by Jeff Goddard, Roadie Chairman
Posted October 14
Sitting in my chair at 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning, winding down from the Orange City competition, I opened up my home newspaper (it's a weekly from a small town in southwestern Nebraska), and the first thing I read was the 'Thought for the Week' which went: "Anyone can be happy when times are good; but the richer experience is to be happy when times are not."
Recapping the events from the day, it was easy for me to think that we just experienced a time from the 'are not' category. But I thought a bit further about the whole experience, and it didn't take me long to realize what a wonderfully rewarding day it was. Here are some highlights:
- Once again working with a great crew of Roadies, unloading and reloading horns, drums, props, uniforms, and pit equipment. Roadies hanging tough and standing in there to get the job done despite the on and off drizzle. During one such truck unloading, I looked over at Eric and couldn't decide if he was dripping with rain or sweat.
- Working for a great bunch of pit kids that were told they couldn't warm up and basically just had to stand around for a couple hours and watch their instruments get wet. I talked with most of them to offer encouraging words, but I needn't have worried, their spirits were high and I think they just had a great time.
- Watching the band deliver another GREAT show!!! (the comment with the fewest words, but really says the most)
- Just when the fireworks started (which coincided nicely with the heaviest rain), I was lying on the roof of the pit trailer trying to fix the roof vent as the wind had torn it away from the latching mechanism. I was also half standing on the drum majors ladder, which was in turn standing on a wet slippery picnic table. Fortunately, my good Roadie friend Greg Waters was standing below, holding the ladder and offering words of encouragement: "This don't look too safe." There I was, lying on the roof in the rain. laughing!
- Back at LHS, we unloaded the horns during a 'dry' spell, thinking the buses weren't too far behind. The buses ended up being farther behind than we thought and the dry spell didn't last quite long enough. So we rolled out a 30x50' tarp and 6 of us Roadies stood in the wind and drizzle holding it over the horns and drums. Did I mention wind? It was at this time that the wind decided to add to the enjoyment; a gust would arrive and announce itself by sending a wave from one end of the tarp to the other. Did I mention rain? When the 'wave' got to the end of the tarp and 'snapped,' it would send a fairly sizable spray of water into the face of whichever Roadie happened to be at that end of the tarp. and the swirling wind made sure we all got our turns. But even so, the spirits of these Roadies weren't dampened as we kept ourselves occupied by laughing and joking at our predicament.
Though I'm proud of all the Roadies that got 'er done this wet weekend, my 'heroes for the day' are those that 'shared the tarp' with me: Greg Waters, Amy Knutson, Chris Pearson, Beth Schlup, and Scott Feltis. Maybe it was the rain, maybe because it was 1:00 a.m., maybe because most of the free-world probably considers us loony birds, but this is one Roadie event I'll never forget.
Speaking of all the Roadies, here are the proud and the wet that served: Dean Versteeg, Jon Sogn, Jim/Kristie/Becca/Cassie Fitzgerald, Tim/Janice/Shelby Dykstra, Dean/Amy Gesch, Chris/Kim Pearson, Eric/Amy Knutson, Jim/Diane McCann, Robert/Beth Schlup, Cindy Stanga, Ben Greenlee, Aaron/Lisa Asmus, Scott Feltis, Brenda Childerston, Greg Waters, Ron Sisk, Dave Ulmer, and Tony Reed. Note that Jim & Diane McCann are retired Roadies, along with Neil Krohse and Tom Reed who couldn't make the trip but helped pack the truck at LHS.
Special thanks to the Roadies who loaded up the uniform trailer at LHS and again at Orange City. I'm not sure who was there, because I didn't have to be, which is what I appreciate most in a Roadie: just knowing something needs to be done, and doing it. And special thanks to Eric Knutson who helped me fix tires in the pit during the Saturday rehearsal.
So as I drug myself to bed, I dozed off with the satisfaction of knowing that this was really a wonderful day. and yes, my aching body today is proof!!! (How 'bout yours?).
