Pride of Cincinnati Diaries 2006

4/4/6-4/9/06

Cassie Rutan


Happy WGI !!!!!! :)

It all started at 11:30 am on Tuesday morning. We came prepared for the long days ahead. Our staff wrote up a strict schedule (down to water breaks) to maximize our practice time up until the final show. We begin each day with dance class (water), the headstand (water), followed by an equipment warm up, equipment run, and then obnoxious runs (water).

Obnoxious runs- A CD consisting of 10 chunks of our show. Each chunk repeats 5 times before switching to the next chunk (hence the name). Rate yourself on how many times you do the chunk well out of 5. Good for creating consistency and also for building up your insurance policy. :)

AFTER all of that, we detail our way through the show, clarifying checkpoints, staging, and performance qualities for the last time. We randomly will do section runs, today there was a full run before dinner, and as always, a full run at the end of rehearsal.

As the staff was doing their part to make sure that the members received all the physical information needed to feel confident about Saturday night, and I tried to prepare myself mentally as well. Each time we ran a section of our show I envisioned myself in the UD arena in front of a sea of audience. I told myself, your boyfriend's watching you right now. Oh, your friend's are over on the side watching you on this part. Then I'd breathe, and tell myself that it's still me, doing the same thing I've been doing for seven months, surrounded by my people on the floor, hearing the same music, counting the same counts. Whether I'm in front of a blur of people, or in front of one, I still want to do my best with what I have been given and that will never change (thanks Laura). My goal was to go full out with no fear at all times (thanks Susan) in hopes that by finals I would be prepared enough with all my parts to truly enjoy performing. We do it cause we love it (Rachel and Christina).

On Wed. night we had the Centerville exhibition show. Pretty much it's a show-and-tell for invited winter guards. Yes, there is full make up and costume, yes, we do a normal warm up, yes, there is an announcer, but no, there are no scores. We just perform for each other. One more way to sneak in a run through... :)
On the way to Centerville, my sister and I hopped over to the UD arena and check things out. This is her first WGI ever and if that wasn't pressure enough, it's w/the defending world champions :) She got a mini tour of the warm up area, the tunnel, the floor, and the lights... ooo... ahhh...:) We said hi to my friend Chris who was volunteering, and then headed off to Centerville...we were a little late to the show, imagine that...
Apparently, our run didn't go well overall, I guess it's good to get the "bugs out", but for me it was a personal best (Chris you saw it!!). I was happy to see my other friends perform, and super pumped for WGI after that, helleh!

Thursday was another rehearsal day. Fun filled with dance class, a stand still run, obnoxious runs and nitty gritty cleaning, thanks Rosie for making my do my solo in front of the whole guard...(you know I couldn't do it w/out you Rachel and Matt :) ).
After the nights run through, POC held it's first POC I&E called POCIE. It's like drum corps' individual and ensemble competition but a lot less serious and with more props (we pretty much made it all up on the spot) :) A special hand selected judging panel rated the three groups that entered this year. I'm pleased to say that my group, the Green Monsters, swept the competition taking first place...sorry Kathy, if you hadn't forgotten half your hoola hoop work it would've been you girl :).
Don't worry Charlie :) we still got to bed on time! And for our last night in the Middletown armory, all of POC slept in one giant circle on the floor...awe, we love each other :)

Friday started like every other day...although my body is rejecting movement... but wait, it's a Prelims day! My mom and my b/f Freddie came to check us out. Good way to get my mental set really working cause now they are really watching me! It was kind of fun to perform to Fredster :) Practice was short cause we performed at 4:10 in the afternoon. Thanks mom for the medicine and Gatorade!
When ever Pride members drive themselves to shows, my sister and I have too much fun. We listen to awesome music that gets us pumped up, we sing at the top of our lungs, always accompanied by car dancing, or in this case, finger dancing out the sun roof...:) It's a good time right Rach? :)

Excited for the show, POC did the usual. Check in (wrist band on the ankle??), bathroom break, POC body...our own special warm up :), actual body, I mean, headstand and Greatest love, equipment warm up, then wait for 10 hours before we take the floor. Yea! Rosie made it in the nick of time :)

Our Prelims show went well technically, but lacked that special something. I could tell when we got off the floor cause no one was talking...not usually a great sign... The staff said that what we had been working on in rehearsals was showing up so that's a plus :) But we just didn't have the energy we had back in that little Kentucky gym less than a week ago, so that's not a plus :( Anxiously awaiting the results (drum roll please...) for the first time this season we came in second to Fantasia. Hmmm...what is it that POC needs to do to get prepared for finals now?? RELAX! We had the rest of the night off to watch A class finals (shout out to my girls for getting 6th) and didn't have to practice the next day 'til 2:30. It was nice to see friends, eat Perkins, talk to my boyfriend, sleep in a bed, and not wake up until noon...ahhh....

It's Finals day Pride!! Saturday started with a Perkins country breakfast :) mmm...then off to practice. It's tradition to always start off rehearsal with a fun run. Nobody's allowed in the gym but members, and only we know what goes on :). After that, you guessed it...dance class, warm up, stand still run, obnoxious, and rehearsal... We had a little audience join us which is always awesome (Chuck, my mom, and Freddie were like the paparazzi w/their cameras), but it helped get us to practice like it's a real performance!! We had one final run through and packed up. On the way back, we rocked out to, "It's the end of the world as we know it", stopped to get subs (Oracle was jealous they didn't have cars), then show prep at the Knights Inn. Which btw, I had awesome show hair thanks to Susan ;)

At UD we did the same old same old. Check in, bathroom, who has the lipstick??, POC body w/Johnny looking hot..oh and on that note, the entire staff looked A-mazing :) Body warm up, Greatest Love lead by Clint ;) , equipment warm up (share the space), tunnel hang time...claws up :), show time!

Hmm...how can I describe this...have you ever wondered what it must be like to be a famous singer or actor? Times it by a million and that's what it's like for the POC to be in the arena on finals night. It is one of my favorite parts of being a performer in POC, taking the floor. Everything felt (there are no words)... audience, vibe, music, feelings...my mind worked practically counting, while my heart moved my body to perform this show for the very last time. The energy is always electric on the floor and we ran with it :)

On the flip side, behind the big black curtain, when the show was finished we knew we just gave it up :) We left it all on that floor, now it's time for the folks at home to watch the DVD from every angle to see what really went on out there ;)

Many hugs and tears were shared b/t POC as we gathered our things and headed for retreat.

Retreat, a mini reunion in itself...is a chance to tell everyone you've ever spun with before in your guard and in all the others there how beautiful and amazing they are, how much you miss them, how excited you are to march with them again, and on and on. Color guard people just love each other a lot :)

Again, anxiously awaiting the results, POC held on to second, taking home the silver. Yea :) As they shot off the confetti I hugged my sister for a long time thinking, finally, after all of our years of spinning we got to wear the same uniform, you're my sister, and now my color guard sister :) I'll never forget this season with you, Christina, you rock my world and I'm so proud of you :)

We did our little after party thing and everyone got to see the whole color guard family, WGI is a color guard holiday :) On Sunday POC said our thanks and goodbyes at banquet.

What an amazing show, talented/funny people, and awesome season, by far my absolute favorite :) .

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