Drumlines March to Their Own Beat in Final Competition [VIDEO]

ST. CLOUD -- Twenty-nine drumline teams from across the state closed out their season at St. Cloud State University this weekend.

The Minnesota Percussion Association held their annual championship competition in Halenbeck Hall on Saturday night.

MPA President Vlad Boz says all groups registered with the organization are eligible to participate in the finals.

All of the groups that are part of MPA are eligible to compete tonight. Here we’re small enough that we can accommodate everyone and we don’t have to cut anyone from the final show.

Teams from Sauk Rapids High School, Foley High School, and Rocori High School all competed in the event. Boz says one of the earliest drumlines in the state started right here in central Minnesota.

In the late ‘80s, early ‘90s, some groups across the country started to do things kind of closer to what you see in there: on the basketball court, inside, only percussion, no other instruments - woodwinds or brass or anything like that. Rocori High School was actually one of the first ones in the country to do that sort of thing.

Groups were divided into classes based on a variety of factors including instrumentation, school affiliation, and experience level.

In the Percussion Scholastic Regional A Class, Sauk Rapids High School took second, Foley High School took third, and Rocori High School finished tenth.