By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
There are big band sounds and sometimes just big bands. The 19-time world champion Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps made a pit stop in Great Bend for a rehearsal Monday. The Blue Devils departed with their 18-vehicle convoy en route to Broken Arrow, Okla., for another Drum Corps International competition Tuesday night.
"Broken Arrow is our biggest competition of the year thus far," said Kristen Lichtenthal, Blue Devils tour manager. "We are based in California, and there are other groups in our competitive circuit all across the United States. Until now, everyone has been sticking to their region so we've only been seeing the same west-coast corps for about a month. This is the first time everyone is convening. We're going to see some of the top competitors. It's the real big first show, first big competition these kids are having. It's kind of a big night for us."
The Blue Devils are a group of performers, ranging in age from 8 to 22 years, with various experience in music and dance. And they come from all over the United States and even from overseas.
"They really come from all over," Lichtenthal said. "We have several from almost every state in the United States, several from Japan, and every now and again we have several come from Canada or Europe. It's an audition-based group, so they really do come from all over."
The Devils do not travel small, packing four sleeper buses for staff, four charter buses for members, a semi-truck and trailer for food, two more semis for equipment and props, a few Penske trucks, and an RV.
The Blue Devils won the World Class division at the Drums Along the Rockies in Denver competition prior to traveling through the night and arriving in Great Bend just before 3 a.m. Monday morning. Monday night, the band rehearsed into the dark hours before making an overnight trip to Tulsa ahead of Tuesday's show in Broken Arrow.
"We do a lot of overnight drives," said Lichtenthal. "Sometimes they're very short. If we're traveling in state for California you're looking at two or three hours. Tonight we'll have a five or six-hour drive, 400 miles."
Don Regehr, assistant band director at Great Bend High School, said the corps contacted USD 428 in June about needing a place to stay. He took on the duties of accommodating the large group, even in the wee hours of the night.
"I talked to Tim Friess, the principal, and Matt Westerhaus, the new AD," Regehr said. "I had to check and make sure the school was really willing to do this. They've done it before in the past for different kinds of groups and DCI groups. They just assured me it was okay to do it but just to know the administrators weren't here to help, so I had to be the one to take care of it."
Regehr also got help from head custodian Charles Bentley, who had the facilities unlocked shortly after midnight Monday morning, and Linda Loera, who also helped throughout the day. Former GBHS band director Marc Webster and Ellinwood High's band director Mark Newton also assisted.
"I did a lot of checking with Charlie before, and he was the one who made sure we had the rooms available we needed and made sure we had the air conditioning going," said Regehr. "He had everything unlocked by the time I got there at 12:30 in the morning."
After winning 19 world titles in the drum and bugle corps ranks, the Blue Devils are returning after some time off. The group is not only shaking off some rust but also dealing with dangerous heat conditions as highs were expected to reach 107 degrees Tuesday in Oklahoma.
"It's definitely a challenge considering, in addition to the excruciating heat, we've been off for two years from doing the activity," Lichtenthal said. "We work in conjunction with what we call our health and wellness staff, which are medically-trained professionals, either physical therapists, nurses, or a combination of the two.
"They work with us to give advisories on how to handle our performers safely in the heat. That will cover anything from adding more break time, to making sure they're getting adequate water, to doing certain cool-down breaks in the evening. We're really closely monitoring it, but it is a significantly harder challenge this year."
The Blue Devils left town late Monday evening, but not before giving the district a positive review, especially on sleeping arrangements inside the Panther Activity Center.
"The corps was very complimentary of our facilities and the whole setup of everything being so nice and close together," Regehr said. "The kids came into the PAC and said, 'We get to have all of this space to sleep?' They had been sleeping in gymnasiums that were just the one gym, so that was kind of nice."
Tuesday's event in Broken Arrow will feature 22 corps from 14 states in the World Class division.