this one time?

Meego starts band camp today.  Each of our kids participated in middle school band, but Meego is the only one who has, so far, spilled over into high school.

It's not sleepover camp, just nine fun-filled days at the high school.  I think it's mainly for the newbies, the optional sleepover camps being for the true band geeks.

It's reminded me of my own band camp experiences during the summer between my junior and senior years of high school.  Off I went from our little coal-mining / sex-change town to big Denver.  Five fun-filled days, with four sleepovers at a college campus.

It wasn't TRUE band camp however, but just flag / rifle / percussion camp, me being with the flags.  There were four of us flag girls, two rifle girls, no percussors.  Our band director drove us up in one of those huge 80s station wagons.

I was excited, a little nervous, and already missing my boyfriend - ah, teen drama.


Our director had put me in the "advanced" group, another of us in the "intermediate", and two newbies with the "beginners".  He sent me off with those advanced big-city flag girls, and actually spent most of his time with the newbies!

I remember our instructor was from the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps flag squad.  Fun, energetic, and a great leader.  She appeared that first morning, looking very strong, which had me wondering what she had in store for us.

Soon, we were in formation, going through drills.  The more we drilled, the less intimidated I became.  I noticed that those big city flag girls weren't all that sharp after all.  I was holding my own just fine!

I ended up having much fun, learning new moves, and making new friends.  

Then there was the time spent in the phone booth with my sniffling boyfriend *omg*.

I DID miss him.  I don't remember what we talked about, I just remember our alone time in that dorm phone booth.  I know what we didn't talk about though...

Back then, flag and rifle squads consisted of just girls.   We'd go through our hot daily schedules of drills and routines and practice, practice, practice, but I know we all looked forward to what became known as "drummer time"


We'd hear them before we saw them - the percussion teams.  While we flags and rifles had our designated patches of grass among the many fields, the drummers marched all around campus.  They'd come through our areas, announcing their presence with a stirring cadence.  We'd stop and watch and cheer them on. 




They were probably as geeky as we were, after all, they were at optional band camp.

But they were the only boys we saw for five days.  And, wisely, they stayed in a different dorm. 

Rock Stars.

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Find Abby?
She's probably back row, fourth from the right

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