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When Troopers corps director Mike Gough walked into a rehearsal of his corps this May, he became overwhelmed with emotion. It was the first time the brass, percussion and color guard sections put elements of their 2023 competitive production together musically and visually.
Seeing how much work current members were putting into this year’s production, “To Lasso the Sun,” was a reminder of just how far the Wyoming-based corps has come in recent years.
"Modern Troopers" aim for new heights with 2023's "To Lasso the Sun"
“It was an emotional experience through that rehearsal at May camp because we saw the culmination of generations of hopes and dreams coming to fruition,” Gough said.
In 2022, Troopers earned a “Top 12” spot as a DCI World Championship finalist for the first time in over a decade. A year later, the corps is celebrating its 65th anniversary and working to reach a new standard of excellence.
WATCH: Troopers return to Finals
“They were just next-level compared to anything I’ve seen in Troopers in the last 23 years and it changed my perspective,” Gough said about his first impressions of the 2023 corps.
As the Troopers approach the start of their 65th anniversary season, the corps has taken the time to reflect on past seasons while keeping eyes focused on the future.
It’s been a little over three weeks since the corps made the trek from its hometown of Casper, Wyoming to Tipton, Indiana for spring training rehearsals, and despite spending preseason 1,200 miles away from the organization’s home base, corps members and staff understand how important this season is in regards to the history — and future — of the corps.
For Ryan Rose, a member of the corps’ euphonium section, it’s a meaningful experience for him to be a part of the corps he grew up watching. A Casper native, this anniversary season is just a touch more impactful due to his deep connection with Troopers alumni back home.
“I live with all these people who marched with Troopers; your elementary school music teacher, your high school teacher, your mailman,” Rose said. “Everyone’s connected.”
Rose has had the privilege of watching the Troopers organization evolve in his own backyard. There have been nights during the current drum corps preseason, Rose said, during which he watches Troopers’ rehearsal videos and is astounded by the effort and quality the corps is putting on the field in mid-June.
As the opening act at June 28’s Midwest Premiere DCI Tour event in Rockford, Michigan, Troopers will be the first corps to take the field in 2023 competition. But that hasn’t been in the front of the corps’ mind. Rather, the focus of performers and staff members has been locked on putting together a cohesive and impressive field show.
“We have talked to the kids about being impressive from day one,” Troopers program coordinator Tim Snyder said.
As the Casper, Wyoming corps looks to build on the momentum of 2022, staff members have challenged the performers with 2023’s production. But nothing can be taken for granted. As such, the message to the corps has been simple: to buy in and perform with energy on every rehearsal repetition.
Corps members have bought in, taking on every challenge brought forth by their staff members.
“These kids go after it,” Snyder said.
With the official start of Troopers’ 65th-anniversary season just days away, the corps is now looking toward its future.
“We’re not losing our motto of honor, loyalty, dedication,” Gough said. “All those things are intact and the end goal is to restore Troopers to where this becomes a new golden age for us.”
The story of Troopers has been filled with peaks and valleys; it was hard for Gough to even imagine surpassing the unique energy of the 2022 Troopers.
Then, he arrived in Tipton.
The effort displayed by the members in the early days of spring training represents the next manifestation of the corps’ history. A history that Gough strongly believes in. Different eras of Troopers have converged at this pivotal moment in the organization’s history as they look to return to an age of glory.
“This year, I hope that in the end, we can say Troopers are restored,” Gough said.
See the Troopers on the 2023 DCI Tour