Pit Crew's Final Appearance

THURSDAY NIGHT
1) No performance of any kind
2) Big Red will take everything EXCEPT front ensemble. Need a few people tomorrow afternoon around 4:00 to load.
3) NO PARKING in the back because KTXA (channel 21) will have all their trucks back there. Here's the thing: you can park in the regular lot like everyone else and walk around to the back and hope they'll let you in (your chances are much higher if you have your band polo shirt on). UPDATE: your name will need to be on a list that I have to submit this evening if you want to enter thru the back of the stadium. Otherwise, just pay to get in like everyone else.

FRIDAY
Need some folks at 6:00 to load Big Red for Saturday's Drumline contest.

SATURDAY
1) Please sign up at volunteer website so I have a head-count.
2) Leaving MHS @ 8:00 am for Marcus High School, 5707 Morriss Rd in Flower Mound.
3) Performance time is 11:12 am. Then we'll go watch Julian Rangel as he competes in a solo spot. Then we'll go have lunch. Then we're free until 5:00 and finals announcements. Finals drill is same as always, so let's hope they make finals!

And then yes: we are done for the year.

GO WARRIOR DRUMLINE!!!!

Get offa my lawn, and other answers from Mr. Grouchy

"Hey Al! Is that Friday night performance still going on?" Of course.

"Awww, man!!! Why?" Hang on, junior, we got other things going on before then.

"Like what?" Pit Crew meeting Tuesday night in the band hall to discuss all things San Antonio related. 7:00 pm or whenever we get done giving candy to the band for the annual Trick-or-Treat Band Night. That starts at 6:30, so why doncha bring up some candy for the little whippersnappers?

"Wow, 'whippersnappers.' Hey Grampa: 1940 is calling, they want their terminology back." Lucky for you I've already taken my teeth out for the night...

"{{{sigh}}} What else you got for us, ya old geezer?" Well, there's Thursday night's football game...

"Oh yeah, the Halloween game...." Yes, and I'm still encouraging everyone to dress up for Halloween that night! And you DON'T want to miss the 3rd-quarter meal that night: green-chili chicken enchiladas, courtesy of Gramma Biz (aka my mom)!

"That's it? Nothing special about this game?" I could tell you what I'm dressing up as.

"Does it involve purses?" Maybe.

"No, good Lord please, just shut up. NOW can we PLEASE talk about the Friday before San Antonio?" Didn't read my e-mails or texts again, did ya? Click HERE for everything you could possibly want to know about San Antonio weekend.

"Why can't you just tell me here?" Why do you have to be so argumentative? Because I already typed that up before you kids started beating down my door demanding more answers. Where's my glasses?

"And then we're done for the year?" No, there's still the Lone Star Drumline competition. THIS is the show to see, as far as I'm concerned. Some of the best drumlines in the area competing here. Wall-to-wall drums & percussion. And the best part of working this show? NO PROPS!!!! So please plan to work this, even if your kid isn't in drumline. This is always my favorite show of the season.

"And THEN we're done for the season?" Maybe, just depends on if we play in the Jerrydome for any of our playoff games. If that happens, the kids will likely put on some version of the show, full or scaled-down, I'm not sure. Props are always a possibility, but we'll cross that bridge once we pass the sign that says "We will use props." Until then, nothing to worry about.

"And THEN we're done?" Apparently so: I learned this week that the drumline voted against doing indoor percussion this year. HOWEVER, I'm pretty sure Color Guard is gonna do Winter Guard, and it would be VERY nice for everyone to support them because they have stuff to carry, but they don't have a Pit Crew of their own. More details about that after Christmas, so stay tuned!

"Hey, this is almost exactly the exact same thing as the LAST blog entry you griped at us with." I am nothing if not efficient. And whatever you do, DON'T ask me what time....

"Hey Al, what time are we leaving for Sam Houston on Thursday?" {{{looks for cheap airline tickets back to Spain}}}

Oops! I accidentally deleted the San Antonio blog post!

Okay, I tried to update the San Antonio post and ended up deleting the whole thing. UUGHHHH!!!!!

So, here's what you need to know for the upcoming week:

1) Everything is up-to-date on the volunteer website for Thursday's game, Friday's command performance, and Saturday's BOA San Antonio competition. Go sign up there. A LOT!!! :-)

2) Pit Crew Meeting in the band hall to discuss itinerary, transportation, parent passes, and anything else you can think of concerning the San Antonio trip. Meeting begins at 7:00 pm or whenever we get done with the Band Trick-or-Treat that night.

3) Thursday night football game. The game is at Sam Houston on Halloween night, and feel free to dress up for the night. 3rd quarter meal provided by Gramma Biz (aka my Mom)!

4) Friday night command performance. If you plan on going to San Antonio, plan on being at this performance. Consider this our dress rehearsal for San Antonio. If you plan on going to San Antonio but are unable to make the Friday night show, PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP.

5) Big Red and the props are leaving for the Austin practice facility after the Command Performance Friday evening. If you plan on being one of the drivers, please go to the volunteer website and click on that. This is EXTREMELY important for my planning purposes, so please sign up there if you plan on being one of the drivers.

6) I will be sending out a PitCrewTxt when Big Red and the props depart San Antonio Saturday night, AS WELL AS when we arrive at MHS early EARLY Sunday morning. If you do NOT wish to be awakened by your phone in the middle of the night, PLEASE tell me now so I can take your name off the PitCrewTxt list.

All of this information and more can also be found courtesy of Mr. Grouchy by clicking HERE (grumble, grumble, grumble).

This is it, folks! The home stretch! I hope you're looking forward to the marching madness like me!

Mr. Grouchy answers your questions about the rest of the season

"Hey Al! We heard something about a performance Friday night before San Antonio." You heard correctly.

"What? Why?" Wait, let's talk about this week's game first.

"Why? What's happening this week?" Football game, and the performance is BEFORE the game, just like homecoming. The times are listed on the volunteer site, so go there to see what happens when.

"How come?" It's Junior High Night, and they'll be doing something for/with them during halftime.

"Groovy! So we can leave after performance, right?" Yeah, you could, but then you'd miss the return of the 3rd-quarter meal this week.

"Wait a second. I would never say 'groovy.'" My blog, my rules. So there.

"What's on the menu?" Jambalaya, courtesy of the omnipotent and most wonderful Duncan & Jill Granger! As always, $5 per person.

"Do we have to wait until the 3rd quarter?" At this point, yes, because I think it would be a good idea to help out with the junior high kids wherever we're needed. I don't know where that is yet, but you know the A-#1 Rule of The Pit Crew: FLEXIBILITY IS KEY.

"Y'know what? I think I liked it better when Duncan & Jill were running the show. They're a lot cooler than you, plus they don't say words like 'groovy.'" I totally agree!

"NOW can we talk about next week?" Yes. Thursday night's game...

"Wait, THURSDAY night???" Yeah, I know...

"But that's Halloween!" Yes, and I'm encouraging everyone to dress up for Halloween that night! And you DON'T want to miss the 3rd-quarter meal that night: green-chili chicken enchiladas, courtesy of Gramma Biz (aka my mom)!

"Well, that sounds like fun." And we get to play at Sam Houston that night, too. So we get something resembling a haunted house for Halloween.

"Geez, that was pretty mean." What can I say? Senior-itis is kickin' in something fierce.

"Now I REALLY can't wait for Duncan & Jill to kick your old butt outta office." Me either!

"NOW can we PLEASE talk about the Friday before San Antonio?" Didn't read my e-mails or texts again, did ya? Click HERE for everything you could possibly want to know about San Antonio weekend.

"And then we're done for the year?" No, there's still the Lone Star Drumline competition. THIS is the show to see, as far as I'm concerned. Some of the best drumlines in the area competing here. Wall-to-wall drums & percussion. And the best part of working this show? NO PROPS!!!! So please plan to work this, even if your kid isn't in drumline. This is always my favorite show of the season.

"And THEN we're done for the season?" Maybe, just depends on if we play in the Jerrydome for any of our playoff games. If that happens, the kids will likely put on some version of the show, full or scaled-down, I'm not sure. Props are always a possibility, but we'll cross that bridge once we pass the sign that says "We will use props." Until then, nothing to worry about.

"And THEN we're done?" For now. Indoor Percussion happens next spring and was a blast last spring. I hope you'll plan on helping out for that as well. Bad thing: more props. Good thing: all indoors!

"Okay. So what time are we leaving for Cravens?" Somebody please shoot me...

10/10/2013: Homecoming & BOA

Answers to every one of your questions!

"Hey Al! What time are we loading?" 4:00 pm at MHS

"What time are we leaving?" Big Red is leaving at 5:00 pm. Props crew is gonna leave at 4:30.

"What? Why?" So they can start building the props before we get there.

"Why are they doing that?" Because the performance is BEFORE the game.

"Oh. What time is the performance?" 7:05 pm sharp.

"Where is the game?" It's at Cravens Field. At Lamar. Because it's homecoming.

"Since it's homecoming, shouldn't it be at our home field?" Go away.

"What do we do after the performance?" Go help out with concessions or spirit wear or anything else to help raise money for the band.

"Is there gonna be a third quarter meal this week?" No.

"Why not?" Nobody signed up for it and I'd rather everyone go help with concessions & spirit-wear.

"Do I have to?" No. But it's a good idea and the concessions & spirit-wear folks will GREATLY appreciate it.

"Hey, we haven't had third quarter meal in a while. Are we ever gonna have it again?" If people will sign up for it.

"Are we unloading Big Red after the game?" No.

"When are we unloading?" 9:00 am at the Allen Sports Complex. In Allen.

"Oh wow. So, what time are we leaving for Allen?" 7:00 am.

"What if I can't get there by 7:00 am?" Click this link for the route there: http://goo.gl/maps/3jMPn

"What time is performance time on Saturday?" 10:45 am.

"How many parent passes will you be getting?" Hopefully 20 or 25. If we have to, we'll buy field passes.

"What happens after the performance?" Go read Carbone's blog entry HERE. He's done a marvelous job detailing the day's activities there.

"Geez, you sure are grouchy this evening. What gives?" Just checking to see if anyone actually reads this stuff.

9/13/13: HEB Drumline Pit Crew itinerary

Hi folks!

Here is our itinerary for Saturday's HEB drumline contest:

2:30 pm - meet at MHS to load Big Red
3:30 pm - depart for Pennington Field
4:30 pm - arrive at Pennington and unload
5:30 pm - assignment distribution
6:00 pm -Lot Performance. Anyone wishing to be on the field must be here by this time.
6:30 pm - Stadium Performance

Notes:

• Here is the link to the route we will be taking:  CLICK HERE
• Because of the eternal construction on 183, make plans to follow Big Red to Pennington Field, because the route will involve back roads. If you absolutely cannot meet us in time to caravan to Pennington Field, and don't wish to attempt to navigate the back roads there, allow for traffic and road closures and general chaos surrounding 183 at Pennington.
• After the performance, we will load Big Red, but Big Red will be staying at Pennington until the end of the contest. This means you are free to stay or go once Big Red is loaded. Some post-performance options:
  1. There are gobs of restaurants around there, including a very good Mexican place we ate at last year. Perhaps we can all go grab a bite to eat while waiting for the results;
  2. Anyone wishing to do so can go in and watch the rest of the competition. I can't guarantee you won't be charged admission, though.
  3. You can head home and then meet us at Martin when we get back to unload. Of course, I'll be sending the PitCrewTxt when we depart from Pennington.

As always, feel free to contact me at 817-675-5604 with questions, comments, suggestions, complaints, pictures, etc etc etc. We're gonna have a blast tomorrow, folks. Drumline Competitions are the height of my marching season!

GO WARRIOR DRUMLINE!!!!

Al

9/12/13 football game sign-up details

Greetings all!

Another heap big THANK YOU to everyone who came out to help this past Friday night! Our man DW Nabors was going crazy with the camera as always and got some GREAT pictures which you can see at the Pit Crew FacePage by clicking HERE!

A few things of note that I haven't previously covered, and need to get into everyone's minds:

1. When the performance is over and the kids have wheeled the front ensemble instruments to the truck, it is their responsibility to take their instruments apart and covered up. Once they are done, then we can start loading them into Big Red.
2. Except in certain situations, when pushing anything up/down the ramp, make sure you have someone to help you. These are big, bulky, and almost impossible to control on an incline.
3. Before moving anything up the ramp, wait until the previous item has cleared the level area just past the ramp. In other words, don't push anything halfway up the ramp and try to hold it there; you risk harming yourself AND the instrument doing that.

As I'm getting ready to pass this job off to the next person, I'm putting together a Pit Crew Guide that will reside here on the blog. Once it's up, I'll send y'all the link and ask for feedback, comments, and things I forgot to mention. Those three items are going to be part of this guide.

Now, back to the present! In an effort to streamline the sign-up process, I've created a Google Form for this week's game that I need EVERYONE to complete by clicking HERE. This should be self-explanatory, but please contact me immediately if you have any questions about completing the form.

This Thursday's game is going to serve as a dress-rehearsal for this Saturday's Drumline Competition. (If you are unable to help on Thursday but CAN help on Saturday, don't fret! Just please let me know!) Positions will begin to be assigned for the season and we're gonna need to make sure we all know where to be and when to be there come contest-time. I am still waiting for word about next Saturday's Drumline Competition (load time, departure time, performance time, etc), but please set aside next Saturday for this. Even though it is not a full band marching contest, it is a contest that involves our band and we *will* need people to help!

Finally, we are still needing someone to prepare this week's 3rd-Quarter Meal! Check out the sign-up sheet by clicking HERE.

We've only just begun, and I hope everyone is having a great time! Let me know if you're not!

GO MARCHING WARRIORS!!!

Al