Day 18 FINALS

We started our final preparations this morning with a solid wake rehearsal - really intense.  Preparing for our 12:20 performance time required a very concentrated morning and that's exactly what we had.  It had been raining off and on all night, and again started raining as we headed over to the stadium.

As we arrived the rain did lighten up, but the field was quite slippery.  We went out and performed incredibly well.  I was so proud of them as they just went after every part of their show.  The ballad left the audience still, and they closed off with a bang.  We improved a ton over the last few days and every bit of that was on display this afternoon.

Once we finished our performance, we headed into the stands to watch.  The array of bands, the cultures, and the quality of the bands was astonishing.  We all held our breath as Stampede Band headed into competition with the big guns - we cheered loudly alongside Red Deer as they put on a spectacular show as well.  What a great weekend for Alberta!

Then came the retreat, which totaled near an hour and a half of just standing out there while the announcer stumbled through the different scores (none of the non-Dutch bands had any idea of what was being announced).  Very confusing all in all, but we stood strong (we only lost 2 members to fatigue today!) and waited till we were allowed to play ourselves off the field.

So here are the scores and rankings to the best of our understanding (please don't take this as final, as some of this is based on hearsay (the communication has not been terribly strong)).

WMC - of the bands that competed in the corps style field show competition, we placed 5th, just .01 out of 4th.  We were very close to overtaking the Brazilian band, but alas we were just a little short.  Overall we came in 9th for the 4 week competition.  Stampede Band finished 1st on the day, but 3rd overall.

WAMSB - unfortunately here we fell back to 7th (although our score did increase, not as much as the other bands).  I don' read too much into this one, except that 7th is still the highest we have ever placed, and we played on a different day than the bands who passed us - so perspective may have weighed against us.  Overall, though I would have rated our improvement as 2.5 - 3 points gain since Thursday (we didn't get that amount of improvement from the judges).  But the important thing is that they worked their butts  off and worked as hard as possible to make this happen.  

Finally tonight we had a dance party with the Colombian band.  We played songs back and forth (we ran out pretty quick)  and just had a blast - we learned the rhumba and just had a great exchange.  Thanks for an afternoon of craziness

Anyways, I can't type any more I am so tired.  Im off the bed - gett Y'all

Day 18-19 Rehearsal, Maastrich Caves, Marching Competition

Day 17 was pretty straightforward day for us... we rehearsed hard in the morning working in some changes from the suggestions we received from the judges. Some very substantial improvements! We had a very neat sightseeing trip to the Maastrich Caves, a manmade cave system with some 200 km of dugout caverns. It dates back to the Romans, who began excavating limestone blocks for their buildings. The kids got to experience total darkness as our guides left with the lanterns for a brief moment. Of course, the kids and staff took every opportunity to try to scare each other!

Day 18 saw us up early and back at rehearsal... our students have been pushing so hard to make every improvement possible. They are showing some signs of fatigue, though so we decided to get in an afternoon nap after the parade competition, which I might add went very well! They marched incredibly straight lines, and navigated the course including the dreaded countermarch very respectably. We placed 5th with a score of 80.00

After our nap we had to head back to the stadium for the full retreat, which was pretty tough. It was quite warm on the field and we stood still for at least 30 minutes. We had a few members who weren't feeling great, but we came back to the campus and again had some rest around dinner.

We finished the night with what would be our last practice run through of the year! It was the strongest performance yet, which really bodes well for tomorrow. They have shown so much heart and I have every confidence that tomorrow will be 100% successful. Now we are off to bed, we are all staggering a little, we have all put every effort into our performance preparation. Wish us luck tomorrow - we go on at 12:20 in the afternoon, so 4:20am in Calgary - send us your vibes!!!!


Sorry no pics tonight but we got a video up on youtube of the kids partying out in the parking lot after they found out they got 5th...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3f4zhd5nRk

Day 17 Rehearsal and Prelims

Day 17 was all about preparing for the big show.  We started early with a rehearsal which included an amazing run through – they were so focused it was scary.  Over the last two days they have made such huge strides.  Our lunch was a BBQ with wurst and pork chops, yum.  Then we had another rehearsal in the afternoon mainly focusing on focus and preparation.  We then headed over to the stadium for the big moment.

Our preparations were complete, now all we had to do was go out and show the world what we have been working on.  And we did!  I can’t remember a show that was so consistently achieved and powerful from the Stetson Show Band.  What a night to remember.  And what a time to do it… you see only the bands who made finals would have another chance to perform.  In all honesty, I thought we would place somewhere between 8-12, meaning there was no guarantee of performing again.  Not only did nail the performance, but we placed 5^th!!!!  The highest Stetsons has ever placed in world competition before was 8^th.  What an amazing payoff for our students – they have worked so hard, alongside our dedicated and talented staff, and they were rewarded.  We are all so proud!!  Stampede Band placed 2^nd amidst some pretty tough competition at the top.

Placing in the top 5 means a huge honor… we will be playing on Sunday as part of the top finals groups.  That also means tomorrow we are right back at it – looking for that little extra oomph.  The staff has been pouring over the comments from the judges looking for ways to bring that little extra sparkle to our last show on Sunday!  Wish us luck!

Day 15-16 Vimy Ridge, Rehearsal day and Street Parade

Day 15 was an amazing journey through some of the important Canadian memorials of WWI.  We started with a 3 hour bus ride taking us to France and Belgium and to Vimy Ridge, the pivotal Canadian battle of the war.  The students had an opportunity to tour the tunnels, that were still preserved and restored, and visit the awe-inspiring Vimy Ridge Memorial, dedicated to the memory of all the Canadian soldiers lost in France during the war.

Next the busses stopped by Paschendale, the site of one of the bloodiest battles of WWI.  Next, we made our way to Tyncott Cemetary, the largest burial site in the world for Commonwealth nations.  Both of these sites are part of Flanders Fields.  

Ypres was our final stop in Belgium, where the students loaded up on chocolate and toured the Flanders Field Museum.  All in all, and awe-inspiring, sobering and emotionally challenging day, but one that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Day 16 was back to business - our morning rehearsal was a lot of clean up work, we then went to do the WAMSB street parade, a judged event, and it was awesome.  Great crowds, a parade through yet another amazing European city, and the students played and marched really well.  Plus, we finally got a chance to meet up, although briefly with Stampede Band and Red Deer.

Afternoon found us rehearsing some last minute musical details.  A quick stop at the grocery store to stock up, and we rehearsed more in the evening culminating with their best run through of the year!

It was an amazing couple of days, the students have been holding up considerably well as we stormed into our 3rd week of tour - tomorrow is the big day...prelims at 4:20 in the afternoon.  So send us all your good vibes at 8:20 tomorrow morning!

Day 13-14 Travel, Bottendorf, Cologne, Kerkrade

Day 13 found us leaving early and heading out for a long bus ride.  But the destination was really something - Bottendorf.  A town of about 2000 in rural Germany turned out in force to hear us play.  They were enthusiastic and apprectiative.  They out on a huge party for us including a performance by their own brass band, an outstanding oom-pah band, specialty foods and of course probably the best bratwurst in the world.  What hospitality.

After our stop in Bottendorf, where we could have stayed for a week, we landed at the youth hostel in Wetzlar.  Again, our accomodations and food have surpassed all expectation!  We had a brief rehearsal in the morning, working on parade technique then loaded the bus for the historic town of Cologne.

One of the old cities, full of history, the cathedral of Cologne is one of the great buildings in Germany, and the students marvelled at it's sheer size.  After Cologne we loaded the busses and arrived in Kerkrade at Campus West.  Although we now have to share classrooms with cots, our accomodations and food is again proving to be outstanding.  Our first meal started with traditional Dutch vegetable soup, and concluded with mash potatoes, meat, corn, brussel sprouts, and yogurt for dessert!

We had a brief rehearsal out on a grass field for the first time in a long time, and after a few bumps and grinds we got into a good groove.  We have a few more rehearsals left to polish things up!  Tonight we also handed out the prizes for the amazing race, which was a lot of fun - it will be something to see the combined footage in a montage!!! Tomorrow is a big day... we head to Vimy Ridge and other important Canadian sites in Belgium and France.

Day 13 The Amazing Race!!! Final shows at the Basel Tattoo!

Wow - what an awesome last day here in Basel.  We started with a surprise for the students - the staff and chaperones set out a scavenger hunt in the model of the Amazing Race - the students had to use transportation, visit most of the historic sights, take pictures, perform silly tasks and even eat their vegetables.  They had a blast - they worked together and generally had an outstanding day.  We are collecting the massive amounts of pics and video that the students took and the band council will probably put it together for presentation later.

Tonight we performed our last two shows (well three actually - they asked us to run out and play a stand still set between shows!) at the Basel Tattoo.  Both were performed extremely well and I will speak for the staff and say that the kids have lived up to every expectation we set out for them, and they have had a great time doing this all the while learning about performing, professionalism, and friendship.  It was sad to say goodbye to our dressing rooms that have been our home for the last 2 weeks, and you could see that the kids were sad to see it end as well.  

Now we have to pack - which is no small task!!!  It is nice to be in one place for so long, but as the students rooms clearly demonstrate things spread out more the longer you stay.  Anyways, no pics tonight, and please know that we are off from here in the morning.  I will attempt to stay up to date with the blog, but that will of course depend on finding internet connection.

Day 12 Rehearsal, Van Gogh, 2 shows!

We had our last rehearsal in the Messe today - it has been a great place for us to work over the last week! We had a great show rehearsal capped with an awesome run through... really looking to performing this show next week.  

During the afternoon we were lucky to have a once in a lifetime experience - we visited a Van Gogh special exhibit which brought together a massive collection of his works - 70 - this has not happened on this scale before - and the exhibit had a marvelous layout providing historical background, and a glimpse into the change and growth that Van Gogh went through in his painting style that led him to the amazing creations of his last years, A very inspiring experience.  

Then we did two shows!!! The evening show was again for national broadcast and the students did a great on on both. They are really getting in sync with performing everyday and they are discovering the joy of performance - very cool! 

A special thing happened for our drumline - the members of Top Secret Drum Corps, who are the headliners and really have become heroes to our kids, came to watch our drumline warm up this evening - what a wonderful thing. Our guys and gals did us proud and the TS guys were great with them. We hope to get our drumline over to watch their warm up tomorrow. We have been welcomed whole heartedly and will have nothing but the best to say about Basel and its people.