Naperville, IL (76.400)

Today was much better than yesterday. It was very cloudy all day and it rained a bunch. The vibe in rehearsal was very good and we got a lot accomplished (even in the cold rain!).

Tonight at the show, we perfomed much better as a musical ensemble and our score went up... We also performed America the Beautiful with the Cavaliers... That was pretty fun... I wasnt expecting the guys to be so cool... But they were all really nice. It was a good time.

On a side note...I have been encountering lots of people that read my blog on a daily basis... I am assuming that most found it via search engine... but I am really interested to know who all reads this blog outside of the people who I directly gave the link to and how they found it... Feel free to leave comments if you want to!

Well... My phone is dying and we have a 10 hr bus ride... I am going to try and post this before I fall asleep!

Later days,
Patrick

Madison, WI (74.600)

Today was kinda a letdown. I was looking forward to performing at Camp Randall Stadium at UW Madison for the past few weeks, and the show was not so great... There were lots of individual blowups and ensemble tears all over the place... It just really wasnt a great show.

We didnt get to do a run through during rehearsal today because of the rain... We just did production runs.

I was also looking forward to some interaction with Madison Alumni.. But our busses were parked a mile away from the stadium and we practically left right when we got to the busses and changed out of uniform...

Hopefully tomorrow will be better... im not going to dwell on today... But i will definitely use it as a learning experience for future shows...

Off to bed...
Later days,
Patrick

Normal, IL (75.400)

I have been having phone troubles again... For some reason it wouldnt let me post my blog last night so I will be posting 2 tonight (hopefully).

Yesterday was the oh-so-glorious bando show in Normal at Illinois State. Ive done this show every year that ive marched and it was still as fun as the first time. There were hundreds of high school marching band kids there and it seemed like they clapped every time that we put our horns up!

We got off to a great start yesterday morning because the staff let us sleep in until 10:30... They had completely beat us down into the ground the previous few days so that we could learn our opener changes... So we woke up and then rehearsed 5 and a half hours in the rain. I got to see some friends from Purdue at rehearsal too!

After the show last night, we were supposed to play America the Beautiful with the Cavaliers, but apparently they had other plans because of the band clinic that was going on... Instead I got to see more friends from Purdue/Noblesville and I had a really good time. I also got some of Mrs. Jackson's famous chocolate chip cookies! I was extremely excited...

Well, Im off to get ready for my show in Madison at Camp Randall! Ill let you know how it goes...

Later days,
Patrick

Dubuque, IA (75.600)

So my phone died last night and I didnt get to post a blog. We basically did the same thing as Tuesday... We continued to learn new drill and clean what we learned. When we left Mankato, we were ahead of schedule and we stopped at a Walmart so that we could get anything that we needed.

Tonight we put all our new drill/music on the field for our competition and apparently the judges liked it! We got a 75.6 which is 3 points higher than we had the other night.

Tomorrow we are in Normal, IL. If you want to cme see me, be sure to call! I am not sure where our housing site is, but we will be performing after Phantom Regiment.

We are playing America the Beautiful tomorrow after the show, so if you want to see me in uniform or get a picture with me, come to the busses or come outside the stadium right when we leave from playing America the Beautiful or else I wont get to see you. You can try to catch me after the show too... But I dont know how that is going to work. Most likely if you cant find me, I am in the parking lot around the busses... Ours say 'Champion' and have the Carolina Crown logo on the side.

If you want an even more personal experience... Check us out in the parkng lot as we warm up. Be sure to take lots of pictures!

Well... Im of to try to get some rest... I hope to see some of you tomorrow!

Later days,
Patrick

Rehearsal Day (Mankato Pt. III)

Sorry... My phone is dead... Ill post more tomorrow!

Later days,
Patrick

New Drill (Mankato Pt. II)

Today we learned 26+ new pages of drill... We added in a new opener and percussion feature and marched a complete runthrough of the show by the end of the night. The music was the same(ish) but we hadnt played those songs in a show yet... We were just starting with the really loud Impact moment that is at the end of Candide.

It was really cool today because we rehearsed in the show stadium for the Mankato show at Minnesota State University... That stadium was where my first drum corps show took place.

At the end of the night, I got to watch a video of our run through... Its actually not that bad! It was really cool to see how everything lined up from above... We are going to clean the drill tomorrow... So hopefully we will come out even stronger in Dubuque!

Off to bed...
Later days,
Patrick

Mankato, MN (72.700)

Last night we got to sleep in a dorm at Bethany Lutheran College... I ended up sleeping on the floor though because they ran out of beds.

We had our show today and we went up another 2 points! I had a good show, but other people still had some issues. Once we can get everyone comfortable with the show and gain some more momentum, we can finally start to become cleaner.

We dont have a show for a couple days, so we are going to learn some new drill! Im really excited because I have some very isolated drill spots and it will be pretty easy to find me...

Also... I decided to get creative with my corps necklace. I still have the NAIL from Madison 05-06, and now I added the 'fade to' black bead (2008) and a shako (hat) chain link from Crown. I really like it... It feels really cool to wear both because it represents where I came from and what makes me who I am.

Off to bed... We are still in Mankato and will be until we go to Dubuque on Thurs... Then we have 6 straight show days!

Later days,
Patrick

Stillwater, Minn (70.700)

Déjà vu... Today our housing site was the same school that we housed out with the Scouts in 2005... It was the school that I started growing my goatee at because my friend Nick told me that I should. I also remember getting my hair cut that day and runing a breathing block to 72 counts...

The weather today was ridiculous... It rained, was cold, then was warm, then was cold again the whole day. We got a little better tonight (by a half point) but hopefully we will do even better tomorow in Mankato! Mankato was actually the first drum corps show that I ever performed at in 2005.

I was really excited to see more of my Madison brothers after the show and I also got to see my long last friend Lars for the first time in 2 years! It was wonderful to get to catch up and to have the opportunity to see him again.

Hopefully we will get better tomorrow... We are staying 3 mles from the show site!

Later days,
Patrick

Rockford, Ill (70.200)

Today was our first show day! It was great to finally get to perform against other corps. We got to see Madison Scouts, Cavaliers, Phantom Regiment, Colts and Blue Stars tonight! It was really exciting! My friend Leslie came to see the show too! It was great to see all of my Madison brothers (especially Nick Krebs) and other friends tonight. Im really looking forward to the coming shows so can see them more!

I thought there was lots of good energy in the show tonight... The staff was really excited! Its very rewarding to break 70 on the first night out! Im sure the scores will vary more as the week progresses...

Im off to catch some sleep!
Later days,
Patrick

Last Day of Spring Training (1 Day)

Tonight was the last night of spring training! We got to perform our show in full uniform and then do an encore for the crowd. I am estimating there were around 800 people there last night and it was great to put our show out there for people to see. It was especially fun to play Deck the Halls in my small ensemble! After the show I got to see a few friends! It was awesome! We also got to get our corps necklaces and member shirts for the year. Overall it was a great evening!

Sorry this didnt get posted to till today, my phone died last night... More updates later!

Patrick

In The Zone (2 Days)

Today we had the opportunity to walk around inside Memorial Stadium at Indiana University. I didnt remember it being that big... It was actually really cool to be in there with the brassline... It was also wierd to think that it would be the last place that I would ever perform my 2008 show with Carolina Crown.

It was the last full day of spring training today too. During ensemble, we had to rehearse in really thick 5 inch tall grass... It was a pain, but I think it helped make us stronger.

We learned the corps song tonight (Carolina in My Mind). I am singing the bass part...which isnt as hard as I thought it would be.

Dont forget about the dress rehearsal Friday evening! I'm looking forward to seeing you there! Tomorrow is the last official day of spring training!!

Im off to bed!
Later days,
Patrick

Close Shave (3 Days)

Today was not very physically taxing... We worked on our ballad (Clair de Lune) most of the day and cleaned all our dance/body in that portion of the show. Even though it wasnt very strenuous, we got a lot done and the production is much better.

The coolest thing about today was that we had to wear our shakos (and plumes) and shoes (viper by dsi) during all of our rehearsal blocks. It was definitely different than wearing an aussie... but I am sure that I will become used to it very soon.

There was an article in a Bloomington newspaper about us that ran today. It got us lots of publicity and there were over a hundred people sitting in the stands watching our rehearsal! It was awesome to have a crowd to perform for... It can sometimesbe hard to tell which parts of the show the crowd will actually react to (as a member behind a horn...)

By the way, next time that you see me, I will be clean shaven! I cut off all of my facial hair today because we arent allowed to have facial hair in uniforms... I really wish I could have kept it, but rules are rules...

I dont know the official details for Friday... But I do know that we are having our dress rehearsal at Bloomington South High School on Friday... If you arrive at 7pm or so, you should be fine! We will be in full uniform and will be performing the entire show at the end of the night. Hope to see you there...

Off to bed...
Later days,
Patrick

Laundry Day (4 Days)

Today went by really fast... We started with visual/brass and then we had ensemble rehearsal without the colorguard. I got to see my mom again today too. They gave us the evening block off so that we could do laundry and go to Wal-Mart... I really enjoyed having free time today, but I almost felt guilty about not rehearsing.

Not much else went on today... I did realize that I put the wrong date on yesterday's post though... It should have said '5 Days'...

Off to bed...
Later days,
Patrick

'U' In University (5 Days)

Today was a great day. We started out in Visual Block with the snow cone exercise, did some cleaning of drill, and learned some new body movements for different parts of the show. Best of all... we had great weather in the 70's-80's!

For the afternoon sectionals block, we went and rehearsed in the parking lot for Memorial Stadium at Indiana University (Location of the 2008 DCI Finals). It was pretty awesome to see the stadium again... The last time that I was there was for the IU v.s. Purdue football game back in November. We were told before the season started that we should keep our eyes on the 'U' in University on the top of the stadium because that is where we will be projecting to at DCI Finals.

I also got to see Stu Shade and Carley Sullivan today! They both came to watch us rehearse and it was awesome to see them!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING TOMORROW'S SCHEDULE: Tomorrow we will be having a laundry day and our evening ensemble and run through has been pushed back to mid-afternoon... I didnt get any concrete details, but I think that we are done around 5PM so that we can go do laundry and go to Wal-Mart! Should be a good time :-)

Off to bed,
Patrick

Recording Session (6 Days)

Today we spent most of the day making professional, studio quality recordings of all of the music that we play. The songs included are (in no particular order): Finis (Candide, Sweeny Todd Impact Hit, Percussion Feature, Barber of Seville, Clair de Lune, Hungarian Rhapsody and our Closer 1812 Overture/Messiah Montage), Basket Case, Earth Wind and Fire (parade tune... September + Lets Groove Tonight), Deck the Halls (small ensemble, which I am a part of), Star Spangled Banner, Crown Street Beat '08, and Shannendoah (dont know if that is spelled right). The CD will be on sale through the CrownStore online and also at our souvie trailer while on tour. Im really excited to hear it!

I also got to see my mom and aunt Cathy last night! That was really exciting!

Im up way past bedtime... I am going to try to get some sleep! Hope everyone had a good father's day!

Later days,
Patrick

Back Home in Indiana (7 Days)

Just wanted to let everyone know that we made it to Bloomington! Ill try to give you all updates as I find them.

From what Ive been told... We are housing/rehearsing at Binford Elementary School and will be doing evening ensemble at Bloomington South High School (it has a turf field). Ill let you know if anything changes.

One of the pictures is of one of our busses... So if you find the busses... You have likely found the corps! The others are of the school...

Gas is $4.19/Gal here... That is ridiculous... A lot can change in a month...

I think we will be getting to the school soon... So I am going to go! Be sure to call and leave a message if you plan on visiting!

Later days,
Patrick

On the Road (8 Days)

Finally out of the oven! We are on the bus right now and headed toward Bloomington, Indiana! I am riding the guard bus again this summer because there wasnt enough room on the percussion or brass bus.

It felt really good to leave Nation Ford... We have done a few complete run-throughs of our show and I feel that we are almost ready for our first show!

We will likely arrive in B-Town tomorrow around 10am... If you decide that you want to come visit me (hint hint) be sure to call me and leave a message so I can give you all of the details...

Im going to try and get some sleep!
Later days,
Patrick

Single Digits (9 Days)

Crazy day... We started out with a 5 hour visual block where we learned drill revisions (which was awesome because it makes things easier for me) and really broke down some marching technique issues that we had been having.

After lunch, a small group of hornline members went to the Westin Hotel in Charlotte to perform the Star Spangled Banner and The Thunderer for some kind of function... I think the corps got paid something like $4G or something... When they were leaving I got to see the new uniforms and they are really good looking! Ill put up a picture sometime in the next few days!

Tonight is our last night at Nation Ford... Tomorrow after rehearsal we will go to Binford Elementary School in Bloomington Indiana until the 20th... Our first show is on the 21st in Rockford. Ill post more details on our plan for being in Indiana when tomorrow comes.

Off to ensemble...
Later days,
Patrick

More T-Storms (10 Days)

Well... we had wonderful weather this morning and this afternoon was very hot... But around 5pm it started pouring down raining and t-storming! We ended up finishing up our day inside for sectionals and we worked on body movements and dance.

We only have 10 days left till our first show and I am extremely excited! We get better every day and will hopefully knock everyone off their feet on June 21st!

Just as an FYI... I have absolutely no cell phone service in this school (Nation Ford)... So if you call me, be sure to leave a message, or I will not even know that you called...

Later days,
Patrick

P.S. I thought I would throw a couple pictures on there for your enjoyment!

Greased Lightning (11 Days)

Today was another scortcher! We finished learning our show too! If you get the opportunity, check out ther latest CrownMinute... I think you can see me in it pretty well!

We didnt get to finish our ensemble rehearsal tonight because of lightning... We were out there rehearsing in a massive cloud of dust (a.k.a. what is left of our rehearsal field) and bolts of lightning were shooting down everywhere... they made us go inside because it was too unsafe to rehearse...

Tomorrow should be a good day of rehearsal because we officially know our whole show! The staff has been very good about us rehearsing 'smarter, not harder' and they give us plenty of opportunities to rest our bodies from the heat.

Well, I need to go to bed... I didnt get enough sleep last night!
Later days,
Patrick

Nation Ford (12 Days)

What a great day.. We left Gardiner Webb this morning and drove to Nation Ford High School in Ft. Mill, SC. It was so great to finally have a change of scenery...

When we got here, the field that we had to march on was practically a dust cloud... it also rained for a bit! The rest of the day it was between 104-106 degrees and blistering hot!

Ill have more details tomorrow... I really need to go to bed!

Later days,
Patrick

P.S. I wrote this last night but there was no service in the auditorium... So it is just now being posted...

Farewell Gardiner Webb, We Hardly Knew Ye. (13 Days)

Well, tonight is my last night sleeping at Gardiner Webb... We had our last rehearsal in Norman Harris Field, we loaded the equipment truck, and now we are packing to leave Boiling Springs. Tomorrow we head to Nation Ford High School in the Ft. Mill, SC area to rehearse for a few days and then we head for Bloomington!

We did lots of drill cleaning today and will hopefully be learning our closer tomorrow! I am really interested to see how hard the drill will be for me... The show is pretty taxing right now... I practically jazz run the entire thing!

Off to finish packing...
Later days,
Patrick

Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Oven (14 Days)

There is no denying that today was ridiculously hot and humid. At one point I felt like I was physically standing in an oven! Brass block was the worst because I could feel my skin baking in the 100+ degree weather... Thank goodness for Bullfrog spf 36...

I had the opportunity to be fitted for my uniform last night... It was really cool! I took a few pictures, but I am not going to post them on here...

Looks like Memorial Stadium in Bloomington got flooded... Should be interesting to see how that will affect Crown in the next couple weeks when we are in Indiana.

Well, I am off to bed...
Later days,
Patrick

Gimme A Break (15 Days)

Today the staff decided that we had been busting our butts for 14 days straight and that we needed a break, so they gave us the afternon block of rehearsal (1-7pm) off! I took the time to relax and get caught up on my drill responsibilities... It was time well spent in the Air Conditioning!

There is some kind of drum major and percussion clinic going on right now too... So there are bunches of little kids running around everywhere...

A couple other things... I got wind that there may be a dress rehearsal performance on the day that the OnQ performance was suposed to be on in Indiana somewhere... but that is TBA, so dont quote me on it (yet).

Also, check out CrownMinute if you get the oportunity... They are posting videos of us performing and rehearsing periodically and some of the are pretty cool! I think you have to subscribe to the DCI fan network to see most of the good ones... But there may be a couple free ones on there too... You can find out more info on http://www.carolinacrown.org.

Off to evening ensemble...
Later days,
Patrick

Hot, Hot, Hot! (16 Days)

As I sat in the dining court (a.k.a. The CAF) at Gardiner Webb for breakfast this morning... I glanced up at a TV that read 'Unseasonably Hot' and 'Near Record Highs' for the local weather report... Today was indeed ridiculously hot... I think the thermometer read out to be 98 degrees F today (which was more on the hot field and pavement). I am kind of glad that it is this hot right now because it gives us the opportunity to get better at dealing with adverse conditions.

We learned more drill today and worked on some music stuff. We ended the night by running about the first 8 or so minutes of the show! I cant wait to get everything nailed down so that we can start competing! I also cant wait for Bloomington on the 13th of June! Call me and let me know if you plan on visiting that way I can give you more information!

Off to bed!
Later days,
Patrick

Breaking the Mold (17 Days)

What a day... it was well over 90 degrees today and it was really
humid. We put together another song on the field with drill and
everything is very difficult! My favorite part of the night is when
we basically did 2 runs of what we have of our show back-to-back with
no break... it was quite a challenge!
Today was fairly significant because our Brass Caption Head arrived
for the week... hopefully he can help us get better in his time with
us! It would feel great to beat the Phantom Regiment at their home
show in 17 days!
Off to bed,
Later days,
Patrick

Icy Hot (18 Days)

Today was extremely action packed... We learned another 20 or so pages of drill and put them to music. Its looking like this drill is going to be very difficult...

I put some icy hot on my sore feet today while I was doing my laundry... It feels great!

Anyways... i am off to take my laundry out of the dryer.. It is already 12:30am! ... I am so tired...

Later days,
Patrick

Hmmm... (19 Days)

Well... I wrote a really long blog post last night, but apparently it didnt send... Ill try to recap later tonight...

Off to rehearsal...
Later days,
Patrick

Hakuna Matata (19 Days)

If this is your first time here, I want to welcome you to my blog! I hope that you enjoy reading about my summer in the months to come...

Today was very productive. We put about 30 pages of drill on the field... lots of learning in a short amount of time... there is still more to come tomorrow too!

Im pretty exausted, both physically and mentally... I hope that tomorrow I can do laundry and clean up my messy pile of stuff around the room... I would have taken care of it already, but I dont really have any free time...

Off to bed!
Later days,
Patrick

Cut To The Chase (20 Days)

I spent all night writing down my dots to about 50 more drill pages so I am probabally just going to bed now...

Ill post more tomorrow evening!
Later days,
Patrick