FORT WORTH, Texas — Kevin Fallon got the call last Friday for an opportunity that he and his students will remember for a very long time.
Fallon, a band director for Boswell High School in Fort Worth, was asked by the Air Force if their band would like to represent for them in Thursday's Armed Forces Bowl at TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium.
"Most of the kids in the room were like, 'Sign me up, I wanna go,'" Fallon said.
And this is not just any football game. It's a bowl game where the Air Force is pitted against the Baylor Bears.
Fallon scrambled to find as many of his students who were not on vacation to play at the bowl game. His band is roughly 200 students strong, but he'll have close to 140 students for Thursday night.
Fallon told WFAA the challenge was learning the Air Force's fight song.
But, as the Thursday got closer, another challenge emerged: the frigid temperatures.
Thursday will be one of the coldest days of the year. Early estimates has it feeling like four degrees during kickoff and subzero at around 9 p.m.
"The first story was this group of kids is going to a bowl game and play on behalf of Air Force. And then this arctic vortex began and then the story became this group of kids are going to freeze their tails off at a bowl game," Fallon laughed.
To combat the cold, Fallon has outfitted the band with plastic mouthpieces and any clothing reinforcements they can find.
Fallon has stressed layers and bundling up and even bringing a blanket if possible.
Thankfully the Air Force is covering two meals for the group and putting the students on charter buses.
"This is something they'll talk about forever," said Fallon.
This is when opportunity outweighs any inconvenience.