5 Wyandotte Students Suffer Heat Exhaustion in Indy 500 Parade; Quickly Get Cooled Down and March On

Five students suffered heat exhaustion after marching in the IPL 500 Festival Parade in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday.

The Wyandotte Marching Chiefs are in Indiana for a weekend of performances leading up to the .

"It was a tough parade," said Mark D'Angelo, Roosevelt’s instrumental music director. "The pace was so fast and it was much hotter than we expected, but every one of our students pushed themselves hard and we finished the parade together.”

Onsite medical teams attended to the students in one of the parade's cooling tents, D'Angelo said. After some extra water and ice, all were "healthy and happy," he said.

"Everyone here is doing well, and we are all proud of their superb performance," D'Angelo said. "All the kids were great and very excited about this once-in-a-lifetime experience."

The Roosevelt band was the first group to arrive at 8:45 a.m. Saturday for the parade. After waiting on the bus until 9:30 a.m., band members quickly unloaded their equipment and moved to the parade staging area.

"In every big performance production such as these parades, it is a game of 'hurry up and wait,'" D’Angelo said. “It is important to hurry up in one area to make room for other groups unloading, but then you sit and wait for sometimes over an hour before needing to move quickly again.”

The parade, which officially began at noon, included bands from across the country, floats, enormous parade balloons, celebrities and each of the 33 drivers who will be competing in the Indianapolis 500, along with past heroes of the famous race.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper was the parade grand marshal. Former "American Idol" contestant and country recording artist Kellie Pickler opened the show.

"These kids will remember this experience for the rest of their lives," Roosevelt's assistant band director Benny Wong said.

Back at home, friends and relatives were able to watch the Marching Chiefs make their national television appearance as the parade was aired on the VERSUS cable network.

"For 84 years, this 118-member band has been the springboard for many musicians throughout the state of Michigan and indeed the country," parade co-host Diane Willis said.

The Marching Chiefs performed a medley of Motown classics and marched directly behind vehicles carrying three men who will be racing in the Indianapolis 500. Three-time winner Helio Castroneves will be vying for a fourth win, along with racers John Andretti and E.J. Viso.

After the parade, the students returned to their hotel to shower and relax before heading over to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum for a fun-filled event with other school bands that participated in the parade.

After a long day of marching and partying, the students were greeted with an early morning wake-up call in preparation for Sunday’s 5 a.m. breakfast and 6 a.m. departure for the Indianapolis 500.

"I am amazed at the tenacity of these kids," said Cindy Kinney, a parent of a band student and one of 10 chaperones on the trip. “After doing such a great job in the parade yesterday, we know they’re tired, but excited at the same time.”

The band arrived at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 6:45 a.m. to prepare for the 8 a.m. "Spectacle of Bands" Indianapolis 500 Pageant parade. After their performance, the students will watch the 500-mile race, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

According to weather.com, Indianapolis saw a high temperature of 72 degrees on Saturday, with Sunday's high expected to soar to 88 degrees.