Just returned from the CA Rose Parade trip! Man, that was something else. I'd done it before, in '06, but that was in the rain, and this was so different. We left on December 27, after a 2 AM wakeup! The flight from Boston
was pretty easy; I was in charge of a smaller group of 50, and the director and other staff took a group of 100. Upon landing we drove to Hollywood and saw whatever is left of the former glamour, now all touristy stuff, then back to Anaheim for our hotel. We awoke early to rehearse at Angels stadium (the enemy for Boston fans) and prepared for Band Fest the next day, after which we spent the day at California Adventure, which was pretty cool. The next day I was up @ 5 for a working breakfast for all directors, followed by pics @ the Rose Bowl (memories of WI beating UCLA in 94!) and then Band Fest. We spent the morning working on their focus, and they responded with the best field show they had ever done! They wowed the crowd, and made us proud! Then we went to Santa Monica for a little shopping and a nice dinner.
The next day was all about Disneyland. We had a good time on the rides, but our night parade was rained out. Just as well, because we were soaked and cold, so we went back to the hotel for dry clothes and a little more time with the mouse before crashing for the night. The next day was another early riser for directors to get to a banquet, celebrating the accomplishment of being in the Tournament of Roses Parade! It was a great time, and then we met the band at Universal Studios for a day in the sun and fun. I volunteered at a show about special effects (hasn't changed in 4 years!) and was "tortured" and they cut my arm off, plus I operated a giant kitty paw that "attacked" another volunteer (if you were watching the screen, anyway). That was fun. For new years eve we got back early, had a meeting about the parade expectations, then counted down the clock with Boston and went to bed. New Years Day meant a 3:45 wake-up!
After a really early rise and nice breakfast, we got on our buses, drove to Pasedena, and waited for out turn; the last band, #90 out of 94 units! Band after band drove by us (wouldn't want to be late for this!), and we tried to keep the kids calm; nerves run high for this event. When it was our turn, we drove to the drop-off, got in line and proceeded to the warm-up area (can't spook the horses) and started a musical warm-up and final motivation speech. Then it was OUR turn! Thousands of people lined up along Del Mar blvd, blocks from the TV cameras, and wished us the best, and we stepped off to our patriotic theme. Down Orange Grove Rd, until we got the signal, and BOOM, lights, camera, action! There were 1 MILLION people along the parade route, and 1.5 BILLION world-wide watching our 14 - 18 year-old students perform. I lost it at TV row, but then the Navy jets flew over and it was awesome! Down Colorado Blvd for about 4.5 miles (no crutches here!) and smiling, waving to people, and enjoying the awesome feeling of being in this, the best parade in the whole WORLD for bands! Total distance by my Garmin was 5.17 miles, from our step-off to the back of our bus. Everyone made it, which is kind of rare for kids, and then we got an In And Out burger for our efforts. I have pics of Facebook. Good times, people. But now my leg is acting up again, but I don't care; my goal was to complete the parade, damn the torpedos! Now I can recover again. I'll start running when I can, and not worry about it. There's P90X to work me out until then.
Happy new year! Resolutions to follow, but I haven't given it any thought yet, just returning from a 7-day trip with 150 kids!
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