*WARNING* go down to the bottom to get the main part...the rest is me rambling....
Practices and competions are two completely different animals if you ask me.
At practice, it is possible that you are forced to repeat a drill move over and over again. then play it without moving. then do the drill again. then stop half way. then do it together. and one more time. okay back one set.
sometimes the directors work with one area of the feild forcing the rest of the band into an adrenaline buzzed stupor. when this happens, i squat (no butts on the feild) and look for friends if it takes more than ten minutes. only if though. there are a select few who cant stand still for more than two minutes who insist on creating some sort of disturbance whether they mean to or not. its just part of their nature.
more differences i remember from this year was that during practice you know that you have a cold (or lukewarm) bottle of water waiting for you and that its only been five minutes since you last checked your watch but its two hours until you can go home and sleep!
also during practice you are in shorts and a tshirt and usually at a comfortable temperature. sometimes too hot but what can ya do. squat!
anyways. competitions, you only play about five minutes of the actual show besides your 15-20 min of warm ups, march about 1/100th of the show practicing files in rows of three, and have to constantly chug water from the water parents. not to mention the fact that your left sock fell down, you have a wedgie

, your hands are freezing but the rest of you is heating up. then you start to move onto the field. bright lights, lots of noise, annoying people talking in the press box, (YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES) and not to mention the buzz you are getting from actually being on the feild and performing.
during practices you probably have about an hour out of the entire rehearsal doing nothing. when your at a tournament, there is not time to think of doing anything but FOCUS!
like other directors, 'bilski give the pep talk and he always says the same thing. just do what you've been doing, i dont want anyone to be a hero. you can do it. your practices have been amazing.
so........to sum it up!!!
it is possible to focus at practices but it is natural to have more attention at a tournament. there is more energy and excitement and i think most of us perform better with a large and caring audience. its not like a practice where you've been on the feild already for 3 hours and you just want to go home. you've got ten minutes to prove to the judges that you can march and march well and play and play well...and by golly we can do it!!!
so ya...........................sorry its so long. i've got nothing better to do than take up room in this place.
