Name, hometown: My name is Katrina Panovich, and I'm from Warrenville, Ill. (in the suburbs of Chicago). What corps are you in and what is your role this summer? I'm in the Colts, from Dubuque, Iowa, and I am marching third baritone. Give us your full drum corps/marching music background. I have of course done the whole high school and college marching band thing, and this summer will make three years with the Colts. My first summer I marched mellophone, last year on baritone, and then this summer on baritone as well.

Katrina Panovich
How did you decide to be a member of your corps? During high school marching band, some of my staff members told me I should march. I eventually got up the nerve, and they told me to go to the Colts because it was an organization that they knew would take good care of me. I went to the first camp, not knowing anyone else, and came back to the following camps because of how welcomed I was. What first attracted you to the drum corps activity? I remember being so amazed by performances that I saw. These shows looked like they took superhuman strength, and I wanted to do that too. What advice would you give to young people who want to march? There's always the requisite practice -- you can't avoid that -- but I think the most important thing is to keep trying. If you are persistent and a hard worker, someone will notice along the way and you'll see the results. Do you have any favorite road anecdotes? I've had so many amazing memories that I'm hesitant to pick a 'favorite,' but
here goes. Last summer, we had a visual staff member that had really high expectations for us. He got pretty frustrated when we didn't perform up to his expectations. We were in a chart in the drill that was a giant block, and so we had multiple different directions to dress. He shouted, "What's your primary dress?" and we all pointed one direction. He asked us our secondary and tertiary dresses, too, and we all pointed. We had been over it quite a few times that morning, and we were getting as frustrated as he was. Then, he shouted, "What's your henway?" Our henway dress? Was that the fourth one? No one was sure, and everyone had a really confused expression on his or her face. Someone got up the nerve to ask, "What's a henway?" He replied, laughing, "About two pounds! Reset!" The rehearsal got a lot better from then, and we still laugh about it. The last good book I read: Right now I'm reading the book "Skipping Towards Gomorrah" by Dan Savage. It's a hilarious and liberal look at each of the seven deadly sins and how they are incorporated into an average American's happiness. The last great film I saw: "Anchorman" is not a great film by anyone's definitions, but I can't seem to get enough of it. I can watch it over and over again without getting bored. Where I go to school and what I'm studying: I am a freshman at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., where I am currently "exploratory." That's a nice way of saying undecided. I used to be a music education major (a clarinet player!), but right now I'm moving towards physics or informatics (which is a computer-related field). Three CDs I'd want on a deserted island: Can I just bring my iPod? I'd definitely want more than three CDs. Hmm. I think you can tell a lot about a person by the music they listen to, so this decision is difficult. I'd probably bring Jack Johnson's "In Between Dreams," the "West Side Story" soundtrack, and then Herbie Hancock's "Head Hunters." I'd get bored with those after a few days, though. My favorite TV show: I feel guilty for saying this, but I have developed a scary addiction to "American Idol." Favorite performers: I really enjoyed watching the original cast of "Blast!" I think they had levels of skill, performance, energy, and desire that are rarely present all at the same time. How do you "blow off steam?" Sometimes my roommate and I scream really loud, sometimes I go for a run, and sometimes I just turn up my music really loud and let my brain shut off. What has been your formative drum corps moment? I don't think I really understood the full magnitude of what I was doing until finals week my rookie year. When I looked around the corps and saw the same emotions in 134 other faces that I was feeling, I understood what a deep connection I had made and how much I had learned from these people. Best drum corps show ever: I have a lot of favorites for different reasons. I thoroughly enjoy 2003 Phantom, though. For some reason, I feel like the show seems to sum up how I feel about drum corps in general. What are you most looking forward to about the summer? Last summer I became really close to all of the people that I marched with.
This year, I'm looking forward to doing the same -- but more so. I want to really become friends with everyone that I spend my summer with, really know who they are. Best thing about being in a drum corps: I love how capable I feel after tour -- like even the biggest problem is just an inconvenience. Worst thing about being in a drum corps: Hands down, I can't stand trying to explain what I do all summer to someone who has no clue. I can't ever figure out how to convey all of the work and emotion we put into the summer in just a few sentences. During tour, the best part of the day is: I'm a morning person, so I love stretching in the morning. I also love the time we get after shows. It's a nice time to see friends in other corps, meet people in other corps, and get to know the people in my corps better, too! During tour, the worst part of the day is: I absolutely HATE moving my belongings from the bus into the gym in the middle of the night. I would much rather just sleep on the bus for the rest of the night. I also can't stand gross rainy days. They make me feel dead inside. Favorite drum corps personality and why: My favorite drum corps personality is Tom Lizzotte. He worked with the Colts last summer, and is helping us again. He's from Boston, and has a VERY distinct accent, especially to the Midwestern kids of the Colts. He always explains things in a really descriptive way, and I'm in constant awe of his experience and dedication in the drum corps community. What I want to be when I "grow up": I have absolutely no clue, and that scares me. Describe what you think a typical DCI show will look in 2015. A few other interviewees have mentioned that they think it will look more like a WGI show. I see that happening too. I recently started to pay more attention to the activity, and I think it's great that there is such a wide variety of show concepts. Some of them are overtly crowd-appealing, and others appeal to people with more knowledge of technical demands.