Colt Cadet Corps trains in Ottumwa

Jul. 8—OTTUMWA — Dozens of teenagers are calling Ottumwa High School home over the next several days.

The Colt Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, a member of the Drum Corps International and based out of Dubuque, is spending two of its "spring training" weeks in Ottumwa, arriving early this week.

"We approach this as a very educational and scholastic program," said Rich Waddington, director of the corps. "They can gain experience to grow and advance to the World-Class Corps."

The cadets are an open-class competitive, non-auditioned junior drum and bugle corps, serving as a feeder for the World Class Colts Drum and Bugle Corps, which requires an audition, he said.

The Cadets have 43 members this year, which is a low number. "In a normal year, we have mid- to upper 80s," Waddington said. "Because of all the COVID stuff, numbers took a hit this year."

OHS junior Dominic Gerleman is one of those members. He plays the trumpet and is hoping to expand his skills.

"I love marching. It's my favorite time of year during the high school season," he said. "I wanted to push myself to a higher potential.

"My dad marched with the Phantom regiment and got me into watching DCI," he added about OHS band director Troy Gerleman, also noting that his uncle was a Colt. The Dubuque-based group was the closest corps with an open class, he said.

Gerleman was actually set to play in the Cadet Corps last year, but then the pandemic hit and shut the season down.

"It was so horrible last year," he said. "We were doing so good and the music was great, better than most of the music I've done. It was really sad."

The Cadet Corps is still feeling the effect of the pandemic in ways other than numbers. There's no color guard this year, and the group got a late start on in-person rehearsals.

"This is a short summer for us," Waddington said. All rehearsals prior to this week were held online via Zoom lessons. In a normal season, he said, an open house would be held shortly after the Super Bowl, and then there would be several monthly Friday through Sunday overnight camps. "It gives them a test of what the camp will be like," he said.

Then, drilling on the field would begin in May. They didn't get to that point until this week. "The challenge with this year is we had none of that leading to this. It's a challenge to make up that lost time and training," Waddington said.

However, the online rehearsals have paid dividends. "They're catching on extremely quickly. The kids came in very well prepared. They're jelling very quickly," he said. Waddington said members hail from Midwest states including Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan and Kansas as well as farther states such as Texas, Arkansas, Arizona and Florida.

"You've got to push yourself to meet new people. It makes it a lot more fun," Gerleman said. He's also working to balance being a member of the Cadet Corps and a de facto host. It was his membership and his dad's connection to the group that led to the training camp being held in Ottumwa. "I have to be a Colt, be a member of it, but know enough to help out," he said.

Just like the rest of the group, he's making OHS home through July 19, sleeping on mattresses and sleeping bags set up in the music rooms at the school. "Because we have a thing called the bubble, we can't leave," Gerleman said. He will stay in that bubble with the group through their final performances in Indianapolis Aug. 12-14.

"At first, I was really nervous about [being away from my family], but once you're in it, you don't have time to think about it," Gerleman said.

The Colt Cadets have three sections of rehearsal each day, Waddington said, with field drills in the morning session, sectional rehearsals in the afternoon, and an evening block where the full ensemble gathers and works through perfecting drills and the show as a full group.

The Ottumwa session will wrap up with a special performance at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 18, at Schafer Stadium. "It will be exciting to perform here," Gerleman said.

After their time in Ottumwa, more spring training will be held in Dubuque before touring through Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. from July 30 to the DCI celebration in Indianapolis Aug. 12-14. "Our focus is to stay in the Midwest before we go to Indianapolis," the director said.

Music for the show runs the gamut from classical to rap, Waddington said, and includes jazz and music from movies. The final selection is music from "How to Train Your Dragon," which Gerleman said is his favorite piece from the show as he's a fan of the movie. Other selections include Etta James' "At Last," Kendrick Lamar's "Pray for Me," and "Afro-American Symphony" by William Grant Still to open the show.

"We like to select a lot of different genres in hopes it connects with the kids in some way," Waddington said.

In the meantime, the group will continue to focus on perfecting the program during their time in Ottumwa. Gerleman said members seem to like the town so far. "The big thing is the field," he said. "They're surprised by how big it is."

— Features Editor Tracy Goldizen can be reached via email at tgoldizen@ottumwacourier.com or followed on Twitter @CourierTracy.