DCI Recap: The Battalion and Madison Scouts Exhibition (Sanpete Beat)

On June 21, 2016 I attended Sanpete Beat, an exhibition of The Battalion and Madison Scouts in Mt. Pleasant, UT. The Scouts were formed in 1938, and 2016 is The Battalion’s inaugural year.

The summer after I graduated high school I went on national tour with a military-style, all-brass-and-percussion music group.

For the uninitiated, this is called “drum corps” and the competition league is Drum Corps International or DCI. Yes … it’s like a competitive marching band without a school affiliation and caters to 14-21 year olds who, like me at that age, couldn’t get enough from my high school’s program. You live on a tour bus, practice/perform/compete 12+ hours a day and get maybe a few hours of sleep on a school gym floor after arriving there around 2 or 3 a.m. No joke. (Did I mention 21 is the age limit?)

Anyway … a decade later … the guy (James Sparling) who first really showed me how to ram notes on quads is now the percussion director of the Madison Scouts, the second oldest drum corps around.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Watch] Archive footage from my high school variety show (2003!!!) of the drum duet my best buddy Nick Fields and I put together: A Tribute to J.M.S. & Co. by NNDT.

James was on leave getting R&R with family (dude — next time skip a flat state like Kansas; #Utahisrad don’t miss it), so he’s not in the pictures, but here are the guys he writes music for and directs all summer long. (Yup, guys. Madison is by tradition an all-male corps).

The Battalion and Madison Scouts Exhibition - June 21, 2016 - Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot

 

And later … The Integrated Arc!

When James first showed up at Sycamore High School, he shook up the drumline a lot and taught me about training my ears to listen. We’d warmup in traditional setups like the one above and also in other formats like this where the tenors and snares intersperse with each other:

The Battalion and Madison Scouts Exhibition - June 21, 2016 - Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot - Integrated Arc

 

Madison Scouts Drumline :: In The Lot :: Video

If the videos don’t show, hit refresh or watch all three here.

 

And here’s the Madison Scouts Drumline working their opener in uniform (again, backup link):

… yeah, there’s dirt in here. It’s early season. And as James was fond of saying teaching yelling back in the day:

“CLEAN YOUR OWN HOUSE.”

 

For 2016, Madison’s show is Judas and showcases music from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Broadway hit, Jesus Christ Superstar.

The Scouts did their first full, in-uniform run of their 2016 show at this exhibition on the North Sanpete High School football field. Which btw was PACKED! S-R-O in the stands.

 

HQ Audio of The Madison Scouts 2016 :: Drumline In The Lot & Full Corps On The Field

Click to listen to all these files on Dropbox

  • Madison Scouts 2016 Show – Judas
  • Madison Scouts – Encore (four)
  • Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot – Accent Tap
  • Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot – Book Clip (six)
  • Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot – Eights
  • Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot – Flams
  • Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot – Stick Control
  • Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot – Triplet Diddle
  • Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot – Triplet Partials
  • Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot – Untitled Ditty
  • Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot – Untitled Warmup
  • Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot – Snares – Triplet Roll
  • Madison Scouts Drumline In The Lot – Tenors – Untitled

The mountains made for a good backdrop:

The Battalion and Madison Scouts Exhibition - June 21, 2016 - Madison Scouts on the field

 

The Battalion

The Battalion is the first drum corps ever to come out of Utah.

Just to see this piece of music and state history was worth the 90-minute drive each way.

The Battalion and Madison Scouts Exhibition - June 21, 2016 - The Battalion on the field

Mad props to the trio that envisioned The Battalion and are making it happen: Luke and Alyssa McCollum and Dallin Hatch. When I marched inside quad on the BYU Drumline in 2004 the fall after my DCI tour, Luke was at my right and Dallin was a few spots over on snare.

Getting The Battalion together and onto the field for their first exhibition was two years of hustling and rallying a crap ton of people and resources. Running an existing corps is a huge undertaking. And they are tasked with starting one AND running it. I’m so proud of them and all their staff/volunteers/board/backers/etc. for creating musical opportunities for the 100+ youth in their corps.

 

HQ Audio of The Battalion 2016 :: Full Corps On The Field

Click to listen to these files on Dropbox

  • The Battalion 2016 Show – Standing Runthrough (Partial)
  • The Battalion 2016 Show – Moving Runthrough (Complete)

 


 

Live Drum Corps is a Singular Experience

There is nothing like sitting on the 50 yard line in front of a full field of brass and drums.

Booming and bellowing waves rattle every bone in your body.

The soprano trumpets scream on pitch, and every hair on the back of your neck tingles.

When the contra tubas blast, your lung chambers echo.

If you monitored your heart, you’d find it beating in sync with the drums … whatever the tempo.

And goosebumps … the goosebumps!!

Call me a band geek for life.

I don’t care!

It’s worth it if only to keep feeling that sound.

 


 

Btw, Utah’s only DCI show is in Ogden on Thursday, July 7. Visit www.dci.org to find shows near you.

The Battalion

The Madison Scouts

The Battalion and Madison Scouts Exhibition - June 21, 2016 - The Battalion on the field

The Battalion and Madison Scouts Exhibition - June 21, 2016 - The Battalion on the field

The Battalion and Madison Scouts Exhibition - June 21, 2016 - The Battalion on the field

The Battalion and Madison Scouts Exhibition - June 21, 2016 - The Battalion on the field

The Battalion and Madison Scouts Exhibition - June 21, 2016 - The Battalion on the field

The Battalion and Madison Scouts Exhibition - June 21, 2016 - The Battalion on the field

2016-06-21 19.19.11

The Battalion and Madison Scouts Exhibition - June 21, 2016 - The Battalion on the field

 

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By |2021-01-15T15:37:23-07:00June 28th, 2016|Music|0 Comments

Utah Valley Marathon: Race Report 2016

Ran the Utah Valley Marathon on June 11, 2016.

My Utah Valley Marathon data on TrainingPeaks.

Finished 12 minutes slower than my last race.

//// What happened? ////

I popped a caffeine pill before the gun and that single action derailed my day and 3 months of training. Miles 1-12 were solid, and then the effects of dehydration set in.

Basic wisdom: “No new nutrition tricks on race day.”

I’ve never taken caffeine pills in my life.

In that moment of being speed greedy, I didn’t account for needing an extra bottle of water to counteract the drug’s diuretic effect. Now I have a good story to back up the wisdom.

All training and racing is a process … no matter the outcome yesterday, #PoundTheRock continues as I improve my run in pursuit of a sub-3:00 finish and qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

Pre-Race Layout

Hidden: the two caffeine pills in my shorts pocket that derailed my race.

PS One of the greatest little gifts from sponsors are those balls in my shoes. Odor snatchers. Check em out … bit.ly/snkrbls

 

Always good to run with a friend for a bit. Taylor (she’s a singer/songwriter based in LA) and I ran a chunk of the first 5 or 10k together. I took off … and not long after I tanked around mile 14 she flew by and went on for a great finish of 3:28:25, taking 3rd in her division.

 

Dehydration cramps set in well by this point. My constant goal was make it to the next aid station for water and Gatorade.

 

How to deal with cramps … walk (blue dips). Cramp, walk, drink, recover, run, repeat.

 

By mile 23 … still a mess and drinking lots of water to get normal.

Mad props to Vanessa who’s been my sherpa on the past 2 marathons. Nothing like having a 100% reliable friend offering support on race weekends. Thank you Cousin V!!!

 

Despair & Relief

 

Lessons learned. Time to recover and prep for next time. Process Produces Progress.

 

Like I say … #PoundTheRock.

 

Utah Valley Marathon - 2016 Race Report - Finisher Certificate

Utah Valley Marathon 2016 Race Results: bit.ly/uvm16nat

 

Utah Valley Marathon - 2016 Race Report - Strava Splits 1 Utah Valley Marathon - 2016 Race Report - Strava Splits 2

 


 

Utah Valley Marathon 2016 by the Numbers

Miles: 26.2

Elevation Gain: 1,111′ <–WUT. I THAWT IT WAS ALL DOWNHILL

Elevation Drop: 2,817′

Calorie Burn: 3,700 (est.)

Final Time: 3:40:52

20th in Division

195th of 955 Overall

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Video] Crossing the finish: bit.ly/23gg00g

[Data] My Utah Valley Marathon Data on TrainingPeaks: tpks.ws/hebUE

[Data] My Utah Valley Marathon Data on Strava: bit.ly/uvm16

[Data] My Utah Valley Marathon Race Results: bit.ly/uvm16nat

 


 

#TeamTriggerPoint // Grateful to represent TriggerPoint, for their support and the camaraderie of my team, and especially for TP’s products. From rolling with their gear (and eating and resting right), I could walk fine that night, went for a hike the next morning, and feel great.

Ran on Newton Running Distance Vs which took something to get used to, but which I now very much like; with Sof Sole inserts that are a super step up from the stock inserts, and the most comfortable socks I’ve ever put on from Balega.

Not shown, but I plan and analyze everything primarily with TrainingPeaks. Big fan of the platform, appreciate their continuous improvement of it. It’s what I have all my clients use #ResultsStartHere

AND … super awesome props to Utah Valley Marathon crew for working out a deal with the race photographer to provide digital downloads for FREE. Many thanks.

I originally posted this on Facebook.

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By |2021-01-15T15:37:23-07:00June 17th, 2016|Triathlon|0 Comments

Fear of Yours Not Welcome in My Corner

Had a recent insight on fear.

I coached Damian Reid in 2015 to his first half marathon in 6 years and am coaching him in 2016 for his first marathon ever.

He shopped the marathon circuit, showed me a few options, I made recommendations, and he landed on Cape Town, South Africa (Sept 2016).

A few days later…

Screenshot 2016-06-12 19.58.25

I get cold feet about all kinds of things in life.

But the worst kind of cold feet I can get is other people’s cold-feet fear.

<<Damian gave me full permission to share these details. Thanks, brah.>>

I believe Damian was initially acting responsibly and giving this gentleman the benefit of the doubt.

He’s from Africa … specifically Botswana which looks to have more adjacent border mileage with South Africa than any other country.

He’s run three marathons … that’s 3 more than Damian and most people you meet.

He’s the champion of a squash club in a major metropolitan area … obviously still a committed and accomplished athlete.

Unless Damian really wanted to pull out his phone to check the course elevation during this quick, post-match conversation, I’m sure the thing for him to do was nod and say, “Thank you, I’ll take that in consideration and speak with my coach.”

I’m glad he did basically that.

Damian recapped the info. He suggested we may go to Plan B. He trusted me. By so doing, Damian put his faith in himself and in me as his coach ahead of any fear triggered by Mr Botswana. That shows great strength on his part.

People can be totally wrong. And this guy was.

Having an appointed supporter and champion to be there for me in life’s challenges has been a super awesome practice, and once I have those people clear on the roles they embrace for me, then they ARE the person I go to when I hit moments of doubt, darkness, fear or spiraling questions.

When people spew doubts, their fear, and more questions in response to mine, I get more darkness … and now I’m 2x in the dark, or even worse, because I have mine AND theirs. Bad recipe for any situation where I care about moving forward.

Doubters don’t belong in my corner. Who does? People whose faith surpasses fear.

People committed to helping me (and you) through moments of doubt, fear and seemingly unanswered questions are better suited to shine light and direct me to my own light switches so I can see clearly.

As a coach, my athletes count on me to make solid recommendations and not knowingly let them walk into high-failure, low-learning situations. Living + training at sea level, then running a first marathon at elevation counts as one of those. (Post for another time: great coaches do on occasion run their athletes/clients thru inevitable-failure, high-learning situations.)

My athletes, clients, friends and anyone I know, myself included, will experience fear. What I aim to do is support them to recognize their own faith. And, when invited, help them move smartly, faithfully and powerfully toward their faith, even in the face of whatever fear is there.

I felt confident I hadn’t overlooked the geographical challenges of the Cape Town Marathon for Damian, and I thought I’d show him what goes into those evaluations so in the future he can make them on his own.

Here’s what I found:

Screenshot 2016-06-12 20.20.56

I Googled “cape town marathon site:strava.com” and found exactly what I was looking for:

unfounded fears of cape town marathon elevation

(gray, left axis = elevation; blue, right axis = pace of the Strava user who recorded this. Bless the internet and smart phones. And Google. And GPS. And Strava.)

What follows is how my texts went down as I shared this image and more with Damian.

Damian, it’s between 0-200′ above sea level … the whole time!

The entire elevation gain is 721′

The Salt Lake Marathon, while at moderate elevation, has a total gain of 789′

Berlin has 366′

New York City has 454′

Boston has 572′

721′ is nothing crazy

And most importantly … 

In your half marathon you climbed 935′ … you got this 😊

(1,870′ over the course of a full marathon is challenging for a road race and specific training for such is smart)

I imagine will be stunning to run all the way around Table Mountain … without ever going up it (shaded green = mountains):

Fear of Cape Town marathon - route on elevation map

The hardest parts will be miles 16 and 17:

Fear of Cape Town Marathon - the hardest miles

Highest elevation gain in a mile … 145′ … and then the steepest drop in the next mile … 131′ down.

Going up that late in the race will burn your hamstrings …

… and coming down will be an extra load on your quads.

And then you’ll hit mile 18 … that proverbial wall!

Which is also fairly uphill looking at rest of course … 92′ up.

Those 3 miles will be a HUGE mental game and discipline to execute whatever plan we make ahead of time.

So excited for you!!!

Man! Love digging into this race info and thinking about strategy for ya!!!

When you take a look at all this … will you let me know how you feel?

Damian’s a champion. He got it:

Fear of Cape Town Marathon - got it

Back on track. Fear put to rest.

I have no idea how many years ago Squash Club Champion ran his marathons. And I really don’t think he meant ill will. I don’t think he was consciously aware of fear or wanting to incite fear in Damian. I genuinely think he thought he was being helpful … most people do when they give advice … and, to the extent that now Damian and I have thoroughly looked at the elevation profile of Cape Town 2016, he was helpful.

Perhaps it was an innocent slip of memory. Perhaps one of the three marathons he ran is somewhere else in South Africa or around Cape Town and is at elevation. Or maybe years ago the same Cape Town marathon Damian selected had a route at elevation.

Whatever the case, none of that matters because the only relevant items are the facts about Damian’s race and Damian’s preparation for those realities.

So it is in all aspects of life.

I experience so much “advice,” even when given with the best intentions, that, when unrobed from the cloaks of “wisdom” and “concern” for my well-being, amounts to a presentation or attempted transfer of the giver’s unresolved fear and insecurities. And guess what? Their fear and insecurities are theirs. Not mine. And 99% of the time the fear isn’t grounded in reality.

So …

Thanks. But if I see or smell fear, I’ll hand your a ticket for a seat in the stands.

When I’m in the ring — and when, ever, are any of us not? — ya gotta have faith for a spot in my corner.


RIP Muhammad Ali

January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016

A man who lived word and deed entirely in faith ahead of fear.

Fear of Cape Town Marathon - Muhammad Ali

By |2021-01-15T15:37:23-07:00June 12th, 2016|General Life, Triathlon|0 Comments