And he brought back a souvenir – a Gold Medal that came with the Blue Devils earning 1st Place at the 2014 DCI World Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., in early August.
At 17, C.C. was the second youngest member to make it into Blue Devils A Corps this year , one of 16 Mellophones on the Brass Line. In January and throughout the spring, he attended monthly weekend camps in Concord, Calif., for rehearsals. In late May, he left to join the 150-member corps for almost a month of practices in Concord before hitting the road in mid-June.
The rigorous schedule included three-a-day rehearsals; thousands of miles spent traveling and sleeping on a bus and at designated locations throughout the tour; and 29 competitions across the country – all in the span of seven weeks.
The Blue Devils remained undefeated throughout the season, which culminated in the DCI World Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, August 9. The Blue Devils won the championship, breaking the scoring record with a 99.65 before more than 24,000 fans.
This has been an amazing experience and will definitely be a summer to remember for C.C. as he enters his senior year.
Two 2014 MISD graduates, Seth Neufeldt and Sam Olayiwola of Lake Ridge High School, marched with the Bluecoats, who earned the Silver Medal at the DCI World Championships. All three boys are a testament to MISD’s fantastic music program – and their band directors, Glenn Fugett, head director at Legacy, and Matt Garrett, head director at Lake Ridge.
C.C. marched with the Bluecoats in Summer 2013. At Legacy, C.C. is first chair French Horn in the Wind Symphony; has made the All-Region Band for the last three years; qualified for Area the last two; and made All-State 4A Symphonic Band as a sophomore. He was Drum Major for the 2013-2014 school year.
Drum Corps is a highly competitive activity for youth up to 21 years old. It requires a great deal of self-discipline, teamwork and leadership. The Blue Devils are one of 22 World Class Corps in DCI, which also includes 25 Open Class Corps. All 22 World Class Corps and 15 of the Open Class Corps competed in the championships. The field was cut to 25 for the semifinals and 12 for the DCI Finals on August 9.
Guest post by Ana Waggoner.
MISDs own representing @mansfieldisd at @DCI World Championships in the No. 1 and No. 2 corps. Go BD/Blooo!! pic.twitter.com/LT4IepfZ96
— Mama Waggnr (@AnaBW) August 10, 2014