By Allison Owen There are some people who feel that they must march Division I and only Division I. If they get cut from their drum corps of choice they choose not to march anywhere else. For me, I don’t see how someone could do that.
Let me explain: All this week people have said “I’m sorry” when they found out I was cut. Then most of the people proceeded to ask me “You aren’t giving up are you? There are plenty of other corps out there.” Of course I never intended on giving up after I was cut; it was only a matter of where I would march, not if I would march. As so many know — but don’t fully realize — there are plenty of great Division II & III drum corps out there! Where do you think so many of the “big boys” got started? There is no point in sitting around all summer because you got cut — get out there and march! With all of this in mind, my quest to find a new “home” for the summer began. Many of you could have already guessed that for me this was a short-lived pursuit. I had already considered my options before I even tried out for Spirit. Even when I was set on marching Division I, some of the people at Memphis Sound were incredibly nice to me. They offered me words of encouragement and kept telling me, “Even if you don’t make Division I, there are plenty of great Division II & III corps out there.”
The kindness I’ve received from Memphis Sound — even in the past week alone — has been enough for me to realize that I want to go out to Memphis next month and audition. As my parents and I have thought it over, one thing that came up was the fact that I’ve been set on Division I all along — maybe it’s not where I belong after all. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens next month.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see how someone can choose to not march if they get cut. There’s a whole world of opportunity out there; we like to call it “Division II & III.”
