Dayton Memoirs: A 3 Part Series

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard...is what makes it great."

One Sunday morning many years ago in Dayton, Ohio, a group of friends sat around a table in Denny's looking tired and a little haggard from a week of too much stress, too little sleep, and too much laughter. As the group sat in silence trying to recover over their pancakes, a voice was heard asking one question, "So, how was everyone's WGI?" That voice was Ron Comfort and as the friends answered one by one, what was noticed was that everyone's experience was very different. They were unique and personal. Everyone's answers were filled with emotion and the names of people that created what many of us call, "The Dayton Experience."  After we got done sharing our tales of WGI, Ron made a statement that I will never forget. He said, "Don't you find it interesting that every year we all come to Dayton together, but not one of us leaves ever having had the same experience." That statement stayed with me forever, because it's probably the only way you can describe Dayton in all of its craziness and absurdity.

There are many commonalities in Dayton. We must all admit that no matter how many times we have seen the arena, that there's something truly special about seeing it for the first time of the weekend and something sad in saying goodbye to it on Saturday night. Dayton is not exactly a "vacation destination," and when you tell people you are spending your hard earned vacation time in Dayton, Ohio they truly look at you and say, "Ummm...really? Why?" Why indeed! It's because of the moments. It's because it's our playground and that playground is irreplaceable. It's like being down the rabbit hole with Alice and exploring a world filled with adventure and wise sages guiding you to your next destination. In Dayton, we all hear it at least once and we may be the people to say it, "After this weekend I have to start focusing on real life again." Our lives are spent in a season called winter and spring doesn't arrive until we wake up on Sunday morning packing our bags to go home.

Dayton is filled with moments that intersect with other moments, that culminates in an arena on Saturday night and ends in a place called, "The Marriott." The people and the guards make up an experience that you literally can't describe to people outside the activity. It doesn't matter if you have a guard competing, if you are there to judge or you are just there to soak in a lifetime of memories from friends you knew years ago. Everyone leaves Dayton with the spherical sense of what it is like to be truly human and truly alive.



When I think of Dayton I can't help but drift into an amalgam of moments that make up words that need no explanation. Those are the words of Dayton...the whispers of decades gone by. Some of those words are common and some of those words are from people we will never hear from again, like "Ernie Zimney." It was something special to hear, "Is the guard ready," in his monotone and looming voice. We will never again hear the phrase, "Are the judges ready?" There have been so few moments in life that compares to standing on the Dayton floor as a performer and hearing those words; knowing that this is it. It all comes down to this moment. As an instructor, hearing Ernie ask if the judges were ready sent chills down your spine. You couldn't help but take a deep breath and say a small prayer to the pageantry gods to please let them do a good show.

There are also words that are timeless and so iconic that just hearing them brings back unique and special memories such as...Tunnel...Headquarters...Warm-Up...and 50/50 Raffle, by a guy wearing a very silly hat, convincing you to buy an arms length worth of raffle tickets. (I swear I'm going to win this year. Just watch!) These words bring back memories for some and have yet to be discovered by the youth who are about to experience it for the first time next week.

Dayton is special and it can't be replicated on the Fan Network or through viewing pictures on Facebook. They can bring you closer, but it's not like being there in person, because you can't replicate  the energy of seeing a friend you haven't seen in 10 years or seeing that special catch from a toss that left an arena of thousands breathless.

When thinking about this post I asked a number of people throughout the season about their favorite moments in Dayton. Many of them spoke of great shows. Others talked about icons who "held court," outside the elevator of the Marriott. Others gave me stories that I don't dare repeat in an open forum. Over the next 3 posts I hope to create the right combination that captures what Dayton means to all of us. The guards. The people. The energy. The memories.