Today was the last day of band camp

Already this year is so different than the past three. Freshman year I came to Vanden specifically because the band was awesome, and hopefully I could convince the band director to let me twirl for them. That didn’t happen.

Sophomore year I was persistent enough to get involved in the field shows at football games but I still couldn’t march and compete with the band. Finally as a junior I had multiple meetings with the band director and color guard instructors as well as my coach and I was able to twirl for band reviews. Never the less the color guard instructors still tried to keep me out of street marching and I probably cried every day after band camp. I ended up marching, which was awesome. But this year I received the letter for band camp with all the information, I showed up on the first day and was accepted. I didn’t have to fight to be there anymore. I don’t think anyone really questioned my being there and I was just part of it all.

It means so much to me that this happened because from 2nd-8th grade I twirled for my school and 9th grade was the first year I hadn’t represented a school. Luckily by my senior year I made it in. I made so many friends in band and color guard over the past three years and I am so lucky to be a part of it.

 I have noticed that majorettes for bands in northern California are rare and color guard dominates this area (go color guard, you guys are legit and I wish I could spin like y’all).  According to our band director the last majorette before me twirled in 1994, which was before I was even born and I wish there was an incoming freshman I could mentor to do baton so baton twirling would continue at Vanden but there isn’t. This year might be the last year Vanden will have a baton twirler for a while, and I am so glad to be part of it all.

Go Vikings! 

Being on a baton team, just like any other competitive sport

I’ve been on a nationally competing team for 3 years with the same girls and wow. I know this is probably the same for all sports but I’m just gonna talk about baton.

 These girls helped me with my transition from rec to comp and wow I didn’t even know ballet positions before I started. They teach me and I teach them, even though I’m a lot older than them. Sometimes I feel like we’re best friends and other times I feel like their mom. “Guys say thank you to Lauren! She brought cookies!” Most other times I’m their captain. GET IN YOUR FORMS ALSDJFLASKJDF We spend countless hours on end in a sweaty gym 10 months out of the year and of course we get in little fights here and there but it isn’t anything personal usually. But there’s something about being with my team that is different from my friends, even my best friend. These 6 other girls we see each other at our best all done up on competition days and at our worst, six a.m. after 3 days of intense practice ready for another day. We see each other succeed and fail all the time. Its a part of what we do. We’ve all been in various states of undress together (0.o) and don’t really care. We make fun of each other all the time but no one gets hurt and by now we all know how to cheer each other up. One of the best moments this year was one Alana’s mom made Alana sit next to me so I could cheer her up before freestyle. On facebook we have a group and we all post stuff there all the time about music and practice and rhinestones and everything!! The other day I realized that next year will be my last year as I’ll be going to college and I almost started to cry. All the girls made threats “You better not like your new team more than us.” I don’t know what I’m gonna do when I leave but I’ve been considering staying in Northern California so I can stay with my team. But I want to leave too, I have to do other stuff with my life. I can’t imagine how different my life would be without Revolution Edge!

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