Marching band was hands down one of the best experiences in my high school career. I learned what dedication truly meant, and at the same time, I made life long friendships. If you were in marching band, you know that it was not easy achieving your band's highest potential, but it was worth it. The journey to the end of the season requires riding the struggle bus starting from day 1 of band camp.
1. Being occupied every other Friday night with home football games
2. Having your entire Saturday taken up
3. Suffering band hangovers on Sundays
4. Basically not having a social life outside of band during marching season
5. Full-day band camp
6. Practicing outside in what felt like 100 degrees
7. Awkward glove tan lines
8. Permanent sock tan lines
9. Forever sore leg muscles
10. Constantly being around the same people, also known as not having a social life outside of band
11. The weather suddenly changes from blistering heat to North Pole weather. There's no in between.
12. Your lips are frozen but you have to hit that hold hard.
13. And your fingers can't keep up with how fast the music is because they're cold.
14. Hand warmers are life.
15. Arguments with other sections
16. Little fights within our own section
17. If we got a dollar for every ounce of turf rubber we collect in our shoes, we'd be millionaires.
18. Changing in and out of our uniforms
19. Not being able to eat in our uniforms
20. Forgetting bobby pins on competition days
21. Band related shirts making up 50 percent of our wardrobe
22. That same 7-minute tune stuck in your head all day long
23. Having to empty your spit valve while marching
24. Every so often, when we're walking normally, "left, left, left" rings in our ears.
25. The drum line not being in time with the drum major
26. The feeling when your director calls out someone in the entire band and you know it was your section so you wanna yell at them, but you gotta chill
27. The feeling when you start learning new sets that you have not 100 percent completely memorized the music to.
28. Hearing all the band drama
29. Being dragged into the band drama
30. Did I mention the lack of social life outside of band?
