Monday, March 20th
~this is the emotion post~
Honestly, I'm terrified.
I've always watched marching band happen from the sidelines.
And then, I joined up. I found friends, and that I was surprisingly good at this thing that I always ruled out for myself. And here's why; the best way to get out from a parental shadow? Go into their exact field of expertise. But I'm good at color guard, at least for my experience level.
And I'm terrified because I'm being too cocky.
This project I want to use to get on sabre so I (wow this is a long shot I know) could become guard captain. And then, leadership application went out. I have one problem, I haven't finished mine because I'm too scared, which is just idiotic. Look at this video
I'm good. I'm not amazing, but I'm good and I care. I think I have a real future in this. It combines all things I've always loved. I've always been in theater or some sort of performance, and I've always been able to do anything (physically) I set my mind to. I'm rather flexible, and when I did play sports I always did well. (except for track and xc, but I was forced into that and I have asthma so)
In this project, we need an academic aspect. So when I got the notification for leadership applications, I started immediately. And then my usual bout of self-doubt came around and I haven't finished it, or I've relied on a date or a circumstance.
So today, I looked at resumes.
For the application we need,
- a resume of past experience
- a piece of paper that answers these questions:
What are your greatest personal strengths?
What are some areas in which the organization could improve and how would you improve them?
- a performance
- a service project
I don't have a lot of past experience, I have two seasons of guard, my dad as a resource, apprenticing at my camp, and just general project where I really stepped up, and practices where I did the same.
And my greatest personal strengths? Ladies and gents, drum roll please, um maybe I like guard? (ta da!) Just kidding, I would say passion. I care for this. in so many ways, it's one of my favorite things I've done, I've hyped it up so much I got people to join that never would otherwise. I think organization should have captains within the guard, weapons and flags and general. I think it works the best especially with the varying levels of expertise. To be perfectly honest, what I am going to do to show anyone that I am good at guard? I'm learning the sabre routine from the least experienced sabre, and the videos. But I"m doing it.I think that's the key part here. And the service project would probably be how organization could improve, or just a general set of fundraisers. The chocolate is good, but having it be longer is i m p o r t a n t. We need to stake our territory.
But the academic side of this is what a massive leadership opportunity this is. Recently I've had to arrange a lot of things for my french trip, and it's been pretty difficult, but I've done it. I did it. I applied for a passport, and I'm handling (albeit late) the packets. This side of the massive learning opportunity is important. Because I have so much to learn. But one thing I've always relied upon within myself is my ability to lead, especially when I care about the topic. Today was ~deeper~ for me, because it was my mom's birthday and I had robotics. I spent the time in robotics leading, even though I'm not team captain, or even my sub-team coordinator. And when I went home I practiced the routine. I feel like I'm missing something and I can't remember what.
This post is so very long, and I very much apologize.
Tuesday, March 21st
I was definitely missing part of the routine.
This video is not from tonight, but it's from the near future.
I talked to my friend, and showed her what I remembered. In the video in my other blog, I basically did the snippets of the routine missing the whole up - up - down - down - spin thing. But I have been practicing doubles, and once I'm warmed up I can do one pretty perfectly. Example A:
Guard tonight was more refining our show, and I was on mat/ door/ crate duty, and didn't have a lot of time to warm up and practice doubles. On friday I'm planning on going to the gym and filming and practicing again, which is where most of these videos probably come from (time warp, I know)
The leadership applications are due on the third, which is in two weeks. So I'm trying to get my dad to help with the resume, he can help me make a resume in the way that is needed. It's an easy thing, that every other person has access to, I've just got more time.
Today was more kinetic aspects, working on tosses when I had the time, and just thinking about the show. Mental rehearsal is the key.
Wednesday, March 22nd
Our Coach gave us the music of the show to mentally rehearse to, and physically, and she also gave us the video form the last competition.
Normally on wednesdays I have no time to do anything, except for a snippet of homework. However, during the break on jazz band I went over the dance with the Jazz man (Jasmine)
She and I worked on the opening dance, which is something I normally don't give a lot of attention in practice. But we also worked on her individual part that I have really, really, obnoxiously made it my business to assist with. The four people who do this group show, do this right in front of me, so I mutter little reminders and tell them when to go, and also just generally try to get them all on the same page.
After the break, I just went over sabre in my head. I thought about the routine I knew, and just mentally practiced it. During outdoor season, I wouldn't be able to sleep because all of the routine would be running in my head, which is a tad weird but really helped.
When I got home (the time I'm writing this) I looked at the video, and the second part of the beginning part of the sabres. Basically, this little snippet.
I know everything up until the toss, and then it's kind of new. It's easy though.
However, when learning routine of course you learn more things. Sabre isn't just about the finesse and the body movements and control, the sabre is curved. You have to ensure that the curve is facing the right way, or everything gets off. It's been really fun learning all this myself, it's probably one of the reasons I love legos so much. The self-teaching nature is just so exhilarating when you get it. It's probably my favorite part of this project, the moment when olivia's reed made a noise, the moment I did 100 spins and then my first triple, it's all so exhilarating. The newness of it all, and how for some of us it'll help us improve even more, and learn even more new things to perfect. It's just so incredible.
Ordinarily, I spend thursday afternoons playing Dungeons & Dragons with my friends, almost like clock work. Today, our DM (Dungeon Master) cannot make it, so it's cancelled.
In other words,
I HAVE A COMPLETELY FREE AFTERNOON UNTIL 6:10
Thursday, March 23rd
In other words,
I HAVE A COMPLETELY FREE AFTERNOON UNTIL 6:10
My goals for this afternoon are:
- to film the bits of the routine I know
- to film the bits i'll teach myself from the video
- film them together
- practice a bunch of doubles
- attempt another triple
- additional class things
"I love pasta more than I love my family"
- Olivia Bamford, 3/23/17 1:57 PM
It's in the place of a home show because of the Natatorium construction (major shade @ the man™) We have to have some sort of fundraiser for future years. I'm trying really hard to perfect my performance for this. The other day during practice we split up between Underclassmen and Upperclassmen. We were in the circle gym, so first Underclassmen went to the higher bleachers and watched and made comments, and then we switched. I was really, really, grateful and proud that when the upperclassmen picked out who everyone else should look to for counts, I was one of them. I sometimes implement myself even if I really shouldn't and affirmation was really nice and gave me a lot of gusto.
If I'm practicing guard today, I'm doing (sadly) the bare minimum for sabre, and just going over the entire show with music like 20,000 times. Tomorrow, I'm bringing in my sabre during this period and going over all the routine I know.
One major goal I have, is to try and learn the entirety of the sabre routine by the TED Talk. I'm not quite sure if I can do this, but I'd like to do a little bit of it. I think it's cool, I really, really do. And the best way to get people involved and interested in your presentation is to shake it up a little bit.
With all this, you can only do so much with your supporting slides, with your voice and clothes. But if you bring in a prop, or a certain action it's so much more poignant. It resonates more clearly, at least in my opinion, and it gives me time to really show what I did. I can't just describe it, and showing videos is weird, because if you're looking at the audience you take the attention away from the video, and it's a little blocky to just watch the video too.
At the bottom of this post I'm going to put a revised timeline. It's important that I have it somewhere I can reference, because my approach to this has been looser. I had a specific timeline, but I had to significantly change it, and I haven't put it anywhere so you can find it at the bottom of this post.
During rehearsal, I was practicng tosses with 3 really killer weapons. (pun, k i l l e r weapons [rifle and sabre] also some really talented people!) I was tossing, and we were in front of the coaches. I started tossing, and Danielle said that I was tossing really weirdly. So I turned around, and she gave me a bunch of really good tips.
You can't really see in this video, but when I toss my hand goes down and makes the "italian meme" hand. Instead of that it's supposed to be flat.
To describe this I'm going to do something real weird.
Imagine every time you tossed a sabre it dematerialized in the air. This way you could see the form of the toss. After you throw it, your right arm is supposed to be at your thigh, and your left arm is supposed to be perfectly parallel to the wall in front of you, almost as if you're giving the girl scout promise (minus the fingers being crossed)
I haven't been doing that. I've been putting my hand really, really weirdly. So I tried tossing with a rifle, and I was doing the hand thing, and I couldn't toss it right. When I adjusted my hand, I was doing some pretty ~mediocre~ tosses, on a weapon I've never done before. (yay me! With looondon tipton!!!)
Friday, March 24th
Today I went to the gym last period and practiced.
See, I expected something completely different. My good buds, Ellie, Emily, Joe, etc. have wellness the same time I have history. I was totally expecting to go into the gym and walk right up to my buds and chat with them while I spun sabre. It's good feeling, to work really hard at something, and know you're okay at it, and then be able to impress your friends. Most of my friends don't look at my blog, and I don't do sabre in the guard show, so it's completely lost on them. During class today I did the most basic thing; spins, and two people were really into it? For the unaccustomed eye sabre is flashy and cool, and to the accustomed eye it's precise, dangerous, and still really, really, cool.
I was really excited to just show my friends my hard work, and get a little bit of recognition. Because as cool as I think guard videos are, it doesn't have the same punch as seeing someone, before your eyes, throw and catch a sabre.
Needless to say, my friends have Health this cycle. So I went to the gym, expecting to be left alone so I could focus on sabre and deal with my own emotions. As you can imagine, your success tossing the sabre is determined on your emotions, resolve, and general energy level on that day. Today I have pretty high energy level, and I had a very nice time with my friends at lunch.
There was a sub for the class that was in the gym at the same time as me, and there were people walking the track. Some of the people were acquaintances, some didn't actually know that I went to this school, and then there were these people who I'm okay with, but we don't exactly run in the same circles. So I got annoyed, because they started messing with me, so my emotions went all wack. And then I was putting so much anger to the strength needed, I wasn't focusing on the key; finese. I was just angrily throwing a very heavy, very large, silver, dangerous, metal object into the air. (Note: the sabre is only dangerous if you don't catch/ throw it correctly. And so I got angry, and this happened.
(this isn't an injury, I'm just proud I've been doing this so much I have callouses even though I've been wearing gloves)
I took a video, and because of the interruptions, most of it is edited out. I kept in some parts that interesting to say the least, and those people totally were like "yo you should add this" and I couldn't tell if they were joking, so here we are.
(it was too long all together, for some reason 5 minutes of video can't be uploaded together go figure)
(part two)
(part three sorry)
(part 4/4)
Saturday, March 25th
This morning I spent working on multiple projects with the Emily.
She dropped me off at guard practice at three, and there began the day of guard.
We practiced for about two hours, with three people missing. One would arrive for the performance, however.
During practice I didn't get any time to work on sabre except for in the very beginning.
The whole practice was great, there were a couple new parts that we narrowed down, and generally brought the whole show together. I hope to find some sort of video of the performance, I saw three people videotaping it.
The whole thing was a lot less stressful than I anticipated.
We practiced, and since we were performing and practicing in the same place, we didn't have to move a bunch of things.
We went back to the lower caf and ate pasta. I left early because the prior night I had my mom bring two friends of mine and I to giant at 8:30 at night to bicker about Lucky Charms in french.
So I left early, and went to be almost immediately. I had to shower and shampoo my hair twice because of the amont of Hairspray.
Sunday, March 26th
Today is a work day. no sabre today, I woke up at noon, and needless to say, I still smell like my hairspray.
________________________________________________________________________
Week of March 27th
Monday, March 27th
- work on leadership application- run through entire routine I know once
Tuesday, March 28th
- Video tape routine, compare my video to the one from Saturday the 25th or from the previous saturday- make rough draft script for ted talk
- Practice what I know of other routine
- Show abby and ask for more of the routine
Wednesday, March 29th
- work afternoon for Les Mis @ emily's- that night practice existing guard routine I know for sabre, work really hard of consistent threes
- leadership application work
- refining ted talk script
Thursday, March 30th
- no guard practice, practice as much of the routine as possible, all with soundtrack- revisit previous blog posts and see what I have and have not accomplished
- t e d talk p r a c t i c e
Friday, March 31st
- Practice guard for as much time as I have before the jazz scholarship concert
Saturday, April 1st
- knock out leadership application with dad, specifically resume- devoted to leadership application
Sunday, April 2nd
- ted talk preperation- leadership application
Week of April 3rd
e n t i r e l y working on
T E D T A L K
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