Please share advice for the rookies

[soccerguy315]

To all vets and former marchers, share your knowledge! Move ins are starting very soon, so throw last minute advice at the rookies.

What did you learn your rookie year that you wish you knew before the season?

What do you like to keep on the bus?

What's your favorite part of tour?

What's your least favorite part of tour?

What should we expect?

What should we expect not to expect?

anything and everything you want to share will be appreciated by me (and hopefully others who will be spending their first summer on buses and gym floors).

Best of luck to everyone this season, I hope everyone has an awesome summer. And a pre-emptive 'thank you' to the fans who will be filling the stands every night, making the hours and hours of practice worth it.

[dbc03]

What did you learn your rookie year that you wish you knew before the season?

Winning isn't everything.

What do you like to keep on the bus?

Earplugs. Also, raid the local walmart for those shower baskets with the suction cups. You can put them on your windows and store all kinds of goodies in them. I also liked to have a schedule so I could X off each day after each show.

What's your favorite part of tour?

Performing, easily.

What's your least favorite part of tour?

Circle drill. 13 times... oh god my calves still hurt. It'll make you a BAMF though, that's for sure.

What should we expect?

An experience you will never forget that is probably nothing like anything you ever expected it to be.

What should we expect not to expect?

Individual showers :P

[Krista]

What did you learn your rookie year that you wish you knew before the season?

Pack LESS, especially clothing.

What do you like to keep on the bus?

If allowed, a phone. And never forget your pillow and blanket. An eye mask can be great if you are sensitive to light.

What's your favorite part of tour?

Putting on the uniform..... something about thinking about all the people who marched before me and how I was continuing a great tradition.

What's your least favorite part of tour?

Waking up was the hardest... ampssuck

What should we expect?

Things to be harder than you think, but really worth it.

What should we expect not to expect?

"alone time"

[leadsop97]

1) Pack light but make sure you bring some things that will help you out if you get sore or injured. IcyHot was a great friend of mine for about a week my rookie year. I'm glad my friend had brought some.

2) I always have my phone, MP3 player/CD Player, and maybe some snacks. You never know when you're going to get the the munchies.

3) Coming off the field after a performance. It's a great feeling knowing you put your all into that show and because of that, got an amazing reaction from the audience and your fellow corpsmembers.

4) Worst part of tour.....hmmm.....Circle drill can get pretty bad :P my least would probably showers so cold that you feel like you're literally freezing. Had that experience in Canada, and I can honestly say I've never screamed like such a 4 year old in my life.

5) You should expect to be pushed harder than you have been before. And you should expect to respond to this very quickly and work your butt off all summer, because you will be rewarded in the end if you do so.

6) Don't expect anything to be easy. Don't expect wonderful shower conditions. Don't expect to not be annoyed by someone on the bus while you're trying to sleep.

really though, your rookie year is one you will remember forever. Make sure you take lots of pictures. Be open minded. Dont be stubborn. The more willing you are, the better everything will run. Make sure you stay covered up, wear sunblock, and most importanly, drink lots of water. Most people don't know when they're dehydrated. be careful and stay safe.

[raphael18]

You will be carrying your bag from the bus through a school MANY times throughout the summer. Make sure it is very sturdy, but not so big that you can't comftorbly carry it at 4 am.

When packing your bag - big things to consider:

1) Only take one or two free day outfits - unless you are doing country club drum corps, you won't need to bring more than this. Also, if your really efficient, this can also be part of your banquet selection.

2) You probably won't need more than 7 t-shirts, because you won't be wearing them hardly ever. However, do bring at least 14 show-shirts, depending on your corps policy (and cutting off the bottom is also wise - it saves space, allows your uniform to be tighter and look better, and is much more comftorble in uniform).

3) Bring at least 14 pairs of socks for rehearsal (you will go through these fast). As for show socks...well that will depend. If you are lucky enough to be in a corps that has white pants then your set already.

4) Bring the dry detergent packets (two per packet) - these are awesome because they won't spill all over your bag.

5) Consider changing to liquid soap and a lufta - its a lot eassier to deal with in the locker room.

6) Be efficient when packing - if you roll your shirts you can often buy yourself a considerble bit of extra space. Also, leave a little extra space for a trashbag which will contain your dirty clothes in your bag (that is, if you aren't bringing a netted laundry bag).

7) Keep a backpack with you at all times with a days worth of supplies (clothes, reheasal necessities, even toilatrees) - because you never know when you will need these things, and won't have access to your main bag.

8) Don't bring anything you can't handle losing.

9) Be prepared to be VERY annoyed at some point, and just get ready to go to your happy place, because bad stuff happens.

10) Quntiple (that's five times) ALL of your stuff with a checklist before you leave, there are no second shots at this, and you do not want to leave something you really need.

11) If your a hornline type - bring two things of DCT, and consider either getting some Vitamin E capsules, or splitting some with some other members.

These are just a few things that immediately jumped out to me, any other questions just ask. Also, start getting ready now - pushups as often as you can. It's better to succeed than survive everydays. An ounce of prevention really does beat a pound of cure.

Edited May 16, 2006 by raphael18

[dbc03]

You will be carrying your bag from the bus through a school MANY times throughout the summer. Make sure it is very sturdy, but not so big that you can't comftorbly carry it at 4 am.

YES, definitely take this into consideration. When were packing up to leave Bristol RI this past summer I was pulling my suitcase up some steps with the extendable handle that most luggage comes with these days (same as I had done for the previous 2 summers that I marched) and the handle basically exploded. Luckily I had a homeshow coming up not long after that and a spare suitcase at home that was a couple inches larger than we were allowed to have

3) Bring at least 14 pairs of socks for rehearsal (you will go through these fast). As for show socks...well that will depend. If you are lucky enough to be in a corps that has white pants then your set already.

I would call 14 pairs of socks a very LOW estimate. Depending on the corps you might not do laundry for more than 2 weeks, and trust me, if it rains and your corps stays outside (like they should!) you'll never want to wear them again. Even after you wash them those socks will have a similar consistency as asphalt. I started the season with 28 pairs, and whenever I had my mom or girlfriend coming to the show I asked for a new pack so I could throw out the rattiest ones I had. Nothing feels quite as good as brand new socks in July.

[Matthew]

To all vets and former marchers, share your knowledge! Move ins are starting very soon, so throw last minute advice at the rookies.

What did you learn your rookie year that you wish you knew before the season?

What do you like to keep on the bus?

What's your favorite part of tour?

What's your least favorite part of tour?

What should we expect?

What should we expect not to expect?

anything and everything you want to share will be appreciated by me (and hopefully others who will be spending their first summer on buses and gym floors).

Best of luck to everyone this season, I hope everyone has an awesome summer. And a pre-emptive 'thank you' to the fans who will be filling the stands every night, making the hours and hours of practice worth it.

1. How emotionally attached you really can get to everyone, everything, etc...

2. Snacks, a good book (never know when you want to read one), some CDs or mp3 player, sweatshirt, and pillow. Blanket is nice, but can take up space, so I used a sweatshirt to keep myself warm, and long pj pants.

3. I love all of tour, without one part, it doesnt make the story complete, each part of tour compliments another.

4. Probably waking up in the morning, but after the short run, it was easy to get the day goin.

5. You should expect to be worked harder than you ever have before.

6. Don't expect people to go easy on you, push yourself, push your staff, and get better.

[Carl306]

What did you learn your rookie year that you wish you knew before the season?

What do you like to keep on the bus?

What's your favorite part of tour?

What's your least favorite part of tour?

What should we expect?

What should we expect not to expect?

1. Don't try to tech other people or tell them what to do. If you're going to give someone advice, ask them if they'd like for you to point something out to them, and if they say it's alright, THEN tell them. Don't overpack (or underpack for that matter, either)

2. I had my backpack with me on the bus to hold books, snacks, a CD player (I'm trying to get an iPod for this summer, however). Also make sure you have a pillow, blanket, sweatshirt, and some type of warm pants because the bus can get extremely cold at night. Carribeaners (spelling?), bungee cords, and suction cup baskets are also great for organizing things and leaving you extra space.

3. Probably the second half of tour. That's when things really start to come together and you can see the progress you've made over the last month and a half. It's also a nice feeling to get to play at some of the bigger shows at this point in time as well.

4. Move ins because they're long, tiring, and tedius. Finals week because it's bitter sweet and you realize things you could have done differently (hint hint) and you also notice how fast the summer went by.

5. Expect to be tired. You're going to be pushed to your limits, both physically and mentally. You'll feel physically drained (standing in front of a keyboard can be tiring :P ), mentally exhausted, but you just have to push through it. Realize that everyone else around you is experiencing the same thing, so don't whine about it to everyone.

6. Don't expect for someone to hold your hand the whole summer. You are responsible for yourself the majority of your time, and if you screw up (leaving something at a housing site, late for rehearsal, etc...) you alone, and possibly your corpsmates, will have to face the consequences of those actions.

Something I find to be completely ridiculous in drum corps is the need for clean up crews (gym, field, showers). Your corps mates are not your personal maids, and if you make a mess of something, clean it up yourself!

[bssop97]

I'll be honest...

I hated almost EVERYTHING but performing.

[BeachDrums]

Be on time for everything!! Your bus WILL leave you. I've even seen instructors get left behind at show sites.

You are responsible for yourself. BE ORGANIZED!

Several have mentioned showers and they're absolutely right. Some showers/locker rooms will be disgusting. Flip flops are your friends.

Others have mentioned whining. That is one thing I noticed immediately about drum corps members. While some may "whine" to themselves, generally speaking, one of the many great qualities of members of drum corps is they do not whine. You're in drum corps now; not on vacation with your family.

It may be hard to believe, but assuming the a/c is working, as others have mentioned, buses can get VERY cold at night. Bring a sweatshirt and a pair of long pants.

Be nice to the volunteers, especially the cooks. They work hard and don't need to hear anyone complain about the food even though at times, it can be rather bland. Peanut butter and jelly, anyone?

Expect all kinds of inconveniencies happening. That's just drum corps.

I know I've been somewhat negative here, but sugarcoating won't help anyone. Better to know the not so good as well as the good.

Edited May 17, 2006 by HISop