Interlude

Austin watches Blue Devils' rehearse at Beloit College, which is one hour's drive south of Madison, near the Illinois border.
Around Austin are Blue Devils' supporters, many of whom stayed in an official fan hotel in Madison. They rode tour buses each day to Beloit College. To Austin's left is a family who travelled from Japan, to watch their drummer son/brother. They speak virtually no English.

Above right, Austin and Jake during a rehearsal break. Click on the picture, to see an enlargement of Austin's smile. During the same break, Jake held the football as Austin amazingly kicked a place kick through Beloit College's goal posts, earning a rousing cheer from the assembled band fans.

During the last 8 shows of the season, the Cavaliers(Rosemont, IL) and the Phantom Regiment(Huntley, IL) began to present a strong challenge to the Blue Devils. Thursday and Friday, all three teams finished within one point of each others' scores, with the Cavaliers finishing first both nights, and the Blue Devils finishing second both nights. The Blue Devils have a more complicated and interesting show. However, it is correspondingly more difficult to perform.

The finals are tonight. 30,000 attended on each of the previous two nights. At this point, the Blue Devils are underdogs - but theirs is the most fun show to watch.