Good Natured Competition
There is a brotherhood shared among corpsmen and women. To be politically correct, I should say there is a sisterhood as well. One way or the other a common bond exists between corps from all over the country and the world. We share the love of the Corps. As do many groups the Patriots Drum Corp has one particular, friendly rivalry with the Troopers Drum & Bugle Corp of Casper,Wyoming.
The Patriots are in an Eastern Division for preliminary competitions, but as we move through the events and take our place at the top of the roster, so do the groups in the Western Division. We know we are the best and start to gear up early for the playoffs, held in Indianapolis against 12 other groups on August 12th.
The International Finals are the next night, and we’ve been preparing for these performances months ahead of time. We all think of ourselves as superstars and we have to tow a ton of gear wherever we go. We arrive in motor-coaches along with massive caravans knowing we can’t win with anything less than an outstanding performance and the right equipment. Even when there are obstacles our way, like the time our tour bus broke down and we had to call a tow service Fayetteville NC to the rescue, we still seem to keep our spirits high.