Since 1996, the Marching Hundred has ended Band Camp Week with a Section Competition as part of the "Saturday Night in the House" performance in the Mellencamp Pavilion. Promoting section spirit and "friendly" section rivalry, the Section Competition quickly became an important and popular Hundred event.
Each season, more and more members of the Hundred bring new and innovative ideas to the Section Competitions. The 1997 Competition, won by the Meltos (mellophones and alto saxes), featured Irish dancing by the winning team, and an appearance of "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" in the Low Brass feature. The 1998 Competition saw the Low Brass incorporate other Big 10 Styles into their winning routine. The 1999 Competition featured Austin Powers in the lead role for the winning Upper Woodwind section. The 2000 Competition featured Jon Landes as Superman, with the trumpet section "winning it all" at the end of the evening (the other three sections tied for 2nd place). The 2001 Competition turned dark as many of the sections decided to mock the recent success of their rivals!
In 2003, the Competition format changed - the "traditional" pairing of sections (piccolo/clarinet, horn/alto sax, etc.) was changed to pairings done by a random draw. In this way, we can hear sousaphones marching with piccolos, and trumpets and clarinets getting along like peas in a pod
The rules are fairly simple: Each section has no more than 3 minutes to perform "The Procedure" - a short routine of marching fundamentals - in any way, shape or form. The judges rate each section on performance ability, execution, and innovation.