Do It Again...A Shout-Out For Every Tech Out There

Oh we oh we ohh oh!

"Let me see count one again."

"...and again."

"Again"

"AGAIN"

"DO IT AGAIN!"

"Where are your shoulders?" 

"Where are your hips?"

"Fix your angle."

"Concentrate!"

"Perform!"

"Do it again for Becky."

"Do it until it is dropless."

"TAKE IT BACK AND DO IT AGAIN!"

I was once told by my now good friend Richard Horton, that he felt that his life in March was to please the Wicked Witch of the West (which was me), and whenever I said the phrase, "Take it back and do it again," he wanted to start chanting the Wizard of Oz soldier chant, "Oh we oh...we ohhh oh." It is almost April and for most everyone it has come down to the details; a matter of tenths. It has come down to the angle of the foot and a breath taken in the middle of the phrase. Every effort change matters and every characterization given up could mean the difference between dressing for finals or buying a ticket. Want a medal? You better be able to handle the pressure. 

It has always been my belief that one of the most difficult tasks in the pageantry activity is the one of the tech before nationals. The tech...the mother of repetition...the queen of detail...the bad guy! We can try to sugarcoat it all day long, but there is someone with every program who has to say the phrase, "Do it again and do it until it is consistent and correct."  There are times (enter sarcasm please) when we even say, "We will do it until your arms fall off." 

A good tech knows a few things. They know that the pressure of nationals regardless of class, is one that cannot be approached in a lackadaisical manner. They know that in Dayton there is very little sleep to be had and the performers cannot function on mental auto-pilot. They know that the judges have a big job to do and that job is to get the right 15 guards into finals. The good tech knows that it's more than just counts and the equipment going around together. They have to merge all 4 captions into one cleaning session and be able to build muscle memory, while at the same time talking about emotion and character. They know that effort changes can't be cleaned out of a phrase, but cleaned as the primary focus of the phrase. The tech has just a few rehearsals left and they are counting the hours they have left to get it right. They are seeing drops and it freaks them out. Wrong shoulder angles irritate them to no end. They have to make a decision whether to water the phrase or let it stand and take the chance. For some techs...they have a designer coming in behind them saying the words that sends chills down their spines, "You know I was thinking..." That sentence doesn't even have to be finished, because a good tech knows that once that phrase is uttered, the clock just started ticking a lot faster.

 I wish I had a picture of the face of every tech when they hear from a designer that there is a major change coming right before nationals. Since those pics don't exist...I found this picture of what I believe is an amalgam of all techs after they hear that change is in the air.

I write this today, because sometimes the techs are often ignored when the accolades are handed out. They rise to the occasion and clean the show in parking lots, in the dark, in the wind, and sometimes in the rain. Sometimes they are given just minutes to get the phrase right. Many of them are put under immense pressure of time while design takes precedent over training and cleaning. Many of them are asked to clean brand new flag features just hours before a show. (Please see the link below for proof of that statement).

A performer often times (in fact most times) has no idea what goes on behind the scenes. They don't realize the pressure the staff is under to make sure every detail is considered and poured over. The performer see's the world from the perspective of the floor with sore muscles, beat up equipment, and a low bank account. They don't truly grasp what the end product is meant to be. They don't go to critique and have to sit with judges who may not like the product or  who love the product, but want just a little more. The staff are critiqued as much as the performers and sometimes more. They are fighting for every tenth. They are under serious pressure to make sure the Dayton experience isn't just memorable, but that the competitive goals are met. In many gyms around the country in late March, it is the techs job to make sure not one piece of equipment hits the ground and the flag feature is flawless. They clean a phrase from the floor, while their mind cleans it from up top in the Dayton arena. The tech has dissected every hand position, foot position, body angle, pitch, speed change and weight shift and the entire time is making sure they are not changing the intent of the design. (Which is harder than anyone can imagine). 

In my years as a tech I've been told that I don't have a reflection when I look at myself in the mirror and that my phone number begins with 666. I have watched performers huff and puff, roll their eyes, cry, fake injuries, and threaten to quit. I have been called the bad guy more times than I care to admit and have been left in the gym to clean a difficult phrase, while the rest of the staff went on ahead to dinner. I loved it, though...every single minute. I loved toiling over the shows and analyzing the musicality of the phrases. I loved being left alone in the gym to say, "Again." There is nothing like knowing that what you are doing could be the difference in hearing the roar of the crowd or the deflating, "OHHHH."

I encourage every performer out there to give the staff a break as you head to championships. Trust them. Know that you are all on the same team. You are all tired and broke. You are all together as we come to this emotional end. Most of your staff worked this season for little to no money.  Many of them were the designer, the tech, and the director all wrapped into one super human. Go and thank the person who made sure you could throw your equipment not just as an individual, but also as an ensemble. Thank the person who worked tirelessly for you to experience the roar of the crowd and your moment to shine. Thank the tech who made sure the flag feature with its odd hand to hand changes, over the top wrist releases, and final toss that comes out of nowhere is so clean the crowd sits speechless and in awe.

Thank all of them, but most importantly you must never forget this important lesson. Always and I mean ALWAYS...throw the last flag toss of the show because if you don't, the tech who cleaned the flag feature to its highest level of perfection, will most certainly throw themselves from the top of the arena.

The flag phrase that was completely re-written the Sunday before nationals and cleaned in the hotel parking lot before pre-lims in the rain.