The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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June 9, 2009

Lancers gear up

Preseason camp kicks off competitive summer for marching band

By Tanner Kent

NORTH MANKATO — To the untrained eye, the drumline was looking fine on Tuesday morning.

Tone and tempo were metered and sharp. The beat was fluid and appropriately chest-thumping. Just hours into its weeklong preseason training session, the drumline appeared ready for competition.

Not quite, barks percussion director Louis Delatorre.

“All I’m seeing are staccato strokes,” he says, stopping practice to demonstrate a fluid motion of his wrist. “I want legato strokes. It’s all in your fulcrum.”

Another spin through the music, and the drumline’s sound is again pulsing and toe-tapping. With such booming notes being held in one small room at Dakota Meadows Middle School, every drum stroke excites a surge of adrenaline.

Yet Delatorre stops his percussionists once more. Amid the bass drums and snare drums and cymbal crashes, he can hear the tenors are too flat. He demonstrates the correct note with a quick rap of his drumstick.

“We need the sound to shoot right out of those tenors,” Delatorre says before turning to the rest of the group.

“No lazy drumming today.”

This is preseason camp for the Mankato Area 77 Lancers. And, to say the least, laziness is not tolerated.

In marching band competition, precision and perfection are the standard. If band members’ feet are not at 60-degree angles in a rest position or if members march with “low toes,” points are deducted. If transitions aren’t smooth or if the color guard mishandles a flag, points are deducted.

And for the most decorated marching band in the state, such infractions are not taken lightly.

“This week, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., we’ll work until we sweat,” said senior cymbalist James Blaschko. “And then we’ll work some more.

“We pride ourselves on being a high-class band. It’s our goal every year to be the best in the state.”

A hundred area high school students will spend 12 hours a day this week preparing for the Lancers’ grueling summer competition season, which includes more than a dozen performances and a trip to St. Louis.

Training days begin at 9 a.m. sharp with a morning stretch, followed by group practices. The day continues with captain’s practices, marching exercises, coordination drills and more practice sessions.

As any Lancer can attest, the preseason camp is legendary for its rigor.

“When I started as a rookie,” said senior color guard member Colleen Ehrke, “I came on Monday not knowing what to expect. But as the day progressed, I knew it fit me.

“It’s work — but a lot of fun.”

To stay relaxed during training, Lancer members enjoy daily yoga breaks and stage lunch-time cheer competitions. During the season, the team will have bike rides and movie nights.

But this week, fun takes a backseat to focus.

“The fun stuff comes later,” Blaschko said. “In other sports, you have bench players and starters. Here, everyone is a starter. Everyone has a role.”

The Lancers are coming off one of the most successful seasons in their 33-year history. In 2008, the Lancers set a record with an average judge’s score of 85.6. They earned six grand champion awards, including two during a tour of California.

The 2009 season begins Saturday with a parade in Buffalo. This year’s competition music is “Strawberry Soup.”



For more information on Lancers history and performances, visit 77lancers.fullswingsolutions.com.

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