Twenty-two DCI color guard members to be recognized as U.S. Army All-Americans

Twenty-two high school seniors from 20 schools across 15 states, have been selected to represent Drum Corps International as the "All-DCI" color guard contingent of the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band. Its members will perform as part of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 3 in San Antonio, Texas. The color guard performers, who have been selected specifically based on their participation in some of DCI's most notable color guard sections, will complement the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band which recognizes the top 97 high school senior marching musicians from across the country. Together, members of this elite marching ensemble will showcase their talents during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl which is the country's premier high school football event, featuring the nation's top 90 high school football players and telecast live on NBC. "We're extremely excited to have the opportunity to partner with Drum Corps International and color guard members from the world's most elite marching music ensembles," said Brian Prato, operations manager of the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band. "Like the members of the marching band, the color guard members have been selected for their tremendous performance and leadership skills in their own band and drum corps ensembles." Leading up to and during the week-long series of events, the All-American Marching Band musicians and color guard members will follow in the footsteps of their U.S. Army All-American football player counterparts with this prestigious national honor. Members of the ensemble were selected by the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band Selection Committee, consisting of the National Association for Music Education (MENC), Drum Corps International, head director and show coordinator Bob Buckner, and New Jersey-based sports marketing and event management company SportsLink. Selected U.S. Army All-American Color Guard members include: Ashley Pittman of Bluffton, SC – St. Vincent's Academy, The Cadets Tran Thai of Phoenix, AZ – Washington HS, The Academy Monique Brown of Galloway, NJ – Absegami HS, Jersey Surf Carrie VanDoren of Bloomington, IN – Bloomington South HS, Carolina Crown Molly Barusch of Cold Spring, KY – Campbell County HS, Glassmen Rebecca Meeker of Marlton, NJ – Cherokee HS, Jersey Surf Shelby Coons of Crescent Springs, KY – Dixie Heights HS, Glassmen Ashley Asel of Melbourne, FL – Eau Gallie HS, Teal Sound Mary Elise Barrett of Hendersonville, TN – Goodpasture Christian School, Spirit Kimberly Bryant of Gilbert, AZ – Highland HS, The Academy Sarah Herrero of San Antonio, TX – John Jay HS, Crossmen Lindsey Spillman of Loose Creek, MO – Linn R-2 HS, Colt Cadets Morgan Orr of Flower Mound, TX – Marcus HS, Glassmen Erin Hollowell of Highland Village, TX – Marcus HS, Blue Knights Morgan Stevens of Colbert, WA – Mead HS, Blue Knights Michelle Moore of North Royalton, OH – North Royalton HS, Glassmen Megan Meddaugh of Canton, MI – Plymouth HS, Carolina Crown Rachel Newcome of Colorado Springs, CO – Rampart HS, Blue Knights Kelsey Potter of Colorado Springs, CO – Rampart HS, Blue Knights Gabrielle Vita of Fredericksburg, VA – Riverbend HS, Jersey Surf Jacob Freese of Superior WI – Superior HS, Santa Clara Vanguard Sean Coffey of South Plainfield, NJ – South Plainfield HS, Jersey Surf This group of standout color guard leaders will begin rehearsals on Dec. 29 as they "move-in" for the week to prepare for the halftime performance on Jan. 3. As part of the experience, all expenses are paid for members of the band and color guard, including transportation, hotel, food and activities. Equipment, rehearsal and reception attire as well as uniforms are provided by the partners of the U.S. Army; SportsLink, MENC, Jupiter Instruments, Inc., and DeMoulin Bros. and Co., among others. Color guard members will be instructed by staff members Tim Newburn and Ronnie Bynum. Newburn is the color guard director for the Langham Creek and Cypress Ranch High Schools in Houston, Texas, and recently joined the staff of the Blue Knights after tenures with the Glassmen, Bluecoats and Phantom Regiment. Bynum, who is a staff member with the Center Grove High School Marching Band, from Greenwood, Ind., serves as color guard caption head for the Cavaliers. This year's game will be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern time on Jan. 3. Last year – the inaugural year for the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band – the All-American Bowl set its own attendance record, with 36,534 fans in attendance. For more information on the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and its related events, visit USArmyAllAmericanBowl.com, MENC.org and GoArmy.com.