Scores for all corps will increase as the season progresses and corps refine their shows.
By the end of the season in August, some corps score in the 95 to 99 range.
1. Carolina Crown: 76.700
2. Phantom Regiment: 73.900
3. The Cavaliers: 72.700
4. Blue Stars: 67.500
5. Troopers: 65.600
6. Colts: 60.500
7. Pioneer: 52.600
SOURCE: dci.org
Seven professional marching groups vied for first place at Friday’s DCI Central Indiana on campus, but that’s not what mattered for some performers.
While Carolina Crown took first, with Phantom Regiment and The Cavaliers taking second and third, the placements and scores aren’t what matter, said Michelle Lindeman, a Phantom Regiment color guard member.
“[Phantom Regiment is] the opposite of competitive,” Lindeman said. “We never talk about scores. When we have a good show that entertains a bunch of people, we are happy.”
What is important is the experience itself and what it does to change a person, said Patrick McGhee, horn sergeant for the Colts.
“The important things are the people you meet, the self-esteem you get from putting in a crazy amount of work every day,” he said.
When the season comes to an end, he said people matter more than how many tenths of a point they were from the next place up.
McGhee has been with the Colts for six years, and he said he couldn’t imagine what his life would be like without his corps.
“Ever since my first summer, I have rethought my career path,” he said. “I pretty much changed my approach to life.”
One lesson that helped change his approach to life is “what I could actually do versus how much I thought I could,” he said.
Those lessons are what have brought him back for more, along with the appeal of a second home, he said.
“I’ve met hundreds and hundreds of people in my drum corps experience, and I still keep in touch with tons of them,” McGhee said. “It’s like I have a home away from home`.”
What makes 150 strangers into family is the rollercoaster of emotions that everyone experiences, he said.
Lindeman said spending three months with people from different backgrounds helps create bonds.
“At first, it’s like, ‘Oh, I don’t know how I am going to get through this summer with this person,’” she said. “But, [then] I think, it’s like my real sister. I may not like her sometimes, but I have to deal with her and by the end, I love her.”
During the off-season, Lindeman keeps in touch with her close friends. When November auditions come around again, she said she finds she also missed those she didn’t keep up with.
“I could pick up a conversation with them and have fun immediately,” she said.
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| Carolina Crown performs at the Drum Corps International concert June 27 at Scheumann Stadium. DN PHOTO BREANNA DAUGHERTY |
Those bonds sometime lead to lifelong friendships, and sometimes, even romantic relationships.
A.J. Collins, a four-year Colts front ensemble member, said the first time she spoke to McGhee was on tour.
“This one time, the cook truck said, ‘Happy birthday, Patrick,’” she said. “And I thought it said, ‘Happy birthday, Patrich.’”
McGhee added that the top stem on the “k” was small, making it look like an “H.”
“So I went up to him and said, ‘Happy birthday. Is your name really Patrich?’” Collins said. “He’s like, ‘No. It’s Patrick.’ And I felt like an idiot and apparently, that was the first time I remember we met.”
McGhee said the two became friends for two years and started talking every day after 2012’s tour before dating.
Having a significant other on tour can make the relationship stronger, said Matt Stover, a snare line member of Phantom Regiment, and Lindeman.
“When you are at your weakest and helping each other out, sometimes you are there at the same time and that’s when you have to push through together,” Stover said. “That’s when we really bond.”
Though Lindeman and Stover are together, they try to maintain space while on tour by not sitting together on the bus.
“God, no. As much as I think that would be great, I don’t think it would go very well,” Lindeman said. “… Sometimes, you just need space. I spend time with Matt during meals and at nights, but on the bus rides, I spend time with [others].”
She said the bus doesn’t have a lot of space with two bus boxes and an overhead bay for two seats, so sitting with someone on the bus is similar to living with them.
“It’s like being married with someone,” Lindeman said. “You are literally living with them.”
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| Members of Phantom Regiment perform at the Drum Corps International concert June 27 at Scheumann Stadium. Phantom Regiment scored 73.900 in second place. DN PHOTO BREANNA DAUGHERTY |
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