It's no secret at all that we (the Bushwackers) did not fare well two weekends ago in Bridgeport, CT. We scored a 71.963. That's 8.712 points out of 1st place. I won't lie and say that we felt great about it. We didn't. In fact, we were quite upset. It's not easy to go from 3rd in the world with a couple of caption awards to put on the mantle all the way to "not a very good drum corps" over night.
The fact is it wasn't over night. This winter was VERY rough for this drum corps...for many reasons. There was the move to Franklin which resulted in no new members and a community that didn't want all the noise. There was the usual revolving door of members that plagues nearly every senior corps. The fact is that we stuck with it. When things get rough, this drum corps typically keeps pushing.
We very easily could have folded at least twice since I've been with the corps. In 1997 we were in championship form early in the year. We marched finals with our biggest horn line ever, but in-fighting, design issues, and other problems stunted our progress...and we finished 5th. Following that season there was a mass exodus of members, and we were left with 5-10 members showing up to winter camps for the 1998 year. Money issues, truck issues, membership issues, staff issues...we easily could have folded. We went to Bridgeport that year with 19 total brass. We sucked, but we were there. Instead of packing it in, we worked our asses off...knowing we didn't have a shot at top 5.
In 2000 we placed last at the DCA championships in Syracuse. That entire weekend is my worst "moment" in my 12 years in the organization. We could have easily folded after that night. Nearly the entire staff quit after the show. Instead, we put together a new, re-tooled team, came out with a more positive approach to programming and instruction, and we took our 31 total brass players, small drum line, and good color guard to a 5th place finish in 2001.
Hard work. Tenacity. Dedication. Commitment.
These are words that describe the Bushwackers and its members.
So, following that abysmal start to the season in Bridgeport, we could have easily mailed in the rest of the season figuring we weren't contenders. I was interested to see what drum corps showed up last weekend for our "camp weekend" with no competition. We worked hard through the heat and humidity and made the show better. We just put our nose to the grindstone and went for it. We improved from Bridgeport, but that seemed of little consolation to us. Improving a little each weekend just wasn't enough for us.
So, we show up Saturday morning to prepare for the Clifton show, and thing started clicking. The show didn't seem frantic...it seemed more comfortable. Drill sets and musical phrases that had been muddy or completely unreadable were clean-ish. Members were more comfortable with their individual responsibilities within forms, within the sound, and within the overall landscape of the show. Rehearsal etiquette was the best it had ever been, and it seemed as though this was a corps that believed in itself and in its show. Why? They had no reason to believe when our only evaluation of the year to date had been so negative.
With a great rehearsal day under our belts we traveled to Clifton to see how our show would fare. The vibe was positive and the members were excited to get under the lights and make the crowd (which has NEVER been Bushwacker friendly...EVER) stand up. Scores seemed inconsequential...we wanted, more than anything, the satisfaction of seeing marked improvement in our performance. We wanted to take it to the next level, and if we received validation in the form of scores...that's great, but it was more important to experience a solid performance in which everyone clicked and injected themselves into the show.
That's what we got. Were we clean. NO! Hell no. We have a long way to go, but we know that. We take this thing one weekend at a time, and will continue to. We were, however, MUCH better than in Bridgeport. The show made more sense. The members were comfortable, and therefore let lose a little bit. We performed. The crowd stood up for us numerous times. It was a performance to remember, and the members were PROUD and very satisfied with how everything went.
Many members opted to not even come into the stadium for awards. They were uninterested in hearing the scores, because they didn't want it to negatively impact their view on how the night went. They received so much validation from themselves and each other that they could have cared less what the judges had to say. I admire them for that. I, of course, had to go to awards...because I had to accept them. :)
Long story short, too late, we came in 3rd, but with an 80.588. That's a jump of 8.625 in one show. Unbelievable. Even more unbelievable...we closed the gap between us and the first place team to 3.1. Yes...we went from 8.712 points away from that team to 3.1. We made up 5.612 points...that's 64.42% of the total deficit.
Can you tell that I'm a data analyst for a living? lol GEEK ALERT!
Anyway, we're a corps on fire right now. Sunday was a great rehearsal day. We spent over an hour cleaning the opener. We changed part of said opener to be shorter and have better continuity with the rest of the program. Everything is coming together...we are now back in the game...CONTENDERS...and we intend to stay there.
As I said in an earlier blog (after the Bridgeport show)...images in your rear view mirror are closer than they appear.
Onward.
Officer auditions at Archbishop Ryan have concluded, and we have named our officers. There are some very excited and some very disappointed students right now...but that's part of how it goes. I explained to all of them that it's the staff's job to put the right people in the right positions for this band at this time. It's not a contest. That's cold comfort to a kid who has always dreamed of being drum major and is now a senior clarinet player. I understand that and I sympathize with them. But, we have to do what is best for the band...and we believe that our choices for our officer positions will best suit our organization.
We at Ryan place a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of our officers and upper classmen. We firmly believe that strong student leadership builds a great program that has sustainable success over the long term. It hasn't always been that way there, but it is now...and we'll see how it goes. It worked last year, jumping from 14th to 2nd overall in one year. Let's see what it can do for us this year.
Kids can handle a lot more responsibility and pressure than many people in our society believe. In fact, I've found that they want the responsibility. They want to be held accountable. They want OWNERSHIP in what they are doing...even if they don't realize it at first. In a system like this, they are more than just cogs in the machine...they own the product. It brings a great deal of pride to our kids and the organization as a whole when they believe in what they are doing because it is a direct reflection of themselves and their hard work.
I'm very proud of all of my students, and I'm looking forward to getting into some of the Rite of Spring and Firebird this year.
Back to drum corps...
The Bushwackers travel to Lewisburg, PA this coming weekend. I'm really interested to see how the corps responds to a good drum corps crowd and a nice Astroturf field....plus a long bus trip and shortened rehearsal day. I believe in this corps and these members. I honestly believe that we turned a major corner this weekend. I wrote before that we're becoming fighters...well, not only are we fighting...we're succeeding and we believe in ourselves and each other. We're become a drum corps, and ceasing to be a group of individuals. Our TEAM is starting to take shape...and when you have a group with heart, talent, and fire in their belly that believes in themselves and their ability to overcome all odds...you better watch your back.
We have our collective eye on the prize. An aggressive and relentless drum corps has emerged from the ashes of Bridgeport, CT. I'm looking forward to seeing what it can do against the rest of the big boys in Lewisburg this weekend.
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5 comments:
Again, again, and then again...this drum corps never ceases to amaze me. Bridgeport was a mess - an absolute mess. Two weeks later (after lots of sweat, persistence, and toughness), the Bushwackers are back. When other groups may have folded their tents and gone home, the Bushwackers grit their teeth, firm up the jaws, and hit it again.
That's what makes this group so difficult to leave.
It also takes a unique person to be a Bushwacker. As we've discovered over the years, we aren't for everyone.
It takes tenacity and lots of faith. Members had to "see past" this winter, continue to work hard, continue to recruit, and disregard low attendance figures.
And they did!!
Well said.
The thing is, this winter was on par with just about every other winter we've ever had. Is it ideal? HELL NO! We'd prefer for things to go smoothly and to have a full drum corps in December...but if it ever happened, I think I'd be scared that the end of the world was at hand. :)
We're fighters. It's part of our identity. We program hard shows because we believe enough in our staff and members that we know it will be good. We don't write shows full of whole notes, slow tripplet rolls, and easy guard work. We challenge our members, and then we train them to be able to perform things they never thought possible.
...then we start knocking other corps off. That's why I've said in at least two posts now that it's unwise to count out the Bushwackers. Do so at your own risk.
you forgot to mention that the colorguard went from being 4th in bridgeport to 1st in clifton. :) don't want to take any focus away from the corps as a whole, but it was really exciting to have that completely unexpected honor come to reality.
it's that kind of hard work and dedication that makes the bushwackers who we are...it was amazing to be out on that field saturday night and feel each section feeding off each other's energy and performing even better as the show went on. i can't wait to keep attacking this show at rehearsal and ruining some more people's summers. :)
Yeah, I didn't forget as much as I wanted to keep the focus on the corps as a whole. Caption awards are nice, but really...the success of the entire drum corps is what matters...otherwise just do indoor guard/drum line/jazz band/whatever.
I know you understand that, but that's the position I've always had as a drum major. I don't care much for special awards, including (if not especially) high drum major awards.
This, of course, is not to diminish the achievement of our color guard or any other sections for that matter...because with the increased success of that group, our ensemble visual and GE numbers all go up, and THAT is what we need to keep happening.
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