Freshmen Sydney Ahmed is the only girl of the Blue Valley drumline.

After starting the drums in the fifth grade, she auditioned for the spot this spring.

Ahmed said it was weird at first being the only girl and often wished there was another so she could relate to another member, but she has become good friends with the boys.“I like that it is a group thing. Band camp was really hard and physically demanding,” Ahmed said.  “But we all went through it together and the sense of being a family is great.”

The Drumline is part of the marching band. Together they compete at four competitions and every home football game. Ahmed said that performing and being the only girl can be a good thing.

“I think that me being the only girl is really just an advantage for me and me only,” Ahmed said. “It is easier to pick me out of the line, and it is easier for me to stand out. That gives me a better opportunity for greater things.”

The team practices every Tuesday and Thursday night for three hours. On top of that, they also have practice every morning starting at 7 a.m. and continue into their first hour.

“It’s a lot, but i think that it is definitely worth it because we get a lot done and we don’t waste time,” said Ahmed. “It shows how much work we have been putting in.”

Ahmed said she is unsure about what her plans involving the band for the future are. She thinks that the demanding hours in high school are enough and said she is unsure if she could handle the commitment of the next level.

“I am definitely going to do it for the rest of high school,” Ahmed said. “But I do not know if i am ready for college.”

Freshmen Josh Olinger and fellow member of the drumline said Ahmed is great to have by his side.

“I don’t really see her as ‘the only girl’,” Olinger said. “She is just as much as a member as the rest of us.”

Olinger said he hopes that Ahmed being the only girl might encourage other girls to try out.

“I think girls and boys have different strengths and weaknesses that apply to everything,” Olinger said. “In fact it really doesn’t depend on gender — every person has something different that they can bring to the team, and diversity is what we want.”