Hard Work!

 Over 25 years ago, when I was in high school, my friend and I would have discussions about whether or not marching band was a sport. He always said it was because they were marching around for hours, but I always disagreed. Now, I still don't know if it "qualifies" as a "sport", but I tell you what I have learned: it is dang hard! Sport or not, those kids work really hard and are dog-tired when they're done. It also has musicality and creativity involved, so bonus for them!

Kai is not in the marching band, but she is a member of it since she's in the color guard. Over the summer, they practiced every weekday for at least 3 hours. Sometimes it was 6 or 9 hours. Now, during the school year, this is what their schedule looks like:

Monday: off

Tuesday: practice from 2:45-6

Wednesday: practice 2:45-6

Thursday: off

Friday: practice 2:45-5:00, eat sack dinner and get ready, 6-9:30 ish perform at fb game

Saturday: practice from 9-9 (yes, 12 hours), or practice 8-2, then load a bus for competition and compete and then return to school and unload semi-truck and leave by 11 or midnight for home.

Sunday: off

Phew! Sometimes they get fed a snack and sometimes they get fed dinner, but often they eat a sack dinner that they pack, along with a sack lunch. On the school days, Kai goes to seminary at 6, so she's gone at least 12 hours a day most days, if not more. 

The color guard does more dance and creative movement and the marching band obviously plays music, but they also have some simple choreography in the competition routine. I don't know if the band does a lot of conditioning, but I know the color guard does. 

I got to see most of their competition performance last Friday. They go to their first competition this Saturday. I won't be able to attend that one, but will sometime soon. I was very impressed by their routine! Unfortunately, I can't post it yet as we have been asked not to post it onto social media yet, so I'll just post a some pictures of Kai at the game and the competition run-through. There is a video of their half -time show too, but it was pretty simple for the color guard. It was Band Night, which meant all of the band was playing, not just marching band. So the color guard just did a basic routine to go with it. 

I'm so happy she likes color guard! I have never been more excited to see the color guard and marching band come out onto the football field!

In the stands during the game. She's in the second row back in the section on the right, looking down.

I got a close up and she was really into this song the band was playing!

Half time song, High Hopes. She's the flag on the left.

Same place, just further out.

Overview of the band for the competition routine. It's called A Matter of Taste and takes place at a restaurant. The color guard are the customers, so their costumes are "dining clothes" and the marching band wear chefs' clothes and server outfits.

She's second on the left behind the tuba.

Now you can see her blue shirt on the left.

Blue shirt and khakis.

Below is the halftime routine.