Chers Phans,
Good evening! Saturday marked the end of the Regiment’s 2015 Texas Tour with the San Antonio Regional in the Alamodome. It was an incredible performance for a very receptive crowd.
This show capped off a week of a lot of pushing. We had two days of rehearsal in Oklahoma, the first in Tulsa, and the second in Ardmore. In Ardmore, OK, we rehearsed at Ardmore High School, and we also put on a clinic for several marching ensembles in the area. The flag line spent some time performing our basic technique exercises for the students, as well as our dance warm up and some of our show choreography.
That evening, instead of doing a run through right at the end of ensemble, we had time to shower and get into uniform, and then we put on a full dress performance for the students. It was really special to perform for this kind of crowd, especially after spending the majority of the day with them.
On Thursday, we had our first day in the great state of Texas! It was also a show day in Belton, TX, at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. The guard had a very strong run through, with only a few breaks. It was a great way to start off this week’s series of show. Our staff presented it to us as a prelims/semis/finals series, with each show leading up to the regional on Saturday.
I like this approach a lot, and the strong run in Belton set a good standard for the next two nights.
Friday’s rehearsal was spent in Katy at James E. Taylor High School. This school is a very memorable place for me. In 2013, it is where we first saw the evil queen that was put in the show. We also learned a very special song that we now always sing to color guard staff members when they leave us on tour. Luckily this year we were blessed with much better weather, as our ensemble block had been rained out in 2013.
Our show that evening was very successful! The Berry Center is one of my favorite stadiums to perform in, and the corps was very well received! To top it off, my aunt and uncle who live in the area came to see the show and surprise me with a belated birthday card! It was a very special night. That night we were also provided snack by the Santa Clara Vanguard! It was very cool to enjoy some yummy food with kind people from another corps!
At last, Saturday had rolled around and it was time for the big regional day. The color guard spent the morning in sectionals getting some good stretching in before working on the introductory flag hit with drill. After lunch, we came back and did some technique block, then ran through our exchange/cancan section several times before heading to ensemble.
With the rest of the drum corps, we skipped around the show and hit all of the major moments before setting up for a run through. We all felt very well prepared to throw down that evening.
Upon arriving at the Alamodome, the guard unloaded and got to warm up. We were excited yet focused, which is basically required of us, since the color guard warms up in the middle of the walkway to the front entrance of the stadium. The whole time conditions were a bit gusty, but we got through it with the understanding that there are no adverse weather conditions inside the air conditioned stadium!
That night’s performance was easily the best that the Regiment has put out this season. It was an absolute pleasure to share our program with such a warm audience, and in such a beautiful venue.
Thanks for reading!
Genevieve Gahagan