Report from Oklahoma through Denver, courtesy of Sandy Tsunekawa

Monday, July 23rd (continued) --Our corps arrived at the D.Bruce Shelby Stadium to a packed house. When asked if the entire town of Enid was there one attendee replied, "Yep, just about; except for those who just couldn't make it." We received a standing ovation. The show really seems to be a crowd pleaser even though our scores don't seem to reflect that. We know corps members will be working even harder in the days to come.

We hopped on the bus to Kansas. Bye Julie, Mark and the town of Enid! Thanks for making us feel so loved!

Tuesday, July 24th -- Arrived at Newton High School in (where else) Newton, Kansas. Folks here are pretty quiet. Not shy, just quiet. They only seem to talk when there is really something to say. The exceptions to this, however, are the football and cheerleading teams. Both groups are energetic and VERY PERKY in the wee morning hours (code for they woke up the corps earlier than they expected). Most members chose to be energized by their exuberant spirit. WAY TO HAVE A GOOD ATTITUDE!

The staff here is great. They accommodate us in every way possible. Their hospitality is truly generous. Thank you Terry and Lewis!

The show was once again a crowd pleaser and received another standing "o."

Thursday, July 26th --

Performance tonight in Hutchinson, Kansas. A beautiful town and once again, so supportive of drum corps. The performance was good, but we know the corps will continue to work hard to improve.

Friday, July 27th -- We are re-routed to Wiggins, Colorado, yet another super-friendly town. When kitchen staff took a walk to the store (twice), every driver that passed waved. Even if they don't know for sure who you are, they wave just in case. On the first return trip back to the high school, Arron, a Wiggins' resident, and his daughter Rachel picked up 2 of our crew and gave them a ride back. We're not even sure if Arron was going our direction, but he did it anyway. Boy, you don't see that anymore! People giving rides to strangers! Guess we looked friendly. And we are! Thank you Arron; our chef was waiting for those eggs to arrive!

Rita and Jeff are our contact people, and both are very helpful. Rita is the district's nutrition director. She let us use their dishwasher! A couple of kitchen staffers shed tears of joy. THANK YOU RITA, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW APPRECIATED IT IS!

Kitchen crew made tuna wraps for late night meal. Chaperone/kitchen crew parent, Patti Sipula taught everyone how to wrap them the "Taco Bell" way. Most of us had always wondered how to do that. When we go home we can make "professionally wrapped" burritos for our families! Cool!

Rehearsal was cut short by a big storm, around 8:00 p.m. We could see the storm coming for us, but members stayed until the first raindrop hit their heads. There was thunder and lightening! They continued rehearsal in their "rooms" (aka, the gym).

They also had an entire section reserved for the instructors and people pushing in the pit equipment. This was such a great idea, as most of us always wonder where to go once the equipment is on the field. Having an assigned place to sit until the performance was over was really great. What a good idea!

The Mandarins performance in Denver was so exciting and was the best they'd had all season!

Sunday, July 29th -- Free day! Some of the chaperones will be leaving us today. The members continue to amaze us everyday with their perseverance and dedication to do their best. They've weathered sprains, twisted ankles, illness, bugs, lack of sleep, cold water only showers, and even weather! We've watched them work so hard during rehearsal blocks, finish up with run-throughs they make look easy, and only then allowing themselves to collapse on the field.

We've watched with pride members such as color guard Alexa Johnson pushing herself to her maximum limit; trumpet player, Eric Porter whose optimism and "can do" attitude never wavers; tuba player, Rebecca Moore exhibiting her tenacious spirit even though her instrument probably weighs more than she does; and of course Drum Major Santiago Sabado, whose patience, calmness and confidence help maintain balance and a belief in themselves. These are just a few whose strengths we mention due only to the limited amount of space. And although every corps works equally hard, it is with pride (and often times prideful tears) that parents, alumni, and community members continue to support the Mandarins.

Stay positive Mandarins!