What a season it’s been so far. Fusion had a late start this year. Back in our early years, our members did not participate in Indoor programs. Now, Indoor is huge and so is the number of our members who participate in various programs throughout the East Coast in both percussion and guard. We also had a very rainy spring, but thanks to our space in the back of Walmart in Rockaway, NJ for the last 12 years, we were able to get in some rehearsal time.
As much as we love our “home” at Walmart, we still need time on actual fields. We are still in search of an actual spring camp home in the Morris County area. If you have any connections, please contact our Business Manager Glen Johnson.
Father’s Day weekend was our official kick-off to the competitive season in Wildwood NJ. As tradition has it, we spend the day on Friday playing volleyball, walking along the boardwalk and getting to know each other better. The nice thing this year was having members of the Reading Buccaneers join us for a great game of volleyball. WE FINALLY BEAT READING. In volleyball anyway. It’s a beautiful thing when two opposing teams can come together off the field and enjoy good times together. If there is one recognizable difference in DCA, it’s the camaraderie between the corps. It’s growing!
After a great night of drum corps Saturday night, Sunday morning was filled with some more meet ups on the boardwalk before we all headed home to spend time with our dads for Father’s Day. Talk about a full weekend.
Since that weekend, Fusion has been spending time traveling. First stop was June 23rd in Milton, PA for the Sounds on the Susquehanna show hosted by The White Sabers. In true drum corps fashion, there is never a dull moment. We had no buses show up for our trip. One tour bus, one school bus and many hours later we were on our way, with just enough time to get in a few reps before hitting the field. Next stop was our annual Tour De Maryland parades which started with a parade in Havre De Grace by our Core Lite unit on Sunday, July 1st and then five parades on the actual Fourth throughout towns in MD. Our last bus arrived back in town around 1 am on the fourth. Members got a couple of days to do laundry, work, catch up on some zzz's and then back on the road as we headed for beautiful Landisville, PA for The Buccaneer Classic. For this show, FOUR buses showed up but we only needed two. Well, better to have more than none.
Our last competition was in Clifton at the Grande Prixe. This will always be a special show for us. It was the site of Fusion’s Debut performance in 2007. All 45 of us in our white shirts with mandarin collars and purple vests. Those uniforms were so comfortable. They were affordable and easy to get from a clothing store in Manhattan. In 2010, we went with a new look which became our signature look, but like everything else in life, things change and the traditional uniforms for drum corps and indoor programs seem to be a thing of the past. We’ve moved towards light weight material that enables members to move and breathe easier. Our performance in Clifton was another special night. We debuted our new uniforms printed and constructed by Digital Performance Gear, designed by Trevor Calabro, Ian Flint and Tim Mclaughlin.
The next big project is our home show that will be held at Jefferson Township High School for our 1st Annual Eat to the Beat competition. Matt Steppe, our show chairperson, has been hard at work to ensure that our first show is a big hit. You can purchase tickets at www.crowntickets.com.
Two weeks ago was a time for rest with a weekend off so families could reconnect after a very busy start of the season. We thank all our parents for their support in helping us, help their son/daughter grow. It can be difficult to send your loved one off to an activity like drum corps. We seem to go against the grain of anything that makes sense. Rehearsing in extreme weather conditions for long hours, pushing them more than they’ve probably ever been pushed before, helping them to exceed their own personal goals, spending more hours with the drum corps than they spend with their family, but all of which not only benefit our members personal growth but an experience that will give them memories they will hold in their hearts forever.
Lastly, a big thank you to our small but mighty admin team that volunteer countless hours to keep this machine running.
You can find out where we are headed next by checking out the schedule section on our website.
See you on the 50!
Holly!
