Dayton, In Days

I was in Dayton for 5 days for WGI championships. I haven't been in five years so i didn't know what to expect, but I didn't expect this.

DAY 1: Arrival & Solitude

I had to fly in on our anniversary, which sucked but we made it work. Flew with the Sitao staff, who were excited as all get out (I think mainly for Sunday) but after a brief layover in Detroit we landed in Dayton, superstar style, deplaning onto the tarmac where Craig then tried to smoke a cigarette insisting "Jet fuel isn't flammable!".



And we knew we were in the right place for a grand winter guard finals when we were welcomed by this brightly painted rainbow theme of a bench on curbside.



Checked in with relatively no issue but since we were the only ones there (everyone else drove out) I settled in for a nice long sleep, surely the only one I would get all weekend.



DAY 2: Old Times & Unseen Lightning

Today was prelims for Sitao. They seemed in good spirits, understanding their fate and the swirling logic behind the adjudication system they were about to participate in, and all seemed to be content with letting what will be, be.



Arrived at the arena I immediately ran into some old friends which is always nice.



When performance time came I could tell nerves began to kick in so I began using wall art to inspire the telling of fables such as The Story of the First Colorguard and The Legend of Purple Dragon Vs. Blood Eagle.




Thinking it was over, the kids screamed PICKLE & thanked me for my participation in their season.



That night the staff & I went to the Centerville exhibition. Mainly I just wanted to see some friends. The whole ride there Craig attempted a photo of the lightning that struck all around us but all I got was 55 photos that were variations on a theme of this....



DAY 3: Doubling Up

Sitao made it to semifinals! Good for them. Bad news? We had to rehearse at 6 am. But it was more of just a warm-up and quick refresher. A one last time kinda deal. I decided to take some artsy photos, and remove myself from the guard world, albeit momentarily.




After Sitao performed I found my way across town over to the Dayton arena where Braddock was prepping for their prelims. I arrived in the nick of time and witnesses a remarkable preliminary performance. Good for them.




Then it was back to Sitao HQ for the only real reason any colorguard ever comes to Dayton, Ohio. Foot pizza!



And then for my 4th meal of the day I attended the Braddock banquet at a nice Italian place. I had the chicken parm. Abby won member of the year.

DAY 4: Finger Lickin'

Finals day for Open & World class. I can't lie & say I was excited to watch a full day of guards. I think 60 in all. I needed to find something to transform my plight to pleasure. Catching up with Hayden & meeting some old friends at the Emerald reunion were good, but what could really take this trip over the top.

How about dressing up like a chicken?







Yeah so that's how my WGI ended. Harassing children & dear friends dressed as a giant yellow foul. Best WGI ever.



Oh! and Braddock had a great run. Back to 8th! Feels anew.



DAY 5: Mia & Me-Ah

Sunday started a little lonely. While everyone else rushed off to the Mia Michaels master class, I had better things to do. Namely a deluxe breakfast at McDonalds.



Then I checked in on some of Mia's class and caught up with Christian & Budd.



Maybe the happiest moment of the weekend was arriving at the airport in Dayton and starting the trip home. First time I genuinely needed a drink at an airport bar. And the trip thru Detroit's terminal is like Space Mountain!



Not bad. Maybe I won't wait a full 5 years to go back.