Baptism of Rhythm (IC/Everything)

[Drawkland]

WELCOME to the First BAPTISM OF RHYTHM!

This Drum and Bugle Corps competition will take place over 2 nights {IC'ly}, featuring 10 Corps in Preliminary and Finals competition! There will not be a cutoff placement for Finals, so all Corps will be presented twice, guaranteed! This is the 4th competition of the First IMAA Circuit, and the precursor to the IMAA World Championships, so everyone is looking at this competition to see what will happen in the World Finals!

Venue and Schedule

The Corps will be performing at Hellenmack Stadium, in Hellenmack, Drawkland, which seats 45,000 total, and about 15,000 in the "prime viewing seats" for drum corps. It's the home of the Hellenmack Flames in the FLD.



At this angle you can see, at a rather flat angle, a similar view to what the spectators would see, as far as the field goes. The part of the stands obscured by the shade is where the fans will be seated. The other side of the stands will be covered by a massive veil, hung from the opposite side of the shade, so that the stand colors do not detract from the performance.

Corps will enter the field in the top left corner of the field (bottom left at this angle) and exit into the locker room entrance/exit in the lower right corner (upper right in the middle of the yellow stands at this angle). Corps may enter and exit the field in any manner they desire as long as they do not infringe timing regulations.

Each Corps will have 15 minute blocks. If they are on the green of the field before or after the time cutoff, they will suffer a 1-point penalty.

Baptism of Rhythm

PRELIMINARY ROUND
Time Block     Corps Name                        Show Title
13:00 - 13:15  The Sneaky Snakes                 "Tribute to Baseball"
13:15 - 13:30  The Wind of Change                "Pyramid of Rage"
13:30 - 13:45  Diamond Delta                     "Shadow of a Man"
13:45 - 14:00  The Munich Marching Corps         "Variations on a Military March"
14:00 - 14:15  Kolra Royal Showband              "Grand Army March"
14:15 - 14:45  BREAK
15:00 - 15:15  Spectrum                          "Sunday Morning"
15:15 - 15:30  Ludza University Tones            "Don't Stop Me Now"
15:30 - 15:45  The Ilum Triumvirate              "The Phantom of the Opera"
15:45 - 16:00  Uostas Squadra                    "Predstavleniye Októ"
16:00 - 16:15  Sadeg Spartans                    "Runnerman"

FINALS ROUND
Times TBD Based on Prelims standings.
Time Block     Corps Name                        Show Title
19:00 - 19:15  Kolra Royal Showband              "Grand Army March"
19:15 - 19:30  Ludza University Tones            "Don't Stop Me Now"
19:30 - 19:45  Uostas Squadra                    "Predstavleniye Októ"
19:45 - 20:00  The Munich Marching Corps         "Variations on a Military March"
20:00 - 20:15  The Ilum Triumvirate              "The Phantom of the Opera"
20:15 - 20:45  BREAK  
21:00 - 21:15  The Sneaky Snakes                 "Tribute to Baseball"
21:15 - 21:30  Spectrum                          "Sunday Morning"
21:30 - 21:45  Diamond Delta                     "Shadow of a Man"
21:45 - 22:00  Sadeg Spartans                    "Runnerman"
22:00 - 22:15  The Wind of Change                "Pyramid of Rage"
22:15 - 23:00  BREAK
23:00 - 23:30  Corps Line up for Awards
23:30 - 00:00  Presentation of Finals Awards
00:00          Break Ranks, Full Corp Retreat

OOC
Schedule:
Tuesday, January 19: IC Thread is up
Post Corp information and/or Pre-Competition RP
Sunday, January 24: Prelims Round Scored and Posted
RP Prelims Round
Thursday, January 28: Finals Round Score and Posted
RP Finals Round and Awards Presentation

RP Cutoffs will occur around 9PM EST of the night the scores are posted.

Any questions or comments go on the Signup/OOC/Discussion thread.

I will be using the "World Finals" scorinator for this competition, as it's a precursor to the World Finals themselves, so don't be surprised if records are shattered in this competition! Scores will naturally be much higher than we've been used to.

[Drawkland]

Sadeg Spartans

Drum Major Uniform

General Corp Uniform

Uniforms Provided by Xhayparia

Drum Majors
HEAD: Nathan Kennedy
Side 1 Front: Corey O'Stanton
Side 2 Front: Noah Langor
Side 1 Back: Kelly Kim
Side 2 Back: Stacy Preston

Corp History

In earlier Drawkian history, the Spartans were a highly-trained group of soldiers who were the “elite force” of the Drawkian military. They were held in high esteem by the Supreme Drawkionel Iarocav. Their facility of training and lodging was located in a valley a few miles out from Sadeg, Iarocavet.

Once music and drumming because a predominant part of Drawkian culture, the Spartans, during peacetime, decided to take up the activity, and created the Sadeg Spartans, one of Drawkland’s first organized Corps.

A few centuries later, when organized Drum Corps competed, the Sadeg Spartans were the first champion of the National circuit. They have a tradition of excellence and fast-paced, technical music. The one thing they aren’t known for is their colorguard, but their Percussion and Brass are world-class.

Program

”Runnerman” is the program the Sadeg Spartans designed for this year. It’s a story based on the Drawkian messengers of old, Runnermen, who had to go long distances, often filled with obstacles, very quickly, to keep the different regiments in the military synced and informed, often saving many lives with their speed.

It features Colorguard soloist Harry Lonson as The Runnerman, and the rest of the guard is used as enemies trying to stop him from achieving his destination.

The preshow describes the Runnerman recieving his orders and messages to deliver. The “music” is Ambient Camp Noise from the Drawkland Sound Company.

The first movement shows the Runnerman setting off to his destination camp. The music is “Symphony of Speed, MVT I” by traditional Drawkian composer Gradellon.

The second movement is when the Runnerman is intercepted by enemies, and he has to fight and evade them. The music is “Jump Hard”, a popular song by the pop group Trouble in Taneran.

The third movement, the ballad, is where the Runnerman escapes the enemies, but is hopelessly lost in the wilderness. Its music is an original score written by the Sadeg Spartans Musical Staff.

The fourth and final movement is where the Runnerman finds his way through the wilderness and manages to find his way to his destination in triumph, in time to save a regiment’s camp from certain destruction. The music “Symphony of Speed, MVT V”, also by Gradellon.

Drill and Guard Work designed by Wyatt Henderson of the Drawkland Cultural Guild.

[Xhayparia]

DIAMOND DELTA

UNIFORMS
<-- Drum Major
Corps Uniform -->

Corp History

The Diamond Delta Drum & Bugle Corps is the first Corps to enter the Xhay Marching Performance League after the original 4 founding members. It's located in Yaager, Shingeki, Xhayparia, Sonnel.

The Corps is named for being the 5th corps, as well as Shingeki's diamond mining industry.

Diamond Delta is famous for their Hornline, but their Colour Guard, are mediocre in comparison.

Program

”Shadow of a Man” is the program Diamond Delta designed for this year.

I'm honest to god too lazy to come up with enough stuff to fully explain a show. I'll save that for finals. If you wanna know how Diamond Delta's gonna sound, look up Kinetic Noise by the Bluecoats. Saved you 5 minutes of reading mate.

[Caermine]

Ludza University Tones

[Alphatheta]

Nation: People's Republic of Alphatheta
Corp: Uostas Squadra
Uniform: Dress greens

Corp History: While formal competition isn't well-known in Alphatheta, the armed forces have a long history of fairly proficient corps. The corps have traditionally been made up of new recruits who have begun their service before the traditional age of joining. Regional corps often send their best and most talented to the largest military bases in the nation's coastal region, located just outside of Uostas.

Although none of the corps are known for their proficiency with music, the colorguard is known regionally for precision performances and the percussion for being loud.

Program: “Predstavleniye Októ”

Program Details: Uostas Squadra has selected its eighth program for performance. It was written in celebration of 'Hogs Day' by Alphathetan import Aristophanes Buchholz. The piece was written in celebration of the year Alphatheta finally stopped celebrating groundhogs day, giving attention instead to all the other neglected 'hogs' of the world. The officer in charge of this particular execution, Sevastyan Kucera, has chosen to interpret the piece as particularly highlighting the nation's open arms to the international community and resultant rich cultural diversity.

[Arcantova]

Spectrum Drum and Bugle Corps

Based in: Adapolf, Arcantova
Members: 145
Director: Malcolm Lyons

History of the Corps
Drum corps has always been a big part of Arcantovan culture. In the nation, drum corps is considered a sport. The governing body of the drum corps of Arcantova is called the Arcantovan Marching Music Organization (AMMO). When the international competitions began, the board scrambled to put together a plan to send one of Arcantova's corps to the competition. It was time consuming, and many problems arose. Originally, the plan was to send the reigning AMMO champions, the Goldcoats. However, it was soon determined that Arcanotva's best shot at an international competition was to take the best...from the best.

The resulting corps is Spectrum. Spectrum drum and bugle corps consists of the best of the best from AMMO. The name represents the combination of people from all across the country and all walks of life, much like the wave spectrum.

The program
The program performed by Spectrum was originally designed for the Royals of Adapolf. The show features many classic hymns including "It is well," "Amazing Grace," "How great though Art," "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," "The Doxology," and a few more.

The show is meant to take a break from the regular, intense shows of competition to provoke the deepest emotions of the fans.

Uniforms and a better show description hopefully to come by the next competition. This is just all I could get together in time.

[Drawkland]

The fans are lining up to get seats. This is your Prelims cutoff. Results to come tomorrow morning ASAP.

---

[Drawkland]

{OOC: These were posted later than expected, my infinite apologies. IC'ly ...} The Prelims results came a few hours late due to a rogue intern who stole the judges sheets after they were tallied and, realizing his favorite corps, The Spartans, came second, attempted to burn the judges' sheets at a university bonfire down the river before he was apprehended 2 miles from the stadium.

PRELIMINARY ROUND

CORP	Music General Effect	Visual General Effect	Visual Proficiency	Visual Analysis	Colorguard	Brass	Music Analysis	Percussion	TOTAL SCORE	RANK	CORP
The Sneaky Snakes	19.200	19.08	8.610	9.825	9.645	9.660	9.195	9.330	94.545	5	The Sneaky Snakes
The Wind of Change	18.510	19.080	9.435	9.780	9.420	9.165	9.810	9.960	95.160	1	The Wind of Change
Diamond Delta	19.740	19.380	9.090	9.090	9.570	9.300	9.285	9.615	95.070	3	Diamond Delta
The Munich Marching Corps	18.900	19.110	9.480	9.150	9.495	9.090	9.300	9.645	94.170	7	The Munich Marching Corps
Kolra Royal Showband	18.570	18.870	9.435	8.685	9.090	9.705	9.480	9.870	93.705	10	Kolra Royal Showband
Spectrum	19.650	18.360	9.600	9.345	9.720	9.255	9.705	9.135	94.770	4	Spectrum
Ludza University Tones	18.540	19.710	9.450	9.300	9.420	9.540	8.860	9.345	93.945	9	Ludza University Tones
The Ilum Triumvirate	18.900	19.800	9.540	8.250	9.915	9.075	9.315	9.420	94.215	6	The Ilum Triumvirate
Uostas Squadra	18.180	18.240	9.630	9.690	9.945	9.285	9.300	9.735	94.005	8	Uostas Squadra
Sadeg Spartans	19.710	19.440	9.000	9.435	9.435	9.435	8.655	9.960	95.070	2	Sadeg Spartans

YELLOW is Competition best, RED is organization best.

We have several ties today:

• The Wind of Change and the Sadeg Spartans are tied for Best Percussion, since The Wind of Change has a higher overall score, the record goes to them. The Spartans' score will be listed in ORANGE as well to denote the tie.
• The Sadeg Spartans and the Diamond Delta tied for 2nd place. The corps with the higher General Effect score is listed as the tie breaker. The General Effect score is Music GE+Visual GE, as would be expected.

STANDINGS

1. The Wind of Change
2. Sadeg Spartans (GE: 39.15)
3. Diamond Delta (GE: 39.12)
4. Spectrum
5. The Sneaky Snakes
6. The Ilum Triumvirate
7. The Munich Marching Corps
8. Uostas Squadra
9. Ludza University Tones
10. Kolra Royal Showband

As always, Finals Presentation Order is based on the Preliminary standing, inversed.

[Drawkland]

DRAWKLAND NATIONAL SPORTS NETWORK

HOLLY GARRISON: Hello again Drum Corps fans! Welcome to your favorite segment of the Drum Corps world! This is Holly Garrison bringing you to Hellenmack Stadium in Hellenmack, Drawkland, for the very first Baptism of Rhythm for the IMAA! Corps from far and wide across the multiverse have come to present their shows, in preparation for the daunting IMAA World Championships. It's just after we've gotten the scores for prelims of these amazing corps. So to help us, yet again, break down the scores for everyone, is ex-judge and Drum Corps superfan Davie Daniels. How are you tonight, Davie?

DAVIE DANIELS: I'm doing good, you?

GARRISON: I'm just as cheery as ever! So, out of the 10 corps here tonight, only 4 are returning from previous competition. Obviously some new blood is coming in to get ready for finals. Can you tell us about them?

DANIELS: Alright, I'm gonna talk about them in performance order. To kick it off we had a new corps from a new nation, The Sneaky Snakes from Frenline Delpha. Next were the returning Wind of Change who performed at the XMPL competition a bit ago, from The Serbian Empire. Then came ANOTHER Xhay Corps, the Diamond Delta. Next came The Munich Marching Corps from Augusticinia, and to end the first performance block was the Kolra Royal Showband from Kaboomlandia, who we haven't seen since Drums of the Drawks. After the break was a new corps, Spectrum, which is a conglomerate, an "all-star" corps, if you will, from Arcantova. Then came the Ludza University Tones for Caermine, then the Ilum Triumvirate from Cosumar. Next was the Uostas Squadra from Alphatheta, who we also saw at XMPL. To end the night, the Sadeg Spartans came in like old faithful, a treat for domestic Drawkian fans I think.

GARRISON: It's always good to hear some new names. Anyway, we're all here to hear what these corps left on the field. Let's start at the beginning, of course. How about those Sneaky Snakes?

DANIELS: They came on first. Now, them being a corps of only 114 members, it seemed a bit hard for them to make an impact, but their GE was up in the mix with the rest of them. That's why I think they're currently placed 5th. Now, even better was their Visual design of "Tribute to Baseball." The formations and choreography was top-notch, I've literally never seen anything like it. Mainly because they set an IMAA record in the caption! However, their execution left some to be desired, hence their lower Proficiency score in visual. I'm excited to see what they do in finals.

GARRISON: They make SNEAK into the top 3 if the other corps aren't careful. So the first returning corps, the Wind of Change, were next. What of them?

DANIELS: They took prelims at the XMPL, and they took it again here at the BoR. This time I feel their victory is a little more decisive, however. Not only did they set caption records in Music Analysis and tied/took the record for Percussion, they set an all-time overall score record in the IMAA, blowing the Sadeg Spartan's DotD Finals score out of the water with a 95.16. The "Pyramid of Rage" brought the crowd to a standing ovation several times, and I'm not shocked. Their music choice was excellent, and the final impact was probably one of the best I've seen. They just need more emotion and effect in the future, and they very well may stay on top.

GARRISON: I'm sure they made the corps below them RAGE at their chances. Speaking of which, how was "Shadow of a Man," by the Diamond Delta?

DANIELS: It was certainly powerful. They broke the IMAA record for Music GE, with the Spartans only .03 points behind them in that respect. And their Visual GE was nothing to sneeze at either. Overall super impactful. In addition, all their captions stayed up above 9 points, by some miraculous luck with the judges. If they were this good, I'm surprised the Xhay didn't send them to a competition earlier. They were 3rd, by an infinitesimal margin it seems, so they've pretty much overSHADOWED all their Xhay fellows.

GARRISON: ...wow. You beat me to the pun. Anyway, what about the Munich Marching Corps?

DANIELS: You know, I'm never shocked that there's always some corps bringing a military march to the field. Overall, it wasn't terribly impactful, but I liked the Augusticinian spin on the generic march-type song, hence the "variations." And in most other respects, they were still pretty decent. This is why they landed in the 7th place spot.

GARRISON: They'll have to VARY their emotional impacts to get a better spot in finals. So then a returning corps, the Kolra Royal Showband!

DANIELS: Aye, I'd have to say they certainly haven't improved in their time off. The poor corps wasn't very groundbreaking with their "Grand Army March," scoring below 19 in both Music and Visual GE. They did almost regain their former glory of Best Brass, but had to settle with only best in competition, rather than best in the IMAA. That honor still resides with the Casselian Regiment. But, the show just seemed dry to me. In such an elevated competition as a prelude to the World Champs, a mediocre performance is one that will land you in last, like the Kaboomlandians tonight.

GARRISON: Not very GRAND at all, I suppose. So then after the break, came the all-star Spectrum, correctum?

DANIELS: Ha. Well, they didn't set any records, but boy did they do well overall. All their scores were really close to being records. And the Music GE of "Sunday Morning" was obviously high, almost a record. Hearing all those old hymns tugged at everyone's heartstrings ... even mine. If it weren't for the fact that the Visual aspect didn't connect as well to the music, they'd have almost won really.

GARRISON: I think the other corps will be MOURNING a loss after finals, thanks to the Spectrum. So then there was..?

DANIELS: The Ludza University Tones. Like the Kolra Royal Showband, they just fell sorta flat with "Don't Stop Me Now." No doubt, it was a good show, especially visually, but in truth, I think it could've been presented a lot better. Especially in music choice. It just wasn't as 'cool' as other shows out there.

GARRISON: Hey, don't STOP THEM NOW. They could very well bump up in Finals.

DANIELS: Knowing the scoring trends around there, that's not terribly unlikely. Of course, next was The Ilum Triumvirate. I've taken a certain liking to the other Cosumite corps, The Wealdheim Bards, and so I was looking forward to seeing their "sister" corps. Now, they may not've been the best out their, but their Visual GE aspect was incredibly record breaking, the highest caption score across any caption. The way they pulled together "The Phantom of the Opera" was novel and lovable. It's no mistake they're in the record books now.

GARRISON: I personally hope they, like a PHANTOM, slide into the top 4 or 3. Then came another returning corps, the Uostas Squadra!

DANIELS: That's certainly right, Holly. I loved seeing the Dress Greens of the Alphathetan corps out on the field again. Unfortunately, it seems some of the judges weren't terribly impressed with "Predstavleniye Októ." Others were certainly well-impressed, as their colorguard left it all on the field, with a record-setting 9.945 score. Certainly a groundbreaking performance for the Squadra guard. In addition, they had the best visual proficiency in prelims, similar to their performance at XMPL. And not to lie, their skills in most other captions were phenomenal, but their General Effect scores brought them down. Both Music and Visual GE barely tread water above 18 points, and that's what crippled the Alphathetan corps for sure, leaving them in 8th, similar to XMPL finals. If they can just find a way to impact the crowd better and show more emotion, they'll bring down the house at the World Championships and beyond.

GARRISON: ... I hope so to. I need to find ways to make puns on their show names.

DANIELS: Because that's why people are watching this broadcast, your puns.

GARRISON: Absolutely! So then came the Drawkian corps to end the night, the Sadeg Spartans. How did they fare?

DANIELS: Welllll ... they did really well. Their performance tonight was certainly a head above their performance at Drums of the Drawks finals, and even that was record-setting until tonight. They tied with The Wind of Change for best Percussion, and if it weren't for the fact that The Wind had the better overall score - the only better score, really - the Spartans would be holding the record right now. Everything else about their performance was very well, and usually up with the rest with them. Really, the Music Analysis judge just didn't like their music choice, causing them to get dragged down from a potential top spot. So that drop in the score brought them down to 95.070 ... tied with regional rivals Diamond Delta. And so, the main tiebreaker for an overall tie is the composite General Effect score - that is, Music GE and Visual GE combined. So they tallied it up ... the Spartans had a combined score of 39.15 ... and the Delta only 39.12. That's right, folks, a .03 point margin. We'll see if the Spartans or even the Delta are this lucky in finals. It's cooking to be a good finals performance, don't you think?

GARRISON: I'd have to say I agree. Please enjoy the performances, from when they were recorded in prelims, coming up next after the break, only on DNSN.

[Drawkland]

Here's your RP cutoff ... as the Kolra Royal Showband takes the field!

HERE is the set of Finals awards. Scores listed at the very bottom of the post. There won't be a video as there was for DotD or XMPL, but it will likely return for Finals. This spoiler-fest is the best I could do to maintain suspense. Good luck!

---

BAPTISM OF RHYTHM I OFFICIAL AWARDS

These awards were assigned based on the overall best score, whether it came from Prelims or Finals.

Visual Proficiency	Kolra Royal Showband	9.750
Musical Analysis	The Wind of Change	9.810
Visual Analysis	The Sneaky Snakes	9.825
Brass	Kolra Royal Showband	9.990
Colorguard	Uostas Squadra	9.945
Percussion	The Wind of Change	9.960
Visual General Effect	Diamond Delta	19.92
Music General Effect	Sadeg Spartans	19.95

This is awarded to the Corps which showed the most spirit and sportsmanship during the duration of the competition.

Award of Sanctification

Ludza University Tones

10th Place

The Munich Marching Corps

92.595

9th Place

Kolra Royal Showband

94.470

8th Place

The Sneaky Snakes

94.660

7th Place

Ludza University Tones

95.505

6th Place

The Wind of Change

95.330

5th Place

Spectrum

95.575

4th Place

Uostas Squadra

95.625

GE: 38.15

3rd Place

The Ilum Triumvirate

95.625

GE: 38.34

2nd Place

Sadeg Spartans

95.685

1st Place

Diamond Delta

95.835

FINALS ROUND

CORP	Music General Effect	Visual General Effect	Visual Proficiency	Visual Analysis	Colorguard	Brass	Music Analysis	Percussion	TOTAL SCORE	RANK	CORP
Kolra Royal Showband	19.620	18.180	9.750	8.400	9.435	9.990	9.405	9.690	94.470	9	Kolra Royal Showband
Ludza University Tones	18.660	19.530	9.480	9.645	9.540	9.360	9.510	9.780	95.505	6	Ludza University Tones
Uostas Squadra	19.130	19.020	9.295	9.615	9.750	9.225	9.690	9.900	95.625	4	Uostas Squadra
The Munich Marching Corps	18.330	18.180	9.720	9.105	9.075	9.375	9.435	9.375	92.595	10	The Munich Marching Corps
The Ilum Triumvirate	19.050	19.290	9.300	9.720	9.870	9.420	9.630	9.345	95.625	3	The Ilum Triumvirate
The Sneaky Snakes	19.740	19.740	9.120	8.560	9.465	9.315	9.120	9.600	94.660	8	The Sneaky Snakes
Spectrum	19.050	19.350	9.660	9.555	8.950	9.855	9.520	9.635	95.575	5	Spectrum
Diamond Delta	19.560	19.920	8.925	9.210	9.525	9.525	9.720	9.450	95.835	1	Diamond Delta
Sadeg Spartans	19.950	19.590	9.150	8.895	9.570	9.315	9.645	9.570	95.685	2	Sadeg Spartans
The Wind of Change	18.950	19.710	9.405	9.525	9.705	9.210	9.060	9.765	95.330	7	The Wind of Change

YELLOW is Competition best, RED is organization best.

We have a single tie in Finals:

• The Ilum Triumvirate and the Uostas Squadra tie overall. As it occurred with the Spartans and Delta in Prelims, the better General Effect score was used to denote the tie.

STANDINGS

1. Diamond Delta
2. Sadeg Spartans
3. The Ilum Triumvirate (GE: 38.34)
4. Uostas Squadra (GE: 38.15)
5. Spectrum
6. Ludza University Tones
7. The Wind of Change
8. The Sneaky Snakes
9. Kolra Royal Showband
10. The Munich Marching Corps

[Drawkland]

It was at a very late hour of the night. Of course, that didn't matter much to Nathan Kennedy, nor any other members of the Sadeg Spartans, because of the adrenaline running through their system

It came down to the wire. "Runnerman" had been fire that evening, and according to the announcement, they'd taken an all-time high Music GE score, but the Delta had taken the same in Visual GE. So they knew once The Ilum Triumvirate were announced in third that it was gonna be tense.

The air was thick with tension. Most of the Spartans were confident in themselves. Of course they would be, they'd taken down the Delta in prelims with a tiny margin, and they improved leaps and bounds in Finals. Personally, Nathan had heard the Delta had done well, but nothing groundbreaking, or so he thought.

All these thoughts and hopes and adrenaline coursed through each member's system in moments. Because after 10 or so seconds, when the clapping for the Triumvirate died down, and the announcer launched into the next announcement.

"The Reserve Grand Champion, 2nd place in the First Baptism of Rhythm, with a score of 95.685, goes to ..."

In that moment, it seemed every living being, even the stadium instead, seemed to freeze, to hold its breath. A moment stretched into infinity. Nathan had felt thing a hundred times before, but this moment, perhaps not even 10 seconds, seemed to feel like an eternity, with a million thoughts and a pure shot of adrenaline to every part of the body that could feel running through in an instant.

"The Sadeg Spartans!"

It had seemed like his chest was going to bust out and explode a second before, but as soon as the "S" sound came out of the speakers it felt like his chest immediately imploded in on itself, leaving his breathless and empty. That was it. A whole lot of effort, all for naught. And at the hands of the Corps that they'd embarrassed merely a day earlier.

All the drum majors, Nathan, Corey, Noah, Kelly, and Stacy, were dazed for the first few seconds. Nathan snapped back first and went into the near-silent duts for the majors to do their synchronized salute, and they slowly walked to the center of the frontfield to get their trophy and package of medals and scoresheets for the corps. It felt like a dream, a bad one. They had to push through an air that felt like gelatin to get back to the yardlines where their corps was standing. Nathan could feel the tips of his ears and the back of his eyes burning, and his stomach turning round and round. The thing that sealed the deal was the smirk on the face of one of the Delta's drum majors as they walked back.

They got back to their line and eyed a few of the corps members. Sarah Farmer, a mello player in the front of the Spartans formation, had tears leaking down her face, slowly and slightly, but surely. Nathan turned back around to face the crowd at attention as the other drum majors did and he simply fumed silently as the Delta were announced and took their award. A few minutes later, the announcer called for Break Ranks and all the corps on the field relaxed from attention.

Most corps began to intermingle and introduce themselves to one another, but Nathan Kennedy immediately spun around and called for the Spartans to the far corner of the field, in a standing huddle, with the drum majors in the center. Amid the clamor of the audience and the corps members, he called out to the corps.

"This ends now. Next time we see those worthless Delta in competition, we will crush them. We MUST crush them. What happened here tonight is unforgivable. This isn't even an issue with judges. This is blatant failure on our part. We will wreck them. We will return the favor of what they did to us. They will feel what we felt, UNDERSTAND?"
The corps gave a yell of assent and Nathan nodded, "Good then. Break ranks then and converse among the corps, but if I see any of you being friendly with those Delta scum, I will personally deal with you later tonight. Next time we see them, hopefully at the Championships, they will be in the Shadow of the RunnerMan! BREAK!" he finished, and the huddle dissolved after the corps gave a shout of assent. The drum majors went along and congratulated the other's majors, but giving nothing but a curt nod to the Delta's.

The Spartan-Delta Rivalry has begun.