The Athleticism of Drum Corps

[Supersonic]

I went from 130lbs down to 117 (5'11) playing quints.

Oh my GOD, dude...

[sniper282000]

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".

Unfortunatly i never had the opportunity to march Drum Corps. Instead i chose to enlist in the Navy and become a U.S. Navy SEAL which is my current occupation today. Just remember that you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it. You'll be amazed at what the human body can do when you push yourself. I have no doubt that you will be on the field in a couple of years performing your *** off sending people like me flying out of my seat giving cheers and standing ovations. I wish you the best of luck and i hope you succeed in Drum Corps!!!!!!!

[Michelle]

I can't speak about Crohn's disease, but I have marched four years of World Class drum corps with exercise-induced asthma. How you handle it is completely up to you. I've had my days where I was stupid and didn't use my inhaler before a full run-through on a rehearsal day. I'd have so much trouble breathing that I couldn't play the whole show to the end. At the end of the show, it would be frustrating because people around you are asking if you're alright. The answer is obviously no, but you're too stubborn to run off the field to use your inhaler right away. There's also the days where I'd full on sprint during running in PT just to see how far I could push myself. Once again, I probably hadn't used inhaler, so I run back in a situation that could have been prevented if I was smart about it. It's a combination of how stubborn you are and how much common sense you have that will either help or hurt your asthma. I know that I personally have those "figure it out" moments on tour, so it's likely to happen to you too.

I always use my inhaler before performances. I usually give it to a staff member or put it in a bag that will be accessible as close to gate time as possible seeing as most albuterol inhaler prescriptions are only good for four hours. As I become more conditioned throughout the season, I ended up leaving my inhaler in the brass bag at all times so I would always have it at shows. I didn't really need it during rehearsal because we wouldn't do full runs on show days.

One thing I especially learned this past summer is to always let the staff know what's up with you physically. The last thing you want is for the staff to be overly concerned about a situation you do have control over. They only want what's best for you and the corps. Please do not be afraid to sit out if you have something that incapacitates you from performing at a high level. It is better to take a few reps off than to further injure/hurt yourself permanently.

Hope some of this helps