On Tuesday July 30th, the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps did something that is considered out of the norm for many competitive groups: they left the Drum Corps International competitive tour for 24 hours. On a typical day, the Surf would spend most of their waking hours rehearsing their show for the final competitions that lie ahead in the final two weeks of their season. They would wake up, eat breakfast, and perfect their repertoire until it was time for bed. This past Tuesday, however, was not a normal day.
After starting their morning with breakfast, the Surf boarded their buses, not to go to rehearsal, but to the beach! The first part of their day was dedicated to cleaning up parts of the New Jersey shore on Long Beach Island which were damaged by Hurricane Sandy in October of last year. Given that many of the organization’s members, staff, and supporters were, and are still, affected by that disaster, it seemed only fitting that the Jersey Surf would create a service project addressing the needs of its own neighbors. The idea of an organizational service project is certainly not a new one, but in the drum corps world, there generally isn’t time set for anything besides preparing and refining that which the audience sees on the field. Before the current season began, the member leaders of the Surf “corps council” decided that in order to promote their “Share the Love” philosophy, one or two rehearsal blocks during the competitive season could be devoted to service to one of the communities visited during the tour.
Although the morning was spent performing the beach clean-up task, the Surf members and staff also enjoyed the opportunity to have some fun, and even worked a short rehearsal segment into their daily routine. A short block of time was dedicated to reviewing a choreographed portion of the Soul Surfing production, but it was done on the beach that they had just helped clean up. An audience of curious beach-goes looked on, but the rehearsal was cut short- this time for the Surf to hit the surf! The excited members were able to spend some time playing on the beach, swimming, and enjoying the time together as the tour enters the final two weeks.
Following the “Beach Block,” the Surf boarded the buses once more for another beach adventure awaiting. The caravan made their way to Wildwood, NJ for a special Tuesday night parade on the world-famous boardwalk, comprise solely of the corps! To end the day, the members and staff were able to spend a couple of hours relaxation on the boardwalk. A day of service and fun put smiles on the faces of everyone involved. Although there is some tough competition ahead, they are going to go into it with a fresh mind. Sharing the Love perhaps never felt so rewarding.