JDWEX1117 Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 I'm a drummer, and I plan on marching snare drum for a few years and hopefully at least a year of drum major. Now, when I audition in 2010, there's only one thing I'm afraid of. I'm not worried about not being a skilled player because I know that if I continue to practice the way I do it won't be an issue. I'm not worried about the time commitment because hey, if upwards of about 130 high school/college kids PER CORPS can manage their time easily without conflict, then I know I can do it. It's not money issues because where there is a will, there is a way. So what is it that I'm afraid of? I'm kinda afraid that I'm not going to have the same athletic ability as other members and that will hold me back. I have Crohn's disease and I am an asthmatic. I run a mile in between 10-11 minutes. I'm not a lazy couch potato, but I'm not exactly at the gym everyday after school either. I'm in an adaptive P.E. class in school for kids who have some sort of ailment and can not participate in regular P.E. I AM in my high school marching band though, as you can see from my sig. But I know that high school marching band and drum corps are two completely different things. I'm afraid that I am not going to be able to handle the stressful rigors that drum corps brings. I feel like my Crohn's will flare up on the road and I'm going to have to be sent home mid-season and I don't want that. At all. I wanna march! Was anybody else in the same boat that I am? Please tell me "yes". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 I've had problems with my knees since who knows when... back too (more or less hanks to the baritone). I think that once your body gets into a daily routine, then you may not feel the physical stress that you might feel at winter/spring camps. Best thing to do would probably go to a gym and get involved in some sort of aerobics course that will allow your body to move in constant physical pattern that your body would have to adjust to in order to improve. Nothing difficult or anything, but just something that you can use to teach your body how to adjust to a routine... if that makes sense. Most importantly though, know your limits. The staff are not big mean green people like we take them all out to be (*snicker*snicker*), and if you let them know and understand your condition, then they will watch out for you too. IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuStu Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Get to your doctor and tell him/her what your goals are, and learn as much as you can about the possible impact that high-level marching could have on your condition. Then, if you have the means, get with a physcial therapist/personal trainer and put together a fitness program that will prepare you for what you want to do. Finally, be smart about it. You want to avoid life-long problems if at all possible. I ruptured a disc in my back the day after my 21st birthday, while in "pre season" training at Garfield in '88. I tried to march despite that, but was unable to, and ended up having surgery to boot. It's been an on-agian, off-again problem ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08Hawkeye Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 You dont have to answer this, but I don't feel like webMD'ing today. Could you tell us some specifics of chrohns disease. My friend has it, and made the same corps with me. In march he had a "flare up" and spent a week in the hospital and that was that for his summer hopes. All I really know is that its some sort of immune defect and that you have to take like 15 pills a day..? enlighten me? what are the real life risks? symptoms? causes? Again, no response necessary if you don't want. As far as athleticism: I wish more people (myself included) would do the work necessary in the offseason to prepare for everydays/tour. You can do nothing but HELP your section and corps by being in shape. If this means a mile a day, start there. set SMART goals. try to beat your time the next week. try to run another quarter mile. try to beat THAT the next week. Motivation is tough when you train alone, but if you wanna march YOU have to make it happen . and for the record, im POSITIVE there were consistently a couple people who marched w/ me that probably couldn't finish a 15 minute mile. then again, they werent around the next season.. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 This from the Mayo clinic website : Crohn's disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is a condition in which the lining of your digestive tract becomes inflamed, causing severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. The inflammation often spreads deep into the layers of affected tissue. Like ulcerative colitis, another common IBD, Crohn's disease can be both painful and debilitating and sometimes may lead to life-threatening complication. While there's no known medical cure for Crohn's disease, therapies can greatly reduce the signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease and even bring about a long-term remission. With these therapies, many people afflicted with Crohn's disease are able to function normally in their everyday lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriTroop Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 My first thoughts were these: 1. Talk to your doctor very specifically about your goals, even ask them to watch a little of drum corps if they don't know about it. Be very honest about the hours of practice and the travel of drum corps. If you do march, have your parents and doctor set up a system for communication in collaboration with the corps director and other pertinent corps staff (if there's a corps nurse, for example). 2. Based on your doctor's recommendations, find a trainer to help you work on specific aspects of fitness that will greatly benefit your ability to rehearse and perform. My first thought is to make sure you are working hard on core fitness. Mid-body strength benefits everything from posture to breathing to proper spinal care and alignment. Second, you might need to work on cardio training for endurance over time rather than speed, at least at first. Velocity in drum corps comes and goes. Interval training might do the trick. It also helps build up your body's adjustment to bursts of high-speed output followed by recovery-speed output. 3. You may want to focus on corps that are not quite as velocity-oriented. Just some examples: Cadets? Crazy, crazy velocity - maybe not, at least not right now. Madison? Good velocity but not crazy velocity like Cadets. Troopers? (I have to plug the home corps!) Moving toward more difficulty which I suspect will include more velocity, but likely still well within reach for you. 4. Similarly to #3, maybe you should look at Open Class corps that are closer to home and aren't traveling as much. A number of them would give many of the semifinalist World Class corps a run for their money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossmenAlumni Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 I also have Chron's Disease and was diagnosed with it during my marching years. Chron's is something that can be mild/moderate to very severe, so obviously you should consult your gastroenterologist before taking on an endeavor such as drum corps. If your condition is mild/moderate, which means it will flare up every once in a while but be controlled with consistent medication (which is what my condition is like), there is no reason you can't take on something like drum corps. More severe conditions might require a different approach. But I always found that if I just keep taking my medication, the situation is more than under control. Any flare ups that I had were handled with the medication, and as long as you aren't losing any blood, you should be fine. (Yeah, it can be a pretty gross disease for the uninformed). Sometimes in the daily madness of drum corps, it can become very easy to forget taking your medication every now and then. You just need to be vigilant about it and inform the administration and staff of your drum corps about your condition so they understand what's going on (or what could go on if you have a flare up). Hope that helps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolezfan Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Upon reading the symptoms, I believe I too have Crohn's disease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDWEX1117 Posted August 21, 2008 Author Share Posted August 21, 2008 Upon reading the symptoms, I believe I too have Crohn's disease. Well, you'd better check yourself into an emergency room pronto. Thanks for the advice guys. I'm going to try my best to get a personal trainer and/or train myself. Hopefully I'll have time to do train (what with this being my senior high school year, and I get involved with every music activity my school has plus college/scholarship stuff.) I don't want to be just a fan anymore, I want to be a MM/DM so badly and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillH Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Another thing to consider is that playing in the front ensemble (pit) can be a challenging and rewarding option for a percussionist, if the demads of marching are an issue. I will state that Gary, who replied above, had no problems handling some relatively difficult drill in the years that I taught him at Crossmen. And as a brass player, he had the added challenge of not being able to breath whenever he wanted. Best of luck, I am sure you can make it work somehow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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