MY OH MY LOOK AT ME HERE

I DID A FOUR
THAT'S RIGHT
A FOUR
THAT'S
H U G E
LIKE SUPER HUGE
ENORMOUS
R E A L L Y  I N C R E D I B L E
E X C E E D I N G L Y  A S T O U N D I N G

Okay so I needed to add this because it's HUGE like super HUGE
wow new information there I know
But this is incredible m and so this is just a small update.
Enjoy my screaming!!!!

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Week of February 20th 2017, I definitely spent like all the time this week mm hmmm (3)

Monday, February 20th
Today I got a migraine. However, before I did that, I was practicng tosses a lot. Since it was so gorgeous, I practiced in my backyard. Small problem, however. Most sabre, the blade is either covered in white electrical tape, or it's just bare with the cheater tape.

In this picture, the black balance tape I use, along with the "white bottom third for hand placement with tosses", and the tape and the tip. However, instead of a long string of white tape along the bottom edge, we put these reflective stickers.

My art skills are obviously to die for, no one can handle this. I am truly coming for the #AcunaAesthetic

Anywho, The tape is super reflective on both sides, and when you toss it on a nice day, you can definitely see which side is the bottom...if the reflection of the sun doesn't blind you. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I did a couple of tosses, and ended up being up to succesfuly throw and catch a double on more than one occasion. A doublle is when you throw it, and it spins twice before you catch it. The tosses on my last post are all singles.

Today I also started to make up ~little~ routines for myself. I took some moves I saw the Sabre Squad doing, and I tried them out. I got most of them wrong, and did them succesfully. By wrong, I mean I remembered them a little off and I wasn't actually doing the real routine. However, the fake moves I came up with I did completely right. So... success?

At this time, I realize that doing a triple is extremely difficult and it will take me a long time to complete it. I realized my mistake that I needed to do a double. I needed to push down the hand on the blade while I lifted the hand on the handle, and then I suceeded. However, I need to just generally put more power in when doing anything and I'll be able to do a triple.

Near the end of last week I was sure that my skills were too advanced. I was so stupid. I thought I made a huge mistake and didn't choose a good enough topic. But sabre takes people years to master, so all I can hope for is a chance to be able to master it. I can try and do routines I find on youtube, and I can try and make my own. 

!!!!!!!NEW END GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- to make a succesful sabre routine

- to do a triple

- to do a routine I find on youtube

- (If I can,) attempt to get someone on the sabre squad to teach me part of their routine.

good luck to me! (I will most definitely need it)

Tuesday, February 21st

I have guard and GSA today. I'm going to get to guard a little early so I can ask someone from the sabre squad to help me. I have no free time this afternoon to go outside and practice, so this afternoon is reserved for Cosette, Ch 13 Notes, Process analysis essay, and whatever else I might find to do. 

Tonight at guard I have these such goals

- talk to someone on the Squard about assitance

- talk to someone to see what I'm doing wrong with my tosses

- talk to someone?? am I good?? what is happenING??????

- calm down and just spin the swordy swish

Wednesday, February 22nd

 I didn't complete my most low scale goals (yipee)

I couldn't get to guard early last night, and I didn't get someone to see if I was okay. Today I'm practicing at all, but I looked at my other videos to see what was up so I think that's some ~progress~

Thursday, February 23rd

I do not a lot of free time today. At guard I took out my sabre (I was there early) and practiced. No one corrected me so I think I'm okay. Today the weapons were focusing on multiples, (doubles, triples, fours, fives) and so I can look at them and see what they do. I can see that they use a lot more power, and are seemingly unafraid.

Friday, February 24th

so.... I DID A TRIPLE

LIKE A REAL ONE WITH A REAL CATCH

Second period today I was allowed to walk the track. I brought my sabre because I could (maybe) practice with it during the gifted block period, and so I could grab it during gym and practice. I'm proud to say I amassed a small audience, which was pretty rad. They asked me questions, and were all present for the triple. I'm really proud, because I caught it correctly, I threw it high enough, my free hand was high enough, my other hand was on my leg, it was awesome. However... I don't have a visual. It was the one proper throw out of like twenty, so I didn't have the highest hopes. Dani (a former gifted kid™ and really really talented guard member (she was golden rifle in this past outdoor season) ) and I were talking a bit after and she said it sounded (she didn't see it) like I did it right. 

I'm so excited I can't handle this

I did this project to be able to be really good at sabre, so I might get put on it next year or in indoor. I'm super proud that I could do this on the third week, because it bodes really well for me. There's this one toss that the Sabre Squad™ does in the show, and I taught myself how to do it through trial, error, and this video. (note: If you want to watch me, I'm in the blue dress in the front in the very beginning with sienna with the short hair, and then I have a gold flag and I'm in the row by myself, and then I stand on the black box and ~strike a pose~) I'm very excited. Some older members are surprised at my success, and it makes me happy. I'm still (very pompously) living off of the fact I got "most improved" at the Marching Band banquet. Today was the day of most practice, and that's pretty cool. I most likely won't be able to practice tomorrow I have a jazz band competition, but sunday's open. I'm very pleased with my current success with this, and I love what it says for the time that can come. 

Anywho, I practiced in the gym during last period today. I was able to make a little ~video~ of me doing some random stuff and dropping it. I made up a small routine, and did another triple! I need to look at the video more in depth, but I may have accidentally done a double instead. Who ~really~ knows?

Music: Somone in the Crowd from La La Land Cover by doddleoddle or dodie

fun thing! here's the link to this past outdoor season's (2016) champs! 

(if you want to find me, around 7:43 two people stand back to back with finger guns, I'm the small one that isn't Trevor. The music and the visuals of it are really fun and easy to get into!)

Saturday, February 25th

So today I did a few tosses, but I'm going to give myself a little break for tomorrow and reserve entirley for other homework. I'm so into this project, really all aspects of it I'm putting every extra time into it, and I'm not moving forward on other stuff. I guess this really is the other side of the coin... as opposed to not moving forward on anything, I'm moving too far forward on something that I'm not moving forward on anything else. Gee whiz I know how to handle my time! 

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Week of February 13th 2017, i have made a rather sharp mistake (2)

Monday, February 13th
Today I was able to hit 100 dropspins on both hands already, all due to this video. I looked at some other ones, but none of them hand the quality and the depth of this one, and he kept referencing rifle, which is similar to air blade, that I have experience on. Tomorrow I have guard, and I have asked Sienna Rahatt, one of the color guard captains, to help me learn to toss. I asked her because she's currently in the "Sabre Squad" (the group of people assigned to sabre for the indoor 2017 season.)

Tuesday, February 14th
With the help of the that video, I was able to complete the new ~weird~ drop-stops on both hand (it's the way you stop the momentum of the sabre or flag or whatever. On flag when you do it every one says "droppy stoppy" it's comical, to say the least.) I only practice for twenty minutes today, which isn't a lot, but I'm going to learn how to do tosses tonight so that will hopefully compensate (fingers crossed)

Wednesday, February 15th
So it was Wednesday, and on Wednesdays I have about three nano seconds on free time, so I didn't practice at all. Whoops.

Thursday, February 16th
On this day, I had small amounts of free time, but I also had guard that night. So Danielle, our director, worked with the weapons a lot, and I was able to look at how everything was done. I could see how they caught, and threw the sabres which was huge and really important, because if you throw something in the air- it's going to come down at some point... and you better catch it.

Friday, February 17th
We didn't have school today, but we have a competition tomorrow. I went to my friend Amanda's house, and with her and my friend jasmine I ran a little boot camp for the competition. We practiced for about three hours, and when they were working on their individual parts, I was practicing sabre. I was able to throw it and catch it ten times in a row. I really, really, need to reassess my goals. Also, I was able to throw a triple. (not able to catch it, but I'm close.) I was also able to throw and catch a double.

Music: Not Over You (acoustic) by Tessa Violet

(video dated 2.19.17, only day I could film r.i.p.)

I may have gravely underestimated myself. I thought I didn't know a lot about this, but I've completed some very difficult things right off the bat. I may need to change the whole end product of this, to be able to do air blade and sabre. I still have the goal of learning a large portion of the sabre routine, so I may be able to try and do all of that as a challenge.

Saturday, February 18th
There was a guard competition today. Our schedule was that we had an hour and a half practice before we left, and I got to the school forty minutes early, because I was over compensating for the traffic of the frostbite five-miler. So I waited outside of the square gym for forty minutes, just doing tosses and spins. I only dropped two tosses, and so I think I should really reassess my end goal. At the competition there was a performance guard, Q Color Guard, who had incredible weapons work and dance work. Watching their flags and sabres took my breath away, and made me extremely excited to interview the captains of Black Watch Color Guard on March 5th!

This is all so incredible, and makes me so happy. I'm really proud of my progress, it just makes me kind of annoyed that I've done so well- because now I don't know what to do from here!

Sunday, February 19th
Today I have a lot of time, and it's warmer. I'm practicing tosses today, and looking at videos of the assorted things you can learn on sabre. I hope that the interview with Black Watch will really help me. Today is focusing more on the educational side of the project, researching a lot of the different techniques and such. So far, I figure that singles and spins aren't mastery, so I can really work on more difficut things, or find some online routines, and teach it to myself.

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Week of February 6th, 2017, sabres aren't actually sharp, fyi (1)

As the first post, I of course have to name a couple things (yay!)

I have certain goals, long term and of course short term (bc I'm lazy and don't like thinking long term)
Long term:

To be able to do 100 spins on both hands
To be able to be a three

Short Term:
To be able to do fifty spins (many)
To toss it once
To learn the indoor routine
To practice for an hour everyday


A little intro to my history with color guard.
I've been exposed to the Wissahickon Color Guard since I was born- literally. My dad's Mr. Hood, the band director, and was in charge of the Marching Unit until I was four. I've been exposed to this stuff forever. I used to go to my dad's games and competitions. When I started to go to this school district, I would hang out in the band room more, so I saw more of the color guard. My dad says it's page 273 in the cosmic book of irony that I'm in the marching unit, but in the color guard. I joined the color gaurd this year during freshman orientation.

They were short of people, and I mentioned I wanted to join, and so my friend called me the next day, and that monday I joined. I have always had the skill and coordination to be able to do anything. I also have a fairly impressive amount of armstrength, even thought that might count as bragging, but in seventh grade I was able to bench press 3/4 of my weight. I weighed like 98 pounds then. I've always been able to accomplish what I put my mind to. With the color guard I practice at least 20 minutes every day, and at the marching band bandquet I won the "most improved" award.

Color guard is incredible it's like a family. We're just like any other team, and there's a hierarchy. I tried out on air blade (pictured below) And didn't make it, because I couldn't catch it as well because I was nervous, and I'm a freshman. I have time. The different tools/ weapons in color guard then turn into "squads", the sabre squad, the rifle squad, and the flags (the flags you don't try out to make it, everyone as a basis makes the flag, and everyone is on flag for the last section) This is basically how the color guard is set up.

This week I got the sabre I needed for the project on tuesday, february 7th.
That night I learned how to do dropspins, a basic element of colorguard, I asked a friend of mine who's not an expert but she could shwo the bare minimum of basics.

On thursday there was a snow day, so I naturally spent the whole day trying to do fifty drop spins in a row (because I definitely have a life, and most certainly didn't sell my soul to color guard....... who would think ~such~ a thing whaaaat) which is an important part of mastering the sabre. Spins are a basic in color guard, they're the starting point in warmups, and they take a l o t of arm strength.

I spent three hours on thrusday practicing, two and a half hours on friday, and four hours on saturday

These hours, of course, are of the twenty minute snippets (yay accurate attention span) I practiced throughout the day. Occasionally just five minute snippets.

So I've been practicing a lot. I love it, I just do spins while watching youtube, or tv. It's ideal for my true procrastinating ways, because I'm doing something I enjoy, aside from procrasting, and yet I'm still procrastinating. It's like secretely moving forward

At this point, I'm scared for the tosses, because witht he flag tosses in the indoor season, I just learned how to toss a flag. Also, tosses can only be done outside because the ceilings in my house are too low, and there's too many precious things. So when practicing the tosses, you get less practice time in. Will keep you updated.

here is a video of me doing ten spins on my right hand dated thursday, february 9th

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