Hell week
It was 14 years ago this week that I wandered over to the front of Clapp Recital Hall on the University of Iowa campus for the start of hell week--five days of drum corps like training for the Hawkeye Marching Band. I never liked marching band. The sensation of twisting my body, pulling a metal mouthpiece tight against my lips to keep it from slipping around, all while unable to breathe naturally is not pleasant. For hell week, we did it a lot--8-10 hours a day in 90+ degree heat and humidity. But it was fun in its own sadistic way--good to be part of a team and fun eventually to perform (to a half interested audience, but a large one).
The Iowa City Press Citizen posted an audio slide show of this year's hell week group, which is what drummed up these memories. I was only in the HMB one year, but several of these drills still sound as familiar as yesterday. "Tweeeeeet...tweet, tweet...'And let's go hawks!'"
Fall isn't far away.