Hello once again, drum corps fans! The whole day today, this one certain thought would not leave my mind. It started this morning, when I was eating a bowl of Spaghetti O's. As I stared at the tomato paste with macaroni swirling around inside, a thought popped into my mind- "I wish it was summer already". Summer is at least six months away, but I want it to be around the corner. As I surfed the internet, the thought came back. As I was having my flute lesson, the thought came up. When I was driving to dinner, it popped into my head again. Why couldn't I get it out of my head?

When I think about it, I realized the answer is simple. I was eating Spaghetti O's for breakfast! I mean, come on! Would corps' serve Pancakes for dinner? (Okay, some might, but you get what I mean.) When it's corps "season", they feed us...and they feed us well. The meals for one day might be: eggs, cereal, fruit, and sausage for breakfast; turkey sandwich, chips, and fruit for lunch; and chili nachos, fruit, and veggies/salad for dinner. We get good food, and the good food is also healthy.

I know that if I'm not being fed by the parents of my corps, I don't have time to eat healthy-or anything at all, for that matter. I'm a college student. If I'm lucky, I manage one meal a day consisting of...Spaghetti O's, ta-da! Either I don't have time to eat, or I'm doing something and I forget, only to remember when I don't have the time to eat. I have heard many others say the same. They only eat basically when they're fed at drum corps practices.

Who makes sure that we're fed, though? Who prepares all that food, at most three times a day, every day, not counting snacks? Volunteers, that's who. The volunteers are usually parents of kids in the corps, or had children in the corps before but had aged out, or (not that often), just people who want to get involved with the drum corps. Most of these volunteers also help with other things; like the uniforms, driving the equipment truck around everywhere, welding tympani's back together, and helping with the sound system/mixer for the front ensemble. If we had no volunteers, how would the corps get run? Nothing would get done, and, well...there would be no corps.

I just want to take the time to say, thank you. Thank you for all the hard work you guys do; for making our drum corps' possible. If we didn't have all of you to support us, to get up at five in the morning to make breakfast, to sew tears in our uniforms, to do basically anything we need, then there would be no corps for us. there would be no summer of fun; learning new things and making new friends. If it wasn't for you, we'd all be stuck at home doing stuff we shouldn't be doing and getting in trouble. But because of you, the foundation of our corps', we are surrounded by music. Once again; thank you.

With appreciation,

**Cat**

Let me start off by properly introducing myself (seeing how I didn't last time). My name is Catherine Trotter; but please, just call me Cat. I live in San Diego (actually Vista) and am a freshman in College. As an 18 year old, I have already found my passion, which is music. So what else would my major be other than football? What, you thought I was going to say music? Ha-ha, that is sooo original. But, yea. I'm just joking. My major IS music =D

Now, I know I don't have much experience with drum corps (last season was my first), but I really wanted to start this blog in hoping both you and I learn something from it. You learn from my experiences, and I learn from yours (or something like that). My first experience that you will learn about is the Velvet Knight auditions. I had many reasons to audition for this drum and bugle corps, one which was that I want to experience a new corps this year. Last year I performed with Impulse and this year I decided I wanted a new challenge.

Auditioning for VK was certainly a new experience for me. At the first of the auditions, I arrived half an hour after check-in time. The parking lot was fairly dark; lights being only a couple here and there. I saw a few figures standing around a car, and then the front ensemble instruments standing beside a really small truck. Being as naive as I was (and mostly still am), I thought all corps, even the Open Class ones, had semi's to carry their instruments.

I was really nervous about coming to this audition; I never really auditioned for Impulse. I started out as a trumpet player, and unfortunately, I blew out my knee and couldn't march. At first I tried to, and everyone told me "No, go to PIT. You'll hurt it even more!" I wanted to scream and say, "I can do this. I can! Now believe in me, you stupid non-believing people!" Ken White, the director of the corps, made me go up and introduce myself to Alex Mendoza, who was the front ensemble coach. Do you know what he said? "Well, if you DO need to transfer, you don't need to try out-I saw you perform at Bands of America." Funny story. When I wear my contacts, I look exactly like the person he saw performing at BOA. I have known her (Lauren, my twin) for all my high school years, but transferred schools during my senior year. I didn't perform at BOA, but since Lauren is an awesome player, I didn't bother correcting Alex. I'm pretty sure he figured it out when I did transfer to the front ensemble, and couldn't play that well.

Okay, okay. That was a bit off track, but that last part did have a point. Auditioning for Velvet Knights was not only nerve-racking because it was basically my first ever drum corps audition, but also because my main instrument is not percussion, and I am not that good. I have gotten better since last season, and am making great progress. The front ensemble coaches didn't think so, and cut me on the second audition. At the end of the first, they told me some stuff I needed to work on if I wanted to get in, and surprisingly, I got a whole lot better in between that audition and the next. I believe the only reason they said I didn't make it was the night of the second audition, I was an idiot and cut my finger. It hurt like hell, and looked worse. I could barely play the whole weekend (I cut my finger right where the mallet was supposed to be held).

Not making VK upset me. By the end of the first camp, I was really hoping to get in. There were a whole lot of friendly people, and basically not that much different from Impulse. It was just another corps, being a family and loving each other. The only thing that I didn't like was when we washed are dishes, the water was cold. At Impulse it was always hot, and in the summer, I really wouldn't mind if it was cold. But seeing that this was December, in 40 degree weather, oh man. My hands had never been so cold in my life!

So anyway, after I was told I didn't get into VK, I talked to everyone who was trying out for the front ensemble, and big surprise-everyone but me made it. One of the vets asked me if I wanted a hug and seemed to feel really bad that I didn't make it (it turned out to be a group hug). Then the camp was over, and everyone but me left. Only two people (the director and I think a guard coach) were still left an hour later when my mother came to pick me up. That seems; I don't know...a bit ironic? I just wanted to go home so I could cry over spilled milk, and I was forced to stay and wait for my mom for an hour after the camp ended because she thought it ended at five instead of four and wouldn't pick up her cell phone.

That, my friends, was my first experience about corps this season that you will hear about. I have more auditions coming up this and next weekend (Impulse and Pacific Crest respectively). What? You think I'm crazy for trying out for a World Class corps if I couldn't even make an Open Class??!!! Well, yes. I am crazy, but I have gotten better (so I'm not THAT horrible anymore) and my finger is all healed so I can play again. I am crossing my fingers that I make PC; and honestly, I never really thought about auditioning for them until my cousin (who turned down Phantom Regiment to help out his dying grandmother) asked me why I wasn't. If I don't make PC, I would like to march with Impulse again this season, and hope for the best.

With music soaring from every single skin cell of my body, \

-Cat