For Evan Murr, the second week of August couldn’t have been more of a culmination.
It marked the end of his second summer on the Drum Corps International Tour with Boston Crusaders as well as his age-out season, bringing about the completion of his World Class drum corps career.
But Murr, this year’s marching arts recipient of the U.S. Marine Corps’ “Battles Won” award — which recognized his accomplishments as a successful drum corps performer and a survivor of late-stage cancer — had far more to celebrate at the 2024 DCI World Championships.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “I've known about the award and what it really means, and I know that it's really important. It means a lot to receive it.”
Evan Murr was originally a gymnast.
From the young age of five, Murr was dedicated to gymnastics, and pursued the sport until his early teen years. A severe neck injury, though — and the necessary procedures that followed — altered his focus dramatically.
Through family connections, Murr ultimately found marching band and drum corps — specifically, color guard — as a new outlet. Similar to gymnastics, it tapped into both his athletic and artistic sides.
"Gymnastics was my life, but after my injury, I couldn’t do contact sports anymore,” he said. That’s when I picked up color guard and dance.”
During his senior year of high school, though, Murr was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which led to a challenging period of chemotherapy.
"It was stage four, Group C—very severe,” Murr said. “If they hadn’t caught it when they did, I would’ve had maybe two months left. I had to do six months of chemo, spending one week in the hospital, then two weeks bedridden at home."
Murr’s rounds of chemotherapy drastically impacted his physical health, and rendered him temporarily unable to do what he’d grown to love — color guard.
For about six months, all he could do was wait.
"I couldn’t go outside and spin, which had always been my escape,” he said. “I had to just wait it out."
Finally, in February 2021, Murr’s cancer was declared to be in remission. But his journey was far from over.
College provided significant challenges while navigating frequent medical checkups. Eventually, Murr made the decision to step away from school after four semesters to focus on his health and teach color guard.
“That’s when I started marching again,” he added.
In 2023, Murr joined Mirage, a competitor in Winter Guard International’s Independent World classification, which introduced him to several members of Boston Crusaders’ renowned color guard.
He auditioned and joined the New England corps for its 2023 season — a rookie year that presented numerous challenges for Murr.
Murr’s first season with the Crusaders was, of course, difficult from a physical perspective.
But he also found himself struggling socially, and as such, missing out on a key aspect of the drum corps experience.
"I’ve never been a very social person,” Murr said, “I've never had more than five friends at a time. I don't get the whole idea of talking to a million different people and being friends with everyone. I just don't have the space for it in my brain to be able to keep track of all of it, I guess.”
“In 2023, I secluded myself a lot,” he added. “I removed myself from a lot of things, and I didn't really make those connections and those friendships that DCI is all about. I didn’t feel fulfilled, and I alienated myself."
But Murr returned in 2024, eager to complete his age-out season with the drum corps.
As he described, the experience was night-and-day from the year prior.
“Coming into this past season with a different mindset, it was just 10 times better in every way,” he said. “I made so many more friends. I just felt like I had a home and a family this year, rather than just a place to spin and enjoy color guard.”
And in the middle of the 2024 season, Murr was approached by his corps’ executive director, Chris Holland, who shared that he’d nominated Murr for a prestigious recognition — the "Battles Won" award, which has historically been presented by the U.S. Marine Corps to athletes and coaches in a wide variety of sports who show perseverance and courage in the face of major physical challenges.
The award — which Murr received at the 2024 DCI World Championships in Indianapolis — not only acknowledged his battle with cancer, but also celebrated his resilience in returning to the field.
"I knew about the award but didn’t realize it was being introduced in DCI,” Murr said. “Chris told me why he wanted me to be part of it, and seeing what he wrote about me was really heartfelt.
“He said my story moved him in a way no one else’s had."
Holland’s nomination was just one of countless examples of Murr finding support from Boston Crusaders’ instructional and administrative staff.
From understanding his physical needs to creating an environment of care and respect, Murr said the corps played a major role in helping overcome his medical challenges.
"The staff took the time to get to know me and what I needed,” he said. In a high-energy, high-risk activity like drum corps, I didn’t think it would be possible, but they made it happen."
As Murr shared, his life’s battles aren’t over. He still deals with lingering challenges as a result of his fight with lymphoma.
“I'm still dealing with stuff,” he said. “I went in for my yearly checkup a couple of weeks ago and they found some problems with my kidneys, so I have to go through another round of antibiotics.”
But to have accomplished a childhood dream, and one that at many points seemed impossible, is certainly a victorious battle worth celebrating — one of many.
“Just being able to do DCI in and of itself is an extreme accomplishment, with what I’ve been through,” he said. “It feels incredible. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”