Welcome to the portion of the SI web site that explains why it took me only six tries to pass my introduction to creative writing class in college. This literary vacuum is something we like to call Contest Journal
This week Tim and I attended the 2006 ISSMA class A & C southern regional show in Jeffersonville. Jeffersonville is about two hours from SI headquarters in Rahm, Indiana. Since it started at 11:00 AM Eastern, we had to leave fairly early to make it to the show on time. Both Tim and I had a very busy and stressful week leading up to the regional show. We were kinda grumpy and tired the morning that we left for Jeffersonville. We had to get in the right frame of mind for a long day of shooting. As usual, we relied on music, which was carefully selected to lighten the mood. Lucky for us, Tim had the perfect piece for the occasion. Everyone join hands and sing along with "My Bathroom is a Very Private Place", from the American Standard plumbing fixture company.
Any cosmetologist will tell you that marching band contests are quickly becoming the cutting edge (no pun intended) in the world of hair fashion. Legendary hair stylist Vidal Sassoon once commented in a Snip! Magazine interview "Hairdressers in New York, Paris and Milan think they are at the forefront of the hair fashion movement, but the people sporting the new styles at marching band contests in Indiana are way ahead of the curve." "I call the marching band look ‘The Three Fs:’ fall, fresh, and FAB-U-LOUS!!!"
Tim and I completely agree. To illustrate our point, we took a few photos of some do’s that will certainly be all the rage in the months to come.
Most experts in the area of childhood development stress that parental involvement in their kids’ lives is very important. Parents who participate in their children’s activities typically have well-adjusted kids who feel good about themselves, and are less likely exhibit anti-social or destructive behavior. I think band parents are among the most involved in their kids’ lives. For example the mom in this photo not only learned her daughter’s entire guard routine, but stood up in the stands and performed it along with her daughter’s band during their show.
Now THAT’S commitment!
When the Indiana State School Music Association announced that they will use on-field judges in 2006, many people were less than excited about the idea. We all know that ISSMA is very sensitive to the needs of the marching band community in Indiana. So to make the on-field judges less conspicuous, ISSMA requires them to wear green jackets and be very blurry when adjudicating. The result is nothing less than spectacular. Often the judges walk right in front of us while we are shooting and we never see them. If you look closely at the photo below you can barely make out the silhouette of a judge.
The night before the show, my wife fixed her famous "tastes of the world" buffet for a bunch of friends that were visiting us. Included in the buffet were delicacies such as seven-bean salad, boiled eggs, sauerkraut, lentil casserole, onion soup and broccoli surprise. By the time Tim and I left for the show on Saturday morning, I was slightly gassy. By slightly, I mean we had to roll all of the windows down in Tim’s SUV on the way to the show. Tim’s eyes were watering so bad he could not see to drive.
For most of the show, the wind was blowing parallel to the stands and the field so one had to endure the gaseous remnants of my dinner the evening before; however, there was one instance when the wind shifted and blew toward the field. For the bandos in the "line of fire" the effect was almost instantaneous.
The odor was nearly more than Brad, Washington's drum major, could stand. It was all he could do to maintain his composure during their performance. After leaving the field (and getting some oxygen) Brad was fine.
Fortunately smoking is prohibited on the campus of Jeffersonville High School. If anyone got an open flame near me during the show, I would have exploded in a giant flaming ball of methane.
What a great show! We got to spend the day soaking up the sun and watching some of the best marching bands in the state. If state finals are half as good as the regional show we will have a blast. I’ll make sure and load up on Gas-X so the blast is not coming out of the wrong end.
