So, we have come to that time: the end of the beginning of the season. It's officially competition time. I feel like it is important to take a second to thank my amazing friend, Jessica! She truly has a thankless position with the band/guard. She does more of the behind-the-scenes work than can be imagined, but receives no glory. She is a former band member and is officially in charge of alumni affairs (yet another volunteer hat she wears), but she does so much more! Yesterday alone she put on her assistant guard instructor hat and stayed with me the entire day of our first competition watching kids, meeting their needs, assisting with equipment, being our representative at the sound table (with the CD that she had burned for me), keeping the girls calm, encouraging them regarding their performances, providing support...and the list goes on! There are people within the parent organization who do not see all of this. They believe that she is just "hanging around". Why do they not see this? Because they are not there. So, who picks up the slack from all of the things that parents should be doing? That's right: Jess.
Yesterday's competition was a success! The girls had a fantastic first performance: sure there were some 'jitters' and some technical 'freakouts', but overall they remained calm and focused. I'm encouraged for the season: if they continue to improve technically and continue to enjoy performing, we will be in very good shape throughout the season. My main goal for the season is for them to feel good about what they do. Sure, it was fabulous to be recognized with a fourth place finish out of fifteen guards in our class...but that's not what it's all about. It's about them doing the best that they can and feeling proud of the performance. Without that, no placement or score matters.
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