Saluting our servicemen and women on Veterans Day

DCI broadcast brings inspiration

By Allison Owen

Allison Owen
Allison Owen

This past Sunday morning, DCI World Championships finally aired on PBS in my area. Needless to say, I was really looking forward to seeing what an entire summer of hard work by each corps had produced. I couldn’t wait to see these incredible performances. As I watched the shows I imagined how amazing of an experience finals was for the corps members — and the audience as well.

It was exciting to see how a season of blood, sweat and tears all culminated into this one final breathtaking performance. I am still in awe … and I know that, given the opportunity, there is nothing else I’d rather do during my summer. At the end of each clip of the top 12 corps’ show, as I saw all the smiling faces of the members who had just given it their all (some for the last time), I came to the full realization that no performance with my high school marching band could ever give me the thrill that marching with a drum and bugle corps in World Championships on finals night could.

Knowing that marching in a drum and bugle corps would be the most intense and amazing experience of my life only makes me want to work harder to accomplish my goal and march a drum corps. Since there are many factors for choosing a drum corps to audition for — especially since I’m still in high school — my parents and I will be checking out all the options this week and deciding where I’ll be auditioning this fall. So check back next week to find out the decision. Now I think I’ll go watch that drum corps broadcast again … thinking of how amazing it would (and hopefully will) be to march alongside my heroes, the members of the Division I drum and bugle corps, in the DCI World Championships. 

Allison Owen is a sophomore at Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tenn., who plans to audition for a corps in November. “I’m in the SHHS guard and I like writing, dancing, performing, traveling, photography and having fun. As for after high school/college, I don’t know what I want to do … I just know I would like to do something dealing with color guard, computers or writing,” Owen said.

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