evidence of the judges conclusion that SVHS took the floor with solid preparation and strong presentation.
Under the guidance of Sand and his assistant, Lindsay Kallgren, the band is led primarily by students. Sand shared that the band set some “lofty goals” for this year’s effort that included earning a Superior rating, emerging as the 3A State Champions, and establishing themselves as “one of the top bands in all classes.” During the summer band camp in August, Sand “challenged the leadership team and the rest of the band to do something truly special this year. They responded wonderfully!”
Student leaders serve each section in pairs. “One is in charge of the music side of things and the other one is in charge of the marching and visuals,” said Sand. “It’s student leaders that move this band forward. If you look at some other states – Texas, Colorado, even Utah and some Idaho schools – they have a whole staff of adults helping the kids with all the various details of what they do, but that’s not the case here in Star Valley and so we heavily rely on student leadership. It’s so cool to see these kids grow in those leadership assignments and grow as people. That’s even bigger than marching band, for sure.”
Burgess explained the role of the student leadership team in preparing the band for competition at the state level. “We are watching all of the marching, all of the music, we are going through sectionals and we are making sure that everybody feels confident in how they are performing and playing.” Colorguard Captain, Savanna Sloan, shared that “Colorguard is kind of intense.” With the vibrant color and gentle flow of the silk flags, people don’t expect the level of study and skill required to execute the precise art of the colorguard. “We teach everyone from the ground up basically from knowing nothing to being able to spin a championship performance by the end. Every single place you put your hand matters. You have to really know what you are doing – exactly where each finger goes. It’s complicated.”
Trumpet Section Leader Joe McGee is certain that the secret sauce for this win was unity and dedication. “Everyone cared and wanted to do well and it showed. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that does go into it that makes a show that great. One thing that was really important that me and Will [Hinton (Trumpet Section Co-leader)] focused on was building our section as a team, as a unit, cause things don’t work when you are trying to work as seven individuals. It works a lot better when you are working as one large group. I think that we executed that well this year and that was a big part of our fantastic performance at state.”
Watching his students take the floor and compete with such a strong finish is exactly what Sand hoped for. Each year, the band selects a one-word theme for their effort. “We choose a word to shout at the end of nearly every practice or rehearsal,” said Sand. “It usually fits with the theme of the show. This year’s word was ‘Tamam” which is an Arabic word derived from a root meaning whole, complete, or perfect. In everyday conversation—especially across Egyptian, Levantine, and other regional dialects—it is used to express agreement, confirm plans, or say ‘all is well.’ We are definitely feeling whole and complete. All is well. It’s so satisfying to put in that work and achieve something that has never been done before at our school. Proud really doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about this achievement.”
Kallgren shared her feelings with the band on the way home, stating, “Every detail, every movement, every moment reflected the time, effort, and dedication you put into this season. Never underestimate what happens when hard work meets determination and a team comes together with one goal! I hope you realize just how special this season has been and how proud you should be of yourselves. This is what hard work, commitment, and BRAVE PRIDE look like! IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BE A BRAVE!!”
