Written live.
I’m spending the evening watching my daughter perform as part of the Pine Creek winter guard team up in Littleton, Colorado. Kids from all over this part of the state come to compete with the only audience being the parents that brought them. There are far more competitors than performers. Each team brings its own floor tarp, chairs and other props. They all use the same white wooden rifles, sabers and flags. As each team performs, the other teams watch from the bleachers - opposite from the parents. Some of the parents are massively enthusiastic for whomever is performing, the rest clap for their own team or sit silently. The routines combine gymnastics, dance and what I generally refer to as twirling - a rifle , a saber or a flag on a pole. Synchronized flag tossing and catching is rewarded by enthusiastic applause from the audience. The choreography of some of the routines is quite complex. This isn’t quite the Marine Corps silent drill team but these kids have very obviously put in a lot of practice time. The teams are mostly female but there are one or two males in most of the teams. I guess it rates the same as cheerleading for the males. One team rolls up its floor mat and exits the gym as the next team pulls their mat in on a cart in drags it out over the floor. The announcer introduces the team and a small part of the stand explodes in applause identifying the parents of the new team. Occasionally a flag or rifle gets dropped. Everyone feels for the performer who quickly grabs the fallen prop and gets back into formation. For one team, it’s raining and they have umbrellas for some of the performers while the others twirl flags and rifles. It’s an odd mix. The military heritage of saber and rifle subjugated by glass and umbrellas. It’s funny but I had expected to sit here and read my book with a pair of ear buds in until Pine Creek was on, but I find myself watching each performance. This is evidently a ‘sport’ for all - we have the ultra-thin dancers and some about twice the weight - all giving just as much. The music ends, the audience cheers and the performers drag their floor covering off. Time for a break. As usual, there seems to be no phone coverage in the gym - a conspiracy by the school district no doubt. We nerdy parents need our network connection. How else can we report up to the minute events on Facebook? It’s about this time that my back starts to complain about sitting on a 2x10 board with no back support. We put 12 men on the moon but we can’t create affordable bleacher seating for a high-school gym? I guess not. Even as I’m whining I realize that break time is over and the next team is getting ready to come out on the floor. A couple of the staff here look like they might weigh in at a good 350 to 400 pounds. Perhaps a little rifle twirling might be good for them too? Watching a team twirling sabers reminds me on a Monty Python ‘Sam Peckinpah’ sketch. I keep expecting fingers to come flying off each time a performer catches a saber. The team completes its five minutes of colorful flag whirling and I’m starting to wonder when Pine Creek will be on. A new team on the floor - this time they’ve brought their own scenery as well as floor covering. The scenery isn’t very wide and I think it’s supposed to be a rock formation - we’ll see. These guys have interesting costumes - looks like an off-Broadway production. One dropped flag but a very together crew. Slightly strange sound track - more talking that music - definitely a play type of theme. Another dropped rifle but they push on undeterred. One of the kids has a bazooka - evidently a gun wasn’t enough! Whoever put this together had drama in mind not dance - but it’s really good. They complete a perfect section to great applause. I’ve now lost count of the teams - there are a lot. Pine Creek is supposed to be on next. My butt is now officially dead. Ha ha. Now we have an Electric Light Orchestra theme - Most of these kids have likely never even heard of them. Nice uniforms and a solid performance with a lot of extended phone cords! Quite a few drops but applause from the crowd keeps them focused and moving on. When a really good rifle twirl comes off the crowd goes wild. It’s an odd way to spend a Saturday night. All right - Pine Creek is getting ready to come on the floor. Time to stop writing and get the camera out. OK - that was not so bad! A couple of drops but altogether a good routine and it got great applause. But damn my butt hurts. I’m pretty sure you’d get a better audience turn out if they didn’t feel so persecuted. But I digress. Ah more scenery - black - with a black floor mat and all black costumes. If the light s go out it’ll be difficult to find anyone. Saber juggling and black flags. The black theme comes off quite well. Did I mention that Pine Creek used chairs? A bit odd, but it fit in with the routine OK. Way cool! Costume changes and the floor comes apart to reveal bright oranges and reds. Bummer - the next floor change leaves the floor covering all rumpled up - but the kids keep going with a really nice synchronized flag twirl.A real shame about the floor change not coming off because the rest was really well done. A spectacular performance. And now another break. I would try to stand up but I doubt my legs work any more. Break time over again and group from Denver appear to represent the homeless people. I just know what kind of teachers these kids have. I’m a nerd so I mostly look for science, math and good writing skills, not ‘civics’. That aside, we have another off-Broadway event to watch. This is so far from ‘guard’ I’m not relating to it like the others. Ah - here come the sabers - often seen in downtown Denver. I’m pretty sure one of the dancing ‘homeless’ is a teacher. She looks way to old to be one of the kids. What possible message does this convey? We’ve got ‘homeless’ people twirling flags, rifles and sabers. They are pretty good at the flying rifle twirl - not a dropped one anywhere. And - and this is weird - they are all smiling while they perform - not what I usually identify with the homeless. Definitely peculiar. We’re getting near the end now and some of the parents are starting to leave. Perhaps the crappy weather is inciting them to go home early. A team comes on and does a spectacular running rifle drill - they are also using chairs as props but they move them around as they go. Lots of sequenced actions (must have been watching the Marines drill). This is a really well choreographed routine and very fast. Very few mistakes and some jazz makes this very compelling to watch.Outstanding performance and it gets wild applause. Even the Pine Creek team now sitting in the bleachers opposite me applaud this one. The next team has roadies laying out the mat. Looks like they have skimpy spectacular costumes as I watch them waiting to come in. Ah yes a Greek theme I think - although they could also be Romans - what do I know? They have a slightly odd ballet type of theme combined with the obligatory rifle and saber twirling - just a weird mixture. Their ‘white’ rifles have gold bands on them - I bet the judges don’t like that :) It’s a bit over-ambitious for their collective gymnastic ability and has a lot of strange prancing about. (That’s ballet Nigel - I hear you say). But with rifles. And that’s it. My butt has left for some other planet but I had a good night out. The kids worked very hard and many of them pulled off great shows. But wait, I was assuming from the announcements that it’s over. But yet another team comes on the floor. My butt groans. I’ve noticed that kids from one school often help another school pull its floor mat out. Competition or no, they are helping each other. Way cool scenery involving a scene of the moon for this one. Ah, more ballet in skimpy costumes. Can't see where they are hiding the rifles yet. And out comes a saber for a spectacular toss. Good music on this one - must ask what is was. Very nicely synchronized rifle work. A spectacular change of flags cause uproar from the crowd. They are all drunk by now and will cheer at anything. Just kidding - maybe. It’s nearly 9:00 PM now and yet another team is coming on the floor. These guys have roadies too - bringing in more sound gear and …. a xylophone. No - two xylophones and a gong. I am not making this up. And someone in the bleachers near me has very bad farts. And o=in come the drums and more xylophones. I am not making this up. Wait while I take a picture. They are building a Masai village. I did not know the Masai used xylophones - see this is very educational. Forgive the rambling - I’m getting tired now and a small part of my brain is anticipating the drive home in the snow. Yes, it’s a full-up electronic Masai village ensemble. Man the drums and xylophones don’t mix :) In come the sane drums and cymbals. Hey, wait. Perhaps the guard event is over and I’ve strayed into a weird musical review. Nope - all the other parents are still here too. Man I hope this isn’t the half-time show. We’ll be here till midnight if it is. No rifles in this gig, but we do have a black mamba apparently. Altogether there are five xylophones in the village and a shit load of cymbal players. Oh yes, and a kid with blue hair on a snare drum. Do they get geography lessons in high school still? It sure doesn’t seem like it. Perhaps a bit more watching the Discovery channel might help them. I guess this is a ‘band’ class doing the finale. At least I hope it’s the finale. A load roaring tiger sound finishes their set. The Masai ensemble leave the floor. I suddenly realize this is a time filler so that the judges can figure out who won the rifle flinging contest. The announcer says there is still time to buy a raffle ticket. The competition winners are announced. There are several categories so a lot of teams get prizes. I’m a bit dumbfounded about the scores and which teams come out on top. Evidently I don’t understand the scoring system. Ok, time to go home. Hope you enjoyed the show - I did.
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