Your life without color guard (from Tumblr)

Anonymous asked:

color guard isn't fun anymore. I don't enjoy it as much as i used to. there's too many bad memories associated with guard and it hurts a lot. I love guard and I want to do it next year since it'll be my senior year but I don't know if I can

he-spins-sabre answered:

I don’t know what to tell you because I just quit marching…. And…. Honestly it’s completely up to you. If you can push through then do it but if you don’t want anything to do with it after this year then just stop. But think about all the pros and cons and see how they weigh against each other.

No matter how bad things may be in your life, they will always be worse without guard in it.

Spintronix Weekends! February 12-13, 2016

This weekend was one of the most focused weekends we’ve had this season. Its been a tough one so far, but we’ll definitely keep pushing through it! We have had the best results this weekend out of all of them. Our coaches? They’re the best for dealing with us for one, but they were giving their all and receiving the most out of the performers. Before we started this weekend, we had a meeting for the returning members and we had talked about how to get the most out of the new members and ourselves. As well as how to encourage everyone to not be so stressed, and we had a very good turn out afterwards. I feel like we’re definitely getting better and this season will turn around for us. Here’s a little piece to lighten this post. Unfortunately, our sink was clogged. So the ones who were in charge of doing the dishes had to use the small sinks in the bathrooms (which are very tiny and inconvenient for doing dishes.) Well, one of the girls dropped a dish straight into the toilet! Gross. Hopefully this event will never occur in the future. 
❤️💛💚💙💜💗 Jade, 2nd year veteran

Take 1… eight steps to viewing success.

Sometimes you have to sit back and watch your own show with some fresh eyes. You have to see it from an audience member’s point of view as if you’ve never watched it before to really gain clarity on what to do next. I mean, we know EXACTLY what parts of the show we need to work on cleaning wise (drill, choreography, performance, whatever…) but design-wise, does everything flow together? When I watched our show live on Saturday, our first contest, I felt awful for our kids. It just wasn’t good. They had done SO MUCH better in rehearsals and I was right to believe they would come off the floor beaten. However, the good part was that they were not broken and they knew exactly what this meant: they need to work to get better.

Anyway, I watched the show on my iPad over and over, pointing out every little mistake to myself and getting upset over every little thing. As a director, that’s super unhealthy. I knew it, so I finally put the iPad down. I didn’t look at the show again until today, and like I said, I decided to look with fresh eyes. Here’s what I saw…

1. Uniforms. Honestly, not nearly as rough as they seemed. I was worried that the color under the arm would be a big, glaring mistake on our pristine white costumes, but it wasn’t so bad. I have decided that it’s mandatory for the guard to have nude undergarments and white leggings to wear underneath though, so that’s something.

2. Concept. Wow! We have seriously developed our concept this year. Almost perfectly from beginning to end. I gotta say it’s thanks to our new drill writer/show designer Justin, and we work so well together! I’m looking at adjusting the ending to REALLY round it out in the long run, but overall we are getting it.

3. Performance. Ouch!! Those poor kids looked terrified out there. And we have several young adults on our team with many years experience out there! Definitely need to get them to relax and perform the show more. Applying our performance faces and bodies in our basics blocks will shine that up.

4. Flags. What can I say to the beauty of our flags? Definitely one of my favorite sets we have ever used.

5. Makeup. Not everyone followed suit on makeup. Some of the eyes are completely lost to the flesh of their faces. Probably a good thing right now so it hides the terror in their eyes, but later we are going to want to see that ferocity let loose with some incredible winged eyes.

6. Floor. Nope, not going there. It’s black, that’s all that matters.

7. Prop. Honestly, and don’t ever tell him I said this, my dad was right. It looks a lot more prism-esque in the gymnasium lights than it did in our little warehouse. I was starting to make a plan for how we could paint it black and give it a white border to look like the Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon logo prism, but I’m glad I didn’t put in the extra effort because it does look nice.

8. Choreography. It LOOKS like the choreography is too hard for the kids. I know for a fact that it’s not. A million factors clearly played in here and we are just going to have to keep dealing with those in stride.

Ok, so that’s all of the thoughts going through my head as I watch this show, right? Now I can use those thoughts and make a plan for what we need to do as a staff. Here’s the thing that it really all boils down to; will the performers practice at home during the week? That’s really going to be the road block to this entire system because our show has some SERIOUS potential. However, just for example, we have a veteran member on rifle this year who is having a hard time with a backhand in the choreography. Whenever this person gets called out for it in rehearsal I get ready for an excuse like “well the music is too fast, my hand slipped, my gloves got in the way…” etc. until the cows come home. But does this person go home and practice during the week so that the backhand looks perfect the following weekend? Nope. As a matter of fact, that rifle choreography is one of the first things that the guard learned and this one person is still making the same exact mistake every weekend, even when the rest of the line appears to have gotten it down. It’s almost like the mistake is now ingrained on the muscle memory as part of the choreography. And this is just ONE example. There are a multitude of other positions in the show where other people do the same thing. These kids have to realize they should be working hard daily if they want to go anywhere. We have the team up top, but THIS is going to be the determining factor in our placement this year; how dedicated our members are to their show and to perfection.

Can we do it? Yep. Will we? I’m not sure yet.

<3 Jackie

Here we go #SIG2016

Our 2016 season is about to be underway and I am just a ball of excitement over it. I can’t believe how far we have come as a team and I am so glad to be sharing in this journey with our fans, especially on our YouTube channel.

We have a new show designer this year and he has provided some excellent pieces to the overall puzzle of our show. Leah, Merideth, and I are placing choreography into the drill like a paint by number and things are fitting like a glove. Anna is in control of the vlog and doing an excellent job of that as well so if you haven’t watched it already, put some hustle on answer check it out. Our uniforms came in this week so dress rehearsal this weekend will be a colorful affair. I already made the show announcement to our email subscribers, and our social media announcement will be coming soon! I am thinking next week?

Our performers have had a lot going on in their personal lives as well; I won’t delve into their own details unless they are included in our vlog… Because let’s face it, who really wants their entire life out there for anyone to see and read?! If you watched this week’s vlog then you know we had a member get engaged at rehearsal! It was an adorable affair that her fiance called me to set up in advance. Unfortunately for the team she didn’t see how she would have time to both plan a wedding and perform with Spintronix so she quit shortly after that rehearsal. We have had a member do it before, and not just plan the wedding but she is carrying out her marriage during the week and performing with us on weekends now. But not everyone is dedicated like that unfortunately. So this leaves us with a second open position for a performer.

Another member had knee surgery this week. I have to say she is the most hard core kid I think we have had. She’s been dancing, performing, and being incredible on her knee all this time, thinking she will just walk it off. When her MRI showed a torn and folded meniscus though, her only questions were “how long until I can dance again, and when is the soonest you can fit me in?” They did surgery the next day and she will be sitting through rehearsal for about a month. It’s the dedicated kids like these that make the organization hold together as strong as it does!!

Rehearsal tonight, stay tuned for another vlog on Tuesday!

💙 Jackie

Why I Don't Pay For Dance

(You may have seen this circulating as "why I don't pay for colorguard/winterguard/percussion" all over the internet. It spread like wildfire! This is the original article that didn't get any credit in the viral version of the post. It's excellent! And the original link is included below.)

The other night someone asked me “Why do you pay so much money for your girls to dance?” Well I have a confession to make, I don’t pay for dance. Personally, I couldn’t care less about dance. I grew up in a family of 4 boys and no girls. The “Nutcracker” was something you did on a dare off of the high dive at the pool or something you unpleasantly surprised your brother with. Up until the day I met my wife if I were asked to go to Swan Lake I would have asked if we were water skiing or fishing.

So if I am not paying for dance what am I paying for? I pay for those moments when my daughters become so tired they want to quit but don’t. I pay for those days when my daughters come home from school and are “too tired” to go dance but go anyway. I pay for my daughters to learn to be graceful. I pay for my daughters to learn to take care of their body. I pay for my daughters to learn to work with others and to be good team mates. I pay for my daughters to learn to deal with disappointment, when they don’t get that part they hoped for, but still have to work hard at the part that they received. I pay for my daughters learn to make and accomplish goals. I pay for my daughters to learn that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work and practice to create something beautiful, and that success does not happen over night. I pay for the opportunity my daughters have and will have to make life-long friendships. I pay so that my daughters can be on stage instead of in front of a screen…

I could go on but to be short, I don’t pay for dance, I pay for the opportunities that dance provides my daughters to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their lives and give them the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen so far I think it is a great investment!

I am sure that other parents get similar questions. “Why do you pay for competitive baseball?” “Why do you pay for Quarterback training?” “Why do you pay for club soccer?” “Why does your kid swim year round?”…. I just think it is important to realize what we are really paying for.

By Shad Martin
http://www.especiallyforathletes.com/

A Weighted List of Pros and Pros: Discussing Drum Corps with a Practical Parent

Original article: https://whereismytroopersuit.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/a-weighted-list-of-pros-and-pros-discussing-drum-corps-with-a-practical-parent/

Drum corps can be a difficult thing to discuss with family – especially if you are not just requesting for permission but financial support as well; with the tour fees of most corps being between two and four thousand dollars, the reality is most young people interested in the activity will need help. The difficulty of this conversation can be multiplied substantially if your parents are like my own dad: practical, fact-oriented, and skeptical.

Many people involved in drum corps will suggest you win your family over with talk of life lessons to be learned and forever friends to be found. These things are without a doubt the greatest products to be found in corps, but they aren’t tangible – and to many people, tangibility is everything.

With people like this in mind, I want to help aspiring marchers get on the field. Listed below are a few points I have compiled of real, practical benefits of participating in corps. Take this information, and if you like it, share it, use it, and help to grow drum corps:

1. Drum corps techniques are a must for music educators.
   A large portion of drum corps members and aspiring members are music majors, and whether your official focus is education or simply performance, you will end up teaching (the most successful performers give clinics, master classes, and private lessons). The techniques you are taught in drum corps, whether on brass or percussion, can be applied to marching bands, concert bands, orchestras, and even private students – and your music program and students will only be successful if you are a successful teacher. The unfortunate truth is the successful programs are the ones with the most funding, and the most sought after clinicians often make more money teaching than they do performing.
2. Drum corps will open up doors to whole new career opportunities.
   This one is really quite simple: drum corps and marching bands are always in need of staff. Whether it is administration, instructional, or design, chances are these organizations will not hire you without drum corps experience. Even if you don’t want to be involved full time, these jobs are great supplements to your chosen career path.
3. Drum corps will kick down the doors you were already eyeing.
   Another simple one. People who know what drum corps is usually know that it’s really damn hard. And people who know what drum corps is usually know that members work really damn hard. And if a potential employer is one of those people? That gives you a fantastic advantage.
4. Drum corps will introduce you to people. Important people.
   Marty O’Donnell. Robert W. Smith. John Mackey. Do these names ring any bells? If not, I feel sorry for you, son. These are big names in the music industry, and all of them (and more) are involved in drum corps – I know at least one person who has met each of these people through drum corps.
5. Drum corps gets you in shape and gives you something to do.
   I lost 25 pounds participating in just one season of drum corps. That summer, most of my friends were either doing nothing or working minimum wage part-time jobs. And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with either of these things or any other personal decision (we all need a break from the draining nature of modern education), I know many parents who would prefer involvement in something a bit more full-time. 12 hours a day of physical activity is pretty full-time.
6. When you really think about it, you might not be spending that much money.
   Considering tour fees mostly pay for meals and travel expenses, and the amount of money many families spend on food and vacation during the summer anyway, it might be worthwhile to point out that net spending on drum corps might work out to only about a thousand dollars.

 

Drum corps is the most worthwhile experience I have ever had and the best money I ever spent. Don’t give up because your parents said “no” the first time you asked. Mine did – and I’m going into my third season.

On self-trust: How to color guard (from Tumblr)

You know what sport helps you gain self-trust? Color Guard. If you don’t show up there’s a hole in your drill. You’re spinning equipment that has the potential to not only give yourself but others bruises, bloody noses, concussions, etc. To be honest find this most prevalent in rifle because you have to spin a block of solid wood decked out with sharp metal screws, leather, and plastic mere inches from your face. While looking like you’re not terrified.