If you follow my blog you know that my performer spotlight articles tell the stories of people who have and continue to inspire me. A lot can be learned and applied to our experiences as performers or instructors by listening to the struggles and successes of others.
I find Benny very inspiring for many reasons.
At only 19 years old, from the small town of Waseca Minnesota, and going into his mere 3rd year of color guard experience he is already marching his second season with the Madison Scouts. In addition to being a young, ambitious color guard junkie, he's going on tour without a dime in his pocket because he'll do whatever it takes to do what he's passionate about doing. If you can help him out you can donate to his corps dues here. He needs to raise over $2,000.00 to march and every little bit helps. But before you do that, let me tell you a little more about him.
Benny started color guard in high school as a Senior and marched only one season there. Last summer he marched with the Govenaires senior drum and bugle corps, but halfway through the season he was spotted by a member of the Madison Scouts staff and asked to hop on the bus to fill a hole in their guard for the rest of the season. Once he got back from Scouts he finished out the Govenaires season - helping them win the title of Class A World Champions at DCA Finals. This year he is returning to march with the Scouts as a vet.
I asked Ben to elaborate on his color guard experiences.
Ben: I was introduced to color guard by constantly watching and being a member of the Waseca marching jays as soon as I had gotten into high school. I had just loved the impact that a well coordinated ensemble could effortlessly make on an audience. I remember my that eyes would filter out everything going on in the show except for how awesome the flags had looked like when they spun together to the music. I knew in my heart it's what I had wanted to do but immediately became discouraged when I realized the colorguard was comprised of nothing but females, so I started my marching career in the battery.
I had originally just messed around with my friend's equipment then realized more and more how much I loved it. Unfortunately, Waseca's color guard program didn't allow guys to participate due to a couple of old rules, which to an extent is very understandable. The idea of guys doing colorguard (even for me) was just completely foreign to a small mid-western town like Waseca, thus, I never got to participate for my early high school years. So my start was all very self taught. I always found myself making friends with a lot of the guard members in Waseca and I had befriended a lot of members of different high schools almost all being guard members, until I had soon surrounded myself with friends that did nothing but spin all day. As time went on, their habits eventually began to grow on me.
Being surrounded by all of these new friends helped me to discover the different networks of color guard around the world, helped me to learn different ways of spinning, challenged me to learn new and different tricks, and continued to expand my knowledge of the sport. So long story short, even though I wasn't even in color guard until my senior year of high school doesn't mean I wasn't spinning and practicing almost everyday. Some days all I used to do was practice, especially in high school when I wasn't as preoccupied with life.
During my senior year of high school there was a staff change at Waseca and the old "no boys allowed" rule was removed. I became the first male to march Waseca's color guard. during my high school year I began to attend winter camps with the Govenaires Drum and Bugle Corps and refined my skills alot more. I then began the 2011 summer with the Govenaires, but at the TCF show I had been asked to fill a flag hole in the Madison Scouts and help them out for the rest of tour. I simply could not refuse the offer. After marching DCI finals, I finished out the rest of the season with the Govenaires, participating in both DCI and DCA for the first time in the same season. The Govenaires took first place at finals becoming world champions. Also at DCA I participated in the Individual and Ensemble contest with Govies Chorus and received first place.
Q: What is your favorite piece of equipment and why?
Ben: Flag, hands down. It creates such an amazing impact when done correctly. And the different spins you can get out of a flag are almost endless.
Ben: I would have to say being the first male color guard member in Waseca would be my biggest accomplishment. Yeah it may have been difficult with all of the hurtful things people had to say about me when I did so but because I stayed strong, not only did I take down a blatant ignorant rule, I had broken tradition in one of the longest running competing marching bands in the Midwest. I also opened a door for future spinners who see the sport as gender-blind and now Waseca has cast 2 other guys in the guard this year!
Q: What are one or two things you do in your training that are keys to your success?
Ben: I feel like the morning preparation into the daily practice is what is always most important. I have an apple and tons of water with my breakfast in place of my daily caffeine intake which helps me to focus during rehearsal and I find my self more energized for the day. A hot shower to start my day always helped to make my muscles more limber especially when I was pushing to gain flexibility.
Overall I find putting in overtime is the key success in guard, for example, practicing in what people say is a little too much, over performing and really making sure I sell the work. Every second put into the program of whatever season outside of scheduled rehearsals have all seem to have gotten me where I am today with my success in marching music. One of my techs in the Scouts from last year, Laura Gasper, had said something that sticks to me this very day: nothing is more important than taking personal time with your equipment for it's the time of self-challenge and growth, you will almost always discover something different about the given choreography when it's one on one time with you and your equipment.
oh and of course reps, reps, reps,
Q: How do you set your goals?
Ben: I find writing down my goals as one of the best ways to set them because everything seems more easily accomplished when it's written down in front of you. And in guard world for some reason this method of goal setting just has always just worked in my favor. I also challenge myself to make less mistakes and to get better with every rep during personal practices.
Q: What is your biggest challenge, and how do you overcome this challenge?
Ben: Getting myself in the Madison Scouts 2011 New York Morning show was what I found the most challenging moment in my marching music career. Joining anything midway will never be easy, but I thought this goal was near impossible. Everything just happened sooo fast, putting my life on pause, getting to know everyone, not having the same level of physicality as everyone else, not working on the same level of skill for an entire half of a season, and just learning someone else's drill spot, I thought I was doing nothing but running myself into the ground and breaking down way more frequently for anyone's good. but once I got over the challenge and found myself looking up at the audience from the bottom of the field in Lucas Oil Stadium at DCI finals with everyone out of their seat and going crazy for what we had just performed for them, I have never had so much self worth in my life.
Q: How often do you practice and for how long?
Ben: Lately I have not put in a lot of practice due to staying very busy with school and work but usually if there is time to sit, there is defiantly time to spin. Whenever I'm not preoccupied with something important, it is nearly guaranteed that I will have a piece of equipment in my hands. I honestly think of practice for color guard as my time of leisure. When my practicing skills were prime I would practice from around 3 pm when school got out till right before I head to bed. There have been times where you can find me spinning at times like 3 am in the front yard and with the cops pulling up to my house asking my if my wooden rifle was real.
Q: What things do you believe differentiate you from your contemporaries who have tailed off in their participation and abilities?
Ben: I find that those who tail off from it eventually loose touch with their skills completely, at least from the instances I have seen. I also find myself a little more disciplined and I feel myself getting healthier while those who tail off head completely in the other direction.
Q: Do you have any recommended resources to share? (books, seminars, websites, etc).
Ben: Surprisingly not. All of this has really been a hands on experience for me but I guess I would suggest to just YouTube as much guard as possible. There's always a new trick to learn out there and I feel like the more I watch color guard, the more I understand it.
Q: Have you experienced a break through in Color Guard at any point? If so, what led to it?
Ben: I guess my break through would also be my highlight of my guard career which would be DCA finals. because I felt like it was the real point of reflection for me and it was the point that put a period to my second year of this amazing sport.
Q: What was the best advice you were ever given?
Ben: Ha I'm reminded of it everyday and especially at guard rehearsals, "BREATHE!"
Q: Do you have a saying or motto that you live your life by?
Ben: The only thing hindering yourself from what you want to do is nothing but yourself.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Ben: I draw my inspiration from my supporters back at home because I feel that making people proud of me by entertaining them is something no one will ever take away from either me or them, but mainly my mother because I want nothing more than life but to make her proud.
Q: Do you have any color guard role models?
Ben: Allison Freaking Larkin, not only did she recruit me into my first corps, she was the first person to teach me rifle basics properly and was the also the first person to prove to me that color guard can be awesome and not only for high-schoolers. She's kind of like my color guard guru. Her ambition, excitement, and love for guard is truly amazing and reminds me everyday why we do what we do. Her personality has helped me strengthen my confidence in the sport and she was the one to take my hand to assure me that I can be whoever I want to be. What do you think got me so brave to spin and dance with a flag in a small town?
I also just find myself looking up to every guard member involved with the Govies, to do the work we do and to pull off the programs we choose truly takes a great amount of self confidence and courage. Every personality there is just so different, which I least expect out of the people moving like how the Govies move. I look up to every one of them because each one is a fighter in their own way and seeing them fight to make sure that they dazzle every audience member they encounter is truly inspiring.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish in the next few years while you are still able to march Junior Corps?
Ben: I hope to find a discovery in myself during this process, I know marching junior corps will help enable me to grow as a man and learn how to live my life as a responsible citizen of the world because the lessons one can take from drum corps can really help lead your life into the right direction.
Q: Do you plan to march the Scouts until your age out?
Ben: Why yes i do :)
Q: What would you like to do with your Guard experience after you age out?
Ben: I one day hope to team up and instruct with my biggest guard inspiration, Allison Larkin, and use the experience to teach and keep marching music alive in the youth of tomorrow.
Q: What have you taken away from your experience in the Madison Scouts so far?
Ben: Overall I feel like I have become more confident in myself and Scouts has proved to me that I am never alone in life.
Q: Why do you prefer to march with the Scouts over other corps?
Ben: Well, my overall preference is the Govies for sure, but the reason why I choose to march with both the Govies and Scouts would have to be because, I feel I am more so part of a family than a drum corps, it's not business, it's fun! Also I feel both the Govies and Scouts are prime examples of giving people what they came for, entertainment.
Q: Anything else you'd like to share?
Ben: Well, just about 24 hours until I hop onto the bus in Madison [at the time of this interview], but I would like to thank you for interviewing me and taking the time to put me in your blog.
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I would also like to thank Ben for allowing me to interview him for this story. Ben - you've overcome so many obstacles that I'm sure many young men in color guard still face and you are truly an inspiration because you continue to be yourself no matter what. Your passion for guard is clear and it's amazing that anyone can accomplish what you have. If you find Benny as inspirational as I do please ensure that he can continue to march with the Madison Scouts by making a small donation towards his dues. Currently money is the biggest obstacle between Ben and his dream - his heart alone shows that money should not hold him back. You can contribute here. Make sure that you enter the name Ben Serrato in the "corps member name" form field so that he receives credit for the donation. If you have trouble donating at this site you can send a check directly to the scouts and mention that you'd like it to go towards Ben's dues.
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