As the seasons change throughout life, one must be able to adjust. Some seasons last just a few weeks, while others can last years. But, at some point, those seasons end and the cycle of life continues to prosper.
Heat Wave’s season concluded on July 29 at the DCI Southeastern Championship in Atlanta, but the summer of 2023 mirrors the theme of the Florida-based corps’ production — learning to continue on with life as the seasons change.
“When October Goes,” Heat Wave’s 2023 production, uses the 1984 Barry Manilow track of the same name as the foundation. The song depicts Manilow reliving the pain of losing a lover at the turn of the season. But, Heat Wave decides to use the song as a way to remember the experience of a season.
“October is not a sad month,” the corps wrote as part of its publicity materials revealing the production at the beginning of June. “In fact, it's quite beautiful. As we reach the end of our performance, we ask that you do not cry because the month is over, but smile because it happened.”
There are plenty of things that happened during Heat Wave’s 2023 season that has made drum major Matthew Dickerson smile. The corps’ final performance in Atlanta was one instance that brought joy to the corps’ members.
The conclusion of Heat Wave’s competitive season also marked the culmination of weeks of persevering through extreme heat in Florida. The temperatures in the Sunshine State caused the corps to employ various cooling measures in order to safely rehearse. Dickerson applauded the corps’ diligence and flexibility during rehearsals, which allowed them to improve on the field.
“We worked very carefully and made sure we did everything appropriately,” Dickerson said. “But, we persevered through it while getting a lot of great work done.”
The effort the corps’ members put in while practicing paid off in a big way in Atlanta. Competing in the Open Class division, Heat Wave logged a score of 60.550 at the event. That score was a 1.25 point improvement from the corps’ tally at the same venue in 2022.
“We put on a really good performance,” Dickerson said. “It looked like there were some happy faces coming off the field, so I’m really happy with the run we had.”
Making a competitive improvement is always something to celebrate as a corps. For Dickerson, however, seeing corps members persevere through adversity to complete the season with an “amazing” run was a special way to finish his third season with Heat Wave.
“It’s been absolutely amazing to see and work with [the corps],” Dickerson said. “This is the best season we’ve had during my three years with the corps.”