Still at an early point in the season, the Colts came into tonight's DCI Central Illinois contest extremely happy with their progress thus far. "We got a really great start this season," said Greg Orwoll, Colts corps director. "We've made some quick improvements on the show and we're working on creating some really energizing and exciting moments throughout. The effects that are there by design are actually working and are great moments for us."

DCI Central Illinois, Normal, Ill.
As with any midseason drum corps show, Colts focus right now is working toward improving every performance. "We're refining our product and working on communicating with the crowd," said Joe Fisher, a second-year bass drummer. "That is a big point of the show this year—trying to integrate the crowd into our program and reaching them on a personal level." Fisher added that the Colts this year, as always, remain a family oriented group. "Even only a month into this season, and still a month and a half away from the end, I've already made friends I could call for years after the season. That's the best part of working with these people day in and out—building friendships." The Colts will travel back to their hometown of Dubuque, Iowa for the Fourth of July where they will take part in a joint performance with the Dubuque Symphony of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" and other Independence Day standards. Between then and their next on-field performances, the corps will be working to make several additions to their program. "The show is 'Postcards from Home' and we are going to enhance that on the field more literally in the near future," Orwell said. His list of improvements also includes some musical tweaks, tightening up tempos and making effect spots more obvious. "Other than that, I think we have the package we are looking for this summer and we are just getting at it—tightening it up, making it really clean and becoming more comfortable with performing it."