Greetings Alumni!

With Championships week rapidly approaching, now is an excellent time for me to offer you a reflection on the 2022 season. We've worked hard since 2020 to establish a design and educational approach that provides the organization with consistency, excellence, and an enhancement in member experience. The team navigated a pandemic together, a non-competitive 2021 half-summer season, and now its first full competitive season. While I could tell you all about the bumps in the road or adjustments we plan to make as our team develops, I'll let you know about all the great things happening.

I'm sure many of you are wondering, 'how has the transition to gender inclusivity gone?' My short answer is, 'it's gone well, but we're always learning how to better support our female and non-binary identifying members.' Like our world, macro and micro-communities are complex and dynamic while simultaneously beautiful and enriching. Adding more people into the mix presents new community dynamics but has certainly pushed us to be a better organization. I feel confident that we're providing our members a community where they are welcome, celebrated, and challenged daily to give their best on and off the field.

While I treasure and miss so much about a non-competitive 2021 season, it has undoubtedly been exciting to return to our typical format. I won't go on about numbers or tapes, as those resources guide us in our performance, teaching, and designing. I'm most excited to acknowledge how our 2022 program embraces the modern demands of DCI and the audience-first, 'proud, loud, and pleasing the crowd' mantra. Jason Robb and his team have built a show that pushes our performers, establishes our brand as modern, and gets the audience on their feet. As we head into Allentown, I'll remind the membership of the many editions of the corps who have performed there before them. They have a big task, as we know how the East Coast crowds feel about the Midwest!

Finally, know that these young people receive a world-class member experience daily. We've worked hard to create schedules prioritizing member care, rest, and community building with rehearsal. This can be a challenging balance in a league where many demand 12 hours of rehearsal daily. I believe that a corps that receives proper healthcare, downtime, and sleep will be far more effective in rehearsal and performance. We continue to feed the members well and are continually grateful for this organization's incredible volunteer support. Many of you have stepped up to assist with uniforms, food, and airport shuttles, for which we say, 'thank you!'

YNWA,
David