It hurts when you put your heart and soul into something and end up getting slammed down by your peers. Throughout my freshman year on Auxiliaries, I heard many negative comments about the team both directly and indirectly. Being told how much we “sucked” was not only hurtful, but it was also untrue.
One of the recurring comments I’ve heard is that the only people who try out for Auxiliaries are the ones who get rejected from other teams. However, of the 28 girls that are currently on the team, only eight of them tried out for other teams before trying out for Auxiliaries. That’s less than half of the team.
However, the most upsetting comment I’ve heard is that the team doesn’t put in effort. Contrary to that belief, Auxiliaries members work just as hard as all the other performing arts teams on campus and are obligated to put in about 11 hours of practice each week.
I’ve also heard people carelessly remark that Auxiliaries is not difficult. As a matter of fact, Auxiliaries may be the most demanding team at TCHS. They compete in a wide variety of categories, including field show, parade, flags, drill, rifles and dance. Every member is expected to master the flag by field show season in the fall, which only gives them about three short months to learn an extensive routine that typically lasts about nine minutes. I remember the frustration I felt as I was learning how to toss and spin a flag while trying to get over my fear of whacking myself with it. We all regularly got bruises and many of us woke up with sore muscles.
Many people judge Auxiliaries a lot more harshly than they judge other teams. For example, when a Choreo member steps five inches out of formation, nobody in the audience notices. However, when an Auxiliary member steps five inches away from her spot, she misses her toss. Sadly, some people unfairly judge the team and continue to spew hurtful comments. What they don’t realize is that like all the other teams on campus, being in Auxilairies requires large amounts of constant dedication, persistence and united cooperation from every single member. Perhaps one day, we can all appreciate the blood, sweat and tears that are literally put in by both the members and coaches of Auxiliaries.