Band Camp

I was at marching band camp for the last two days, marching... and sweating. This year our show theme is basically remembering trageties that have occurred in our nation's recent history. We have three pieces that we're playing, the first is the Virginia Tech shooting, the second is the hurricane Katrina, and the third is 9-11.
Our band director, Mr. Mainieri, made this our theme because it's the election year, and "a show that shows pride will have good crowd effect" or something like that. I like the show, it's pretty cool and it will have a good effect, but that won't effect our score with the judges! We need a really good show, and we need to execute it well for us to get a good score, but we have a lot of younger marchers, like me. With so many new marchers, and with such a big band, we will have to teach everyone good technique fast to be good, and if we don't, we won't be able to compete, because even though we're big, we won't be very good...
Another thing is that our band director wants to put a voice over at the beginning of our show, explaining our show, when it's supposed to be silent and eerie, giving the effect of a moment of silence to pay tribute toward those who died in the tragic events. The first thing is that it will completely ruin the effect, the second thing is that voice overs are going out of style for marching bands, and third, it will probably be something cheesy, adding nothing to our show to make us better for the judges.
The first day of camp we just covered the basics for the first-time marchers, and yesterday we started learning our show. Camp starts at 8 in the morning, but we have to be there early because Clint is the drum major, so we get there around 7 to 7:30. We march until 11, and then we break for lunch until 1. We come back and go over our music until 4, then we break for dinner until 6. We march until 9, and then go home, but we stay late because, yet again, Clint's the drum major.
We have the weekend off and we go back on Monday, and we have camp all week, and then Monday through Wednesday the next week. We stand all day, even during the music rehearsals, at attention, so yesterday my feet hurt a lot.
Marching band pretty much IS my life. When I'm at marching band, I'm loving it. I'm gleeful, and I really feel at my element. When I'm not at marching band, I'm thinking about it. When it's not marching band season, I'm thinking about it coming up, even a few months before it even starts! Marching band gives me such a strong feeling, and I think I'm a little obsessive about it. I started in sixth grade and I want to stick with it until I'm a senior. That's seven years of marching band!!! I'm a little worried that I'll become too obsessive with it, and end up like Will Hillegeist or something. Not that he's not a great person, he is great, he's just the best saxophone player in the school, and it's litterally his life.
Marching band is such a challenge, and I love it! It gives me something to work for, and to do. Without it, I would have nothing to do and would be lazy. With all the troubles and challenges and work and sweat, I love it!