Finals Results

The Beyer High School Winter Percussion ensemble held on to eighth place in finals competition at the Winter Guard international (WGI) finals competition Saturday in Dayton, Ohio.  Twenty-eight schools from throughout the United States competed in the Scholastic Open Class.  Of those, 12 made it through to the finals round.  Beyer was eighth overall after the preliminary round on Friday.

Nate Bourg, percussion instructor and co-writer of Beyer's program said the ensemble was competing against the best of the best.  “You have everything to be proud of,” said Bourg, “In the four times we've traveled to the world championships, Beyer has made it to the finals every time.”

They were great!

Convenience Squared

California claims to be the automobile Mecca of the world with everything imaginable oriented toward cars, such as drive-in theaters, drive-in churches, shopping malls with enormous parking lots and delivery “everything.”   However, the upper mid-west has an edge on even the most automobile-centered state – drive-in convenience stores. 

Talk about convenience!  

You don’t even have to get out of your car for a bag of pork rinds, candy, soft drinks, small grocery items, and yes, even beer.  Just drive in and stop, tell the clerk what you want and it’s quickly retrieved, pay and drive out.  AWESOME!!

Photos: Convenience!; Driving in; Charlie ordering delicious "hull-less" caramel popcorn and a root beer

Carlisle

We've posted a lot of information about the ensemble, their rehearsals and performances. Here's a little information on the town of Carlisle where the rehearsals are taking place.

The City of Carlisle bills itself as “America’s Hometown.”  It is a small community with a population of 5,800 located in the Dayton-Cincinnati metro region.  Carlisle got its start as a railroad town but in the last 15 years has diversified its industrial base with three new business parks.

At the turn of the 18th century, East Coast settlers began migrating west to the Ohio Valley.  Many of these early settlers chose an area of land west of the Miami Valley River to call home.  This area became known as the "Jersey Settlement" because many of these early residents were originally from the New Jersey area.

The earliest Carlisle settlers had strong ties to farming and church.  One of Carlisle's oldest buildings - Tapscott Church - was built in the early 1800's after James Tapscott donated a land to area Baptists.  The church no longer holds weekly services, but the historic building and adjoining cemetery are in the process of being preserved and converted into a community center by the Carlisle Parks and Recreation Board. 

As the 1800's gave way to industrialization across the nation, Carlisle became a stopping point for the railroad community.  This relationship is quite evident today with two major railroad thoroughfares traversing through the heart of the City. 

The City's annual community festival, Railroad Days, further reflects this long-standing relationship. 

In the mid 18th century, a prominent railroad man, George B. Carlisle, bought and platted a large section of the community.  He donated one of these parcels of land to be used for the benefit of the entire community.  In 1856, a group of local men organized the Literary Society and built the original Town Hall building.  This building was used for many different purposes over the years:  visiting speakers, community suppers, Carlisle school basketball games, and elections.  This historic building, located at the corner of Jamaica Road and Central Avenue, is still utilized today as the Carlisle City Council Chambers.  Because of Mr. Carlisle's influence on the community, the area was eventually officially named Carlisle. 

Carlisle was officially incorporated in 1958.  The first leaders of this newly incorporated municipality established the foundation of the future city, including the organization of the Police and Fire Departments and adoption of laws and regulations.

Photos: Classic Carlisle homes

 

 

Correction

There were 28 schools represented in the Scholastic Open Class, not 30 as reported in an earlier post.

Prelim Results

The ensemble had a strong performance during the preliminary round today, placing fourth in one of the two groups of schools to compete.  Results for the second group are expected after 4:30 p.m. EDT today but Beyer will be competing tomorrow against the top schools in finals competition!

The schedule for the rest of the day includes an hour to relax at the hotel followed by a 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. rehearsal back at Carlisle High School to prepare for tomorrow morning's finals round.

Photos

Warming-up in the parking lot before the preliminary round

In the tunnel preparing to move in to the arena for competition

The Nutter Center at Wright State University

Beyer Winter Percussion performing in front of the judges and audience

Friday - Preliminary Round!

The kids are putting on their uniforms for the prelims this morning and getting ready to head out to the Nutter Center.  I’m sure everyone is nervous.  I would be.  But they’ve put so much work into this and they all know their parts so I’m sure they’re going to be just fine.  Oliver said last night that they had reached the level he wanted before the competition.

We will update the blog after they perform and again when we get the results to report how it’s going.  The WGI web site has a way (fe a fee) to link to a live web cast of the competition.  If you're interested check it out.  

Beyer performs at 12:20 pm EDT, which would make it 9:20 for all of you following back home in California.  We’re the last to perform in round one.  There are two rounds in our class with a total of 30 schools represented.  The last one to perform is at 3:50 pm EDT.

Wish us luck!

Photo: Rehearsal Thursday evening at Carlisle High School

Thursday Rehearsal

Nate ran a rehearsal today from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.  Starting with sectionals in the morning, we took advantage of the warmer weather and spread out around the Carlisle High School's athletic fields for practice.

The Mom Team went shopping for sandwich fixings, salad, fruit and chips - high energy teenager fuel.  Following lunch it was back to sectional practice with the pit staying out in the sunshine and the battery moving inside to work on marching, visuals and, of course, playing.

By mid-afternoon Nate brought all of the elements of the ensemble together inside for work on each individual section of their performance.  Oliver arrived from California to assist, along with the other instructors, in fine tuning the show.  At 8:20 tonight the ensemble did a full run-through of the program and looked terrific!

Friday morning is the preliminary round at the Nutter Center.  Twenty-eight units are scheduled to perform in our class.  The top performers will move on to the Finals round on Saturday.

We'll provide an update after the preliminary scores are announced on Friday.

Stay tuned!

Morning Update - Thursday

We got up this morning to sunshine and warmer weather, a welcome relief from the chilly, cloudy, misty days we've had so far.  Plans are to practice outside during the late morning and early afternoon followed by another indoor rehearsal at Carlisle High School.

Everyone enjoyed a terrific dinner at TGI Friday's last night.  The kids were all well behaved and represented Beyer High School at the high level we've come to expect.

Great job everyone!

Wouldn't You Know It

There was an elevator...

Carlisle Rehearsal

The Carlisle High School gym was constructed below ground level which makes moving equipment into it a bit of a challenge.  Pit warm-up took place upstairs (ground level) while the battery warmed up on the floor.  Once warm ups were complete it was time to move all of the equipment down to the gym floor level for full rehearsal.

And there's no elevator.

Jeff had the great idea of using the cart from the performance floor upside down as a sled for the mixer.  It worked great!

USAF Museum

Today's trip to the Museum of the United States Air Force was a great way to decompress before heading off to an afternoon of serious practice.  Historic aircraft with examples ranging from the early Wright Flyers to advanced F-22 fighters and everything in between were on display.  The museum exhibit even included examples of foreign military aircraft from WWII era Germany, Japan and Soviet Bloc aircraft from the Cold War.

The caravan of vans, SUV's, automobiles and the band trailer miraculously stayed together during the 20-minute drive from the museum to the Carlisle High School rehearsal site.

Photos:

Museum of the US Air Force

Assembled group at the museum entrance

Mr. Williams preparing for the afternoon's rehearsal in a fighter cockpit

 

Schedule Change

Due to inclement weather, tomorrow's trip to the US Air Force Museum has been rescheduled to this morning.  The afternoon rehearsal at Carlisle High School will take place today as planned.  

Dayton Arrival

Beyer's Blue Flight arrived on time last night and by the time luggage and rental cars were secured, made it to the hotel at about midnight.  The Red Flight had a delay in Detroit but managed to get to the rental car counter at their arrival airport just as the counter was closing and made it to the hotel at 1:30 a.m.  Whee!

This morning saw some bleary eyes as kids and parents both dragged themselves out of bed for a day of rehearsal and adjusting to the eastern time zone.

Weather today is cloudy with a chance of rain but temperatures possibly rising into the low 60's.  

Photos:

Breakfast, 8:00 a.m. Wednesday

Handing out the room keys, 12:15 a.m. Wednesday

Band trailer at the hotel, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday

It's April 15.  have you filed your taxes?

San Francisco Departure

Both Red and Blue Flights boarded their planes on time for departure to Columbus and Dayton.  Pictured here are some of the members of the Red Flight.

Band Equipment Arrives in Ohio

At approximately 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time the band trailer and equipment crossed safely into Ohio.  ETA for the hotel is approximately 3:30 p.m. 

Meanwhile, Nate and Kohei boarded their plane in Dallas and will arrive in Dayton later today.

(Thanks to Nate for the Kohei photo.)

Band Members Head Out

Members of the Beyer High School Winter Percussion gathered this morning at the school for the bus trip to San Francisco and flight to Dayton, Ohio.  Parents and other well-wishers were there to see them off to the WGI World Championships. 

Rehearsal is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday afternoon with a brief period in between for sightseeing.  The preliminary round of competition will be Friday at the Nutter Center.  Finals are scheduled for Saturday at the University of Dayton Arena.

Check back for more updates throughout the week.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!

(Thanks to Megan Wade for photos from the school and bus.)

Roper's Ribs

They say St. Louis style barbecue ribs are among the best around and we agree.  Cruising up I-44 with my Mac connected to the Internet through my Blackberry, Bruce and I were searching for a good, no, great place for dinner.  A Google search for "St. Louis Ribs" turned up a place called "Roper's Ribs."  They advertise themselves as being the "best barbecue in the universe" so it HAD to be good.

After punching the address into Bruce's GPS we were on our way.  The directions were easy and the GPS led us as if it had been there a hundred times before.  

And then the neighborhood started to get, um, a little scary.  Boarded up buildings and dark street lights punctuated our drive into the unknown.  But like a beacon in the night, there it was.  On a dimly lit corner was  the sign - Roper's Ribs.  The lobby didn't look big enough for more than a few people.  Bruce was sure it would be take-out only.

We parked across the street in the empty lot of a grocery store that had gone out of business, walked to the restaurant and entered.

The aroma was like heaven.  

The owner, Carl Roper, greeted us with a friendly smile, discussed our options and then took our order for baby back ribs, cole slaw, fries and beans.  While we waited we looked at the photos and numerous awards that hung in the dining area.  Four tables.  Twelve chairs.

Needless to say, the dinner was fantastic.  The ribs were seasoned, cooked perfectly and glazed with a terrific sauce.  The cole slaw was crunchy with a tangy zing and not too much liquid.

Afterward Carl talked about the different celebrities that had come to his restaurant including a number of professional wrestlers, some of which had autographed photos that were on the wall.  We posed for our own with Carl and his wife Denise and left feeling very satisfied.

The best barbecue in the universe?  Maybe, just maybe.

Sharing the Love's

While fueling up Love's Truck Stop this afternoon in Rolla, Missouri, a stocky ex-football-player-looking individual approached the truck. Expecting panhandling, I apprehensively turned toward the man as he exclaimed, "You're from Beyer?! That was MY school!"

My mind quickly moved from "panhandler" to full on "crazy" I said yes. He continued, "I graduated from Beyer in 1977. I couldn't believe it when I saw your trailer!" He asked where we were going.

Now it was my turn for some fun. "We stole this rig from a parking lot in Oklahoma."

He looked shocked.

"Not really," I said. "We're on our way to Dayton for the WGI World Championships and are meeting the kids there tomorrow."

"That's great. Good luck!" he replied. I asked his name and he said it was Mike Seavers. Anyone out there remember him?

PS. Here's a photo of a McDonalds that spans a four-lane highway. Nothing but excitement on THIS trip.

Mike

Oklahoma Traffic Bail

It's free to get into Oklahoma. Simply drive in and enjoy the beautiful rolling hills, farmland and picturesque cattle grazing. Try and leave and they sock you for 25 bucks.

Actually, Oklahoma has a few toll roads. These, if you're unfamiliar with them, are pay-to-play expressways that direct traffic around cities like Tulsa. It costs about a buck-thirty to get on the toll road. Not too bad. But once your're on they've got you. Every few miles there's another toll booth where you have to stop and pay to keep going. And for the sake of convenience (theirs) most of the tolls are expected to be paid in coins, thrown from your vehicle into an over sized funnel that instantly counts the change. If it's the right amount according to the number of axles on your vehicle (we had four), you get the green light and can proceed on down the road.

The amount required to pay appears to be random - sometimes it's $2.00, sometimes it's $4.00. And sometimes it's $1.30, which requires you to have nickles as well as quarters. Very strange.

In the end it cost us about $25 to get out of Oklahoma.

Don't let Schwarzenegger hear about this.

Mike and Bruce

Day Three

It's 6:15 a.m. Central Time. Which means it feels like it's 4:15 am. Bruce's watch is supposed to have reset itself in each new time zone but it's still reading Pacific Time. Which means his watch probably feels like it was still at home in bed, asleep.

Like us.

More to come from the road...

Texas Fine Art

Driving through Amarillo, Texas isn't complete without a stop at the famous Cadillac Ranch.  Created in 1974 by some of Texas' more refined art aficionados, Cadillac Ranch offers a place for connoisseurs of fine art to pause and take in some culture.

Morning Update

Crossing New Mexico we're seeing lots of terrific scenery...if you like tumbleweeds and cactus.  Weather is cloudy and cool but dry.  We've crossed into the Mountain Time Zone so we'll get to eat lunch an hour early today.  Yay!

Check out these shots of the scenery and businesses of the former heyday of Historic Route 66.

We'd like to hear your comments so click the link below and let us know what's happening back home.

Bruce and Mike

SNOW??!!

Continuing the journey toward Flagstaff, we encountered snow about 40 miles from our destination.  Fortunately it wasn't heavy enough or cold enough to stick so we charged on through.

Bruce had planned for just about everything and we had chains just in case but they weren't needed.  Good thing because it would have been cold for Bruce to be laying in the snow putting them on while I stayed in the warm truck cab! 

Here are a couple of photos as well as some from rehearsal last night for those of you who are already missing your instruments.

More on Sunday.

Mike