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One truck breakdown should not be the last chapter of their season
5,000 Miles. 4,000 Hours. One Broken-Down Truck.
A message from the Glencoe High School Winter Percussion family
It started at 3:30 in the morning.
Twenty-five teenagers — some still half asleep, others buzzing with nervous energy — gathered at the airport in the dark, saying quiet goodbyes to their parents before boarding a flight to Dayton, Ohio. They were heading to the WGI World Championships. For most of them, the biggest moment of their lives.
What they didn't know yet was that their equipment — every drum, every piece of pit gear, every carefully packed instrument — was sitting dead on the side of a highway in Granger, Wyoming. Population: not much.
These 25 kids have given everything to this season.
Between them, they carry 65 combined years of music experience and 51 years of percussion — knowledge passed down from older students, built up through early mornings, late nights, and a relentless standard of excellence. This season alone, they logged more than 4,000 hours of practice — as a group. Not counting the hours they went home and kept working on their own.
They are currently ranked 23rd in the world.
And they were ready.
Friday evening, the team packed their 26-foot box truck with the precision you'd expect from kids who count every beat. There was a moment — you probably know the feeling if your kid has ever described it — where it all clicked into place. The last case latched. The truck door rolled shut. Someone probably said "we got this."
They did get it. All of it fit.
Then Sunday afternoon, somewhere east of Salt Lake City, the truck stopped moving.
A DEF system malfunction. A repair shop in the middle of Wyoming. The earliest possible fix: Wednesday. Their performance: Thursday at 5:30pm in Dayton.
The math doesn't work.
Here's what we're asking.
To get back on the road— fast — we’ve flown an additional driver to Wyoming, hoping to cover the remaining 1500 miles — 24 hours– to Dayton, Ohio in time for these kids to compete. The cost: truck repairs, last minute flights & changes, extra hotel rooms totaling a few thousand dollars — in reality priceless.
This isn't about a trophy. It's about 25 young people who earned their place on that floor. Who showed up at 3:30am for this. Who have given 4,000 hours of their youth to something that has genuinely changed who they are.
One truck breakdown should not be the last chapter of their season.
If you've ever watched one of these kids perform and felt something — that inexplicable feeling when young people create something that stops you in your tracks — then you already know why we're asking. And you already know these kids deserve to take that floor in Dayton.
Every dollar gets them closer to that moment.
On behalf of the Glencoe Winter Percussion students, coaches, and families — thank you for believing in them.
As a 501(c)3 nonprofit group, we rely on the support of sponsors like you to cover funding gaps like we are facing this winter. Approximately 20% of our students face financial hardships, from Intel layoffs to family medical expenses. 100% of funds raised will provide scholarships for these students and your donation is fully tax deductible.