Hop's Blog

it may not be snowing yet .. but it’s time to get the Blog back moving.

Keep ready — here we go. Perhaps even this evening !!!! 

 

 

The evening in retro …

Night to Night … there are different judges who have different personal scales. That’s why Crowns 86 does not match the Blue Devils 85 or the Cadets 84 …

Now … if a judge gives a 16.5 to someone on Monday and at a different show … another corps a 16.3 — there is SOME relativity there.

So … a few nights ago, someone got a 17.9 in a caption. Thats huge!!!! Thats almost a 90%. In the same caption, a different judge gives a 16.5 to a competitor. Thats an 83%.
And a 1.4 difference. And that difference .. will be 3 tenths or so I am guessing when they are in the same show on the same day.

SO …
with this in mind, and knowing the judges, I would have been happy if the Cadets got an 84.85 last night — that was my estimate!!! We got an 83.9 and it was deserved.

We made some changes in tempo and body stuff and every one of them came off poorly.

So today … we look at it .

I look at what I did and what i can do better. Prep? Food?

The staff has to look at how they prepared. Too much time in basics and perhaps not enough review of the new parts ?

and I try to get the members to really take a look ?? Not excited? Tired? Letting down …

Heck, right out of the gate we had a valve issue and the trumpet soloists were less than inspiring … just a really, really bad start

So … tonight we are in Broken Arrow. Phantom is chasing us and when you are 3 tenths a part .. it’s only a matter of time. so .. either our marks go up … or … we play with fire.

AND YES … this is all one big game!!!!!

So .. what do i think we get tonight … ??

85.55 ….. if we do a good show ….

let’s see how well do. I will admit .. there are a few judges here we have not seen all year and a few that historically i do not invite to the house for Christmas morning

So … thats that … and what about us ?>> we are busting butt in 97 degrees today. We have work to do.

 

TODAY’S SCHEDULE

2:30 AM Arrive

8:00 AM The Day

8:20 AM Stretch & Run

9:00 AM Marching

11:45 AM Lunch

12:30 PM Sectionals

3:00 PM Set up

3:15 PM Ensemble

4:10 PM BREAK

4:15 PM ENSEMBLE — PART 2
4:45 PM Dinner and pack

6:30 PM Depart for show

7:45 PM Arrival for warmups ( long drive)

9:35 PM Gate

9:55 PM Performance

10:25 PM Encore – play three tunes

10:45 PM Eat and pack

11:50 PM Depart for Denton

 

Go Cadets — time to get back on the train to greatness!!!

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

As rehearsal was coming to a close at Jackson on Saturday, i was watching the radar.  A storm was coming and it was going to rein …. but … how much?

 

We decided after a conference to NOT open the stadium until after the rain. Clearing the location would be tough and there was not a great deal of shelter.

 

So .. we sat an waited and watched radars. 

I actually started to wonder about the decision; perhaps it was going to push by? But slowly the lightening became more prevalent, the darkness approached and eventually a leading back of storm clouds had all running for cover.

First came the winds … 70 mph!! The souvie area was in shambles. Tents went flying in all directions. Me and others ran to the tents to hold them down, all of this in the midst of a fierce lightening storm. We waited/ The rain pureed down. I stood in the rain wondering how much the Cadets would lose on this evening. $20K; $30K; or more …

As the rain continued, we could see the sky brighten to the Northeast. I went out to the GRASS field. It was ok. Jim Coates of Crown came down and we decided to do exhibitions. What else could we do? But as we ere leaving .. some marching guys from the Cadets came running in and announced that they thought the field was in good shape …. amazing considering the weather we just experienced.

We decided to begin — one hour late and two hours later than the original time before the heat warnings came into play.

We cleaned up, the judges were in position, the people came back … we had an excellent evening. Now, we were done at 11:30 pm and it was 1:00 am before the corps hit the road but … we were grateful. This is, the Jackson event, the one show we run on grass an well … it almost cost us.

It was one of the worst storms I have stood in, and for a corps show, thew timing and the intensity was clearly going to be a disaster. But it was not … and the show went on … 

Amazing. Thank you to all who stuck with it ! 

Hop

 

Short ….

The Cadets are good. Now, we all have to participate in their being better.

One has to smile at the number of people who love the show, and admit to thinking they would hate it. Heck, many of those people are close to me. See .. from my side, I always thought that the quality of the staff, and the general persistence and commitment to excellent that simply IS this organization would allow us to stretch our limits … try something new …. and be successful.

 

I talked to a friend who taught the Cadets in the 80′s last night … I will replace a word but he grabbed me and said

“THNAKS FOR HAVING GUTS” THNAK YOU!!!!!   Hmmm … well, when you read the sheets I guess we did meet a few criteria. We took music that folks know and through the talents of there team, created a product that asked you to clap, at least 15 times … and that DOES include the “tongue in cheek” moments. Pretty Cool.

Now, we can’t day it’s June .. for today is July 1 … but we do have 2/3 of the season left. And BD will be good, and Phantom and SCV … that’s why this is really not a competition. WE do what WE do. And they do what they do. And folks judge …. to the best of their ability. But the results are NEVER final. They are just the results. 

As I tell the Cadets .. we won three championships by a tenth of a point. It could have went another way … and if it did, those seasons were still seasons to remember.

 

OK .. what else.?

I want to congratulate the Patrick Duncan and the NEW Admin team on their efforts and persistence. We had a string of vehicle issues over the last few days, and that combined with some of the stuff of tour from early on … makes for excitement.

In reverse order …

> Rented Penske Tractor over-heated

> The Souvie Truck has a computer malfunction that does not allow the engine to know the accelerator is being pushed. ( An issue)

> the SUV blew a fuel pump (140K)

> The guard bus had AC issues

> The Food truck still fighting the heat. I think it has more to do with our door and how many times we open it but problems are problems. We are addressing 

And we can go on.

Oh, as of now … all are back except for the Souvie truck. That’s a Tuesday pickup .. we hope.

 

OK .. back to show notes …

 

 

Good Tuesday —

this is a great article.  The contents explain why i get frustrated with breakdowns on the road, or folks not doing their job in the office, or the fact that we can’t get to where we want to be …

See .. YEA! is not about drum corps .. it’s about supporting young people on the way to magnificence.

Cadets 2 — YEP!!! magnificence 

USBAnds … YEP … but through the band directors 

and Urban Arts Center — you better believe  it. And to do this takes work, and sweat, and money and a commitment to excellence and a passion for all that is grand!!!

Reas please … and love the day!!! What’s your purpose?

Hop

 

 

Working for a Bigger Purpose

This was a newsletter I wrote a few years ago that inspired me to write The Seed. I think it’s such an important message and we have so many new readers I wanted to share it again.

What if work wasn’t just work? What if work was a vehicle to live and share a bigger purpose?

I believe there’s flawed perception in our society that in order to live a life of purpose we have to leave our jobs and go solve world hunger, feed the homeless, move to Africa or start a charity.

While these are all noble causes and many are called to do these very things, for many of us our bigger purpose can be found in the here and now, in the jobs we have, right under our noses. And when we find and live this purpose it will provide the ultimate fuel for a meaningful life.

You may not build libraries around the world but you can find the bigger purpose in reading to your children. You may not feed the homeless every day but you can nourish your employees and customers with a smile, kind word and care. And while you may not start your own non-profit organization you can begin a charity initiative at work. After all, “charity” means “love in action.” You can make a difference every day and touch the lives of everyone you meet.

While these people may not be starving because of a lack of food, you can provide them with a different kind of nourishment that will feed their souls and feed your own in the process.

I heard of a janitor who worked at NASA and even though he was sweeping floors he felt his bigger purpose was contributing to put a man on the moon.

I met a bus driver who knows his purpose is to help kids stay off drugs.

I met an administrative assistant who has become the Chief Energy Officer of her company.

I received an email from a woman in the mortgage business who sees her job as a way to help couples save their marriages by keeping their homes.

I know a Popeye’s Chicken employee named Edith in the Atlanta Airport who makes thousands of air traveler’s smile each day. The list goes on…

Ordinary people with an extra-ordinary purpose.

In any job our purpose waits for us to find it and live it.

I can’t tell you what your purpose should be but I can tell you that every one of us can find a bigger purpose in the job we have.

I can tell you that every job, no matter how glorious or boring it may seem, will get mundane if we let it.

Purpose keeps it fresh and when we are filled with purpose, we tap into an endless supply of energy.

Don’t wait until you go to Africa to start living with a mission. Don’t wait until the weekend to feed people who are hungry. Bring your mission to work, start working for a bigger purpose and nourish others in the process.

Share your thoughts about working for a bigger purpose on our Blog, Twitter or Facebook.

- Jon

Last night I met with the kids as I do. We talked about the movie, ” The Karate Kid”. In the movie, the lead character … Ralph Macchio is the student of the great teacher Pat Morita. For info … http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087538/

In the movie, Ralph is given a number of tasks that he does not understand. He wanted to be a karate expert … and he is painting the fence, washing there car, etc … He is furious.He is combative and yet … when the time comes, it turns out the the skills used to paint the fence, are the same used in Karate.

It gets deeper than that …

but we talked about how within the Cadets, there has to be trust. They have to believe that I sam committed to their well being and success. We were in the rain, we cancelled snack, we worked on a wet field … there was some unhappiness. But for me, the goal was preparation for performance. I was worried about rain today and it was clear to be that we had to take advantage of any opportunity.

Well ..

we talked. 

We have written assignments …

we shared …

we learned …

 

and we are better today. 

Much more to come …

 

 

 

 

 

A 40 year old alumnus .. sent me something I wrote in april. I need to re-read … NOW .. and perhaps daily!

 

The same passion that serves me so well in my work, can turn on me at times … as I care too much, and I expect too much, and I demand too much.

Some will never understand. Many will criticize. Even those close to me, or those who pretend to be too close will see words, and actions, and being … in a way that was never, ever intended.

But there are others. There are those who connect.

Indeed, there ARE those who see that excellence is a journey filled with stumbles and falls. They see that such mistakes are not failures … but rather passion filled labor that sometimes takes advantage of our human spirit.

At such times … the quest for the extraordinary becomes … well … quite ordinary. And even looks unattractive to the naked eye. To my eye also.

But tomorrow … the full out, crazy, wild, manic race to climb the wall, begins again.

And that … is worth waking up for