Super Kid: Tim Abt, Sultan High senior and leader of the band

Q: What is your schedule like?

A: It depends if it's winter, fall or spring. After school I go to music rehearsals from 3 to 5 p.m. Afterwards I have show choir practice from 5 to 6 p.m., and then jazz band practice from 6 to 8 p.m.

Mondays are my busiest day. I always have things to do. If I don't have any activities, I'll be at home doing homework.

The other times of the year are pretty much the same. In the fall, I am the drum major. In the spring I also play varsity soccer. Jazz band and show choir are all year-round.

Q: You have a lot of musical activities. What instrument do you play?

A: I play every single brass instrument. I play the French horn for the choir, and the trumpet in the jazz and pep bands. I also play the trombone. I play different instruments in different bands.

I have been playing since I was in sixth grade. The high school program is totally different. I like it so much because we succeed. There's a lot of excellence in our school programs, and it's also fun. I like to perform whether it's singing in the shower or being the musical lead.

Q: What's your favorite instrument?

A: I like the trumpet. I think it's more of who I am, but I am better at the French horn. I have been selected by Pacific Lutheran University to play in the Northwest High School Honor band for the past two years. It's just a weekend thing where you go, they give you music sheets and you rehearse. It's a bunch of good musicians coming together and making good music.

Q: Do you have a musical influence?

A: My band director, Mrs. Jill Sumpter, because with everything that I have gone through with all my activities, she has taught me that you cannot accept anything less than excellence from myself. That's what driven me to get a 4.0, and to lead the marching band to its highest season ever.

Q: What are your soccer achievements?

A: I made varsity in my freshman year. I came in as a freshman and started playing with the big boys. I became a starter as a sophomore.

Q: Are you planning to continue playing soccer?

A: It's the same as music, I'll always have the skill. If I get a college scholarship, I think I'll give it a shot, but it depends on the circumstances.

Q: What are your career plans?

A: No idea. I have some interests. I want to attend the Naval Academy. Ideally, I want to become a Navy officer and then develop a career out of it.

Q: Do you have any hobbies?

A: My hobbies are school related. You could say my homework is my hobby. There are only two people left in my class with a 4.0 GPA and I'm one of them. It's a big deal. I get frustrated if I get an A-minus. It becomes difficult and challenging, but it's worth it.

Q: What do you read?

A: Instead of reading I write. I'm currently writing a novel. It's pretty personal. I have been working on it for three years, and I have 400 pages. All that I can say is that it's my own version of "Pocahontas."

Q: So then, what do you do on the weekends? What do you do for fun?

A: If I don't have a marching competition or a concert or taking an SAT, I am doing homework. When I have time, I catch up on my sleep. My school activities are my fun things to do.

Q: What is your favorite memory?

A: It has to be marching band. We are judged in different categories for our half-time competitions. Since our freshman year, we always wanted to get 80 out of 100. Getting that means we are in the next category. In (my) sophomore year, we got 78. In junior year, we got 79.95.

As seniors, we wanted to reach that score. As the leader, I wanted to push them to be the best, so that we would know we did our best even if we didn't get it. In five competitions, we got one third place and four first places along with many caption awards (for general effect, music and visual).

The final competition was in Auburn, which is the equivalent of a state championship. We won first place, and we got a score of 84.7. That was the best feeling in the world. We achieved our goals and we exceeded them. I definitely will never forget it.

Alejandro Dominguez: 425-339-3422; adominguez@heraldnet.com.