The Other Side...

Well, I've kind of been avoiding writing this post because it will mean that the drum corps season really is over.  It also means that my drum corps career is also over.  I am officially too old to march in DCI.

This season marching with the 7th Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps was a total rush.  From the very beginning we knew big things were going to happen for us and I was so proud.  I've been with the corps for 5 years, and every year just shows more and more progress.  Every year pushed us in a different way, pushed me in a different way.  This year was no different.

Our show this year was titled 24601-7R.

The 24601 refers to the prisoner Jean Valjean, though the show has no real ties to Les Misérables.  The 7R is simply a referral to the corps name 7th Regiment.  The show itself was "a unique, creative vision that battled with themes of oppression and conformity" (taken from the 7th Regiment Press Release written by Kathleen Schassler). In a recent newsletter, Reporter Ken Mason, Drum Corps World staff, had this to say:

"7th Regiment continues to exceed expectations, not just improving, but doing so at a faster rate than their competition.  This corps uses everything from head to toe in performing visuals.

While not one of the larger units in this contest (21B/14FP/8PP/14G/2DM), their field musicians projected a stronger sound than the groups that preceded them. Brass has been bowling people over all year. The battery plays with a very wide dynamic range, from the stickless hand strokes on the snares in the ballad to the highly exposed -visually and musically- full-arm accents, climaxing drum features."

We competed in Open Class World Finals on August 8, 2012.  We placed 5th out of 14 total corps with a score of 86.35. 

In addition to all of that, it was fun.  I had a wonderful colorguard made up of 14 amazing people.

We had an amazing seven person guard staff (six pictured below) who really pushed us past personal limits, making us better every day.

There were a total of four age-outs this year and I think we can all agree that it was a wonderful year to age out.  The entire corps was a wonderful bunch of people to age out with.  And even though this ends the end of this part of my life, it also allows me to move on and really focus on the things that I really want to do with my upcoming career and additional degrees and so on.

Before every show one of our staff members would gather us around and talk to us a little bit.  Our visual caption head this year, Mark, would always end his speeches by saying "I'll see you on the other side."  Well I've certainly made it to the other side now.  Not only am I not marching anymore but I am actually instructing a local high school marching band here in PA. It's been a while since I was around a marching band and not a drum corps and oh my goodness the differences.  Don't get me wrong, of course I knew the differences but just being there makes the differences extremely prominent, and makes me miss drum corps even more.  Aaand I won't get into it any more than that.  I will instead show you some amazing pictures taken from our show this year by the amazing Ms. Bambi Rowland.  Thank you so much for the amazing pictures Bambi!  They certainly made my age-out year all the more enjoyable.