Greenwood High School students practice Friday for the upcoming indoor drumline show at the school. (Bac Totrong/photo@bgdailynews.com)

The students held their percussion instruments, ready to strike them at just the right moment at Greenwood High School.

The sounds of various types of drums during a recent practice could be heard in one room while other percussion instruments were located down the hall.

Alex Hall, director of the indoor drumline, stood taking it all in.

The students were preparing for “Winter in the Swamp,” a contest that will feature indoor drumlines from Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. The contest is from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Greenwood High School, 5065 Scottsville Road. Admission is $8.

There are 22 acts this year, but there have been as many as 87, causing it to be a two-day show. Judges look at consistency, clean lines and how they play, Hall said.

“This is our home show that we’re sponsoring. We’re trying to get as many people as we can,” he said. “We’re happy with the 22 we got.”

Greenwood’s drumline started in 2007, but this is only Hall’s third year. There are 29 students in the group.

“We’ve had (the show) on and off since 2010,” he said.

A drumline is different from a marching band, Hall said.

“You take away anything that has to do with air and take away the color guard. Instead of being on a football field, we move in the gym,” he said. “We have a show concept every year. You have to tell a story.

“Our uniforms are different,” he said. “We get a little closer to the audience. The kids like that and I do, too.”

The crowds like it as well, as the event draws 500 to 800 people each year, Hall said.

“It’s a pretty significant crowd since there are parents and band boosters,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun when there’s a lot of people watching you.”

Kirstin Wolgast, an 18-year-old Greenwood senior who plays cymbals, joined the drumline this school year.

“I wanted to try something new,” she said. “I wanted to experience something different.”

Playing cymbals isn’t as easy as it looks, Wolgast said.

“It’s really hard, but I like it. You have to control it more than you think,” she said. “I play saxophone and clarinet and march saxophone for the marching band.”

There’s a lot more to drumline than the performance, Wolgast said.

“We get to act, dance and express what we want to convey,” she said.

Her love of the cymbals is making her think of a possible future with them. “I’m thinking of auditioning for (the University of Louisville’s) cymbal line,” she said.

Oscar Skean, a 17-year-old Greenwood senior, has played with the drumline all through high school. He plays tenor drums.

“I played bass drum my freshman and sophomore years and switched to tenor drums my junior year,” he said.

Participating in the drumline has been good for him.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie among the people. I’ve made so many friends,” he said. “I’ve grown as a person through this experience.”

Austin McClain, a 17-year-old Greenwood senior, plays the center snare drum, meaning he’s in charge when the director is busy.

“They put me in charge of everything to make sure things run smoothly,” he said.

McClain first saw Greenwood’s drumline with Skean when he was in the eighth grade.

“I went to that with Oscar, and it was awesome,” he said. “I’ve been playing snare all four years.”

All of McClain’s friends have come through the drumline, McClain said.

“I’ve made tons and tons of friends, even those who tried out and didn’t make it,” he said. “It’s basically what I do as a hobby. It’s a lot of fun.”

Greenwood drumline’s theme for this year is “Unhinged.”

“It’s insanity. It’s intense,” Wolgast said. “We’re all over the place.”

“We want to scare people,” McClain said. “We want them to say, ‘Oh wow!’ “

Playing with the drumline takes commitment, McClain said.

“I’m performing. I’m marching. I’m listening. It means moving at a faster pace,” he said. “We’re always throwing new things out at you. It’s hard to break bad habits later on. You have to remember a lot more with indoor.”

All the hard work is worth it.

“There’s nothing more satisfying than walking off the floor and knowing you did really well,” McClain said. “It’s an awesome feeling.”

— Follow features reporter Alyssa Harvey on Twitter at twitter.com/bgdnfeatures or visit bgdailynews.com.