ANKENY, Iowa — The clicking of the metronome. The directions from instructors. Every beat, every step, has to be perfect.
This is the reality for the Colt Cadets, a drum and bugle corps from Dubuque. The group has repeatedly gone over their routine at the Ankeny stadium in preparation for Iowa's drum corps competition, Celebration in Brass 2022.
Celebration in Brass is dedicated to showcasing some of the best in professional drum and bugle corps ensembles from across the country. The competition will take place Wednesday, July 6 at 7 p.m. at Ankeny Stadium at Northview Middle School.
For participants that grew up in the area, like Miranda Basart from Waukee, this is a dream come true.
"This is what makes me feel alive," said Basart. "I always loved marching band in high school. And, you know, I love college band, but it was once I found drum corps that I was really like, 'this is where I'm meant to be. And this is where I really thrive.'"
The group of cadets are at the peak level of their abilities.
"We get international students, we get students from all 50 states coming to audition," said Jack Borland. "And once they make it through that audition process, they go through a fairly rigorous off-season training program and then once we start what we call 'spring training' at the end of May, we're spending all day, every day together rehearsing, usually about 12 hours a day."
After finally being back to the first full touring season since 2019, these performers have an even bigger reason to put their best foot forward on the field.
"It's really hard to put into words how exciting it is to be a just back on the field in a competitive setting," Borland said. "But now that we're back into a full season with the competitive factor added back in, there's a huge sense of drive with the performers. And we're back on our home turf, so many of their friends and families are here to see them. There's just a ton of excitement on on all levels."
And while competition is an important aspect of the event, at the end of the day, Basart believes its all about the sense of community.
"It's really the people here who you're with, who you get to experience it all with, that really make it come together," she said.
The Colt Cadets are scheduled to take the field at 7:10 p.m. For more information, visit colts.org or dci.org.