Black Watch

What good is love that no one shares?

We had an awesome weekend in Rochester, NY at the WGI Regional! I was a little unprepared for the snow that was waiting for us up there - I only brought flip flops. Poor planning on my part! Luckily I had a few hoodies and my member jacket so I was OK for the few minutes we had to be outside. One of our members is from Florida and she’s right: it gives a true meaning to “winter” guard.

I love getting the chance to watch other color guards and we rarely get to with our warm up and rehearsal schedule on show days. Luckily on Saturday we had a big break after prelims before we had to get ready for finals and we got to watch almost all of A Class. I wish I remembered the names of the schools and groups, but we had a great time watching all of them. We saw some amazing performances and it definitely helped me to push through and make finals great. The last guard I watched before getting dressed (I think they won IA) made me want to laugh, cry, clap, cheer, jump up and down, and especially perform. I was grinning and clapping the entire time. I wanted someone to look at me the way I was looking at all of the girls and guys in the guards we watched. I wanted to catch someone’s eye and have them be able to tell how much I care about and love this show and these people and this activity, all by what I was doing on the floor in those six minutes. Watching that in those other guards is why I still do what I do. I feel lucky that I have the chance to do this, especially with this group of members and staff.

Next week, we’ll be at South Brunswick for the MAIN Mid-Season show. Looking forward to seeing some friends in other guards and to showing everyone in that circuit our beautiful show. “What good is love that no one shares?” is a line from the piece we’re using this year, and that runs through my head every weekend as we get ready. I want to perform this show for as many people as possible so they might experience the love that we have for the show and each other.

Until then, I’ll be glued to WGI’s website patiently awaiting the FanNetwork videos from the weekend :-)

-Steph

BW 2008-present

What keeps me coming back

Black Watch has become somewhat of a home for me over the past 3 years. I keep finding myself drawn back in by the amazing people spinning next to me, the challenge of a new show, and the feeling of comfort I can always have when I step in the doors with the rest of the team. Just like a typical family we have our rough moments, but we always get back on top of our game and will always love each other no matter what. we all do this for the love of the activity and the love of performance and it is so rewarding to be told that we have moved someone to tears. So to anyone reading who will be at a show, or watch a video, I hope that we can move you in a way that no one else can!

-Heidi Brooks <3

BW 2010, 2011, 2012

HAPPY DAY!!

Hello Everyone!!

The Black Watch just got back from our AMAZING trip to Rhode Island for the Eastern Regional!  We had an amazing time, in and outside of practice and performance! 

We started of with an awesome rehearsal Friday night with our lovely Jude Boughton in for the weekend! Then we had a Black Watch Slumber Party with 12 of us staying over at my house!  It was super packed, but so much fun hanging out with everyone! It only got better on the bus ride as our DVD playlist included Birdcage, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Princess and the frog (twice).  Our prelims practice got me super pumped and ready to go!! Then we had a GREAT performance in Prelims!

Saturday night, my room ordered out for Chinese food ($65 worth) and had a grand old time just hanging out and making funny videos! Nights like that one remind me of how much I love my fellow members!

Then finals practice went BETTER than prelims and we rocked out in our Finals performance. Check it out for yourself on FanNetwork! So many lights, I felt like i was in a RAVE!!! LOVED IT!

The ride home only completed a more than perfect trip, with a DVD playlist of House Bunny, Mean Girls, and Baby Mama.  And who can forget our photo shoot at the food stop in RI! See picture below and insert *gasp*. You can also check it out on the WGI website! http://www.wgi.org/news/03232011-WGImages-Shear-Madness.html.

But in all seriousness, The Black Watch has become part of who I am.  I know that at any given moment in life, I have 45 people I can depend on for better or for worse. This is my 12 year marching this activity, and I can say that I have never felt the bond and experienced teamwork like I have with the Black Watch. We have the best captains who always keep us organized and inspired, and truly talented staff who keep us strong.  I have made more lifelong friends in the Black Watch than I could have ever asked for. I wouldn’t want to share the feeling I have coming off the floor with anyone else but these 36 other amazing and talented performers. I love you all more than you can imagine!!

<3 Slammer<3

p.s. - ITS MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!

Rhode Island Regional!!!!

This weekend was the first show Black Watch performed out of the NJ/PA/DE area, and it was a complete success! We ended up having a wonderful weekend of sharing our love and performance with great audiences and some WGI judges. I feel that as a group, this weekend we made a great connection and have grown even closer as a team. On and off the floor we managed to enjoy each other and have fun. Whether it be watching “Drop Dead Gorgeous” on the bus, or spinning for 2 hours before a performance, we made the most of the time we had to just focus on us, and what we want this season to be. Obviously you can tell i enjoyed this weekend, and I have also been enjoying the rest of the season. This is a truly unique show, and a unique group of people whom I will treasure always. That being said, thank you Black Watch for a wonderful weekend, and congratulations to everyone who competed this weekend, whether in Rhode Island or somewhere else!

love, 

Heidi Brooks

BW ‘10, ‘11

JSCG ‘07, ‘08, ‘09

PRCG ‘10

WCUCG ‘10

Real Life

Graduating from college is not a happy experience. Nothing really prepares you for it and you’re left to figure out your life alone. I went from having such a busy semester and social life to moving back home doing nothing. For those who don’t know, I’ve marched Field of View for the past two years and was planning on marching this season. Due to the long commute and lack of a job/income, I couldn’t commit. I left my school, home, and color guard – I was bound to feel a little depressed. To fix that, I thought I would go to a show.

Watching you all perform at Pennsauken made me miss my old life. I missed having a family, having that chance to perform, and doing what I loved for years. When Steph mentioned that Black Watch had a flag spot open up, I didn’t even need to think about it. I’ve always loved Black Watch (Martha Graham year is my favorite) so of course I knew that I wanted it.

However, I was a little skeptical about joining. Could I handle the work, transition to a new guard, or even the time? Would the members like me or would they criticize me? Would we get along or butt heads? Could I handle the long weekends again? I knew I had nothing to worry about but the thoughts still lingered. All of them were erased and my nerves were eased when I saw Megan and Bobby wearing those shirts they made for me. They had printed out a photoshopped picture of my face and the words “You betta get it!” while the back had a picture of my face on each one of the Jonas Brothers’. It definitely made my night.

Speaking of the weekend, I had a BLAST. I loved how everyone was so helpful and nice. Of the 1.5 million questions I asked, no one got annoyed with me. Even with just a few days of rehearsal I knew I made the right decision to march with the right family.

Thank you all for your laughs and support – I cannot wait to see you all again this weekend!

Derek 

Also, because everyone ends with a quote, I will too:

“Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.” – Mark Twain