School: Croatan High School.
Time Spent In Band: Currently in second year of marching.
Time Spent In Guard: Currently in fourth season of guard.
What I Do: Dance, flag, rifle, and sabre.
Me
Kara
Sessie
Julie
Jonathan
Katherine
Lizzie
Melissa
June
April
Sammy
Erin
Gabi
Kalani
Ashley
A/N: I was utterly exhilarated when I found "Marching Band" as one of the miscellaneous categories. I'm in colorguard, but I've been marching long enough to know what goes on in band.
September 22nd
Denville, Virginia
George Washington HS // Parking Lot
"Come on! Again! Get it together you guys… we rehearsed through this just last Thursday!"
Ashleigh's voice is strict and firm as fifteen of us turn so that our backs face our instructor. The feature we had been practicing since band camp is atrocious, and neither Ashleigh nor Mrs. Aldredge are too happy about it. I suddenly feel like I'm being watched by both of them, and I start sweating even more than I already am. This, I didn't know was possible, seeing as how we're rehearsing before our first competition in 80-degree heat.
"Brittany, you have to look up more. The ground isn't going anywhere. You need to perform!"
I nod and get set for the feature one more time. This is a disaster… why can't I get it?
"Five, six… five six seven eight!"
Up, shoulder-hip angle, sauté and angle, cone, down, around, behind the head and sauté, switch both hands, forty-five toss. Oh man… how did it look?
"Gabi!" Mrs. Aldredge's voice speeds from across the parking lot. The fourteen-year-old Asian girl turns and looks with a content expression. "Why do you look different from everyone else? We've gone over this again and again and again and again! Why aren't you getting it?"
Of course, Gabi has no response except a shrug, as usual. Mrs. Aldredge looks like she's about to walk away, but I see her take another look at Gabi, and by the look of the expression that falls over her face, what she's thinking can't be good.
"Do you have gum in your mouth?"
Gabi pauses for a second, then nods. Ashleigh sighs and rubs her forehead, and I see several girls roll their eyes. Mrs. A. immediately blows.
"What are you doing with gum in your mouth? Are you stupid? We don't allow it in school, we don't allow it during class, and we don't allow it during practice! So why do you have gum in your mouth? Go run around this parking lot and get back in your spot! I'm sick of you being so ignorant, Gabi!"
With that, Gabi drops her flag and begins to run. I manage to catch her eyes rolling, just as I've seen them do before time and time again when someone chews her out. I look at whom I basically consider my guard companion, Kara, and mouth, "She just rolled her eyes again!" Kara nods, giving me a look saying, "What else is new?"
Ashleigh begins to clap, and we get set once more.
"Five, six… five six seven eight!"
September 22nd
Denville, Virginia
George Washington HS // In Front of The Gym
"Are you kidding me?"
I gape into my zip-lock bag that I had grabbed to put my makeup in. I thought about bringing my Caboodle, but what was the point of dragging that thing around outside? Julie and June glance over. Julie, who is closer, asks what's wrong.
"All of my makeup melted! Look!" I show her my pencil-pouch-sized container of lipstick, and the insides of it are mixtures of brown and red. Julie's face falls, and I hear June give a sound of sympathy.
"I'll let you borrow some of mine," June says. I nod and sigh. Keep everything you need off the bus… we won't be getting back on until after awards…
I reach for my tiny paper cup of water and drink gratefully. It's hot, I'm sweaty, and now I have to wait even longer to do my makeup. I slide over to the sidewalk where Kara and Lizzie are sitting, doing their own makeup. Without a word, I tap Kara's shoulder and show her the bag of melted makeup. She raises an eyebrow.
"Damn. That sucks. I'll let you use some of mine, okay? Just lemme get Lizzie's done."
"June's letting me use hers."
"Oh, okay. You might want to get it done now, though."
I shrug and reach for my foundation. It's hard to melt foundation, but lovely Mother Earth found a way to do so. I groan and lightly brush two fingers in it, then look in my bag for a mirror, only to realize I forgot to bring one.
"Shit… Lizzie, do you have a mirror I can use?"
She nods and hands me a very small mirror. I mutter some type of thanks and use my left hand to hold up the mirror and my right to apply the foundation to my extremely pale skin. Once I see the freckles disappearing, I lower the makeup and look for my eyeliner. It's not exactly melted, but there's a crack in the very middle of the pencil. Sighing, I lift both the mirror and eyeliner to eye-level.
"Okay you guys, let's go get changed! Grab your uniform bags and hurry up!" Ashleigh led a few of the already-standing girls around the corner to the bathrooms. I gather my scattered makeup and drop it all in my bag. Nathan, one of the clarinet players, walks by with his girlfriend, wrinkling his nose.
"You guys are destroying the ozone layer with that mess!" Kara and I give him playfully irritated looks. Nate's cool and all… but he has a strange sense of humor. Most of it, we've come to notice, is directed at the colorguard.
September 22nd
Denville, Virginia
George Washington HS // Girl's Bathroom
Alex, a sax, and I giggle as we're shoved into a crowded bathroom filled with band and guard girls, trying to get changed without falling over into the walls.
"You guys are so lucky… do you know how hot it is to have our band shirts, overalls, jackets…"
"Yes, Alex. I'm very aware. Do you know how lucky you are to not have to worry about melted makeup?"
Alex sniggered. Apparently, she had already seen it. I roll my eyes and smile as I pull my long, red and black sleeve down my arm. I was still sweating, and it was making it all the harder to get this stupid spandex uniform on. Alex and Katie, a piccolo player, squeal in laughter as I slip on one of my jazz shoes and fall to the ground. I growl and finally pull the edge of my sleeve over my wrist. Stupid spandex…
I finish by slipping my black jazz shoes on and pulling my black gloves over my fingers. I grab my hat and uniform bag and slide out the door. I see to my right several guard girls trying to put their hair up. We have toboggans, red and black, that we have to wear with our hair tucked underneath. I look around for my "hair partners", Katherine and June. Neither of them has their hair done yet, and Katherine is trying to put up April's hair hurriedly. Knowing that I'm on my own, I settle myself behind the girls and attempt to pin my curly, thick hair up by myself. Kayla, Nate's girlfriend and a clarinet player, looks over and sees my struggling. Being a previous winterguard member, she walks over.
"Need help?"
I nod and hold up my hand of bobby pins. She picks out one and begins layering my hair on top of my head. When she's done, I note that it's pretty loose. She takes a step back to see how she did.
"Sorry if I didn't do it how you guys are supposed to have it, but you needed to get it done."
I nod in thanks and begin to pull the very tight hat from behind my head to the front. I do this four times before it's facing the right direction. I see Ashleigh dressed in a small black dress, and sigh.
Known to the entire band (and I'm sure the staff as well), I'm bi-sexual, and my "crush" happens to be my twenty-year-old guard instructor. It pains me to know she's five years older than I am, but I remain loyal to my hopes and thoughts. Since my first year in guard I've known Ashleigh; she had been in the World guard, as I had been in eighth grade. The band season after that hadn't gone well. Amber had been our instructor my eighth grade year, but she had gotten married and left Ashleigh to take care of it. Ashleigh and I hadn't gotten along very well that season, only because I had been trying to hide my feelings for her. Eventually, near the end of the season and the beginning of the winterguard season, she found out somehow, though neither of us has ever spoken a word about it to each other. I knew she knew, though. That winterguard season, I began spinning rifle and learning sabre. She helped me several times, and even helped me in other times of need, such as when our winterguard of eight bought dance clothes, and I was the only one that couldn't because of my family's financial issues. I remember Ashleigh pulling me into Mrs. A's office one day and pulling a bag out that had two shirts and tights that I could wear to practice. Even this year for winterguard tryouts (they decided to make them happen before band season was over), she pulled me into an empty room and gave me $25.00 for my tryout fee. I regret not getting the chance to hug her or even thank her, seeing as how her words were simply, "Here, for the tryout fee. I didn't give it to you." And after that, she'd immediately walked back into the gym. I felt the affection through the rushed transfer, though. Our friendship has grown over these two years, and despite my feelings for her and her relationship with one of the band staff members, Chris, this friendship is stronger than whatever "relationship" I dream of having with her.
Afraid of giving her the compliment I wanted to and her taking it the wrong way, I walk past her and lean against a pillar in front of the doors that led outside. It's still very bright out, and it's nearly half an hour before we perform. We still have to get the poles that need to be placed around the perimeter of our performance. Staff members are taking care of the giant window display that will be set in the middle of the field. I hear Ashleigh behind me telling the other girls to line up. The band was already on their way down the road that led to the school's football field.
September 22nd
Denville, Virginia
George Washington HS // Behind Bleachers
"Music was our first love
And it will be our last
We're climbing to our future
On steps built in the past
The passion that unites us
In performing with one heart
Builds friendships and memories
That never will depart
Each member is our strength
When we give it our best shot
What we give is what we get
So let's give it all we've got!"
The band gives cheers and supportive words to one another as we ready to walk through the fence that leads to the field. I take a deep breath and let it out, grabbing my two flags, one set of two swing flags, one separate swing flag, rifle, flashlight and black pole, and begin heading to the gate. Melissa's grandmother sees me struggling (the whole guard is tired from the long walk down the road from the parking lot to the field) and helps me with my pole.
I hear the announcer's voice overwhelm the excitement of our audience, and my heart begins to beat faster and faster. This is it… our very first performance. This will give the impression of what Croatan's marching band will be this season.
I quickly set my pole and all of my equipment. As I set my last flag, flashlight in my other hand, I turn to see that I'm one of the last ones getting set, as usual. All of my equipment is all over the field, and it's extremely hard to get it set in a certain amount of time without running. I walk quickly to the window prop in the center of the field, and Ashleigh puts a hand on my arm and lifts it again as we pass each other. I climb through the window and stand up straight, looking over my shoulder to the audience. Beth, our drum major, stands with her back facing the audience.
"Beth Lang, drum major, is your band ready?"
Beth turns, salutes, and faces us once more, arms up and ready.
"Croatan High School, you may take the field for competition!"
My heart skips a beat.
"Five, six… five six…!"
The percussion begins. Deep, bellowing beats flash and die before the next one starts. One of our sound effects, a siren, sends chills down my spine. I wait eight counts and lift my leg over the window, going into an attitude jump and rolling.
September 22nd
Denville, Virginia
George Washington HS // On The Field, Fourth Movement
My swing flags go up, down, to the right, around, up again, and harshly down for the last time. Applause rings through the air, and I get the familiar chills I'd been waiting for all summer. I see Beth start to climb down the stand, and I rush to grab all the flags I can, plus my pole. I pant heavily and stumble a little, as I try not to trip over the many silks falling over my arms. Mr. A. sees me falling behind everyone else and walks over.
"Got everything?"
I nod and say, "I think so." He takes my pole. I thank him quietly and try to catch up to the rest of the band.
We finally reach behind the bleachers again, and I drop my flags and put my hands on my hips, trying to catch my breath. I see Lizzie crying. Poor thing… it's her first year in guard, and she's probably disappointed with herself. I sit on the ground, legs in front of me with my knees pulled up only a little. I trace the guard with my eyes and find Ashleigh. She's talking to Mary, Lizzie's little sister. Mary has only been in the middle school winterguard for a season. She travels to all the band trips, and you can usually find her at practices too, whether it be just watching or working the dr. beat.
I stare at Ashleigh for a moment, and all of my discomfort melts away. The guard looked messy and tired after a long performance. But she looks beautiful. Her eyes meet mine, and I feel myself blush through the heat and sweat that's already taking over my face. A band parent walks up to me and gives me a cup of water, which I drink slowly. Once I regain my stamina (for the most part), I help roll up flags. I'm still extremely tired, so I only roll up a few, seeing as how I'm doing so very slowly.
We walk back to the parking lot, guard with poles. As we get closer, I feel my exhaustion start to disappear. I laugh as Kara and I nearly run into each other with our poles, and laugh even harder as Kalani rolls hers over the side of the road.
We get to the buses, and everyone is excited and talking. How well did we do? Were we supposed to be on the 35 or the 40? Did the music sound like it was supposed to? Did the quads look firm?
I walk to the equipment truck and grab my uniform bag. The girls wait until the guys come out, then we get changed.
It's really dark in the truck, so June asks one of the band parents to open it up a little bit for light. I look into my uniform bag and groan; I have no shorts to put on.
"It's too hot to wear these," I growl as I start to put on my jeans. I look over at Alex, who's putting her jacket on her hanger. "Hey… do you have a pair of shorts I can wear for tonight? I'll wash'm and everything by Monday…"
Alex nods and reaches into her bag.
"Just make sure I get them back, okay?"
I grin and nod in thanks.
September 22nd
Denville, Virginia
George Washington HS // Next To The Bleachers, Awards
"In class A1, first in percussion, Croatan High School!"
I cheer along with Pam and Michael on a hill beside the bleachers. Pam is in percussion, and Michael is a sax. I laugh as Pam acts entirely hyper with Michael. I pick up my Chick-Fil-A sandwich, followed by Sprite. Heaven.
I turn to Pam. "Great job! But you know it was just us and another school. It's not like BOA, you know." Pam sticks her tongue out at me and I laugh.
After all classes, I hear the announcement for colorguard and shush Pam and Michael. We hold our pinkies together, like we do for all awards, and wait to listen.
"In class A1, first in colorguard, Croatan High School!"
I squeal. Pam hugs me and I laugh.
"Why do you get so excited about the other sections, Pam?" She gives me a fake hurt look.
"I'm happy for you guys. Don't hate."
I spit out the Sprite that's in my mouth and laugh. Hard. Michael chuckles, and Pam looks proud of her unintended joke.
Awards are finally over, and I'm looking forward to going home. It's been a very long day. Pam and I walk over to the extremely steep hill that leads up to the road linked to the parking lot. I look at Pam and nod at the hill before us. She grins in understanding, and we run as fast as we can up the hill, laughing as hard as possible. Once we reach the top, we look behind us to see Michael struggling. Laughing even harder, Pam and I help him up. The three of us link arms and start walking to the buses. I look behind me and find Ashleigh and Chris walking behind us. Though it's dark, I smile at her, and she smiles back. I think.
Though my smile doesn't falter, my heart gives way when I see their hands. They're holding them together. I turn back around and nudge Pam. She looks over her shoulder and looks back and me, putting her head on my shoulder in sympathy.
September 22nd
Denville, Virginia
George Washington HS // On The Bus
I sit in a different seat, groaning. On the way here, I had managed to sit near the front, and what's more, I'd managed to sit in a seat right next to Ashleigh. Now, the girls had to sit in the back, and the boys had to sit up front. Staff remained up front.
I sigh and lean slightly against the huge window next to me. Ashleigh and Chris were sitting together. Earlier, they were leaning on each other. Now, they were sleeping.
Lizzie calls my name from a couple seats back. I lift myself and turn.
"Are you sitting with anyone?" She calls. I shake my head. "Can I sit with you?" I look to her left to see her mom settling someone else and understand instantly. I nod and move my bag to the floor, opening it as I do and reaching for my iPod.
As Lizzie sits down, I lean on the window again. The bus starts to move, and I watch the other bus start to move behind us. I look down and see Cary High School waving goodbye to us. I want to wave back, but what's the point? I'm not in the mood, and it's too dark anyway.
I flick the "hold" button over on my iPod and gently slide my finger on the white circle. I find my favorite song, Every Heart by BoA, and play the Japanese version. As I listen, I look at the black sky and the dazzling stars. Virginia has many open spaces, so no trees or buildings disturb my gaze. I feel tired after a while, so I turn my iPod off. Good thing, too, because I fall asleep.
September 23rd
Newport, North Carolina
Croatan High School // Parking Lot
It's three in the morning.
I look around for my dad and see him walking down the sidewalk to the buses. I walk to him, and without a word to anyone else, I climb in the car and try to stay awake as I go home.
And so ends the adventure of Croatan High School's first competition for the marching band season of 2007.
I didn't discover the Marching Band category until a week after this competition, so the two following practices shall be omitted.
However, I plan to "journal" each band/guard-related activity that happens.
Thanks for reading!
Oh, and please pray for me. Our band director and Ashleigh will be telling us who made World Guard very soon. The tryouts had to be split into two dates for those who couldn't make it to the first one, so we won't find out until after these tryouts take place. Ashleigh is going to be on the World Guard, so I hope I finally get the chance to spin with her for a season!