THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 29, 1994 TAG: 9412240107
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEMETRIA JACKSON, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
I was standing proud in front of Harbor Park, sporting my red satin, sheer-sleeved uniform, skin-toned pantyhose and white leather boots with homemade red-and-white yarn tassels.
The drum major blew her whistle commanding us to parade rest. I bowed my head, spread my feet, and put my left hand behind my back while my right hand gripped the flagpole.
My heart beat fast. I was beginning to sweat, and we hadn't even started marching yet. The drum major moved to the front of the band. This was ``show time,'' the moment I had been waiting for. We came to attention and in unison shouted ``L.T.H.''
No one in the band was joking around or laughing. Last summer we practiced for over 90 hours, and there was time to joke around and play then. This was time to be serious.
Finally, we began marching. My feet hit the ground so hard that my toes were numb. I felt as though every eye in Harbor Park was on me and me alone. The only thing that I could remember was ``step, drive and point your toes,'' a phrase repeated often in over 50 summer practices.
People were shouting things like ``Go Lake Taylor!'' or ``Lake Taylor's looking good!''
Then I heard a student say something that piqued my interest.
``I can do that simple stuff,'' she said.
This is not simple stuff. There is more to being a majorette than twirling a baton. There is more to being a flag girl then turning a flag, and there is definitely more to being a band member than blowing into an instrument. It takes commitment, discipline and dedication.
Lake Taylor's Marching Titans started practice in August and practiced over 30 hours in a week. My average summer day started at 8 a.m. with a shower and a light breakfast. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a wrinkled short-sleeve shirt and went to school.
At 9 a.m., our band director, Elston Fitzgerald Jr., announced our agenda. Then we retreated to the parking lot and practiced until our shirts were wet and sweat was running down our backs. Our frequent water breaks never quenched our thirst.
After lunch, we returned to the parking lot and under the hot sun learned the newest routines.
``Calido,'' the first routine we learned, was one of the most difficult. For the flag corps, the hardest part comes when we take the flags behind our backs and, while the flags are still behind us, change hands and twirl them around our heads and then out to the right. We had to keep in step the whole time.
The routine was so difficult that our captain divided it into ``verses,'' and we had to learn it section by section instead of learning it all at once.
We usually finished practice at 2 p.m. During school, we practiced from 2:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. almost every day.
A lot of activities look easy, but that sort of finesse comes from only hours of practice. So when you see us in parades and it looks so simple, just know that it's not - it's just that we worked very hard to make it look that way. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Demetria Jackson is a senior at Lake Taylor High School.
by CNB