Current+Former MMs: Does the season get easier as it goes on?

[NeutralNovice]

For example, with so many changes that happen throughout the season--having to learn new music and/or drill, does the season as it progresses get easier or more difficult?

Also, when you do/did have to learn new music/drill midseason, was it easier for you to get used to it or was it more difficult because you had to "unlearn" previous stuff?

Just curious. I would imagine it gets harder as the summer goes on--I'd be so tired.

[wesleyrp]

It's easier for a few reasons:

1) you've adjusted are a finy tuned mentally and physically tough machine by this point....

2) You've developed great teamwork and staff trust, you're able to think on your feet and have the techniques down to make any adjustments.

Plus you know the end is near and there's a bigger sense of determination and pride in your work.

[wilme861]

The best answer I can give is it gets easier and it gets more difficult at the same time. There are days where you just kick butt all day long and feel great and other days where you really struggle. It's a roller coaster ride for sure.

Learning changes can be hard at first just depending on the person. Some people can flip the switch and make the change right away, while others need a few more reps to get rid of the old stuff. I could learn a visual change right away and apply it on the next rep but music changes took a few reps for me. My muscle memory was never a fan of change.

Most corps do a great job of giving breaks to keep you fresh and at your peak. Obviously, it's still a ton of work rehearsing and performing day after day but your body and mind adjusts to the schedule. Some people do better than others at it.

[NeutralNovice]

Ah ok thanks for the insight! I feel like I would be tired as mentioned before and that I would have difficulty with replacing old with new.

It's like the times when I make a typing mistake... there are times where I'll keep making the mistake over and over again until I mentally force myself to anticipate the mistake and correct it.

It's so much easier to make a habit of mistakes than success (in trivial things at least)

Edited July 29, 2015 by NeutralNovice

[TroopAlum12]

The best answer I can give is it gets easier and it gets more difficult at the same time. There are days where you just kick butt all day long and feel great and other days where you really struggle. It's a roller coaster ride for sure.

This is exactly how I would say it. There are good days and there are bad days, all season long. While you get mentally and physically stronger, the staff and the environment will push you harder and harder throughout the season. And then you get to the end of the season and realize it was all worth it.

[soccerguy315]

It gets harder because the days add up and sleeping on the buses isn't great, and then waking up in the middle of the night to move to a gym for a few more hours isn't great either.

But it also gets easier, because many days you have much shorter rehearsal. Instead of going until 10 or whatever like in spring training (a lot of times our blocks were 4/4/3 with 30-60 minutes of PT before breakfast), many days you end at 3/4/5 to pack up and go do a show.

[BlueStainGlass]

It's easier because you are in different locations and not doing like 8am-10pm every day for a month. And free days are always fun.

[2000Cadet]

Yes.

[henry_l]

This is exactly how I would say it. There are good days and there are bad days, all season long. While you get mentally and physically stronger, the staff and the environment will push you harder and harder throughout the season. And then you get to the end of the season and realize it was all worth it.

I third this. There were days when I would just wish it were over, then the next day I would wish it would last for ever. The one thing I would add is that you get a rush as you get better and better, especially if you start passing up other corps. That feels great and really propels you through the rest of the season.

[ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar]

Depends.

If the season is going relatively smooth and if there's a few changes thrown in ... absolutely. Since you're mostly cleaning and doing countless reps, almost every change that's taught is a refreshing break from the daily grind. If the staff knows what they're doing, they strategically insert changes/additions as the season progresses. If you're doing it right, it's all about cleaning and having more fun with your show leading up to finals.

If the season is going off the rails, however ... that's a different story.

The show design for my age-out year was a mess, so we had to completely relearn 1/3 of the show. We learned new drill for half our closer in one day ... then had to perform it the following night. The rewrites were effective, but too difficult to perform after only 12-14 hours of rehearsal. We laid a gigantic egg that night and spent the remainder of the season getting it "almost-but-not-quite" clean.

Other parts of the show went through multiple (like 4-5) changes, which is insanely frustrating. Most were easy adjustments, but others were "let's see if this crazy idea sticks to the wall."

There were also certain people on staff who thought we were "soft" and had us do "beatdown" basics sessions late into the season. About a week before finals, some idiot tech had us do some useless beatdown track basics. Didn't apply to the show or "make us better." All it did was #### everyone off, demoralize an already frustrated group, and make the season's end that much better.