? [upbeat music] ?
- [Man] We're about to have the best show of 2012.
All it takes is you doing what you do.
To the fullest of your potential.
Can you feel it?
- [Group] Yes, sir!
- [Man] I can feel it too.
The moment you enter that tunnel, step out there,
fear exits the body.
You'll be Madison Scouts for real.
I'm very proud of all of you.
(rally shouting)
(marching)
- [Man] Go to war guys.
Go to war!
(audience cheering)
Go to war, you guys.
- [Announcer] Please welcome to the field,
from Madison, Wisconsin, the Madison Scouts!
(cheering)
(loud drum corps music)
(cheering)
- It's kind of interesting trying to try
to explain to someone who's never heard of it.
- A marching band without the woodwinds.
- It's like marching band on steroids.
- I basically say we're the NFL of marching band.
- It's just a higher degree in caliber of musicianship.
- Making music, marching.
- So you guys sleep in hotels, right?
It's like no, we sleep on gym floors.
- Being around with friends, working really hard.
- Oh, that's really cool, so you
probably get paid a lot of money, right?
I immediately just like, no, I pay money to do it.
- You get to fly places, right?
It's like, we get on tour buses.
- Drum corps is basically, as I describe it to people,
it's like professional marching band.
It's a marching band show, just like a high school
marching band competes, we go and we compete
and we learn a show.
The difference is we spend two and a half months
on the road doing it every single day.
Whereas a, quote on quote, normal marching band,
you do a couple, three rehearsals a week.
And so we get things to a much, much, much higher level
than a high school or a college could.
(triumphant brass music)
(cheering)
- So guys, have a seat, have a seat.
We've got to get started.
Hi, gentleman.
- [Group] Hi, Dann!
- You guys are incredibly lucky.
Most people actually never get the
chance to do what you guys are doing.
And I'm not talking about being a Madison Scout,
that's obvious, I'm not talking about this whole experience.
I'm talking about one aspect of that.
And the aspect is being a part of a group
where 150 people come from all over this country,
actually, all over the world, right?
Right, Daichi?
They come together with different ways of thinking,
different beliefs, different backgrounds
and for 12 weeks, you share this
common purpose and this common goal.
It's an amazingly unique experience
that allows you to take time
and learn about everyone that you're
sharing this with, to learn from them.
And through the process, to learn about yourself.
That's how we build this brotherhood.
Far too many people in this world grow up being taught
that people who are different than us are wrong in some way.
It's unfortunate, but that's the
greater world that we live in.
But again, you guys are incredibly lucky
to have this smaller subsection, this community
that you build where we don't have to
live and play by those rules.
Make that part of your experience as well
and I promise you you will go home a better man.
- My name is Hunter, I'm from Corpus Christi, Texas.
So they were looking at these drum corps videos
and I was like wow, that's a really good
high school band, where are they from?
And they're like, it's not
high school band, it's drum corps.
And they kinda started introducing me to drum corps
and they were showing me the old shows
and the first one they showed me was the '75 Madison Scouts.
(drum corps music)
I thought that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.
I was like, why am I doing marching band?
This is something else, there's no woodwinds,
it's all brass, they're blowing
their guts out it looks like.
It looked incredible.
- His eyes just opened up, his jaw dropped
and I said, uh oh, the wheels are turning.
And sure enough, he had fallen in
love with the drum and bugle corps.
And I was thinking, well, this is
probably what he's going to want to play.
- I wanted to be on that field getting a standing ovation
at the end, being the cool trumpet player.
I was like, if they were cool back then,
let's see how cool they are now.
So the next day I was just like, Madison Scouts 2011.
(drum corps music)
That gave me goosebumps. It was coolest thing I'd ever seen.
I was like, I wonder how these other corps compare to it.
No, none of the other corps are
Madison Scouts, that's for sure.
Scouts are special, they get the
crowd on their feet before the show ends.
That's why I really want to be in that.
I want to get the standing ovation at the end.
It's all about the crowd in my opinion.
(cheering)
- My name is Jo Higdon, I was born in San Diego, California.
I was raised in Poland throughout my
childhood and moved to Georgia.
In Madison Scouts I'm in the color guard,
I'm a flag line person, I don't touch the weapons,
except for the catch, that's about it.
I love the Madison Scouts,
I couldn't imagine going to another corps.
I auditioned for a different corps originally
and it wasn't as close as I felt
the first day I was here at Madison.
So it was a huge difference and I mean,
it's just a family and I love it here.
- What drove Joey into getting into marching band
was probably the middle school teachers.
They told him, oh you'd really like the marching band.
- I studied criminology because I want to get, eventually,
into the FBI, something like that.
So I can help people, I think my
main goal is I want to help people.
- Because of Jo's outgoing and very personable personality
he just attracts anyone and everyone.
It's hard not to be Jo's friend, honestly.
He's got that kind of personality.
- Twirl again!
(drum corps music)
The first time I became aware of drum corps,
we had a teacher at my high school
that was a visual tech at the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps.
We watched their rehearsal and then I looked at my mom
and said, I want to do that.
She's like, you sure?
- When he first told me that he wanted to get involved
with the DCI, I had no idea what he had in mind.
So we actually went out to California
and we watched the Cadets.
I was just amazed.
I said to him, you really want to do this?
Because it just seemed so unlike Brandon.
Brandon was always just very laid back
and watching the discipline was just overwhelming.
- I knew I wanted to do drum corps,
so I ended up marching in the 2009 season with Jersey Surf.
I had a friend who was marching Madison Scouts at the time,
who was a mellophone player and he just told me
it was a great atmosphere out here,
so I decided to come and check them out.
- He has just grown leaps and bounds
in all areas of his life,
he's taken what he's learned on the field
and he incorporates it into his school work
and his regular work, it's been a great thing.
(peaceful guitar music)
- Madison Scouts were founded in 1938.
Essentially a group of business men in the Madison area
had seen the Racine Scouts perform and were inspired
to start a similar group in the Madison area.
Originally stemmed from a Boy Scout troop,
hence the name, and the continued connection to this day
to the Boy Scouts of America.
It's been through a long 70-plus-year history
to get to where we are today.
- In this early days in the 40s,
it was primarily a parade corps
and as the activity evolved into the 50s,
that's kind of when the more traditional
field shows started being developed.
- They're in this league called DCI
and it's kind of like a marching league,
kind of like a basketball league, like a conference.
And they go, oh okay, so you have
other players in that league.
I'm like yes, there's about 23 of us in the same division.
- A ton of groups who are world class musicians,
the cream of the crop and they are fighting for one title.
- We do it exactly how we want it to do
every day and we just get better
for this whole summer of three months.
Until it's perfect on Finals.
(corps brass music)
(playing trumpet notes)
- Hunter's introduction to the drum crops
was like a newborn baby opening his eyes for the first time.
It was such an incredible reaction from him
that you just knew that he knew what he was going to do.
He had asked if he could audition for the Madison Scouts.
I was a little hesitant because I didn't want him
to be disappointed if they were to tell him
that you're too young and then he saw
that the audition music wasn't very expensive,
so we went ahead and picked it up for him to look through it
and that was the deciding factor
that he was going to do this.
Because he's looking and says I can play this dad.
So he put hours into just watching videos,
studying videos and then going
outside and putting it to use.
Playing his horn, marching around the circle driveway,
marching squares out here.
Hunter's first audition, we drove up to Huntsville.
- Came out and they said I did really well
and they're looking forward to seeing me at the next camp.
And I was like, wait, what?
That means I got a call back.
And from there it kind of dawned on me,
I was like, I'm doing this.
It's not just a dream anymore, I'm doing this.
- There was another gentleman that was sitting there
that had marched with the Scouts
and he was outside of the audition room
and he was just laying down on the little bench
and Hunter starts playing and he sits up
and he just starts listening, he's like,
"Wow, that sounds really great."
And he's like, "How old is he?"
And I said--
- Yeah, he's just turned 15.
- Chuck and I were like, he had just turned 15.
So then Dann comes out and he starts asking us
a few questions, he's like, well,
how is his maturity level and things about
how would we feel if Hunter was on the road.
- This activity can be rigorous,
especially the eight-week tour of traveling
and sleeping a few hours on the bus,
the challenging human dynamics that you go through,
the natural ebb and flow of a tough day and an easy day.
The crowds go nuts for you and your score goes up
and your score goes down.
You have to be prepared
to manage your emotions through
a great variety of things that happen.
For someone who's a little older, it can be more manageable.
- Their older brothers really rally around them,
I'm not saying that they protect them in any way,
but they're there to really help them.
I'm very proud to see that out of our membership.
- Hunter's an interesting young man.
When he first showed up, he was 15 years old,
he was green, he was definitely a child
and I was apprehensive about taking him into the horn line.
He kept showing up and he kept getting better.
You know, at some point, when someone keeps
showing improvement and they keep coming
to the rehearsals and every camp, you have to take them.
- We were in rehearsal in the gym,
a lot of the people who were getting contracts
had already been contracted.
And Hunter was getting a little anxious about that
and you could see it in his face.
And then Dann walks in and he taps Hunter on his shoulder
and we're going, hey, this is going to happen.
We think this is going to happen.
And he walks out and then he comes
back in with a sheet of paper.
I go, hey, what is that?
He goes, I got a contract, I got a contract.
- What's that? - I got a contract.
- For what?
- The Scouts.
- I got to go, I got to go,
and he runs back into the formation.
What a proud moment.
Very proud.
(metronome ticking)
- The 2012 season started in November of 2011.
We do one weekend camp once a month from
November all the way through May.
We'll fly in from all over the country,
where everyone is from and pretty much rehearse
for one weekend, getting all the show music learned,
starting to meet all the guys.
There is an audition process
that everyone has to go through.
(drumming)
Auditions this year for the 2012 season
are pretty much wrapping up now.
It was a very good first experience, I'll say,
for a lot of perspective members.
Me personally, I had a very interesting audition,
it wasn't what I was expecting to hear,
this being my third year here.
- I think you can hit the drums too hard.
Because it distorts the sound.
You guys have been trained to over do it, personally.
All we do is talk about the things they don't do well.
And I think it definitely kind of threw him
for a little bit of a curve ball.
He maybe thought, you know, he was going to come in
and blow us away, and it's not that he's a bad player,
but he has a lot to work on.
- I was kind of expecting to walk in
and be handed a contract, but there are still
some things I need to fix because it is a
new technique this year, so apparently I play too loud.
- One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
I'm really, really excited.
I really like the show, the concept is great,
the music, what we got to hear from the horns was amazing.
(soft brass music) (metronome ticking)
This is my age out year.
I was fortunate and I got the bonus year.
My birthday falls in between the summer when tour starts.
I get to march when I turn 22,
otherwise you get until you're 21.
(peaceful guitar music)
- When Brandon was with the Jersey Surf,
he was looking to go to another corps.
I think Jersey Surf was his first stepping stone
and then as they toured through the summer
and he got to see other corps,
all of a sudden certain corps just started attracting him.
And two in particular and it was the Cavaliers
and the Madison Scouts, and I said to him,
what is it about these corps that you like?
He says, I think I like the fact that it's a male corps.
I think it's a brotherhood.
And I think for Brandon in particular,
the fact that my husband travels so much, 200 nights a year,
I think the male bonding was a very big attraction for him.
It was like he's got 150 brothers.
- As an all male organization,
there's a little bit of an edginess to that.
In today's day and age certainly you could be under
some scrutiny for being exclusive.
My personal view point on that is a little bit different.
I think we offer a unique opportunity to help
young men become better men.
And that's something that our society as a whole requires
and if you're a young lady who's going to marry
one of these guys down the road,
hopefully you see the value in him growing up
and being more mature and being a better husband
down the road and being a better father down the road.
This isn't about being exclusive and not allowing
females to participate in what we do.
It's really about helping young men
learn skills that young men need.
- You go out and look at any other world class horn line,
probably a good third of them are female.
We're challenged to make up that difference
in terms of being an all male corps.
- We're all on the same level as guys.
We all understand each other.
We're all competitive, we all, like, when we all go work out
it's just like, alright, let's see who could lift the most.
It's like, okay, well that could translate to this.
Let's see who can march their dot better,
let's see who could play this phrase of music better
and it just kind of, it's funny,
because we have our own little competition.
In here, when you view it as the outside,
you see it as our progress.
You have the main goal in sight the entire time,
which is Finals night.
Every day we wake up and we're like,
this is what we're going to do.
This is what we're going to do
and this is what we're going to be Finals night.
(guys chattering)
(drum beats)
- After lots of time on a practice pad at home,
came back to the next camp and I did receive a contract.
I was speaking with James Sparling
and he asked me if I'd consider being
the percussion section leader or the center snare,
however you'd call it, it's usually the same thing.
They felt that I was the best fit for it,
so they offered me the role and I graciously accepted.
(drumming)
The are three sections of the battery,
there's the bassline, snare line, and the tenor line.
The snares play all the notes on one drum.
The quad drums play the snare book,
but move it around six different drums.
And the bassline is made of five people
and they pretty much split the entire snare book.
- The role of the center snare in almost every situation,
he's the go to guy, he's the metronome,
the human metronome, so he'll start off the
exercises by tapping them off.
You know, besides just the actual practical skills
of musicianship, he's the leader.
- The center snare's responsibility is to be
almost super human.
They've got to be the guy who plays perfect every rep.
The guy who can make a comment to someone else.
They guy who marches his dot great.
The guy who makes sure that stuff on
and off the field is taken care of.
Essentially it's the most important
gig of the drum line, hands down.
(rapid drum beats)
- Center snare drummer also kind of dictates
how well we play together as a drum corps.
The way that we do ensemble, is the drum major
goes with the center snare drummers feet
and takes that tempo and distributes it to the drum corps.
(metronome ticking)
And when things don't happen, we go to them.
Even if it wasn't their fault, we go to them
because they're supposed to be
the ones kind of leading the guys.
(drumming rapidly)
-It's going to be an interesting role for me to be in.
I definitely think that I'm up for it, it's going to be fun.
It's going to take a lot of work on my part,
a lot of mental work.
It's my job just to make sure everything is done properly.
Whether that be sitting the drums down
in a perfectly straight line every time,
that means everyone's got their stuff done on time,
they're at rehearsal on time, they have
everything they need for rehearsal.
One rep, that's all we get.
It's going to be a journey for myself
as well as the whole percussion section.
If I can leave this summer alive,
I'll be able to say that I was the section leader
for the 2012 Madison Scouts.
(peaceful guitar music)
- Before I started doing Madison Scouts,
we had six cows out here
and four of them helped me pay for my tuition actually.
So now what we have left are the
two baby cows, Olaf and Madison.
Madison named after Madison, Wisconsin obviously.
The cows out here are more or less pets
and it came time that they can actually be useful
for something, other than eat and be awesome.
So we sold our four cows, Marilyn, Lucy, Bonnie, and Ethel.
And that's where I am today, is going through drum corps
with cows paying for my tuition.
It was kind of bitter sweet I guess, as friends are going
away, but it's paying for your dream, it kind of works out.
(playing trumpet notes)
- [Conductor] Stay light.
Let me be a jerk for a minute, let me be a jerk.
Back of the tongue, all back of the tongue.
(playing trumpet notes)
That's comical, okay.
Now, lighten up on the front and it should be easier.
(playing trumpet notes)
Like magic, get a drink.
- A couple camps ago Scott Steward,
we were going through our parts.
And one of the first parts of the third movement
is a little Baba Yaga semi-soloist spot.
- Raise your hand if you have any soloist aspirations
in the Madison Scouts, whether now, present or future.
- I raised my hand, that's what I've
always kind of wanted to do.
- That's awesome, here's what we're going to do.
Who feels that you guys have measures 12 and 13,
just completed nailed, can absolutely
nail it right now on the spot?
Go, individually. Audition.
(playing trumpet notes)
I'll spare you some embarrassment tempo wise.
(playing trumpet notes)
(metronome ticking)
(playing trumpet notes)
Okay.
(playing trumpet notes)
Okay.
Did you have your hand up, Hunter?
(playing trumpet notes)
Okay.
Okay, who feels that they have 14 and 15?
Is it all the same?
Anybody different that I have not heard yet?
(metronome ticking)
(playing trumpet notes)
Okay.
With the exception of Reed and you, no offense,
everybody else come on up here real quick.
That I've heard.
Everybody else that I've heard.
I'm going to send you back as well.
Yeah, I'm going to send you back as well.
Hunter, you sure?
You had your hand raised a second ago.
Okay, I say do it, come on up here man.
I want to hear you play one of these,
just play the first one.
(playing trumpet notes)
Bull crap, get up here.
(boys laughing)
Get up here, you're doing one of these.
- I'm actually part of a little soli section now.
Step out of your comfort zone and you achieve things.
(playing trumpet notes in unison)
- [Color Guard] One, two, three,
four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine,
10, 11, 12.
- It's the color guard's job, I think,
to bring the story and the message, the theme, to life.
Whether it's through costuming or flag designs
or the even use of choreography to promote concept.
The color guard started with the
traditional piece of equipment, flag, rifle, saber.
And how that was used in more of a
militaristic way when drum corps started.
And it really has evolved to use the color guard more
where they're really involved
in the visual musicality of the program.
Taking part of the visual in terms of drill staging,
use of equipment and more of a theatrical component
to elevate musical direction with brass and percussion.
There is a day, Jo is spinning on campus,
where he goes to the university.
Another member that I work with in a color guard
was on campus, she was working
and teaching a dance class at Kennesaw State.
And she happened to be walking through the commons
and saw some flag going around on this gigantic campus.
So she went up to him and asked him,
do you do color guard?
And evidently he said, yeah, I do,
but I don't have much experience doing it.
And she just felt really compelled to want to help him out
and teach him, because he really didn't have much
proper training or technique.
And so she worked with him and not only built up
his skills from an equipment standpoint,
but exposed him to dance training.
And I think that really allowed him to take the next step,
which was to then start exploring drum corps.
(far away music)
- You guys are probably going to want to go
the last two rooms on the right, just dump your stuff,
if you want to move a little bit later tonight, that's fine.
- Okay, I'll sleep here.
- I've got two more for you, are you ready for them?
- Sure! - Excellent.
- Alright. You are?
Don't tell me, Roger.
And you are Hunter.
Okay, uniforms are out here.
So what I need you to do is to try these on.
It's a new one, doesn't have a hat band yet.
- It almost feels like a costume party kind of thing.
- A costume party?
- You've seen, I've seen the Scouts a million times
on YouTube and stuff it's like,
now I'm actually like in the uniform.
It's like, oh yeah.
- So you stand that way, look straight ahead.
And I need to mark the hem.
- Somebody needs to take a picture of me in this.
- Oh, I'm sure your mom will do that.
- Mom, check it out.
- [Hunter's Mom] It's amazing.
- You should take a picture of me real quick.
- You look sharp, alright, I'll--
- I'll set this down real quick.
Cheese!
Okay, I want to see that.
Okay, that is way cool.
That is awesome.
(metronome ticking) (playing trumpet notes)
- [Conductor] Don't rush the triplets.
(playing trumpet notes)
Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
This is the easy stuff, don't mess up the easy stuff.
- When Hunter first got here,
his sound is really good, but he was very, very quiet,
he didn't really project much at all
and that's something that we're
still kind of working on with him.
- Lift up Hunter, lift up.
Get a great sound as you're moving back.
Don't let the feet effect your sound Hunter.
There you go.
- He's still putting out a great sound,
but there's just not a whole lot of it there.
(playing trumpet notes)
It almost seems like something's holding him back.
I know I can play loud, it doesn't sound good,
but like I can play loud, so I can't see why
somebody like him couldn't play loud,
especially when you have such a,
he seems to have good control over what he's doing already.
- This is "Malagueña."
You're playing it too polite, it's not polite.
(laughing)
- Whenever we find our downtime and during a lunch break
when we have to get our food, or the line is too long,
us smokers will go off school grounds.
Sometimes the smokers club is a solo activity,
whether you've had a bad block and you just want to be alone
and other times it's more of a hangout.
So there's maybe a few guys from
each section here and there.
I mean, yes it's negative that we smoke,
but sometimes you've just got to relieve some stress,
blow off some steam and talk with
some of the other guys about it.
- I'm getting deloused man.
(laughing)
- Deloused.
- Last year I really needed it.
(metronome ticking)
- Jo Higdon is a wonderful young man.
During spring training he got some very difficult news
that he was HIV positive.
- I'm really scared to be honest.
I've been scared before in my life,
but this is the scariest thing I've ever faced.
- He came to me the next day,
during a lunch break and he said, you know,
I need to talk to you for a minute.
And then told me what was going on with his health
and that he had been to the doctor
and I was just completely blown away.
- Finding out during the season, you know,
that he had come down with that disease
was very upsetting, of course.
I told him, you know, we'd do anything to support him.
- Fortunately we've got a lot of support here, you know?
We love him, we wanted to make sure that first and foremost
he knows that this doesn't change who Jo is.
- Emotionally I wasn't here, so that night,
I decided that I needed to go home.
I told my step-mom before I told my dad.
My step-mom didn't react the way I was hoping she'd react.
She reacted kind of negatively and it hurt me more.
- I'll be very honest, I was really devastated
and I completely freaked out.
- My family and I got into a big argument about it.
And so I ended up leaving the house for a couple days
and living out of my car.
- It's just that, that's my child.
And it brought tears to my eyes.
- I told some friends that I thought I could trust
and I learned very quickly that you can't trust anyone
and that you only have a few true friends.
And those people left me and they didn't want to
talk to me again, because they were afraid of it,
or whatever their reasons were.
- I mean I understand that having something like HIV
is almost taboo, this is the one moment,
the one time in his whole entire life,
when he will need the most support
and when he will need more love and care
and encouragement than ever.
- I called Dann Petersen that night
and I was like, I want to come back.
You guys are my family right now
and I need you guys more than I've ever
needed anybody in my life before.
- When I found out that he was coming back,
I was so relieved and just,
that that hadn't been the end for him.
- When I walked out onto that field that first night,
everybody was there and everybody was crying
and laughing and they came and gave me hugs
and it was really emotional for me.
- To come back after something like that
and leave a place where the people are not accepting you
and leave a place where people are just not supporting you
and come back into something like this
and to be able to achieve something like that,
I have no perspective, so I admire him greatly for that.
- I mean, it's been hard work, of course.
Drum corps isn't easy on anybody
and it's definitely not easy when you have
a life changing illness to deal with,
but these 150 guys that push me every day,
it makes it so much easier and so much more worthwhile
to live and you realize you live for every day.
- I think the biggest thing I can offer him,
as far as support, is just to keep constantly reminding him
that now it's not just these 150 people that are here
that have his back, but the generations
and generations and generations of brothers.
These are the people that he needs
to look to when the other people fail.
And that all these people love him unconditionally.
- I love the Scouts, I can't explain
how much the Scouts mean to me.
(slow brass music)
This show is amazing.
(playing brass music)
We're going to be starting tour
and our first show and I'm excited.
It's going to be good.
I didn't do the second run through,
I was pretty sick all day, dehydrated,
throwing up all my food and so after the first run through,
I couldn't, I got really, really weak and shaky,
so I chose not to do the second run,
so that way I could be healthy for tomorrow morning
instead of passing out and being out for a couple days.
(playing "You'll Never Walk Alone")
- The corps song for the Madison Scouts
is You'll Never Walk Alone.
- The song is from a Broadway show
and a movie called Carousel.
The corps first played it for a closer in the '50s
and they used it as a closer for many years consistently.
And then they dropped it from the show
and just sort of kept it as a theme song
and so the corps would sing or play to sort of meld
the feelings of the corps together.
(playing "You'll Never Walk Alone")
- Drums on Parade, it's our show where we see
perhaps the biggest group of alums.
We'll bring the corps, right after rehearsal,
to the little pavilion where all the alums are hanging out
and we invite everyone to come in
and guys who haven't sang it in four or five years.
And they come in and everyone's
got their arms around each other,
guys from the '50s, guys from the '70s,
guys from the 2011 corps,
and we all sing it together as brothers.
It's one of those great elements
that continues to unite us all.
(singing "You'll Never Walk Alone")
(cheering and applauding)
- I think that's one of the most significant things
about the Madison Scouts is that song.
(playing brass music)
- Come on, move some air, move some air.
Breathe, play.
Keep the air going.
Remember your breathing spots,
remember your breathing spots, come on.
What's turned things around this
last week of spring training is really
just kind of laying down the gavel a little bit.
Not letting any mistakes slide with the kids.
Really kinda challenging them to dig deep
and know where their mistakes are
and eliminate those as quickly as possible.
Full breath, move the air!
Come on Hunter, send your air to the press box,
send your air to the press box.
Come on, keep it coming.
This is the end, this is the end, finish,
big finish, move your air.
I think if these kids really take on
what we've done just in the last few days,
they should have their best run to date,
with maybe a little extra spice
since it is the home show and our first performance.
Ultimately, what I would like to see the kids do tomorrow
is really connect with that audience.
(playing brass music)
(cheering)
Going in there without the thought of scores,
without the thought of competition
and just connect with that audience
and get them out of their seats.
I think if we can do that,
we can consider this whole week a victory.
(cheering)
(playing triumphant brass music)
(cheering and applauding)
(announcer speaking)
- Gopher Boy to the back of the bus!
- [Hunter] What do you want?
- [Corps Member] Why are you not at the back?
- Okay, I'm at the back.
- Sean Phelan is feeling a little down.
He needs a goldfish, like one with a little smile on it.
- Okay, I'll find a goldfish.
Do you have a goldfish?
Do you have any goldfish?
- [Corps Member] Hurry up, he's getting angry.
- Do you have any gold fish?
Oliver, do you have any gold fish?
- I might.
- Sean Phelan, these will make you happy.
They all have smiles on them.
- We only need one.
- Well, there's at least one in there.
- Choose one, I don't want it, it's for him.
Is that an adequate smile for you, Sean?
- Thank you very much. - You're welcome.
A lot of guys I look up to,
they already have like scruff and stuff,
I think it's a Madison tradition almost.
And I was like, why not, let's go ahead
and let it grow out a little while.
And I was like, oh, this isn't that bad.
I'll go ahead and keep it.
I know just going back to set and stuff,
Scott Steward, the trumpet tech,
he's like come on beard boy, I think he called me that once.
And I know Taylor Harrell, one of the visual techs,
told me while we were in the trooping form,
he was saying, how does a 15 year old
have the best chin strap in the corps?
Better than all these 19, 20 year olds
and I was like wow, that's kind of a compliment, I imagine.
(guys chattering)
- You can see the flags going up, then just do Celebration
next time we cycle through, thank you very much.
Because I may not be able to actually make contact with you.
- Okay, sure.
- So keep the cycle unless you hear
the tap out for Celebration.
Simple enough.
Two cadence, one celebration.
- [Corps Member] Pretty much use your brain.
- Yeah, pretty much use your brain and pay attention.
Don't fall asleep and don't die.
- [Corps Member] Try to smile, it'll be okay.
If I mess up, I'm sorry, I get it.
- Oh, it's hot, this is going to get old real quick.
(chuckles)
It's been old since we woke up at 7:30.
(playing "Celebration by Kool & The Gang")
- There is no cooler experience than putting on the
aviator sunglasses, the hat, and the uniform, everything,
and just marching down a street and looking cool.
I personally find that awesome.
(cheering)
At the parade, the crowd loves us.
We were playing Celebration,
had people clapping along and stuff.
It was a lot of fun.
People would go crazy for the drum line,
they were just wailing away in the back.
It was really cool.
(drumming rapidly)
A lot of the other guys aren't exactly hyping parade.
They're not necessarily a big fan of
going out in the hot summer weather
with the uniforms just marching down a street.
They don't think it's that cool.
I enjoy every chance I can get into uniform and look cool.
That's actually one of the favorite things of the summer
that I've been able to do is the parades.
(far off drumming)
(cheering)
- Not a fan of parades, they look like fun,
but they suck to march.
(drumming rapidly)
- [Dann] For a moment, just imagine the corps
that we're going to be on Finals night.
Let's have something that we're proud of,
more than proud of.
Something that lasts you guys a lifetime,
that you can look back on and say,
yeah, that's our show, that was great,
but let me tell you about the men that we were.
That's what's going to be important.
I'm proud of you guys already.
(singing "You'll Never Walk Alone")
When you guys get your nails tonight,
it's going to be an unfinished, rough hewn nail.
It's a very simple token of what we stand for.
It starts out rough like any one of us does
and with work and with effort and with time,
it gets polished in sweat and blood
and it becomes a part of you.
N-A-I-L stands for never alone in life.
Because you have these brothers
and 74 years of brothers that are there for you
and who you can be there for.
We're all brothers.
You are never alone in life.
- In any other corps, which I've
marched in another corps before,
it seemed just very show oriented.
The Scouts, regardless of how you're doing with the show,
I've noticed that there's just the continuous feeling
of brotherhood really, where you know
that anytime you're around these people,
you're going to feel the most comfortable
you've probably ever felt in your life.
- The past, I'd say maybe week and a half, two weeks,
I've been really sick, I haven't been able to keep food down
and overall just really weak.
- When I first heard he had heat stroke he called me
and said they had to take him to the hospital,
his body temperature was 104.
He kept trying to say, oh I'm feeling better,
but he definitely wasn't.
And I said, you know, you have to worry about your
health first, don't try and go back too soon.
You got to take it easy.
It's a serious problem, people die from that.
- A really difficult time for him, certainly,
especially after not really
finishing out last season either,
having to sit out and not perform to
what he thought was his capabilities.
- I want to be out there with my brothers
to practice and not sit inside and sleep all day,
because I feel like a lazy bum.
I didn't sign up for drum corps to sit down on my butt.
- I don't like to think about him, you know,
being inside, being lonely,
not being able to do what he loves.
And that's being out here on the field with us.
- Since last year, I know it's better for me to sit out now,
instead of push myself to be in more pain later.
So I'd rather take the time right now,
early season to get better,
than to hurt myself in the long run.
I didn't envision myself ever sitting out this year,
because I had it under control.
- We had to re-examine that question,
can Jo fully participate in what
we're asking the members to do?
- It's scary and I don't know what to do,
I know I need to get better, but I want to stay here.
These are my brothers and they supported me last year
and they support me this year.
- If you want to stay right now,
I don't think there's any reason, at this immediate moment,
that you need to go home.
Unless you, or between you and your mom and your doctor,
if you think that's appropriate.
- I'll call mom in a little bit
and let her know what's going on.
And call dad too.
Like last year, when I left and came back,
it was too hard to leave and come back.
On my body that was really hard.
So I didn't want that to be an option.
If I had to go home right now, I'd be devastated.
Just because I want to finish the season out,
you know, it's my age out.
But at the same time, I understand
that my health does come first.
- The decision ultimately came down to,
and Jo's family really helped support him
in making that right decision to go home,
get some testing done, see his doctor there.
- There's several different things that could happen.
My doctor could tell me I can't do it any more.
My doctor could tell me that, you know,
you can go back but here are your limitations.
- The most important for me his your health.
And I really would like for you to just
pack your bags and come home.
- I'm kind of upset watching them do their thing.
I know I need to go home and get better,
so I can come back and do this, but it's a hard thing to
watch all my brothers out there working
and I'm just sitting in here and about to head home.
- Brandon, he's got a really good vibe on and off the field.
He knows how to get people pumped up.
- I think Brandon is a good influence on the line overall.
I mean, he took what he's learned from the past two years
with the Madison Scouts and applied himself
in a really strong manner this year.
And allowed a group of overall inexperienced guys
to come together well and play at a very, very high level.
- Um...
(chuckles) I'm sorry.
- Don't be totally.
- No, you don't want me to, I'm sorry.
I think they, I...
You don't want me to be totally honest.
(chuckles)
On the most serious note, you don't, I'm sorry.
(chuckles)
Everybody does, I'm sorry.
Everybody has conflicts.
Actually, what they said was not true at all.
I'm sorry, I'm right next to him.
- Yeah, me too. (chuckles)
- It just seems like he goes through the motions
and it kinda tears us apart.
- [James] Release, come on man!
(metronome ticking) (drumming)
- When you don't affiliate him
with snare drum or drum corps,
he's a great person, he really does care for you,
but in the activity when we're out on the field,
it's really driven by the staff.
The staff here is phenomenal.
Without them, I don't think we'd be anywhere.
Like, the two weeks that we didn't have a snare tech,
we actually kind of just fought a lot of the times.
We would argue and Brandon would just stay quiet
and just kind of let it settle.
And that's dangerous because you don't know
where an argument can lead to.
(drumming rapidly)
- All those rolls are going to keep sounding bad
when you play your right hand like that.
Until you fix that, we are going to tick
every roll you play, or you're going
to tick every roll you play.
- [Ryan] Which means we all ticked it.
- So I don't know what else you want me to tell you.
I don't know what other information you're waiting on,
I don't know what else you need, that is a tick
and every roll you play you do that
and then you put your hand back down.
Roll, everything else. Roll, everything else.
And what are we ticking?
Every single roll.
Here we go!
- Can someone in the snare line step up
and never let him not drum triplet rolls?
Someone needs to drum with him,
every time you're not out here,
you need to be drumming with Dom,
someone needs to step up and do that.
Come on.
- I've drummed individually as just pairs
with everybody on the snare line.
But isn't that his job?
That's his job, he needs to be out
there kicking his own ass for us.
- If one person has negative energy on the field,
that can directly affect someone else as well.
And especially in my position,
if I'm in a negative mood,
that directly effects everybody else.
Because I'm the guy that's saying,
we need to move faster and if I'm not there,
I'm not there saying we need to move faster,
we need to get this going, this and this,
then it just doesn't happen.
The way to make this season a success
would be to not have any people let down,
but if we can keep cleaning up the little things
and making the whole production better,
that would definitely be a good thing.
We can't just have reps on reps on reps
where it's just the same thing over and over again.
- I'm trying to give you guys a million chances
to make yourself do it.
That's what we're trying to do.
We're not doing this for fun, we're doing it to give you
a bazillion chances to do it right.
And thus far, most of you don't want to do it right.
So here we go, again.
- If we see an improvement from the first block
to the last block of the day, then that's a success,
each day is its own little task.
And if we can improve throughout the course of the day,
that's automatically making the entire production better.
(drumming rapidly)
- I think there's no consistency
and that's the main problem of this drum line,
there's no consistency and that comes from the center.
- You come here and the first month and a half
is all about you're in this together,
you're doing it for the guy next to you,
and that's always when we are in rehearsal.
And some of us really took that to heart
when we're out of rehearsal, like we'll eat lunch
and breakfast with the same people
and we'll always be in like one group
and it's usually the basses, the quads, then the snares,
we'll always do that, but we never
see Brandon at lunch, dinner, breakfast.
The staff has been harping on you have so much time
in between lunch and rehearsal
and you should just go out and drum
and so the same people are always out there drumming
and it just kind of sucks because our leader is not there.
- It's nice to clear your head
and get away from the whole drum corps mindset for a while.
It's very stressful on the mind at some points,
doing what we do, it's why they give us free time.
So there's not too many guys that will go onto a field
and rehearse while everyone else is at free time.
Because free time is something we cherish
and try to make the most of.
- You guys have to keep fighting.
I think some of you are totally ready to do that,
some of you guys right now are probably like I can't do it.
No, you can.
- At this point, we're late enough in the season
that like, we've gotta help each other out.
If somebody's not bringing the energy,
don't be pissed at them, they're your teammate.
If you're feeling angry, or if you're pissed,
get rid of that, because we're going to do it,
you guys are going to get there, I'm telling you.
You're too good, you've worked too hard,
I promise, you're going to do it.
But we still have a lot of work to do
and we have to do it together, right?
It's the same thing we talk about with the playing,
it's the most important thing, play together.
(drumming rapidly)
(playing brass music)
- Stay relaxed, relax, no tension!
- Hunter, take a lap, why are you running?
Nope, why else?
Yep, July.
July!
- I do get called out from the
box a lot because I stick out.
I try and fix it, but basically the box will call people out
by name if they stick out of
the ensemble for whatever reason.
Be it their marching or they just kind of went to
the wrong spot or their foot timing's off or whatever.
- Hunter, toes up!
- Hunter, keep that back heel a little lower to the ground.
- [Box Staff] Hunter, guide your feet in time.
- [Box Staff] Come on Hunter.
- [Box Staff] Hunter, you're better than that, come on!
- [Box Staff] Hunter!
- He gets called out by one person
and I also get called out a lot by this one person
and this person is Ben Firkus.
- [Ben] Hunter!
- Ben Firkus marched 2002 to 2004,
he was drum major and stuff, but man he rides our butts,
me and Hunter's butts, it's either
me or Hunter all the time, just,
"Hunter, Hunter!"
- I don't think Hunter's name being called out a lot
phased him, I thought he would get frustrated
when after rehearsal we would have our one hour time
and that's when he would be called out
to do individual work and he was saying he was
getting a lot more individual work than other people.
Every time I've said his name, I know that I watched him
actually try to do what I've asked him to do.
Where a lot of guys will just go back to their old habits
and this is what feels right, I've got other things to
think about and will kind of ignore comments.
But Hunter, every time I've given him a comment,
he goes after it, which is the best thing you can do,
especially at his age.
- I can only imagine being 15 years old
and just being thrown out into drum corps
and it blows my mind.
- Even in the midst of his struggles,
when you give him some information,
when you give him some feedback,
as hard of a feedback as that might be at times,
he does a really good job of
taking it in with a thick skin.
- He knows that he needs to get better
and he just gets better, each and every rep.
(metronome ticking)
(drumming rapidly)
(playing brass music)
- [Staff Member] Locked fists!
(corps singing in unison)
- [Announcer] Drum majors Sean Phelan,
Sean Hadley, and Denzel Brown, is your corps ready?
- [Crowd Member] They're always ready!
(cheering)
- [Announcer] Performing their Drum Corps Program.
- Drum Corps International
is proud to present the Madison Scouts!
(cheering)
(playing drum corps music)
- I don't do this for scores,
I do it for the feeling that
I have when I walk off the field.
Of course it's always nice to beat certain corps
because it's a competitive activity,
and the Madison Scouts do have a competitive philosophy,
but it's not, that's not the reason I wake up
to do this every morning.
If I was waking up to do this every morning
just so I could get a certain number at the end of the day,
that would be pointless.
The feeling that you get after having a really good show,
whether that's a personal show, that I had a good show,
the snare line had a good show,
the battery had a good show, the corps had a good show,
on any level of that, it's a good feeling.
- You have to first and foremost evaluate yourself.
Did I do everything that I was asked to do?
Did I do it at the highest level?
If you can say yes, then step back and that's enough.
There's a second level of evaluation
where your instructors, who watch you day in and day out
will tell you how that performance came off,
did you achieve all of our objectives?
If you've achieved that, great step back and job well done.
If somebody who watches you one or two or three times
in the season doesn't share that opinion,
you can't control that, so let it be what it is.
Your only job as a member is to
have the most amazing performance that you
can possibly have on that given evening.
That said, that's our approach to competition and numbers.
But the reality is they have a profound effect
on what happens to this corps year after year.
The number of students and new applicants
who are looking to the Madison Scouts
as some place where they may want to spend
a few of their marching years.
That depends heavily on placement from the previous year.
Your credibility, your fan support, your souvenir sales,
even your alumni support, in part,
is really contingent upon your competitive placement.
Are we trying to do well?
Yeah, we always have been.
We try to score as high as we possibly can
and put out a product that connects with judges
as much as it connects with the audience.
We're going to continue to do
everything we can on that level.
(cheering)
- [Announcer] Ladies and gentlemen,
under the direction of Chris Komnick
and Dann Petersen,
the Madison Scouts!
(playing loud brass music)
(performing rhythmical counting exercises)
- I went home, I visited my doctor on Monday,
I had an appointment and they did some blood work,
they checked me out, they said it wasn't really my disease
that was effecting me more as the shock
that my body went into with the heat.
All that heat finally got to my body
and it just didn't know how to react any more.
Everything was pretty positive, everything that was going on
was really good news for me.
The doctor said I could go back.
- So Jo's doctor at home cleared him,
but with the understanding that with the environmental
factors that happen in drum corps,
it's going to be a continual tax on his body.
- He tried to go out on the field at practice
and started getting sick again.
At that point it became clear
that he was not able to participate
and would not be able to march Finals of his age out season.
- We have all the food sitting in the truck.
- Let's get it right now.
- So we can put it all out.
- [Dann] Some guys on the road have a unique opportunity
when a friend or a family member
or a significant other comes to see them.
- Hi, how are you?
- [Woman] Good, how are you?
- Great.
- You know the reason this is different than
coming to your Friday night football game or something
is that you've literally been living, for weeks,
away from family and friends and significant others.
Your whole world is this drum corps,
these 150 guys and the staff teaching them.
When all of a sudden somebody from
outside of that comes back in,
someone what you've known for years,
it can be a really, really great experience to see them.
(soft guitar music)
Unfortunately,the drum corps schedule is so tight
that you may have 30 minutes if you're lucky.
And I think that's also part of why it's so special,
it's this fleeting moment when you get to kind of
step outside of your drum corps self and rejoin
your other world self for a moment.
And have these people that kind
of make that connection for you.
(laughing)
- [Girl] Hi, how are you?
- I'm great.
(slow music)
(drumming)
- J. Birney Crum Stadium, guys.
I promise you everybody that you meet
is going to tell you that they either
love this place or they hate this place.
It all comes down to their own personal experiences here.
Back in my day this crowd was known for
really only giving it up for the East Coast corps.
It was painful, you know, you'd go around
the entire Midwest, you'd light it up,
they'd give it up for you.
You get to Allentown...
crickets.
But that all changed in the historic year of 1995.
We had many, many good shows that season.
But in this stadium on that night,
it was pure magic, everything clicked.
I was on the field, so I could not vouch for this,
but the story goes, the company front, the rotating
company front that we did that night, was perfect.
You guys have that same opportunity,
same moment in your show several years later.
The beautiful thing is that the Allentown crowd now,
not only gives it up for the Madison Scouts,
but they love you guys, they anticipate
your performance every single year.
And I think we all know what's
going to happen, it's already written.
You guys have put in the effort,
you know what the show is going to be,
and you know what's going to happen when we get to the gate.
You are the 2012 edition of a long line of Madison Scouts
corps that have performed at this historic venue.
(loud brass music)
(cheering)
- It's truly like nothing else in the whole world.
To watch that many people standing up,
screaming at the top of their lungs for something that
you're doing and you're performing,
it's incomparable, it's just like an adrenaline rush,
nothing like I've ever experienced before.
- You know, in the usual situation,
if we've got a member who can't march,
can't rehearse, we look for an opportunity
to maybe get them at home with their
family to spend the rest of the summer.
But of course, Jo's situation was a little bit different.
Here's this guy, for two years his dream is just to
finish the season, to be a part of things.
We felt the best, both for him and for us,
to have him stick around and help out doing
some other things that we do behind the scenes.
Jo was more than happy to do anything that was asked of him,
just to kind of stick with his brothers.
To, again, see this through until Finals day.
(thundering)
(pouring rain)
When a storm comes on you, you have very few options.
So you're limited to what kind of
rehearsal you can do indoors
and just kind of making the most of that.
So in Pittsburgh this year, fortunately we had a facility
that allowed us to split up the entire corps
and actually get a full rehearsal in indoors.
Unfortunately, that doesn't allow you
to put the whole group together to rehearse your show,
to go through your normal routine.
- Did you guys ever make it outside?
- I did not.
They probably did.
- We did the stand still run through.
- [Brunette Woman] So there was no run?
- No, nothing on a football field.
- And nothing where all you all get together?
- Nope.
- Now, this was especially important because this was
the very last show before we started Finals week
and you know, to kind of have something
throw you out of your element and require that you react
and stay focused is not really what you're looking for.
- [Announcer] Ladies and gentleman,
the Spirit of Atlanta, from Atlanta, Georgia.
- Fortunately, we teach the guys from day one,
to put energy into things that you do control
and to make sure that you identify those things
that you can't control and learn to put those behind you.
If we had been successful in getting that message
across to the guys, we were going to
have a very successful show that evening.
(slow, dramatic drum beats)
- [Announcer] Sean Phelan, Sean Hadley, Denzel Brown
Is your corps ready?
Presenting their 2012 show, Reframed,
DCI is proud to present the Madison Scouts!
(playing loud brass music)
(drumming rapidly)
(cheering)
The Madison Scouts,
from Madison, Wisconsin!
- A week from today, this is the last time
that this soprano line is going to stand together.
Take this last week to cherish what you've got.
There's a meaning that comes with holding that
instrument in that uniform, okay?
Don't ever lose sight of that, you guys understand me?
- [Group] Yes, sir.
- Awesome, great job tonight guys, real proud of you.
(soft guitar music)
(drumming rapidly)
- [Brandon] Given that it was the last week of the season
and we had very few amounts of
times left to perform this show,
given that we all started to realize
that this wouldn't go on forever.
We all started to focus our energy together as one.
We all knew what we had to do.
We all individually realized that we needed
to come together and we needed to finish.
After having been a part of this corps for a while,
after you start to realize the bond that we all share,
the fact that it really is a brotherhood,
you start to see some other aspects of that play.
I mean, brother's fight.
But brother's make up at the same time.
Brother's overcome things together
and in the end, brother's prevail.
(triumphant music)
(cheering)
- Jo was in uniform last night,
primarily just for the age out ceremony,
plus just as a, you're still a brother,
you're still a part of the corps.
Just because you're on the sidelines doesn't mean
you're not a part of us and you didn't
play a big role in what we're doing here.
I think that meant a lot to him.
- There's a strength you learn from being a Scout.
And then there's a different strength you learn
when you're not able to complete that experience
the way you envisioned it.
And again, this is one of those things
that's analogous to life, it's a strength that Jo
had to learn because nobody else
on the road was going through that.
Nobody else had to watch rehearsal every day and say,
as much as I want to be a part of that, I can't.
(drumming)
- [Announcer] Be sure to visit the DCI festival marketplace,
located inside of the east entrance gate
and throughout the Lucas Oil stadium closet
for a variety of Drum Corps International, corps branded
and sponsored merchandise.
(drumming rapidly)
(rapid snare drumming)
- I'm glad you're excited!
- Ready for your last performance as a rookie?
- Yeah.
- I want to thank all of you guys for this year.
You know, it's been a rough year for me
and I appreciate all of you guys.
It's been a long journey and, you know,
this is it for me, but I love all of you guys
and good job and you guys better
work it out up there tonight.
- Joe Stork, don't puke.
- Puke!
- I'm gonna say, just kidding, I'm going to stop playing.
- See you on the other side brother.
(rally shouting)
- [Staff Member] Let's go to war, guys.
Go to war!
Go to war, you guys.
(cheering)
- [Announcer] Please welcome to the field,
from Madison, Wisconsin, the Madison Scouts!
Performing their 2012 program, Reframed.
Drum Corps International is proud to present
Madison Scouts!
(dramatic brass music)
(loud, triumphant brass music)
(cheering)
(drumming rapidly)
(cheering)
(choral singing)
(cheering)
(triumphant brass music)
(cheering)
- [Announcer] Ladies and gentleman,
under the direction of Chris Komnick and Dann Petersen,
the Madison Scouts!
(cheering)
(soft dramatic music) (applause)
(cheering)
- Alumni of the Madison Scouts around the circle,
please come on the inside.
These are the brothers that came before you,
laying the groundwork for what you guys
were able to accomplish this season.
Age outs, raise your hand and join the alumni
in the middle of the circle, please step forward.
Age outs and alums,
it falls on you guys to continue
to support your younger brothers.
As 2012 ends, it marks the beginning of the 2013 season.
Our 75th anniversary.
Those of you standing in the circle right now,
every single one of you has a choice to make,
has the opportunity to come back.
Look at your brothers on either side of you right now.
I want you to turn to them
and tell them what your plan is for 2013.
It's between you, this is between brothers, let them know.
39, gentleman, 39 is the number of fellas
leaving this corps this year.
There are other groups aging out 100, 110, 115.
What you guys accomplished out there on the field,
tonight and all season long,
you remind people that this is a place
where every single member of the activity wants to be.
There's no one out there who did not
want to do the show that you guys did tonight.
And who does not envy the brotherhood that you guys have.
What you have is unique and it's powerful
because of the commitment that you guys have.
Now, come in closer, join your brothers.
Volunteers, moms, parents.
Let's sing.
? When you walk through a storm
? Hold your head up high
? And don't be afraid of the dark
? At the end of the storm
? There's a golden sky
? And the sweet, silver song of a lark
? Walk on through the wind
? Walk on through the rain
? Though your dreams be tossed and blown
? Walk on, walk on
? With hope in your heart
? And you'll never walk alone
? You'll never walk
? Alone
(dramatic music)
? Oh
? Heaven broke the thunder
? The fires lit the walls
? We left our homes and crossed the world
? To meet the cause
? Our numbers, they were many
? Our purpose it was one
? We waved our flags
? And beat drums under burning sun
? Burning sun
? Break on through the tempest
? We hollered one for all
? About to lift our brother up
? Whenever he should fall
? We quested not for treasure
? We quested not for gold
? One day you might hear of us
? In legends told
? And as we marched
? We sang this song
- Yeah, the season is done.
Finished out really strong, best show of
the year was tonight, awesome feeling.
- I actually got to experience being
a part of perfection, it was really special.
- People were speechless.
I couldn't scream for the corps when I wanted to,
because I was speechless, I was so stunned by them
all I could do was clap and cry.
And that's what I did the whole show,
that's all I could do.
- We got a standing ovation when we walked on the field.
Seeing everybody going crazy in that stadium.
- Everyone in that audience could feel
the energy coming from the Scouts.
It was a completely different feeling,
it was absolutely awesome to look back at that crowd
for them to still be standing up clapping for us
as we walked off the field.
Even the very last color guard member,
they're still standing and that's crazy.
- That's the reward, is getting what
we put into it back from the crowd.
- This is my first year ever being a section leader
and I think I learned a lot doing it.
We certainly have had much better morale this entire season,
I think I helped be a part of that.
Definitely had to keep a positive attitude,
even when times are hard.
- It certainly exceeded by expectations,
I would not want to have my rookie year any other way.
I knew it was going to be fun coming here,
but I didn't expect it to be this incredible.
- Watching them improve from probably like a
class A color guard, or novice color guard
to a world class finalist, you can't describe it.
For them to come up to you before the show
and say that I was the one who inspired them,
I mean, what do you say to that?
You can't and it's amazing
and I loved every second of it
and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
- I finished a season with the Madison Scouts,
I'm a veteran now, that's incredible to say.
That's really cool.
I came in as a rookie and I've been calling myself
a rookie all year and I'll be the guy people look up to.
One thing that I imagine drum corps
has certainly taught me is to have an insane work ethic.
There is nothing given to you, you don't deserve
anything in this activity, you work for it.
- I'm part of the alumni now.
I want to get involved, I still want to help out.
If it's only volunteering for a couple days here and there,
or giving to the guard fellowship program
so that way other brothers can march.
I'm going to make something happen.
They're my brothers, they helped me out,
I want to help them out in return.
I want to be able to return that
and give someone else the opportunity
to march in the future.
You know, going home, it's sad, of course it's sad,
it's exciting at the same time, you know.
After three months, you're kind of ready to go home.
But I'm not ready to say goodbye to these people,
and so it's a very bittersweet moment for me.
? We all stand tall together
? Together
(cheering and applauding)
- Scout's Honor:
Inside a Marching Brotherhood
is available on DVD and Blu-Ray
at ScoutsHonorMovie.com.