Roosevelt marching band takes home top prize at Pismo Beach competition

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Roosevelt High School marching band is making its mark.

The Rough Riders added a new piece of hardware to their collection of awards.

Band members at Roosevelt High School spend a lot of time perfecting their craft in the classroom.

So they're ready to perform in public.

They learn from Band Director Taylor Ledak.

He's been in charge for 16 years.

"Really, I just want them to enjoy them to music for the rest of their life. That's my primary goal," Ledak said.

He prepares the students for performances and band competitions.

After competing in Selma and failing to take home a top prize, the Rough Riders took notes from the judges and went back to work.

Jason Matson - who plays the tenor saxophone - said they took practice seriously and prepared for their next competition, which was held earlier this month in Pismo Beach.

"Getting up to that point was very hard work, but it was very exciting," Matson said.

Drum major Emily Diaz, who leads the marching band, said she felt confident about their performance.

"We thought we did very good," Diaz said.

But when it came to the awards ceremony, they started to question if they did well enough.

"They were calling all the bands, they were in our division and we didn't place," Diaz said.

But then they found out they didn't place in their division because they won the Team Sweepstakes Award, which named them best overall.

"We're sitting there and then they go -- 'Roosevelt Rough Riders!' and everybody cheered because it was not expected for that sweepstakes award," Matson said.

With the trophy now back at home and perched on the top shelf with all the others, the students aren't slowing down.

They're keeping up the tempo and preparing for what's to come.

"I like to say we're not keeping score, we're doing the best we can, but the kids are keeping score," Ledak joked.

If you'd like to check out the Roosevelt marching band, you can see them at the Fresno Christmas parade on December 2.

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