Super Tuesday

Its been a while since I've posted here. I want to more and will
things are settleing in and I will be able to.

3 great things happened today.
In order of appearance:

First Ms. M said that she "never used to talk to anyone, until [she]
joined Colorguard. [she's] opened up." (or something to that affect)

I had a feeling about her. Seems I was right. She's almost a natural.
Just needed some confidence. Go you.

Second, Ms. D's mom came in and said that D is coming home at night
and doing her homework. She's motivated to keep her grades up to stay
on guard. And mom appeaciates it!!! "It's good to see her...blah blah
blah", etc.

It was nice to hear that we are motivating.

And last I got an email from one of my (favorite) alumni about her
first day of ballet class.
She said that what we've done in guard helped her understand what they
did in class and she thanked me for teaching her the skills.

What makes that even MORE fun is that I had just said in class (that
day) that I want them to be able to take what we do and apply it in
any other situation they might run into (joining other guards, teams,
classes etc).

Today was a good day. (I didn't even have to use my AK)

...and scene!

This is the finish to a chapter.

Officially.

I've tried to not bring up "the past" as much lately. Now it's done.

Happy Graduation!

My Captains

Thinking back on past teams, I don't think I have ever felt as
confident in a group of leaders as I do with my current captains.
Just the way I refer to them, "my captains", says a lot. I don't like
to use words like "my" when I talk about the team, or a team. But I
feel so strongly about them. When I marched with Santa Clara, it was
my corps...same sort of thing.
They are quite a team and I don't know how I would get along without
them.
There has been a lot of "less than nice" talk about past leadership. I
think that will stop. It's not terribly professional or fair. It's not
fair to constantly "compare" then and now. It was a different time. It
is a different time. We would not be here now without them then.
I love my current leaders. I love that they let me lead this team
without question. They know what I want and make it happen. They
understand that choices need to be made and that they may not always
be the most fun or even the right choice.
They just get it. A that is what will tale this guard, the program to
the next level.

Thank you, Kaylee, Yamaly, Janis and Terry. You are amazing and I
could not do this without you.

Sent from my iPhone

Neglected (RePosted)

A week off (so far). It's been hard for me. I'm sure the girls enjoy the time off. And they should. They deserve it.

For me, it's eating into the "ahead of the game" time that we were (are) in to.

I had hoped to finish "doomsday" by this week. No worries. Partners are set and good. The work we know (WE KNOW WORK) looks decent. I'm pleased.

I wish I could do more. They deserve it.

We'll be fine.

First Priority

This team is going to be my top priority again. I've been so
distracted. I want so much go them. To be a strong team, to learn, to
be competitive.
Even if we are "small" (as if 20 is tiny, right?!?), this team can
make an impact.
But I have to take them there. I want to. I have to.

I will.

---------------------
ENO(ugh) is enough.

The Reason We Are Here

Our goal, our JOB in this (activity) is "to move the music".

We are all in band, so the music is a given. It will always be there,
because it's what bands do. We must make it more. Give it life. Make
it more interesting for ourselves and our audience.
The process of bringing it to life is what makes what we do great. The
growth, expression, unity, creativity and everything else is what is
most important.

To come away from what we do stronger and more confident is the key to
success.

Ritual

It seems that ritual is important to good performance. This experience (Romeo and Juliet) has reminded me of that.
It has been many years since I last performed, but the feelings have all returned as if it was yesterday.
I remember being at the gate, waiting to go on. Watching the Devils (or whoever was before us) and preparing to go on the field. We didn't have a literal character to play (like I have for R&J). For us it was more about being "bad ass", or "in the zone", "on fire".
There were lots of grunts and groans and loud "YEAH! Let's do this!". Jumping up and down...you name it and someone was doing it to get ready to perform.
Everyone had their own thing.I needed to have a little space from the group. Not too far, I fed off of their energy. But far enough that I could do my own thing.
I was pretty mellow. I paced a lot, shaking out arms and legs while thinking through random parts of the show. I remember in '89 whenever we saw Phantom, we got to the gate during the "ballad". It had a nice "beat" (jazzy actually) so I would find myself "groovin' to da sounds of da Phantom Regiment". Every time. Even at finals. But mostly, I kept to myself. Getting in to the show.
It seems now that I still prepare the same way. During my time in Romeo and Juliet I would wander off and pace as I went over my lines.
Still shaking out arms and legs, sometimes swinging a sword or waving a gun to help me find my character.
It felt a lot like all those years in the Vanguard. The same kind of intensity and focus. And once I got on stage, it all came out. It feels good to let it happen. To get rid of all of the rest of life's issues through my prep and performance.

It felt good to be in that place (again).

Everyone has their way. We just have to find it.