Annabelle Bumgardner- Skiatook High School graduate, now at SWOSU
When Annabelle Bumgardner tells people she is extending her band career into college they assume she is a music major. She is actually double majoring in the medical field at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She is pursuing band after graduating from Skiatook High School simply because she enjoys it.
“People can do things they want to do for fun even after high school. I have been told over the years that if I wanted to try something or enjoyed something I needed to do it in high school because I wouldn’t get to do it after I graduated,” she said.
Annabelle plays tuba for the SWOSU marching and concert bands, but it is being a member of drum corps she loves most. The audition process for drum corps is intense. She says it is important for both new and returning members to attend as many camps as possible.
She was a member of Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps during her junior year of high school and will continue playing with Drum Corps International as long as she is eligible. “I can only do drum corps until I am 21. Once I age out of DCI, I will no longer be in band so I can focus on my schooling and start preparing for my future,” said Annabelle.
Drum corps has allowed her to travel all over the country entertaining at various venues. “I have played in big football stadiums. My favorites are the Alamodome in Texas, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana, and AT&T Stadium in Detroit. There are also several big football stadiums that I have enjoyed playing in across the United States, but the big indoor stadiums are my favorite,” she says.
Prelims night at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2021 is her best memory. “I had never been in front of a crowd that big. It felt amazing, the cheer from the crowd was so loud I could feel it in my bones. That feeling overwhelmed me, and I had a few tears of joy roll down my face. I have yet to have a reaction like that since but still love to hear the roar of the crowd,” she says.
Different people inspire Annabelle at different times. In 2021 it was her best friend. They celebrated her first contract to march with the Crossmen. Her contract celebration has varied through the years as different people have encouraged her during the off season.
She wants to thank her parents, Troy and DeEtta Bumgardner, the Crossmen, and college friends for supporting her along the way.
