By Allison Owen One of my favorite things to do, other than corps, is watch college football. I may not know exactly what every foul means or what every rule is word for word, but I enjoy watching the game. So on most Saturdays throughout the football season, my friends know where to find me.
All right, so in seasons past, I couldn't decide which team I would follow. For some people it's easy to say, "Well I grew up watching [insert team name], so it's who I've always rooted for." I've moved so much that I don't have a team that I've grown up watching. I'm also not a huge fan of orange, so the obvious, "be a UT fan" doesn't work for me like it does for the natives of Northeastern Tennessee. So as I've watched college football no team has just jumped out at me. That is, until this year. To make a long story short, my boyfriend goes to the University of Oklahoma. Obviously that is pretty far away from where I live, so I started watching the OU games on TV in hopes to maybe catch a glimpse of him in the band. Maybe that's lame to you, but hey, I only see him like once a month; so I'll take what I can get. Since that first game I was hooked. I had found the team I wanted to follow. Of course it's always nice when "your team" is undefeated and ranked number two in the nation -- therefore going to the National Championship -- but I was hooked since the first game. As a loyal fan you follow the team no matter how the season turns out. Win or lose, you can still be found watching them and rooting them on.
The same idea goes for drum corps. There will always be the people that run to the previous year's winning corps -- just in hopes to get a ring. But the majority of corps members form a bond and stay at the same corps year after year -- no matter the outcome of prior seasons. Corps loyalty is a touchy subject. It means a lot to many people, while others find it not so important. Personally, I feel a strong bond to my corps. I'm often asked, "Why don't you go to a Division I corps?" or "Why aren't you going to [insert Div I corps] auditions?" Well, the obvious answer for me is that I love my corps and the memories I've already made there. Marching Memphis Sound was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I wouldn't trade my experiences there for anything. Words cannot describe the feeling I got being a part of a finalist drum corps. All summer I poured my heart into our show, and in the end it paid off more than I could ever say. I received my membership contract in the mail on Friday when I got home from school. Just like when I got it last year, I am delighted to be able to sign a contract to march corps again. I love marching Memphis Sound and I am very excited about the 2005 season. It's going to be an amazing summer, and I can't wait to see what great things are in store for us. As a final note, Boomer Sooner!
Allison Owen at World Championships last year.
All right, so in seasons past, I couldn't decide which team I would follow. For some people it's easy to say, "Well I grew up watching [insert team name], so it's who I've always rooted for." I've moved so much that I don't have a team that I've grown up watching. I'm also not a huge fan of orange, so the obvious, "be a UT fan" doesn't work for me like it does for the natives of Northeastern Tennessee. So as I've watched college football no team has just jumped out at me. That is, until this year. To make a long story short, my boyfriend goes to the University of Oklahoma. Obviously that is pretty far away from where I live, so I started watching the OU games on TV in hopes to maybe catch a glimpse of him in the band. Maybe that's lame to you, but hey, I only see him like once a month; so I'll take what I can get. Since that first game I was hooked. I had found the team I wanted to follow. Of course it's always nice when "your team" is undefeated and ranked number two in the nation -- therefore going to the National Championship -- but I was hooked since the first game. As a loyal fan you follow the team no matter how the season turns out. Win or lose, you can still be found watching them and rooting them on.
The same idea goes for drum corps. There will always be the people that run to the previous year's winning corps -- just in hopes to get a ring. But the majority of corps members form a bond and stay at the same corps year after year -- no matter the outcome of prior seasons. Corps loyalty is a touchy subject. It means a lot to many people, while others find it not so important. Personally, I feel a strong bond to my corps. I'm often asked, "Why don't you go to a Division I corps?" or "Why aren't you going to [insert Div I corps] auditions?" Well, the obvious answer for me is that I love my corps and the memories I've already made there. Marching Memphis Sound was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I wouldn't trade my experiences there for anything. Words cannot describe the feeling I got being a part of a finalist drum corps. All summer I poured my heart into our show, and in the end it paid off more than I could ever say. I received my membership contract in the mail on Friday when I got home from school. Just like when I got it last year, I am delighted to be able to sign a contract to march corps again. I love marching Memphis Sound and I am very excited about the 2005 season. It's going to be an amazing summer, and I can't wait to see what great things are in store for us. As a final note, Boomer Sooner!