Lessons Learned from the Boston Crusaders

My last blog was a tribute to the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corp. This corp has been a part of my family's life since 2006, when I my oldest daughter first joined the corp. In less that two days, my youngest will age out of this corp, after dedicating four summers to the Crusaders. "True Blue" Crusaders, my children have embraced the legacy of a corp that is more than 70 years old. The history of this corp is like none other... how many can claim a former president as an honorary member? While my daughter may be focused on her last few performances, as her mother I can't help but wonder how her experiences will influence her life in the future.

So like any curious mother, I started searching the Internet... "Life after drum corp" not much other than some personal accounts from recent age-outs. "Famous people that marched drum corp" lots of musicians, some celebrities, I even found some conflicting information saying the Madonna marched drum corp, but never did find anything reliable on that one! "Famous Leaders that marched bands" again not much. Apparently no one else is curious about this, or maybe no one has ever taken the time to write about it... so I am hoping that some of the people that have read my Tribute and those that read this blog will write me and tell me how your experiences have impacted your life. Because I am sure that I am NOT the only one that is interested.

I know from first hand experiences, my oldest daughter a Crusader Alumni 2006-2008, credits much of her work effort to her experiences marching Drum Corp. As a Systems Engineer with a major corporation, the long hours seem mild to her compared to those 14 hour practice days in Texas. Working with 15-20 people in a department is nothing compared to 150 on the field. For her, the experiences on the field marching drum corp have made her a stronger person.

As my youngest prepares to leave her shoes, or whatever else she plans to leave on the field at her age out ceremony, I wonder what she will take away from the field that will help her throughout her life. As parents we often question the decisions we make when it comes to our children... Should I have done this, would it have been better if I did that, maybe if I did this instead... I could go on and every parent reading this can add to the list as well.

With all that, the one thing I have never regretted is the fact that I allowed my children to march drum corp with the Boston Crusaders. It has been the hardest thing they have ever done, and even when they complained all the way through Texas and Louisiana in the heat of the summer, I can't say that they have ever regretted it and neither have I!

And this is why... I know that the lessons they will take away from this experience are far more important than any I could have taught them at home during those summers. Here is what I know they have learned:

• The value of hard work and determination
•  The knowledge that even if you do the best job you can do, there is always someone better than you
• The belief that helping others be the best they can be is just as important as them being the best that they can be
• The understanding that what you win is not nearly as important as what you do when you don't win
• Perhaps most importantly, that the experiences and memories they make are way more important then the things they have

These are the lessons my children learned from the Boston Crusaders... And I hope that these lessons will help them become successful members of our society.

My Girls with Tom S. Boston Crusaders 2008

As for the Crusaders, I am one thankful mom... BAC will always have a special place in my heart.