After a two-day WGI (Winter Guard International) Percussion Mid-South Championship in Bowling Green, Kentucky, FHN’s Winter Drumline team was advised by Superintendent Pam Sloan to spend an extra night in Bowling Green  because of the weather.

The Drumline members were notified around 10 a.m. and stayed in a Marriott in Bowling Green March 24, and planned to return home at 9 a.m. on March 25. According to Drumline sponsor Paul Ahlemeyer, he believes that staying an extra night is best for the safety of students.

“It comes down to the students safety and driving back home today would not have been safe,” Ahlemeyer said.

Originally the plan was to only stay night in Bowling Green in a church. The unexpected cost of the hotel will most likely be covered by the District according to Ahlemeyer. Drumline members also went to Wal-Mart after it hailed in Bowling Green to buy anything they’d need for an extra night. None of their equipment was damaged by the hail.

Some Drumline members, such as senior Kristen Griffin and junior Erin Rhomberg are not spending the night in Bowling Green tonight. They opted to instead ride home with Griffin’s mom.

“Her family decided to leave and I thought maybe it wouldn’t that dangerous. I’m glad that I came home early because [the weather] wasn’t as bad as they made it out to seem,”  Rhomberg said.

According to senior Amber Rollins, it was a good decision to stay an extra night. She believes it will give the Drumline members a chance to bond more.

“Usually we don’t get a lot of downtime on the trip, so it’ll be nice to have this time to hang out and be together,” Rollins said.

Overall, Drumline placed 6 out of 12 in the competition. Their score improved by 10 points from the last time they competed.

“It was good because we beat Howell, and that was our goal, but we would’ve wanted something better,” Rollins said.