When people think of the word touring they think of musicians visiting places whether it's international or local to support and idea or a project. My definition of touring is going to a place for a purpose or a competition. Just like touring for musicians touring for competitions is not the life many think it is. The life of touring is one that both pushes you to the edge and is a test of your will.
For me the life of touring began at the age of 12 in 6th grade for geography. My very first tour which was for State for the Geography Bee in Madison. That day was when I got a first taste of what the lifestyle would be like. At first it was amazing with the glam, fame and encouragement from everyone, but it wasn't until later I discovered later that I saw the dark side of touring. The transition period from elementary school to middle school placed me in new environments with new challenges, foes and more responsibility. when my tour with geography came to end I stated getting involved in new things, that thing turned out to be Forensics. Even spanning up to now Forensics is the biggest thing I'm touring for right now. With 2 great seasons, and 2 state ribbons under my belt for now forensics is turning out to be the one that I'm going to be supporting for a while. By the time this piece is written I am getting ready to enter my 3rd year supporting forensics.
It's always tough to constantly get yourself out there go to a competition lather, rinse, repeat and get yourself ready for another competition. Obvious reasons is the competition. When you enter any type of competition whether its athletic or academic your opponent is either going to be worse or better than you. Another outside factor is the image you create yourself because obviously when you're doing something you want to look good doing it right? The fame is something many take for granted. What many don't understand is that even though the 15 minutes you have offers you much don't forget it's going to come crashing down on you and entomb you. Fatigue is another factor in the stress of it all. You go to competition one night and next thing you know next week another one. If you're a person who leads a busy life you just can't seem to catch a break. Everyday is the same daily environment stress such as friends, families, loved ones etc. Next you have the stress of getting yourself ready. For me forensics was tough due to the fact that it was like a "conventional album". In the music industry a conventional album is a piece of music where it must be written under time constraints and then released. Once released it will have have hit songs on them otherwise known as "singles". For me Forensics was the same thing, write a speech, get a visual ready in just under a short period of time like for example 2 weeks. Next I would get myself ready for the competition by practicing, practicing, practicing etc. Finally when competition comes I present and if there's any flops in my work then I go back and correct it and prepare myself, once again lather, rinse, repeat.
Life on the road is not fun as many think it is. Instead the long nights, the many cans of soda ingested and the parties that go on at competitions take their toll on you. Overtime all of this puts stress on yourself that eventually brings changes on many scales whether it's big or small. Touring leaves its mark and one things for sure once your 15 minutes expire nothing but disaster strikes.
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