Calgary was ... wait for it ... AMAZING!!!! And so are the Lancers

Bus 1

Ok, so even though the wi-fi was sketchy and we shared a high school with beer-swilling Germans and a host of others who had less than Lancer-like courteousness when it comes to locker room hygeine, the week I just spent in Calgary with the Mankato Area 77 Lancers was one I'll never forget.

Mountain tops, category 5 rapids, self-deprecating Canadian dinner theater, teen-age drama, kick-butt performances by our kids ... I tell ya, I honestly wasn't prepared for how all-over-the-map this trip would be.

Bus 2

In case you're reading this and you haven't been keeping up (and I honestly wouldn't blame you if you weren't) here's a quick primer. My daughter Emma is in a marching band called the Lancers, a community band that competes as a competitive show band in parades. When their competitive season wraps up, they head out for what we call the "tour." When they do, they need chaperons. That's where I came. I signed up to be one. (DISCLOSURE: I'm also on the organization's Parent Board, a group that sort of oversees day-to-day operations of the group.) And man oh man am I glad I decided to be a chaperon. We went to Calgary for the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede, a legendary gathering for cowboys and cowgirls clad in stetsons, plaid shirts and really, really big and shiny belt buckles. (I started a collection of belt-buckle photos that, once it got awkward, I stopped. I got some good ones, though.)

So ... without further adieu, and with the knowledge that the only ones who will care about this will be the families of the kids who came with us and perhaps some alumni, I shall tell you about our trip.

But I'm going to sort of pick up where I left off. To get a sense of the first few days, check our my last two blog entries here and here. Then come back here.

WHITEWATER RAFTING

The Lancers are headed up my Mike Hench, a man who has been on his share of band trips. So when he said to us a few months ago that the whitewater rafting trip would be the highlight of our time in Canada, I believed him that it would be fun. But I gotta tell ya, folks: this was a ridiculously good time.

I'm on the left. The large guy. Emma is in front of me.

If you've never had the pleasure, I firmly believe now that everyone, no matter your age, should at some point in their life ride down a raging, rapids-filled river. Bone-chillingly cold water splashing on skin that blazing hot from the July sun. It's like skiing down a moguls hill. Only here, a mistake lands you in some serious trouble. Sort of. We're all wearing life jackets and wet suits and the guides are very skilled (they say) at rescuing people. But all that seems a world away when you're staring into the belly of an angry wave that is almost screaming out to you that it wants to eat you.

I was lucky enough to have sat behind my daughter on this adventure. In the other six spots were a fine collection of Lancers, each of whom seemed to be having at least as much fun as I.

By the end, I was shocked -- seriously shocked -- to hear that our two-and-a-half hour ride was over. Seemed like 20 minutes.

TEEN DRAMA

It's probably impossible to throw 81 kids together for a week and not have a little bit of drama.

We had our share. There was, shall we say, disagreements about the proper way to maintain personal  hygiene. There were couples sprouting up all over. And even though the rules about public displays of affection were written clearly in their handbooks, some of them either can't read or didn't read them. Either way, rules against PDAs were broken.

One of the rules states that, when we're out sight-seeing, Lancers must always be in groups no smaller than three. Seems simple, right? You'd be amazed how many times we found groups of two, usually boy/girl, quite often a "couple." Once, while I browsed an amazing store called Roots in Banff, a cute little couple wandered in. I stood there and stared. Once they spotted me, they looked sheepish and started looking around, hoping I wouldn't realize the rule. But I did. And this little couple became my new best buds for a while (or, at least until I found another group of Lancers for them to tag along with.)

It didn't take long. A half block of T-shirt stores later and we found another group, and I was able to send the lovebirds on their way.

Another pair of chaperons found a pair in the Stampede Park -- the carnival where the food vendors, rides and grandstand sits. Instead of quickly finding more Lancers, this young couple was stuck with a pair of chaperons who got not a small amount of glee out of stopping an hour to rest and watching these Lancers squirm because they couldn't be out having fun with the rest of the kids.

But hey: Rules are rules. No "twos" allowed.

LAKE LOUISE

There are certain times in your life when you're confronted with a degree of beauty that defies description. This was one of those times. Lake Louise is situated between a pair of mountains, with a third snow-covered peak off in the distance. When you're at lake level, the view is ... breathtaking. So I won't try to describe it. You can look at pictures, but pictures, I can assure, do not do it justice. It must be experienced.

GETTING TO KNOW THE KIDS

Beyond the parades, the rafting, Lake Louise -- the best part of the trip, really, was getting to know the kids. And for me it was so much fun getting a boots-on-the-ground look at what my daughter sees in this group.

As a Lancer parent last year, I learned a lot. I started to get to know marching bands a little. This year, I decided to get to know the group a little better, and signed up to chaperon. This was the best way to see exactly how much work goes into being a Lancer and in pulling off a successful tour.

The work actually began a few weeks ago when the chaperons went with the band to their big competition weekend in Alexandria (which is considered the state tournament of marching show bands). That was more intense. It was all business, then. The kids were focused and they wanted to win. You could see it in their faces all weekend long, even at 10 p.m. the night before their final, major parade, going over their show again and again and again in the parking lot of Minnewaska High School. In the end, they finished second by less than two points to a great Park Center band, but they performed the hell out of their show.

The Canada tour was the fun part. But for chaperons, it's the part where the work comes. Being a chaperon for a Lancer tour is NOT a vacation (unless you consider sleeping on school classroom floors, getting to bed at 1 a.m. and getting up at 6:30 a.m., and not having very good access to showers a vacation). But it was an unforgettable week. I got to know kids on tour that I'd previously only seen march by in their uniform. I got to know them as kids, not just Lancers. Being there with them -- and with my daughter -- on a trip full of so many memories, is the kind of life experience you don't get from a regular vacation.

I'm so glad I went. And I can't wait to go again sometime.