Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Anyone else feel like the season is almost over?

Wait, it is almost over!

I guess now begins that push for finals from all the competing corps out there. It will be interesting to see how tings shake out in the next few weeks. It’s a shame that we don’t really get to see any of this year’s drama unfold first hand. Then again it is good to be removed from all of this drama and be able to go out and perform without any pressure for once.

Even without the pressure though, groups like ours still have a long way to go. Or should I say a long way to grow. The membership that has been there for the entire season has had the full process week in and week out of learning and rehearsing and bonding with one another for the course of the season. Then there are the rest of us that have come in here at the end. For us it is quite different. We are coming into a different situation then we are normally accustomed to. Normally we would have been the one’s that were here all year for the duration of the season.

It’s been different to come back after taking all of those months off. To come back to a newer, a younger Brigadiers, but in my opinion this is something the corps needed, fresh faces and young performers. I look back on my rookie season in drum corps. It went by so fast and I learned so much in such a short amount of time that it seemed like I barely had the time to reflect on anything and that I was struggling just to survive most of the days out here and to perform at night. It was a great experience, rewarding enough to keep me coming back 12 years later…or maybe I am one of those weird people who likes to put myself through endless summers of hell!

Ok all kidding aside there for that last comment! We have so many first year performers out there on the field with us, the question is, are these kids ready for the next level? How do we get them to the next level? What exactly is the next level? Well right now you can see a major difference in the performance level of the vets. So much so that we are starting to really stick out come show time. I think the veteran membership can show the new folks a thing or two at practice rather then turning it up for show time. I know I can be on a whole other planet when it comes show time. I can be reasonably good in practice, but during a show there is that extra that most of us have deep down inside that we throw out there on the line at will.

Veteran members have it, we know how to tap into it, and we know how to use it to our advantage. New membership has the ability to have it and use it, but often times, as I had experienced in the past, have no idea how to bring it out of themselves. I challenge the veteran leadership of the corps, myself included, to bring that out in practice. Bring that level to practice, bring that energy to practice for the next three weeks and see if we can spread the wealth to our new Brigadiers membership. Their potential has yet to be unlocked. Show them the way to unlock that potential, and you will unlock their full talent as well.

Do this for them and you will be rewarded. Your performance level may even increase! We all have room to make ourselves better out there. Pay attention to the little things and all of the big things will lock into place.

Bring it this weekend!

See you on the field!

2 comments:

Christine Hingray said...

BRING IT!!!

Sorry there you just reminded me of this!

We started yelling this in 2002 just for fun... hehe

Shawn C. said...

G...ummm I know your way of going to the next level ;-p

It would be wise to keep that a secret! That is beyond evil!

C...at least you know where I was going with it!

...or for both of you maybe we could use my words from 2004 to motivate them instead! Oh the corruption of young minds has begun!