Pre-Fall Withdrawal

It's not often I use this blog to talk about myself; usually I touch base on a piece of news or information in the sports or marching realms, and then add my own two cents about it. This one's a bit different. This one's about me.

About a week ago, I got a strong twinge of withdrawal from having been involved in marching or playing in any way. It came out of nowhere; it was the end of a workday and I came across the Carolina Panthers PurrCussion Drumline on Facebook. Let me start by saying it's long been a dream, a goal, and quite frankly, an obsession of mine to make marching bands, or at least drumlines, commonplace in professional sports. Admittedly, it's a goal towards which I've done essentially nothing, but I've been enjoying seeing it unfold, primarily in the NBA and NFL. But the line in Charlotte hit a little close to home--or perhaps more accurately, not close enough to home.

A bit of digging showed me that following auditions and call backs in May, the drumline gets together about once a week for a little better than half a year. Immediately I began thinking: Should I keep my eye on them until next year, and audition for next year's line? If I were to make it, it would mean driving three hours round trip between here and Charlotte once a week, not to mention the rehearsal time itself. How well would this jibe with my responsibilities at work and, more importantly, at home?

But, to be perfectly honest, at this point I'm a has been--I haven't played in any sort of athletic band since pep band in undergrad seven years ago, and except for the few opportunities to mobilize that pep band, I really haven't marched in over a decade. So I'm certainly chomping at the bit for another opportunity. Could this be it?

There is yet another complication in the mix. Obviously, if I were to audition, be selected, and become a member, I would be a primary part of the support for the Carolina Panthers. While I've got nothing against the the Panthers, it's no secret that I'm a card-carrying, green-bleeding Eagles fan. So would I be a whore? A drummer for hire? Can I truly give my all for the Cats when my heart belongs to the Birds? Am I more a drummer, or an Eagles fan? Who knows. But I do know I'd love to get on the field again.