For anyone who has ever been in marching band or had a child in marching band, this is so true. There are so many nights when Christopher comes home from practice too tired to speak. He lives on ibuprofen to even move, he has shin splints from running sideways across a field carrying 50-pounds of drums, and he doesnt care, because practice was amazing. Ive had 12 years of this now--4 as a band student, 8 as a band mom, and it all ends tonight at the final competition. I hope and pray that it lives up to all of their expectations, but regardless of how they place, Im so proud of how hard they have all worked. To anyone who doesnt realize marching band is a sport that enriches lives, you would be mistaken. :) What Marching Band Is Really Like Those horrible, hot days at band camp. • Rehearsing drill until your legs burn. • Doing the show until you are positively sick of the band. • Director saying “Take it back one more time.” • Loading and unloading instruments. • Carrying flags, rifles and props on and off the field with the timing of military offensive, day after day after day. • Ice to relieve bruises on wrists, foreheads, ankles. • Swollen lips. • Doing push-ups. • Standing at attention for five more minutes than you can bear. • Sunburn. • Wanting to sell your soul for five more minutes of sleep. • Flags in the face, rifle in the ribs. • Wanting to give it all up and join the chess club. • Hearing the show music in your sleep. • Hearing the “F” word over and over Focus, Focus, Focus! • Drumming on everything inside. • Tossing anything you can pick up. • Thinking marching band was a stupid way to get out of PE. • Realizing color guard looks a lot easier than it is. • Wondering what happened to your life. • Eating dinner in the car while changing clothes and doing homework. • Lost shoes and mouthpieces. • Learning the fine art of sleeping on the bus. • Blood, sweat, tears and teasing. • Learning you have nearly 300 new brothers and sisters who stick by you through thick and thin. • Knowing you have 600 new parents who will cheer for you, no matter what. • Laughing with others and learning more about your self than you knew. • Thinking the show will never work. • Drumming your hands off and playing your brains out and tossing higher than the sky. • And then, Finally, It all comes together and you have achieved perfection. • A slice of time on the stadium when everyone cheers and your mom cries and pictures get taken and once, just once, you have the world in your hands. • And the band marches out of the stadium and down the parking lot. • Always together, whether it’s success or not, and you know by the feeling in your heart it doesn’t get any better than this. • And you know if your band director asks you to turn around and “Take it back, one more time and give it your all” you would.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 15:47:02 +0000
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