Six Days Later (Afterthoughs)

The 2008 Carolina Crown Mellophone Section

So here we are six days later... I am posting this blog entry from an actual computer! In case you didnt know, I maintained my blog from my Motorola Q Cell Phone all summer... Who would have thought that it would have been as successful as it was? Speaking of success... what a great year for Carolina Crown! I downloaded and listened to the Audio Performance Download of our show from DCI's website... and it is fantastic! Even though I have only heard the Quarterfinals performance, (and it is very front ensemble heavy...) I can tell that I will defintely enjoy listening to this show for many years to come...

DCI Hall of Famer Donnie VanDoren and Me after Finals

I am slowly adjusting back to real life... but I really miss being in drum corps... I always feel like I should be doing something productive... sometimes it is hard to accept that doing -nothing- is okay. After all, this is my summer vacation! Sometimes late at night, I start to feel the lack of companionship of my fellow corps members... but thanks to the help of social networking and cell phones, I can contact any of them almost instantly!

My row of mellophones during the finals retreat

My classes at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana (Boiler Up!) start back on August 25th... which is 10 days from now. I am not living in a residence hall this year. I am living in a townhouse slightly off campus. It should be a change of pace from what I am used to... I wont have to deal with all of the obnoxious underclassmen knocking on my door and then running away during exams week when I am trying to study!

"Bus 5" - The overflow of hornline members that sat in the back of the guard bus.

Why Bus 5? Because we are Box 5!

Well... im out for now. I will be posting a few updates in the coming weeks including a link to my photo/video gallery from the summer (consisting of over 1700+ pictures/videos combined). It is probably going to take me awhile to get everything sorted out and put up on a web server somewhere... so bear with me!

A picture that I took from my phone at the Age-Out Banquet
I had fun with the table decorations...

Thanks again to all of those who kept up with me this summer! It was a pleasure to post this blog!

Later days,
Patrick

DCI World Championships (96.800 - 4th Place)

Well, I am speechless. Even though I knew in the back of my mind that things would turn out the way that they did, its such a hard reality to grasp that the season is finally over. Tonight's Carolina Crown was the best Carolina Crown that the world had ever seen. I personally had the best show of my life. As I played the last note in my show, it was all I could do to stay composed with all of the emotions that I was feeling. For the first time ever during a show, a tear of joy trickled down my face because I knew that I had been a part of something that people all over the world would remember forever.

Its kind of wierd being done with the season. After becoming so emotionally invested in my show and then laying it to rest after a fantastic year is a very rewarding but sad feeling. I will always cherish the friendships and memories that I gained from the 2008 Carolina Crown. Whether I am able to come back next year or not... Who knows? If you were to ask me right now, I would say that there would be no way that I wouldnt... Realistically, I will not know for a couple months what next summer has in store for me. I age out next year, so I only have 1 more opportunity to march finals again. I know in my heart that if I do not get the chance to march next year, I will regret it for the rest of my life... So who knows?

Thanks to everyone who has read my blog this summer. On finals day, I broke the 10K milestone for visitors to the blog... That is absolutely phenomenal! I never would have imagined when I started this back in May that it would gain so many readers... So thank you. Keeping up with this blog this summer has driven me to do my best in everything that I do and will be a wonderful tool for remembering what has most definitely become one of the greatest drum corps shows of all time.

Later days,
Patrick

P.S. - I will likey post less frequent updates about post tour life in the coming weeks... So feel free to contine to check things out around here!

Finis.

DCI Semifinals (96.700)

I went ahead and posted tomorrow's schedule for everyone who is interested. I had to break it up into 2 parts so that I could fit it all...

Well, we have one day left after tonight. We had a fantastic show and the crowd was continually on their feet throughout the show. Even though we dont have a chance of winning any caption awards anymore, I still feel great about being in such a great drum corps this year. It has most definitely been a life changing experience and as long as we win the crowd's heart, I will feel more accomplishment than I would about a number on a piece of paper. Its definitely going to be an entertaining DVD to watch this fall regardless of tomorrow night's outcome...

Off to bed (for the last time!)
Later days,
Patrick

DCI Quarterfinals (96.075)

I went ahead and took care of posting tomorrows schedule. Hope you can read it well...

I thought today would never come... I can remember housing at Binford Elementary back during spring training and thinking how far away finals week seemed. Now we are finally here and we have our first show under our belt!

Scores from tonight didnt quite turn out how I hoped they would... But the caption awards are based on the average from the three nights scores, so anything can happen... Yet again, we scored the highest that the Carolina Crown organization has scored in its history... We can only get better from here.

I got to see my mom today! She drove all the way down here from Indy to bring me lunch! I had been craving a Buffalo Wild Wings honey barbecue chicken salad since we were back at Gardiner Webb and she brought it to me! It tasted as great as I remember it... It was so awesome to see my mom... She is such an amazing lady...

I am pretty mentally exausted from today... It wasnt very physically taxing, but it definitely was mentally strenuous. I think a lot of people felt timid and uncomfortable during our performance and they let it affect their show... I felt that the stadium was very boomy and almost sounded like a dome show... The turf was brand new and was very squishy... I think we will have a better show tomorrow. In reality, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain... We shall see how it goes!

Off to bed,
Later days,
Patrick

P.S. - 48 more hours left...

Quick Update (Quarterfinals)

We are doing our show warm up at Binford Elementary School and then we bussing over to the stadium. It is apprx. a 5-10 minute drive to Memorial Stadium...

Sorry for the confusion... Off to ensemble rehearsal at BHSS.
Later days,
Patrick

Quarterfinals Day Schedule

Here is today's schedule. Looks like the rumors weren't true about warmup (at least for today) Ill let you know if anything changes!

Off to rehearsal...
Later days,
Patrick

Age Out Banquet (Bloomington, IN)

Today was pretty fun. We made our field studio recordings and then went to Bloomington High School South to rehearse. We didnt rehearse for long and we didnt do much cleaning. Today was basically a review day for keeping things fresh before our 3 big shows.

After rehearsal, we showerd up and went to the annual age out banquet. The food was absolutely spectacular. We had steak, chicken, potatoes, green beans and other various types of food. Tonight was basically a night to celebrate how far we have come as a drum corps and to honor certain members and staff for their outstanding service and leadership. It was a very pleasant evening...

Tomorrow is Quarterfinals! We perform after Phantom. In case you didnt know, DCI will be broadcasting Quarterfinals live in select theaters... So you should check it out if you arent coming to the show! (check http://dci.org for details) I also got word that our warmup site is going to be at Binford or Bloomington South... Not sure about the validity of that, but just wanted to give a heads up in case you cant find us in the warmup lot...

Off to bed! Big day tomorrow...
Later days,
Patrick

Final Destnation (Banquet Day)

We have arrived at our final destination for this summer! We rolled into Bloomington around 6am after our last bus ride of the season and now we are getting ready for our exciting day! It is a great feeling being back at Binford Elementary School because this is where our season got started. It seems appropriate that we get to end the season here...

The weather is a bit cloudy... So hopefully the rain will hold out on us...

Im posting the schedule on here just in case you want to know where we are going to be... I hope the picture comes out well...

Off to make recordings...
Later days,
Patrick

Rubber Bowl Rehearsal Day Pt. 2 (Akron, OH)

Today we were in the Rubber Bowl again for our last full rehearsal day of the season. We worked on cleaning the back half of the show most of the day and we got a lot better. We wore our shakos during ensemble rehearsal tonight too... Overall the day was very long and very productive.

The whole Rubber Bowl experience was pretty good. The weather was cloudy and cool both days and it rained a little each day. The stadium was by a massive soapbox derby track and a blimp hangar. I am not sure what was in the hangar, but I heard rumors about the Goodyear blimp...

Tomorrow we are recording our end of season CD and having the age-out banquet. Even though it is the day before Quarterfinals, I feel like tomorrow will be much needed day of rest and will help begin to bring closure to a fantastic season of drum corps. We will be at both Binford Elementary School and Bloomington South High School tomorrow and through the remainder of the week. If you want to check out rehearsal, be sure to get directions to both places just in case we are not there.

Off to bed...
Later days,
Patrick

Rubber Bowl Rehearsal Day Pt. 1 (Akron, OH)

I dont have much time so I am going to make this a quick one. Today we rolled into the Rubber Bowl at around 5am and we were allowed to sleep a couple hours on the bus or on the turf field until we had to get ready to rehearse. The stadium was a great opportunity for us to get better going into Bloomington and we used it very wisely today. We cleaned the whole first half of the show and did some great music rehearsal for some of our weaker points in the show. We are taking care of the second half of the show tomorrow and then we hit Bloomington on Wednesday morning!

We have another full day of rehearsal tomorrow so I need my rest... Much more to come tomorrow!

Later days,
Patrick

P.S. - I want to take a moment to thank all of the volunteers and bus drivers that have made this summer possible for us. We would not be able to exist without them and I deeply appreciate all of their devotion and support for us this year. Thank you!

Westminster, MD (95.150)

Today was a great day. We were all in a really good mood because of last night and we rehearsed really well. The weather was amazing and stayed nice all day. The only thing that made the rehearsal bad was the field. It was literally on a hill and we had to march up and down it the whole day.

The show field tonight was actually worse than the rehearsal field... There was a big hill in the middle of it and patches of dirt everywhere. We had a pretty bad show, but we still scored well and beat the Cadets. Tonight was officially our last show of the season before the World Championships and our last Sunday of drum corps.

We have a long bus ride tonight so I need to get some sleep. We are pulling it old school tonight and getting off the bus and going straight into rehearsal. We will be in Akron, OH at the Rubber Bowl for the next two days rehearsing into finals week. It should be a long couple days...

Off to sleep...
Later days,
Patrick

Allentown, PA (95.400)

We made Carolina Crown history tonight! We scored a 95.4, which is the highest that the corps has ever scored... and we still have a week left! Also, we are only .5 points away from 1st place right now! All of the top 4 corps are within the half point range (95.400 - 95.900) going into finals week. We could actually win this year! As far as brass goes, we are in first place by .2!! The next corps below us has a 18.9 and we got a 19.1 tonight. The Jim Ott brass award is within our grasp!

Overall our show tonight was spectacular. We performed really well and we are getting credit for it. I think that both the judging comminuty and he fans are on our side this year... I got to see my good friend Vikram tonight and last night and he said that the show was amazing! It was awesome to see him tonight and last night. One of my favorite parts about tour is being able to see friends and family that I havent seen in a long time..

Today's rehearsal was probably the most focused and overall best that we have had all season. This morning we had some rain and lightning activity that took up a good portion of our Visual rehearsal... it eventually passed over.

It should be interesting to see how the show in Westminster, MD (another YEA show) and our two rehearsal days in the Rubber Bowl go for us leading into finals! We are on the home stretch... One week from tonight is the Drum Corps International World Championships!

Off to bed...
Later days,
Patrick

Allentown Rehearsal/Laundry Day (8 Days)

We are finally in Allentown! Saturday is our last regional before finals... This morning we got to Raub Middle School and rehearsed until 6:30pm. We treated today as a full rehearsal day even though we only had 2 blocks. We had to finish early because the Friday evening portion of the Allentown regional was starting.

After rehearsal, I went over to J. Birney Crum Stadium and got to watch my first drum corps show of the entire season! Up until this point, we have been performing last or near last and the show is usually over before I can get back into the stadium after changing out of uniform. I only got to watch the Madison Scouts and I really enjoyed their show. Afterwards, I left the stadium and went and found my friend Nick who marches bass drum for the Scouts. We went to eat at the Hamilton Family Restaurant, which is a famous place to eat for the Allentown regional. While we waited on our food, I ran over to the nearby laundry mat and threw my laundry in. Everything was timed out perfect and I made very efficient use of my time!

The Blue Devils lost to the Cavaliers tonight for the first time this season... It will be interesting to see how things go for us tomorow for our portion of the regional. We compete against Phantom and the Cadets (among others) tomorrow...

One week from today is Semifinals...

Off to bed!
Later days,
Patrick

West Chester, PA (93.800)

What a day... We had a fantastic rehearsal and a spectacular performance tonight. This morning we were completely on fire. The staff told us that we were rehearsing phenomenally and it was very easy to feel what they were talking about. The school that we stayed at was somewhere in New Jersey about 90 minutes from West Chester. It had 3 great turf fields for us to rehearse on and we got a lot acomplished!

We performed 3rd to last tonight behind the Blue Devils and the Cadets. We beat the Cadets again and we are closing the gap between us and the Blue Devils! We only finished 1.05 behind them tonight! It feels great to climb towards the top and to get cleaner :)

We are rehearsing in Allentown tomorrow at a middle school right next to the stadium. We have to finish rehearsing early tomorrow because the school is so close to the show. Instead, we are going to do laundry and/or go watch night 1 of the regional. (We dont perform until Saturday evening)

One week from today is Quarterfinals...

Off to bed!
Later days,
Patrick

Warrenton, VA (93.400)

Today was a pretty short day. The staff realized that we were tired and they let us sleep in until 10am! Once we got out to rehearsal, there was tons of overcast and not much sun. The field was really rough, but we pushed through. For some reason there were hundreds of people visiting our rehearsal and an NBC news crew that did a news segment on us. The school was in West Virginia and was called Mussellman Middle School... So if you live in that area, look out for it on TV or try and check it out on the internet! We ended up finishing rehearsal early today because of rain. (Carolina Cloud strikes again...)

Tonight's show was kind of wierd. Most everyone in the music ensemble felt like we had a bad show... but the staff was pleased with our performance and our score went up. I think it just felt that way because the stadium was small and there wasnt much crowd reaction. Ive done that show 3 times and I can remember it being like that every time...

We played America the Beautiful with the Blue Knights tonight and we beat the Cadets again! Now we are only 1.45 behind the Blue Devils for 1st place... Anything can happen in the 9 days that we have left...

Off to bed...
Later days,
Patrick

Salem, VA (93.250)

Today was a very interesting day. The rehearsal was pretty grueling... It was hot and humid the entire day. The field that we rehearsed on was practically dirt and sand. Also, we stayed at a church that was across the street from the school that we rehearsed at. It was a pretty long walk to the fields and almost everyone was late to rehearsal. By the end, everyone was tired, sweaty, and dirty.

Historically, Salem has been my favorite show of the year. Every year, there is a dog show that goes on while the drum corps show is there. It is great fun to see all of the dogs!

This year, the show definitely lived up to its expectations! I had an amazing show... I would even go as far as to say that it was 'magical'... Apparently everyone else had a great show too. I was very glad that most of the things that we had worked on since our last show had improved too. It feels great to finally get more credit for our hard work.

Tomorrow we are in Warrenton, VA... Hopefully it wont be as hot as today...
Later days,
Patrick

P.S. - 10 days left as of midnight...

Back to Basics (Ft. Mill, SC)

With only 12 days left this season, we ended up at one of the high schools that we had winter camps at (Ft. Mill High School). It felt very weird being there again... The last time I was there, the back of my legs got so sunburnt that I could barely walk for a week. In fact, I think that it was probably more hot when we were last there at April Camp than it was today... It was still pretty hot today though!

We had 3 blocks today: 5, 4, and 3 hours respectively. During our evening block, a group of high school band students from the school came to watch a portion of our rehearsal after their band camp. Also, at about 9:30, it started storming so we had to go inside. Once we were inside, it started raining sideways! I was very glad that we made it in... Since I am on food truck cleanup crew, I had to clean up the truck in the rain... but it wasnt a big deal... I really love my tour job (even in the rain!)

We are in Salem, VA tomorow... Im going to try and catch some sleep before we get there...
Later days,
Patrick

Charlotte, NC (92.350)

Today was a pretty interesting day. We woke up and bussed over to the stadium that the NightBEAT show was going to be at so we could rehearse. We had a 5 hour block with production runs and then we rehearsed our encore performance with a small group of marching band students that had attended a Crown Brass Workshop.

After the rehearsal, we had the privilege to meet some of the VIP members of the Crown organization. It was a great experience because we got to meet the people who made this summer possible for us. Also, there was a professional massage therapist and a chiropractor available for us today. It was really cool...

I didnt think that the show tonight was that great... There were some issues at times, and the staff didnt seem too pleased. Our score went down.. but so did everyone elses'... I think we are around 1.6 points below 1st place right now...

Tomorrow we have a really long rehearsal day... 5 hours in the morning, 4 hours in the afternoon, and 3 hours in the evening. I am sure that we will get much better...

I am going to try and sleep... Im extremely tired...
Later days,
Patrick

Atlanta, GA (92.625)

Well, we ended up in 4th tonight overall... but we got 2nd in brass! Again, we only lost by .1 to the Blue Devils! (18.7)

It was really cool warming up in the parking lot today because we warmed up next to the Cavaliers, Bluecoats, Cadets and Phantom. As we warmed up, each one of the other corps began to leave until we were the only ones left. I think its finally starting to sink in for me that Crown is one of the 'big boys' this year...

I felt like we had a great show...there were some small things going on that were dome-related, but it felt really good. The opener was great today...

We played America the Beautiful with the Blue Devils tonight... That was pretty cool...

Tomorrow we are at NightBEAT. Hopefully it wont rain out like FirstBEAT did... Its a home crowd, so im sure they will love us! I am really excited...

Off to sleep...
Later days,
Patrick

Regional Day! (Atlanta, GA)

Well, we are on our way to the Georgia Dome for our regional... and it is raining again! Lucky for us, the show is indoors... This definitely brings back memories of 2006 when there was a torrental downpour at this show... I will be interested to see how the weather holds out for us...

Our rehearsal went very well today. There was overcast for most of the day and it was extremely humid. There were times during ensemble where I literally had to wring out my white cotton gloves because they were drenched in sweat...

I feel really confident coming into the show tonight. We fielded our new closer last night and we have made some other noticable changes to the show... Hopefully the crowd will love us tonight and we can climb further into box 5! We ended up with a 18.3 in brass last night, only second to the Phantom Regiment by .1! It would be awesome to win brass tonight!

Ill post details about the show later tonight! We will be playing America the Beautiful with the Blue Devils...

Later days,
Patrick

P.S. - We are back in the Eastern Time Zone.