Rich South band gets royal send-off to London

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Bass drummer Aamir Bowens 17 Mattesothers wear caps embroidered with Lond2012 while performing with Rich South High School marching bduring

Bass drummer Aamir Bowens, 17, of Matteson, and others wear caps embroidered with London 2012 while performing with the Rich South High School marching band during a community send-off event before leaving on a trip to the Olympics in London Tuesday July 24, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Geoffrey Watts 18 RichtPark carries sousaphone while performing with Rich South High School marching bduring community send-off event before leaving

Geoffrey Watts, 18, of Richton Park, carries the sousaphone while performing with the Rich South High School marching band during a community send-off event before leaving on a trip to the Olympics in London Tuesday July 24, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

The Rich South High School marching bperforms during community send-off event before leaving trip Olympics LondTuesday July 24 2012. |

The Rich South High School marching band performs during a community send-off event before leaving on a trip to the Olympics in London Tuesday July 24, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

A crowd cheers takes pictures as Rich South High School marching bperforms during community send-off event before leaving trip Olympics

A crowd cheers and takes pictures as the Rich South High School marching band performs during a community send-off event before leaving on a trip to the Olympics in London Tuesday July 24, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

The Rich South High School marching band performs during a community send-off event before leaving on a trip to the Olympics in London Tuesday July 24, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Director Y.L. Douglas leads Rich South High School marching bduring performance community send-off event before leaving trip Olympics LondTuesday July

Director Y.L. Douglas leads the Rich South High School marching band during a performance at a community send-off event before leaving on a trip to the Olympics in London Tuesday July 24, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Geoffrey Watts 18 RichtPark plays sousaphone while performing with Rich South High School marching bduring community send-off event before leaving

Geoffrey Watts, 18, of Richton Park, plays the sousaphone while performing with the Rich South High School marching band during a community send-off event before leaving on a trip to the Olympics in London Tuesday July 24, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

The Rich South High School marching band performs during a community send-off event before leaving on a trip to the Olympics in London Tuesday July 24, 2012. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Watching 16 of his friends and classmates Tuesday as they prepared for a trip of a lifetime, one couldn’t blame Charles Wilson if he felt a twinge of envy. “It nips me in the butt a little bit, but it’s all about the money situation,” …