Forsyth Central High School’s indoor drumline was named one of the best in the world during a recent trip to Dayton, Ohio.

The 33 members of the drumline, which performs a choreographed indoor show during the winter and spring months, traveled to Dayton for the WGI Indoor Drumline World Championships.

Tom Tucker, Central’s assistant band director, said the group departed at 6 a.m. April 19 for the championship event, in which they competed with some 150 groups from around the world.

He said Central’s drumline performed in the “world class,” the highest level of competition.

“There were only 17 groups in the world class,” he said. “That’s the cream of the crop out of the 150 groups there.”

Central ultimately placed eighth overall with its show titled “Pure Imagination.”

Tucker said Central, Milton High School “and one other group from Tennessee were the only teams from the South” at the competition. Milton, in northern Fulton County, placed 14th.

Tucker said a highlight of the trip came from a group of Dayton firefighters.

He explained that the group’s scheduled rehearsal venue, a Catholic high school, was unable to let it use the gym to rehearse on Saturday due to the school’s prom that night.

“The weather outside was horrible, so we couldn’t rehearse outside,” Tucker said. “A group of our parents looked around and found this fire station.

“They moved out all their trucks and let us rehearse in the station. It was really, really super nice of those guys to do that for us.”

Tucker said this was eighth time Central’s indoor drumline has been invited to participate in the World Championships.

Last year, the group didn’t make it to the final round.

“This year, they set a goal to work hard and make it to that last round and they met they goal,” Tucker said. “I was super proud of them.”