July 20, 2025 – Along the Mill Brook
I’m standing here at my kitchen counter with large awning windows overlooking the Mill Brook with a breakfast beer in hand, a custom blend of Focal Banger and Luscious from the Alchemist in Stowe, VT. I am crying.
Last night, the Boston Crusaders set a new record with the highest score ever performed by a DCI corps in the Southwest Regional Competition in San Antonio, Texas, at 93.213. That is less than 7% from being perfect at this place, halfway into the season. They have several weeks to gain the perfect score, but alas, that is not possible. I learned early on that nothing is perfect from my Mom. Her lesson was that we should always strive to be perfect, even though it is an impossible goal. Life is full of imperfections, though she got very close.
The tears are in joy for the kids who have been striving. And, the incredible instructors, designers, and staff who have enabled these particular kids with the tools they need to succeed. This can be said of all the organizations that performed at the Alamodome last night. What a wonderful celebration of music, art, inclusion, and diversity. Equity, the elusive concept, is under assault, but we still have hope, because the kids get it. They know they are all in it together, no matter what. It takes all 165 of them to make it happen at this level. You be you, I’ll be me, but we are all in it together.
These days, in mid-July, when the kids are toiling in the south, my life is filled with local events, long-deferred house projects, and a healthy dose of hiking in the Green Mountains, which includes a trip up Number Nine Hill Road to Mountainman Farm, a source of locally grown food. Yesterday, before the competition, that was especially true. I have been mining gravel from the brook for my curtain drain project to help shed the copious amounts of rain water that flow off my roof during our frequent gully washers. This is done by shovel and hand, screen and bucket. Good strengthening exercise.
Then, my neighbor, Dr. Karen Anderson, DMV, and I hiked Scragg Mountain together, celebrating 30 years of friendship and neighborly relations. I cannot overstate how important this friendship has been. Veterinarian, ski patroller, gardener, and all-around expert on all things, Karen, with two new hips and two new knees, and her canine companion Ninestien, tackled Scragg with ease.
She dropped me off at home in time for some high-volume, large-screen entertainment. I quickly showered and turned on the flo-machine. Not quite like being there, but it has other benefits, such as enjoying the privacy of my living room (band room), where I was free to express myself with the beverage of my choice, and a bathroom nearby. 🙂 Thank you, Flo, for capturing the event well. The multiple cameras worked hard to capture the moments that elate. The sound was crisp and well-balanced. I especially like the direct feed to my hearing aids.
This morning, I let Karen know about the results from San Antonio because she had to listen to my incessant stories from my tour while on the 5-mile hike with just over 1,000 feet of elevation gain to the summit of Scragg and back. My friends in Vermont do not actually understand my obsession with DCI. From “How did you get involved in this?” to “What does this all mean?”, the questions are hard to answer without telling stories. Marching music is not part of the culture due to the fact that we have schools with class sizes too small to field a large band. That is not to say that music education is lost. My local public school system is noted for strong music and arts programs as well as athletic sports. I am proud to be an assistant golf coach and a preferred substitute teacher for band and chorus. I have shared my DCI stories with several classes over the past eight years. The kids catch my spirit. Your spirit. I aspire to create a space to carry that spirit where kids can achieve success through music at the Number Nine Schoolhouse.
My hair is on fire again, standing here and writing. These are visceral responses I get when I am excited. It is largely due to the texts that I have received from tour mates and fellow fans as they roll in this morning. Last night they began, but here in the east we are lagging by two hours from Texas. I hit the sheets directly after the scores were announced. What a pleasant mid-summer night’s slumber I had in the cool Vermont nocturnal.
This is a new phenomenon for the BAC crowd, being so elevated. Let us not get ahead of ourselves. There is much more season to come. You know that all of the other incredible drum corps will be changing, cleaning, and pushing right to the end on a Saturday in August. For now, I will finish my breakfast beer in celebration of the historic successes, carry on with the house projects, and hit the keys later. I’m looking forward to my love in the South by continuing my DCI tour with a trip to Night/BEAT in Winston-Salem next. And then, a homecoming in Boston as I embark on the long and winding road for DCI Indy. Peace out for now.