Drum Corps Withdrawal

My least favorite time of year has arrived once again.  It's that quiet transition period between the end of the drum corps season and the start of autumn activities.  

Throughout summer, the excitement of drum corps always occupies an important part of my morning routine.  I start my day by checking DCI scores from the night before and reading discussion forums - before bothering with any "real" news stories.  On weekends, I spend even more time streaming my favorite performances from the latest regional competitions.
  
After finals week in mid-August, it takes a while for withdrawal symptoms to set in because I continue reading the season recaps and watching the countless videos that appear on youtube and the DCI fan network.  For non-drum corps people, this would be the equivalent of reflecting on a great party at brunch the next morning...  

It's always fun to re-live the excitement of finals - not only as a former performer but also as a fan.  The shows are so filled with nuances that I seem to notice something new every time I watch them.  One of my all-time favorite endings is the 2008 Phantom Regiment:  

A recent show that has catapulted to my personal top-10 list is the 2012 Carolina Crown.  This show reminds me of the physical demands of drum corps and the famous "drum corps body" that members get to show off when they return home from tour.  I don't think people realize just how difficult it is to run around the field with perfect technique, while blowing a focused stream of air into an instrument and producing a nice sound.  In my opinion, 2012 Carolina Crown were masters of making a difficult show look easy: 

One of the best memories from tour is the mini-celebrity status we achieve wherever we go.  From the small crowds in the stands while we rehearse to the fans that watch our show warm-ups, it's always fun to have an audience.  Here's a clip from a Phantom Regiment brass warm-up.  It brings me right back to the days of being part of this glorious horn arc:  

Once I have had my fill of video clips like these, I start to realize that I will have to wait another nine months for the next season to begin.  I suppose every sport goes through an off-season, but nine months feels like an eternity.  

I'm sure I wouldn't miss drum corps so much if there were other things to keep my attention, but late-August is generally just a dull period.  The summer weather is coming to an end, college football season is yet to begin, and we still have a few more weeks to wait until television premiers.  

This year is different for me because of the global travel.  Being in India throughout the month of September will prevent me from experiencing the crisp fall weather, pumpkin-flavored everything, and college game-day energy on Saturday mornings.  

On the bright side, I get to work with a team of Americans in a couple weeks and I'm sure at least one of them will be discussing college football.  Also, Hulu will be perfect for discovering all the new tv shows.  Now, if I could only get a pumpkin muffin from Starbucks...

Drum Corps Finals in Indianapolis

Qatar Airways agent: "Would you like me to check your bag through to...um...IND? ...where is IND? India?"

hahaha

No, that would be Indianapolis.  It's a small city in the middle of the United States.   

After almost four months of globe-trotting, I am finally returning to the United States...and I couldn't be more excited.  Who cares if no one in the entire country of Qatar has heard of my final destination.  The only thing I cared about was being back to see some old friends and watch some live drum corps for the final show of the season.  

I was still a little buzzed from dinner when I passed through security and I was more-than a little paranoid that I would be arrested for public intoxication.  In reality, I don't think my two drinks over the course of the entire night would be enough to get me into any trouble, but I was also exhausted because my flight wasn't even scheduled to depart until 2:30AM.  

These overnight flights are killer because they mess up my sleep pattern even more, but I didn't have many options if I wanted any chance of arriving in Indianapolis for Saturday's show.  

The first flight to Rome was uneventful and, of course, I didn't sleep at all.  Movies on a tiny screen are just too enticing.  

I then connected on an American Airlines flight to JFK, which was delayed for unknown reasons.  For the first time in a while, I was hearing familiar accents all around me and it was glorious.  

There were several factors that made my flight annoying.  Generally speaking, American Airlines is completely sub-par to all other international carriers.  The flight attendants are all rude and ugly, no personal entertainment systems, and food that is completely inedible.  When I declined both meals they served, the flight attendant actually asked: "Are you on a diet, honey?"  I responded honestly that I am actually quite hungry, but I simply can not eat the food they are serving.   Frozen pizza on a flight from Italy??  Seriously?? Shame on you, American Airlines. 

The woman next to me was really annoying and she took up part of my seat, which just added to my aggravation.  Her only redeeming quality was when she spit out the coffee and exclaimed: "What am I drinking?? This cannot be coffee!!"  Oh, America...

By the time we arrived in New York, our flight was delayed just long enough for me to barely miss my connection.  My annoying seat partner also missed her connection and she was uber stressed about it throughout the entire flight.  The silver lining is that American re-booked me on a Delta flight later that evening. 

In retrospect, I actually needed the extra layover time so that I could get some urgent work accomplished.  I don't recommend working after being awake for more than 30 hours, but I didn't have much of an option.  I frantically secured some flights and visas for the next round of business travel.  The flights were not much of a problem, but the requirements of the Indian visa application were stressing me out. 

Finally, after another flight delay (I hate New York airports), I boarded my flight to Indianapolis.  As soon as the plane was about to take off, I started feeling faint and then I realized that I had forgotten to eat in the airport.  Once we were in the air, I felt like I was about to vomit and I just anxiously awaited the flight attendant to bring something to ease the hunger pains.  Unfortunately, the remainder of the flight was just as bad.  My apologies to the people in the last row, adjacent to the toilet.  I could not arrive in Indianapolis fast enough. 

I felt like death by the time I arrived at my hotel - probably a combination of stress, lack of food, and lack of sleep.  By this point, it was almost midnight, so I decided to just inhale a chocolate bar and get to sleep. 

Saturday morning, I felt marginally better and started my day with a breakfast sandwich from Subway that tasted like heaven.  I then rushed to prepare the remaining documents for my visa application and sent everything to New York for processing.  

By 10am, it was FINALLY time to start my vacation.  

A couple friends met me at the lobby of the hotel and we caught up with some stories and a lot of laughter.  Apparently, people were talking about me at the bars the night before and popular opinion is that I am in the CIA!  

We then decided to walk over to Lucas Oil Stadium so I could get tickets for DCI Championships.  No good seats were available.  Bad for me, good for drum corps.  Still, I was excited just to be there.  Even though I have never lived in Indianapolis, I felt like I was at home.  

I was so excited to see Silver Jewel again!

The afternoon consisted of lunch at Rock Bottom (where we became BFF's with the waiter), souvenir shopping at the DCI festival marketplace, and a little corsage-making at a nearby hotel for all the Boston Crusaders age-outs.  Just being around drum corps people was making me happy.  

We're such crafty florists!

The show was SO GOOD and I was totally psyched to be able to see some live drum corps for the first time all summer, even though I was falling asleep by the end.  

Here's my brief recap on the 2013 Top-12:
- Blue Stars and Spirit - Didn't see them because I was too busy watching Crusaders brass warm-ups with Kristen.  I'm pretty sure I didn't miss anything too exciting. 
- Blue Knights - Good show for their standards, but a little too "Bands of America" for me.  What's with the giant ball they kept pushing around the field?  
- Madison Scouts - My favorite Madison show since 2003.  Awesome emotion and accessible music.  Bravo. 
- Boston Crusaders - As an alumnus, I always support what they're doing.  Early in the season, I thought the show felt disjointed.  By finals, it was my favorite show on the field.  Bravo, Boston!

I will rise!  (In my opinion, the best moment on the field in 2013)

- Cavaliers - Big step up from last year but still missing the magic from their championship years in the early 2000's.  I love the secret society theme for the all-male corps.  
- Phantom Regiment - Also, as an alumnus, I am always a huge supporter of their sophisticated style.  No one has the mystique of Regiment and everything was performed well, but I just feel like the show needed more "wow" moments. 
- Bluecoats - Good show from them and nice twist on a patriotic theme.  
- Santa Clara Vanguard - Best SCV show since Scheherazade.  Brass arrangements were stellar (nice job JD Shaw), and every section was strong.  If it only had a little more demand, they would be competing for the championship. 
- Cadets - The corps is so precise but their props are a mess.  Get it together, Cadets!  Those boxes cost you a shot at winning. 
- Blue Devils - Snore.  I can never get into BD.  This year was no exception.  They have some innovative ideas but their show felt like it lasted for an hour. 
- Carolina Crown - New. Fresh. Interesting.  Brass and guard were particularly amazing.  Well-deserved win and I'm so excited I was there to witness the first new DCI champion since 1996!

All the corps lined up for scores

Once the scores were announced, I literally could not keep my eyes open any longer.  I really wanted to hang out with my friends after the show until 4am like last year, but I needed to catch some z's.  

The next morning, I was forced to set an alarm for myself because I somehow thought it would be fun to run 2 races...on the morning after finals...one day after flying for 28 hours from Qatar.  

With less than 12 hours of sleep in 3 nights and still feeling a little queasy from my freak illness, I braced myself for the worst.  

The first leg of the race was a 10k.  I struggled a lot, but I still managed to finish in 9th place overall.  Then, there was an hour-long break.  Then, a 5k.  My body was not amused.  I finished with my slowest 5k time ever, but still somehow managed to place 10th overall.  With a combined time from both races, I earned another medal for finishing 2nd in my age group! 

After the awards ceremony, I rushed back to my hotel. Quick packing. Lunch. Back to the airport. My seat partner on this flight was a member of Carolina Crown percussion.  Sweet!  We became friends and talked about drum corps throughout the entire flight.

I landed in Boston, completely satisfied with my decision to take the detour to Indianapolis.  It was far too short of a trip, but I maxed it out and was so happy to be there for finals.  It also felt good to race again, even though my times were not so hot.  My life sometimes feels like a whirlwind, but I like to live without regrets.