Finally, the Blue Stars had a camp where the weather decided it would cooperate with them for the weekend.

The corps arrived for what had been a heavily anticipated weekend. With the postponement of learning drill from last camp, they knew that they would finally get a chance to go outside and put the bike on the field.

Friday night the corps arrived with a few minor problems. It appeared as though, while the weather was cooperating in Indianapolis, other parts of the country were not as fortunate. But we pushed on through a fast paced music rehearsal that included small group performances of “Stage 5 of ‘Le Tour.’”

Saturday the corps awoke to a dense fog and upside-down day for food (Upside down meaning that we eat dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner. The members love this!). To begin their day they were served cheese and pepperoni pizza as they headed out to an amazing early April temperature of 30 degrees as to begin their outside drill rehearsal. They went for quick run as the field lining chalked a field and the scaffolding crew put together what they claimed to be scaffolding. The Visual Caption Head however disagreed. As the fog began to clear the temperature shot up from 31 to 58 degrees in 1hr. The corps finished out both the morning and afternoon blocks by completing all 30 sets that were to be learned at the last camp and even added a little playing. The evening rehearsal brought it all together as the corps ensembled part two of “Stage 5”, and marked the first third of the race complete.

Sunday brought back a review of sets learned and added the additional element of putting all of the programs music with it. The afternoon block started with a brief corps meeting with our director, Eric Sabach, and he was excited to see the progress that was made over the weekend. At this time the corps was informed that it would be staying at Star Hall during Finals Week 2008 in Bloomington. You could feel the buzz and excitement coming off the corps as it found that it had one of 3 premier sites during finals week. By this time a considerable amount of parents, friends, alumni, and Star of Indiana Alum had converged on the rehearsal site to see the final run. There is a slight possibility that the corps even disturbed a proctored test that was given as there was a considerable amount of people in the tracks grandstand. They didn’t seem to mind however.

Everyone is looking forward to May camp as it brings the final rehearsal before move-ins. It also allows many members to see friends they haven’t seen since January as the Color Guard was not required to attend winter camps.

Things are heating up in Indianapolis and it is not just the weather. Everyone is excited and looking forward to what is to come from “Le Tour: Every Second Counts”

Please enjoy the April Camp Video. Thanks to staff member and Blue Stars alumnus Doug Hall for his hard work on the video.

The Blue Stars are pleased to announce our 2008 Season Horn Sergeant and Section Leaders!

GREG STOECKER – HORN SERGEANT/MELLOPHONE SECTION LEADER

Greg Stoecker, a native of Memphis Tennessee, will be serving as the horn sergeant for the Blue Stars in 2008.

He began his drum corps career six years ago while he was a sophomore at Cordova High School. For both the 2003 and 2004 seasons, Greg served as the mellophone section leader for Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps. His senior year in high school, Greg went on to march in the Phantom Regiment, and finished the 2005 season as a side field conductor. Greg found his home the next year when Shane Fudge, a previous instructor, mentor, and good friend recruited Greg to the Blue Stars. During the 2007 season, Greg was appointed the high brass leader. Now, his age out year, Greg will finish his drum corps career as the

mellophone section leader and the horn sergeant.

"Being a part of the Blue Stars has been such a great experience for me. I have been given outstanding instruction as well as the opportunity to develop musical and leadership skills. The Blue Stars legacy shines in the Drum Corps history, and it is an honor to play a part in this chapter of the corps' ongoing story."

Greg is the son of Bob and Jeannie Stoecker. He is currently studying Music Business at the University of Memphis, and performing in many ensembles, including the Mighty Sound of the South Marching Band, the Symphonic Band, and the University Singers.

BRIANA ENGELBERT – EUPHONIUM SECTION LEADER

Briana Engelbert has performed on euphonium with the Blue Stars from 2006-present, earning the Rookie of the Year Award during the 2006 season and attends Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois. She is in her sophomore year, where she is currently the principal euphonium in the symphonic band, the baritone/euphonium section leader for her second year and also a member of the jazz band on trombone.

Briana has been playing euphonium for seven years, being fortunate enough to start lessons when she was nine years old. She has been competing in annual solo contests since then and has qualified for state level competitions. She has also been awarded positions in many honor bands

in Indiana and Illinois. Briana has also performed with the Northwest Indiana Youth Symphony Orchestra on trombone and tenor tuba.

"I am ecstatic for our 2008 season! With Le Tour, our experienced staff, and dedicated members, you'd have to be dead to not be pumped for this season."

KEVIN GUTH – BARITONE SECTION LEADER

Kevin Guth is currently a sophomore at Oklahoma City University pursuing a degree in business administration. He participates in the Wind Philharmonic as a trombone player, as well as the OCU Trombone Ensemble. Kevin began his drum corps career in 2004 at the age

of 15. This will be his fourth year as a baritone player for the Blue Stars and his first year as section leader.

“I could not be more excited about this year. We have an awesome design team, who have created a truly innovative show. With some of the best people in the activity on our staff, this year will truly be one of the best for the Blue Stars.”

TROY JONES – TUBA CO-SECTION LEADER

Troy Jones, originally from Greentown, Indiana, is a 2006 graduate of Eastern High School. He is currently a sophomore at Indiana University Bloomington pursuing a degree in Political Science/ Pre-Law with plans to attend law school upon graduation. This will be Troy's fourth consecutive year with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps and second as section leader in the Tuba line. He is currently on staff at Owen Valley High School in Spencer, IN. When Troy is not working or schooling he enjoys recreational activities with friends, studying more of course, and chillin' with his dog Kosmo.

" I am very excited to lead the Tuba line again this year, and be an example for new members showing them what is means to be a Blue Star. Finis Coronat Opus."

RICHIE SHOCKLEY – TRUMPET SECTION LEADER

This will be Richie’s 5th and final year with the Blue Stars. He played mellophone for the first two years and since then has been playing trumpet. In 2004 he played the mellophone duet. Richie was a four-year member of the Mesquite High school marching before graduating in 2005. He received the highest raking at the Texas UIL Solo and Ensemble all 4 years at Mesquite High School. In his senior year he was trumpet section leader and the trumpet soloist. He then attended the University of Texas - Arlington as a Music Theory

major. He marched with the University of Texas - Arlington marching band for one year. After one year at UTA he decided to become a Fire Science major and hopes to one day become a firefighter in Texas.

SAVAHNA SPERLE – TUBA CO-SECTION LEADER

Savahna Sperle is from Lindstrom, MN currently attending school to be a Music Education major in hopes to become a Junior High music teacher. She also has two jobs, which include being a manager for three Burger Kings in her area, as well as being a Personal Care Assistant; taking care of special needs kids and adults. Savahna's original instruments are the flute and voice. Through out her Junior High and High School years, she has learned to play every instrument in band, while being the section leader of the flute, trumpet, baritone, and tuba sections. She was an All State tuba player in MN during her graduating year in 2004. Along with the wind instruments in her music career, Savahna was captain for two years in the Forest Lake Winter Drum Line playing 3rd bass and cymbals, which lead her to her drum corps career.

In April of 2003, Savahna was brought to her first drum corps camp with the Blue Stars, being the first person from her area in MN doing drum corps, starting as one of five baritones then winning the Division 3 championship that year. She came back in 2004 as a baritone player for the Blue Stars to return to Division 2, then in 2005 to fulfill her dream to march the contrabass. In 2006, Savahna was along for the ride while the corps climbed back up to Division 1, and has been in the Contra line since. 2008 will be Savahna's sixth and age out year at the Blue Stars and cant wait to finish out with the best season yet.

Mother Nature has had a fun winter. Just the weekend before it was in the mid 60s, motorcycles were on the roads and people were outside in short sleeves. Well, it didn't last for long!

This was going to be the first camp to get outside and start to learn the first 30 pages of "Le Tour" but as the temperatures dropped, the clouds came in on Friday morning, and we were at just the start of a heavy snow system moving in, this time from the south. Though the Indianapolis area saw very little snow during the day, Kentucky, Southern Ohio, and Tennessee were just a few of the states south of us that got record snow fall. Some members drove from North Carolina and when they came within 70 miles of Indianapolis, they had to seek shelter in a local motel. A few others did the same and some could not even make it out of their driveways.

But that did not stop the Blue Stars from forging on!

With the Starbucks coffee brewing in the morning and a great breakfast, the schedule remained intact. Rather than go outside, the visual staff had extensive time to go over movement and marching techniques, conditioning, jazz running, and playing on the move in our rehearsal facilities. The horns and drums learned even more music and the ensemble rehearsals on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon paid huge dividends.

Of course on Sunday, the snow was almost melted, the sun was out, and you would have never known much about the storm that came through.

For our ever faithful fans, here is a taste of the summer to come from the Blue Stars!

March Camp Video (Windows Media Format - 4.8MB)

Camp Video Link (Windows Media Player - 4.6MB)

The sun set on the Indianapolis area on Friday, February 15, 2008 as the La Crosse Blue Stars started to check-in for winter camp #4 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana. The members were charged with energy for another weekend of preparation for their 2008 show and also to ready them for MARCHing Camp on March 7-9, 2008 (more details at www.bluestars.org)

Friday started with the usual sectional meetings, where they reviewed the work from the last couple of camps and started to learn new music. The battery percussion was happy to have Blue Stars percussion consultant, Colin McNutt available to work with them over the course of the weekend.

Saturday morning the corps awoke bright and early with a detailed body warm-up by our conditioning guru Doug Hall and our team of conductors. All set to some funky Dave Matthews music help relax and focus the corps on the goals for the day.

Next we went off into sectionals. The battery left for the “barn” to work on basics with caption-head Brian Kraft and the visual team and the brass and front ensemble moved to their normal sectional areas. In the afternoon, the brass line was next to the “barn” to go through their conditioning paces (they love their 2 mile run) and more details in regard to the movement program for the summer.

That evening, after dinner and warm-ups, all sections of the corps got together in ensemble to work all of the music in the show. You can start to see the determination on the faces of the members with all of the elements coming together.

Saturday night we faced some unique adversity. Though a warm front was coming through the Indiana area and the temperature was forecasted as near 65 degrees on Sunday, a fast moving storm was coming from the Northwest, bringing rain to Indiana and ice/snow as you moved further north in to the Upper Midwest. Corps Director, Eric Sabach, had a short meeting with the corps and in the safety of the members gave the members from the soon to be affected areas the opportunity to leave camp early and, with the advice of their parents, head home safely. With a few interesting stories, all made it home safely.

Sunday came and though we were about 20 members short, we pushed forward with our goals. Our brass arranger/program manager, Frank Sullivan, and Eric Sabach sat down with each section of the drum corps and showed them an animated version of their drill and music to the first 5 minutes of the show. The integrated effects created by Frank Sullivan, Kevin Ford, Michael Shapiro, with Brent Montgomery and Seth Adams, brought a series of spontaneous response from the members. We are sure that they will do the same for fans across the country this summer.

We ended the day with our usual music ensemble and “show and tell” for staff, volunteers, and parents/friends in attendance. The members knew now what their show was going to start to look like and kicked it into the “next gear” in our preparation for our upcoming MARCHing Camp (March 7-9) and all the way through Spring Training to our first show.

The color guard’s next camp is May 2-4, 2008 and that will be their final post WGI audition weekend. All those interested can fill out a membership application on www.bluestars.org and the staff will keep you informed as we get closer.

Also, we have 1 mellophone, 2 euphonium, and 2 tuba spots still available. The drum corps is near full, but we are always looking for the best, brightest, and talented possible for the drum corps. If you have interest in being a member of the Blue Stars, please contact Corps Director / Director of Youth Programs – Eric Sabach at eric@bluestars.org for more information.

Stay tuned for our show announcement on March 1st, 2008.

Jonathan Powell, Principal Conductor

Jonathan Powell has been appointed Principal Conductor for the 2008 season. He brings with him 5 years of conducting experience in the competitive marching arena. Prior to his arrival to the Blue Stars, he served 2 years as a Drum Major at the University of Arkansas, and 3 years as a Drum Major at Summit High School in Mansfield, Texas. He has been the recipient of conducting awards at nationally renowned conducting camps, and his conducting teams have been recognized at regional and national invitational marching contests. He has studied conducting under Professor W. Dale Warren of the University of Arkansas.

Jonathan is a native of Arlington, Texas, but currently resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He is the son of James and Debra Powell. He is currently a junior undergraduate at the University of Arkansas, where he is pursuing degrees in Chemical Engineering and International Business and Economics.

“I am honored and excited to have been entrusted with this position at the Blue Stars. The Blue Stars have a proud and storied tradition, and I am honored to be a part of it. I look forward to getting to work with each of the members as we develop lifelong bonds in music. I look forward to the challenge of living up to the Blue Stars name and learning its traditions. My hope is that the members and staff will hold me to the highest standard as we journey on our quest for excellence.”

Joseph Raymond III, Associate Conductor

Joe B. Raymond III, former drum major of the Capital Regiment, begins his 2nd year as conductor for the Blue Stars in 2008. Joe graduated from Harrison Central High School in his hometown of Gulfport, Mississippi in 2005. He currently attends Delta State University where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in music education and is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity.

"I am very excited about the progress of the Blue Stars for 2008 season. I look forward to the corps' performance and the increasing growth of the Blue Stars and am glad to have the chance to help aid in this growth for another year."

Terryl Banta, Associate Conductor

After a year away from the activity, Terryl Banta returns to drum corps as a Blue Stars Associate Conductor. Previously, she was the drum major for the Seattle Cascades for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Prior to her time at Cascades, she spent her first year of drum corps as a drum major for the Spokane Thunder in 2004.

Terryl is a music education major at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington.

The 2008 drum corps season will be Terryl’s eighth season of marching music, and sixth as a drum major. “I am absolutely excited to join the Blue Stars on this constantly upward-moving journey! After spending just one weekend with the corps, I am sold. I personally witnessed the wonderful atmosphere this corps creates, and I look forward to a great experience with a corps that’s doing all the right things.”

The Blue Stars are still in the ongoing process of auditioning potential members for the 2008 season. It is not too late to take part in the process. For information on auditions or general information, please email the corps director, Eric Sabach at eric@bluestars.org

Please visit our website at www.bluestars.org for an upcoming announcement on our 2008 program, news, scores, merchandise, and to donate.