Feel it?
I do. I’ve watched the show 23 times since i got home ( that’s probably a lie…it’s probably more). I’ve watched OTHER corps shows many times as well. But…
As one of our Cavalier parents posted in the FB forum…”No scores to check, no cap sheets to read, etc.”
“Men Are From Mars” was an amazing spectacle, and now…it’s retired.
But what a freaking season, right? Did it not exceed almost every single expectation?
So…we had so much fun in Indy meeting SO many Cavs parents, staff, and members! Perfect end to one of the most fascinating summers I’ve had in a long time!
But…for this last post, I want to do a little rewind to when Laurie and I landed at the airport in Indy. We were going to just Uber to the Wyndham, but decided to save a little money and go find the Hotel shuttle. Well, when we got on the shuttle, we met another Cavalier Alumni headed to the Wyndham! His name ( please pardon me if I don’t spell it correctly ) was Joe Balser ( Balzer?) What a delightful man! He began to tell us stories from his Cavaliers days back in the early 70’s…and I stored away one critical trivia fact he told me. Evidently Joe was the first Cavalier to play percussion, spin guard, AND play in the horn-line! He colorfully told the tale and in the back of my mind I was thinking ” A different world in drum corps but a man ready to do whatever it took to get it done.”
Just meeting Joe began to impress upon me how deeply rich the tradition that the Cavaliers hold. He was flying in for championships to see HIS brotherhood. It was noted.
After the excitement of both Thursday and Friday night, Laurie and I made our way to the “DCI Finals Pre-Party” at Tavern on South next to the stadium. SO MUCH FUN! We met so many parents and alumni that I’m not going to make the mistake of mentioning them all because I would inevitably leave someone out! But just so much fun for us “current parents” to mingle with the “tradition” of the Cavaliers.
And as we ate, drank, and decided to be merry…it really started overwhelming me how deeply rich the tradition of this drum corps is and always has been. I’d already met Joe on the airport shuttle. He was at the pre-party. And then I met Tom Freeman…what a great guy! I got to hear his stories of navigating to his first corps experience with the Cavaliers in his teenage years. Quite a bit different than the way we almost “pamper” our boys today. Which is why I love how diligent Tom is today to ensure our men show up with the right shoes on their feet! Wonderful conversation.
But the whole point was driven home when these alumni stepped out on the back patio to sing “Rainbow” and “We Are The Cavaliers”. This truly is a musically fraternal organization. They have and ageless PRIDE in this organization. They SUPPORT this organization. They CARE about this organization. And that’s when I probably swiped a tear out of the corner of my eye…as they sang on that back patio…with their band of brothers. It’s a brotherhood that has specific points of entry. My son will be in it ( as I understand that you aren’t “in it” until your second year…). And my happiness for him to tap into something “bigger” than just a season, and just a show, and just DCI, can’t be measured. You never know where your lifelong friends might show up when you’re that young…but I have to imagine that the Cavaliers experience is a great breeding ground for lifelong friendship based on my own eyes while observing the Cavs alumni.
I honestly don’t know what College fraternities he will be exposed to or care to join ( he started school yesterday at Jacksonville State University), but after talking with him on the way home and on the drive to move him in, I know he’s found one of the most important “fraternities” he could have ever sought out.
And then comes the banquet. I won’t write a lot about it. It was wonderful. It’s clear the Corps is in great hands, that the staff is dedicated, that the members are energized, that the age-outs inspired everyone, and then the bittersweet moment arrives when the “party” ends.
But does it really?
See you next year? 🙂
Thank you Cavaliers! What an AMAZING summer!
2018 can’t come soon enough.
Rolling With the Cavaliers 