Drum corps is an odd term to try and explain to those who don’t know exactly what it is. Simply put, it is professional marching band. It involves sleeping on gym floors and being on coach buses all night long, showering in low-pressure showers in high school locker rooms, and washing my clothes every 2 weeks if I’m lucky. To those who don’t know anything about it, it seems like the worst kind of hell, but to me? This is my escape, it is my paradise. This is where I strive for perfection every second of the day, and have a performance quality that is unparalleled and untouched by anyone who dared to mimic it. It’s where we cry, laugh, sweat, and bleed. It’s where I watch my body crumble, but also become the strongest it’s ever been. This is my niche, my sanctuary. This is my family, and it’s where I walk away holding onto relationships that make what I have back home shallow in comparison. I couldn’t imagine any other activity shaping the person I am today.