Our Road Warrior has Returned

Thursday, July 28th Derek set off on an adventure of a lifetime. As I’ve said in past posts he joined the Spartan Drum and Bugle Corps out of Nashua, NH for the summer. They compete in the open class arena.

On the 28th they left around 7 p.m. and drove all night, sleeping on the buses. They did a stop over in Ripley, NY to practice and rest. Their next stop was Michigan. Over the course of the 2.5 weeks Derek traveled to Michigan, PA, Indiana and Ohio. He said he saw a lot of corn fields.

Sleeping was done either on the bus or in a gym. There was no personnel space. The kids formed a new tight family unit over the course of the tour.

It was always about practicing and improving their craft.

Kids learned to sleep whenever and wherever they could. Check out the shirt on the kid in this photo. Yes, he came all the way from Oswego, NY to be a Spartan.

Every morning they were woken up to some form of playing which became progressively louder so that everyone was assured to be up an moving bright and early.

The best parts were yet to come. As they traveled and competed the corps continued to improved. The Open Class big competition was in Michigan City, Indiana. It was a two day event with the Open Class competing on the 8th and the World Class groups competing on the 9th. Unfortunately a huge rain stormed cancelled the event on the 8th for the first time since 2003. The kids were very disappointed. On the 9th they had a mega show with both Open and World classes competing.

Jaimie, the drum major anxiously awaits their turn. Everyone was anxious, even to the nail biting point.

Good luck was looked for wherever they could find it.

Above are the members of the pit, Derek is 4th from the left. They take their job very seriously. But… they also know how to have fun.

The kids and staff shared close spaces for 2.5 weeks. Life long friendships and memories were formed.

Although, the Spartans did not place in the top 3 they did place #4 in the Open Class for the entire country. Derek obviously was very happy with their performance. He said they knew right away that they had given the performance of their lives. They broke 91 for a final score, their best all season. One of the main staff members had a death in the family and was flying back and forth trying to juggle corps and family responsibilities. In a very emotional talk he told the kids how proud he was and how their performance helped to ease his pain.

One of the kids in the corps came all the way from Great Britain and had an emergency appendectomy while they were on tour. He was very disappointed that with all his hard work he had to watch from a wheel chair.

The Spartan Color guard took first place in their division. The kids earned a standing ovation from the crowd when they finished their piece.

The guys in street clothes are the pit instructors. The staff was extremely tough and would only except excellence and nothing less from the kids.

Derek with his new friend from Oswego and one of the color guard. Gary, I thought of you with this picture. You’re both VERY special.

Medals were awarded to the Spartans for being Open Class Finalists.

 

The last big event was in Indianapolis at the Lucas Oil Stadium. This was the first year that Open and International Classes were allowed to compete with the World Class Corps. On the first day 41 corps competed for a top 25 spot. Unfortunately for the Spartans, they just missed it coming in at #26. Now that the pressure was off they could relax and enjoy the show.

The second day of competition was to whittle the numbers from 25 to 12 and the 3rd would crown the winner.

Derek was blown away by the size of the stadium and sat in different seats to try out the best vantage points. He liked it up higher so that the competing corps formations could be viewed.

Derek came home last night. We picked him up a little after 10:15 and arrived home around 11:30. He’s had the time of his life so far, expanded his resume and made many new friends and great memories. (CLICK on photos for a larger view.)

And They’re Off!

Last Thursday evening Derek embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. He’s been a member of the Spartan Drum Corps out of Nashua, NH this summer. They’ve been rehearsing since November, he joined at the start of the summer. The rehearsals are usually well over 12 hours a day on the weekends and several evenings during the week. As part of their training they often had to practice in heavy clothing to prepare them for playing in full uniform. They left at 7 p.m. and drove to Ripley, NY to practice before their first competition. Their caravan consisted of 3 full coach busses, another 2-3 18 wheelers for equipment, supplies, uniforms and food. They drove through the night. After the NY stop they drove on to Paw Paw, Michigan. They will be competing in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and PA. The finals will be in Indianapolis. We’ll pick them up Sunday, August 14 at 9 p.m. in Nashua, NH.

Baby, It’s Hot Outside

I think these photos are self explanatory. Those big piles of snow from last winter are looking pretty good right now.

Weekend at Coos Canyon

Post by Greg – Last weekend Mark and I took the wheelers to Byron Maine to check out the area trails.

 

We set up camp at  Coos Canyon campground on the the Swift River which is also known for gold panning.

 

About 100 feet behind our site was this gorge cut into the bedrock by the river. The cliffs are up to 30 feet high and during the day it’s a popular swimming (and jumping) spot.

 

 

There are many unique features carved into the rock along the river. The technical term for them are ” hydraulic erosion features”.

 

 

 

I was impressed with this tree on the rim.  Still not sure how it survives.

 

 

Some of the available accommodations at the campground were pretty rustic.

Others were very nice. So there is something for everyone.

 

 

 

We rode the trails most of the day Saturday  stopping to take in the views .  The local variety store was a popular stop for lunch and gas.

 

 

On Sunday morning we spent a little more time exploring the river before packing up and heading home. We didn’t find any gold, but  we did experience  a scenic and ATV friendly part of Maine..

 

Beanpot Invitational 2011

Saturday, we got the opportunity to go to one of Derek’s shows. These pictures  and videos do not do it justice. Drum Corp has come a long way since the days of the Fulton Goucho’s. We sprang for the VIP tickets which got us seats on the 50 yard line, programs and VIP parking. We decided that was the best way to go from now on. The air was full of excitement with the buses, people and kids. Above is the equipment bus for the Spartans. They also travel with a food wagon, 3 coach buses and lot of helpers.

Greg caught this shot of the guy sitting in front of us. It has their summer schedule on the back.

Don’t you just love a man in uniform. The Spartans are based in Nashua, NH. Each group gets approximately 10 minutes to perform. They are also judged on getting their gear on and off the field within a certain time limit. Derek is a member of the pit. They have a lot of equipment to move. The Spartans performed second. The first group was the Muchachos from Manchester, NH. They are the only group that doesn’t age out. Their members range from 14-69. The other groups have age limits. This was Derek’s only opportunity because you can’t be older than 21. The Spartans are in the open class and competed against the 7th Regimen. The Spartan have dominated each time so far this season. All the other groups are in Class A. They are much larger and complex.

The Spartans are coming onto the field. The guy in front is the drum major. All the drum majors have their own platforms and conduct the group. If you watch some of the other videos you will see that the larger groups often have more than one.

Derek was on chimes, gong, mallets and base drum. He was hopping. The sun was setting as the Spartans performed so unfortunately the video wasn’t as good as it could have been. Click on photos for larger view.

After each group played they came around and marched off in front of the grandstand (which was packed).

Spartans (click to view)

7th Regiment, New London, CT (Click to View)

 

Jersey Surf, Camden County, NJ (click to view)

 

Madison Scouts, Madison, WI (click to view)

The Scouts were incredible in their precision and sound. They are unique in they are all men including the color guard, very impressive group.

 

 

 

 

 

The Class A groups have been touring the country for the whole summer. It’s a huge commitment for the kids, parents and all involved.

 Spirit of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

(click to view)

The Spirit used music from show tunes. The girl in the red dress came slowly across the field wrapped in a black cape. It was a great show.

 

The photo below is also the Crossmen. Unfortunately my battery died partway into the Boston Crusader show and the Carolina Crown from Ft. Mill, SC. They were the group that took first place.