3.3 Finding a Place in This World

November 15, 2007 was a cold but clear Thursday in my hometown of Sykesville MD. It started out like every other day but strong emotions hung in the air of Century High School, at least for the members of the Century Marching Knights. November 15th would be forever remembered as the day we would come home as National Champions under the United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA). We were told to report to school by 7am and meet in the band room for an attendance check. It was still dark outside but the band was all there, wide awake, and huddled together in the band room waiting for morning announcements to begin so we could start the biggest day of our marching band careers. We finished out our days per usual and then headed out behind the school for last minute preparations before we set out for Raven’s Stadium in Baltimore.

The whole community lined up for our notorious final run through at the end of our rehearsal. We had our principal, fellow peers, newspaper reporters, family, and even some teachers stayed to watch us and wish us well at nationals. As we loaded the bus everyone was silent, going through the show in their heads, ready to lay it all down on the field that night at 11:27pm. When we arrived at M&T Bank Stadium it was 31 degrees outside and it was only 8:30pm. That left us with a 2 ½ hour warm up block in the freezing cold. We took our time and then made our way to the field. With nothing but the performance on our minds we took the field and threw it down. We nailed everything, and we knew it too. Every toss was caught, each performance element was met, and every bold musical statement was made.

After we finished the crowd went crazy; we’d won them over. As we left the field we couldn’t do anything but smile. It was the best show we had ever given and all our long and difficult practices paid off. With a total score of 96.75, out of 100, we won 1st place by 2 points. At this moment in my life I felt like I had finally found somewhere that I belonged. I fit in here. I couldn’t have been more proud of what I accomplished.

Things weren’t always this clear for me. Back in middle school I didn’t know who I wanted to be. I mean what middle school adolescent does? All I knew was that I needed to find my clique in school. I had always been known as the sports star in my small middle school, but I knew I wasn’t good enough to play in high school. It wasn’t until I met my mathematics teacher in 7th grade, Mr. Oppenheimer, that I would find out just where my high school career and beyond would take me. He gave us a simple assignment; find something in your everyday life where mathematics can be applied to solve a problem and write a 1200 word essay explaining why and how math can/is used.

Now, it’s important to know that my brother had just joined a marching band at his high school, and because I looked up to him so much, anything he did I always wanted to do too. With that being said I decided to apply mathematics to marching band and drill design and formation. This small assignment sparked my passion for competitive colorguard. I wanted to know how it worked, what went into it, techniques, styles, individual limitations, how the different sections worked independently and then came together as a whole. I was hooked and there was no looking back. That 1200 word essay turned into a 6 page paper and my teacher told me that if I didn’t step out of my comfort zone, get involved with the band, and get the experience I was craving, then I would always regret it. So I took his advice.

I see now that getting involved in marching band truly shaped me into the person I am today. I got involved at such a crucial point in my life and if I hadn’t taken that chance when I did I know that I would be a completely different person then I am now. In my psychology class we are learning about the life-span of a human and individual development processes. We’re learning about the different stages of life and how different influences during these life stages can affect the final outcome of a person’s personality, style, and interests. We’ve learned that childhood is a time of learning. Kids are like sponges and whatever they are surrounded with they will soak up and will help shape them into what they would ultimately become.

Studies that were published in the Journal of Adolescent Research by Margaret Stone, a research associate from the University of Arizona, Tucson, stated that an individual’s surroundings for the middle and high school years did help foretell what type of lifestyle a young adult would have. Children don’t just wake up one morning and decide to become something totally different then what they have grown up knowing. Their experiences along the road of adolescents shape them and create their personality. Stone also goes on to describe that social identity or “the sense of one’s place in the social world” really dictates where that adolescent will end up in a few years (Stone 3). One’s social identity controls who you hang out with, the activities you participate in, and the experiences you are exposed to.

In middle school social identity seems like a huge deal, at least it did to me. In my mind I didn’t have the option of not getting involved in something. Even to this day my mom still encourages me to join a club, volunteer, or just step out of my comfort zone and get to know some new people. However, the more I thought about it, the more I remembered people in my middle and high school that didn’t get involved in anything. I remember looking at them and wondering why they never joined anything. There was one kid, Ryan, who was in my homeroom sophomore through senior year of high school. He would come into homeroom each morning and sit in the corner by himself. He never wanted to be bothered with questions or small talk. He just wanted to sit alone. It was something so foreign to me and I never really understood it. He didn’t make great grades, he didn’t want to go to college, and it seemed like he didn’t really want to grow up at all. He never got his driver’s license and he didn’t really participate in the end of senior year “festivities” despite winning free tickets to prom.

After looking at all of the confidence that joining a synergistic sport gave me, I don’t see why everyone wouldn’t want that feeling. Caroline Payne from the University of Florida said that getting involved with sports and activities is important because it teaches the adolescent to “associate with their peers, solve conflict, and communicate effectively with their peers” (Payne 1). Looking back I see that it’s a possibility that Ryan just didn’t know how to communicate effectively, and that’s why he didn’t like to talk to others often. Maybe he just didn’t have the social exposure that I did and he didn’t know how to handle himself in certain contexts.

On the opposite end of the spectrum I had a friend Jenny; she was also in my homeroom. She was brilliant, pretty, and a total over achiever. She was involved in so many student organizations and clubs, she was the goalie for the school’s championship field hockey team, and she was valedictorian of the class of 2009. She had so much going for her and I now see that it was thanks to her social involvement. She was mature way beyond her years and knew how to respond and act in every social situation. I will never forget the day we were sitting in homeroom talking about a teacher that I would soon learn we had different opinions of. I was saying how annoying this teacher was and that some of the things she said and did were awful, and instead of just agreeing and playing it off she said “I’m sorry you feel that way”. The way she handled herself in this situation said so much to me about her character, and I believe that her ability to handle herself as she did was thanks to her social involvement in synergistic organizations.

After looking at the drastic differences that sports and social interaction can make in a person’s personality I can’t think of a reason why only half of high school students in America are involved in sports, social or competitive (Grunbaun 96). I now know how important it was for me to find all that I did in marching band. The confidence, self expression, social learning, and friends are irreplaceable and I wouldn’t trade it all for the world. As I get older and possibly have kids one day I will encourage them as my mom did me. I will support them in their social decisions but I will also strongly recommend synergistic involvement. Being a part of something bigger than you says so much about your character and helps shape you for the better. I will never look back on my marching band experiences and regret anything. My advisor once said “Where so ever you go, go with all your heart”. I will always take this advice and I can’t wait to see where it will take me next.

Grunbaum, Jo Ann. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance --- United States, 2003. CDC. 21 May, 2004. 21 April, 2010. Web.

Payne, Caroline. “Importance of Youth Involvement in Sports”. University of Florida, IFAS Extension. 2009. 24 April, 2010. Web.

Stone, Margart R. Barber, Bonnie L. Eccles, Jacquelynne S. “We Knew Them When: Sixth Grade Characteristics That Predict Adolescent High School Social Identities”. The Journal of Early Adolescents. 28. 304(2008). 26. Web.