"You are here because you are passionate about something..." I remember it being very cold, wet, and windy. It was a long practice; we had been there for eight hours. We had just finished the final full run of our 10 minute show. Everyone looked defeated and miserable; the whole practice didn't go very well. The guard director was speaking so intensely and my gaze flickered around, watching everyone. I watched as most of the people were panting and trying to catch their breath, while the rest had tears falling from their eyes. His words stuck to me, they made me think, "Why am I here? Why did I choose to do this?"
When I was younger I tried other sports and arts, none of them were ever what I really wanted to do. They never made me happy. When I was in fifth grade, my older sister joined the Dunbar color guard. I went to every competition and I would watch them practice. The colors costumes, hair and makeup it all looked so glamorous. They won the state competition, they were the best guard in the state. I still hadn't found anything that I was having fun doing. Another year went on and I watched and wished some more. This time they were going to Disney world to march in some parades. They got to go as a back to back state championship color guard. I wanted to do that and I thought I had to wait. When my mom told me they had a Junior Varsity winter guard I was ecstatic I couldn't wait to be just like them.
I remember each performance very well, every correction and every single loss and win. When I perform it feels magical, there is something so appealing about having adrenaline and knowing that this is about to be the best performance you've ever done. My heart beats fast and all the corrections are running through my head, looking around to see hundreds thousands or more people watching me, it is just amazing. This is the sport of the arts and it is the thing that makes me happy. It keeps my soul alive.
My coach continued to speak; he went on for quite a while. Although his speech was long, it was full of words that I knew would mean something to me, and they do. Every time I'm at a long practice I wonder "why am I here?" the answer is always the same. I am passionate about this.
I am well into my seventh season, and out of all the things he has ever said to me, that is the one thing that stuck. I believe that if you are passionate about something, it will be the thing that keeps your soul alive. I've met so many new people, I can claim them as 31 of my best friends. My coaches have not only set me up for preforming and competing, but they have set me up for life because I know that if I don't feel passionate about it, I shouldn't be doing it.
