A large crowd gathered at the Cranston Stebbins Stadium on July 3 as the 28th Fourth of July Drum and Bugle corps was about to being. Seven of the best teams from around the country had gathered, and each with their own respective fan base in attendance. T-shirts, hats, mugs, noisemakers and programs for each team were sold outside of the main entrance to the stadium. To the performers and those in attendance, this was a legitimate sporting event.

The Bristol Fourth of July Committee had offered a limited time service to promote the competition: Come on and Take a Free Ride. With the purchase of a ticket, the fans would ride to and from the show for free, reservations required. The bus left from the Bristol Recreation Center parking lot at 4 p.m. and dropped off the eager fans at the stadium before it began and picked them up after the show ended for a ride back to Bristol. Each team had to perform a set lasting between 11½ to 13 minutes. These sets included a blend of drum line, bugles, dancing, flag and color guards and sometimes singing. The teams performing also had a unique theme or story to their set, some of which included planet Earth, social media and web connection and Christian faith. The sets were just as physical as they were musical, with a lot of marching, running, jumping and tumbling as part of it.

Before the announcement of the winners, The Crossmen from San Antonio performed a rendition of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” as filler for the audience as the judges tallied their scores. The first place winner in the World Class division was a team from Ft. Mill, South Carolina, the Carolina Crown, with their set titled “It Is.” In an interview with the team’s director, Joey Powell described the process of recruiting, training and prepping a team for what he calls a country-wide tour.

According to Powell, they hold severe auditions in the months of November, December and April starting with 200 applicants and have to narrow it down to 36. The Carolina crown also has members from Japan and Canada. The team moved in to Gardner Webb University on May 20. Training for the team started on June 18, with running practice from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This is the Crown’s eighth show and their tour continues until August 12, where teams from the east and west coasts meet in Indianapolis.

“Practice and touring does not come without its fair share of injuries. Powell said the team has two members with concussions. See, we’re actually just like football,” said Powell.

When asked about what it’s like to travel with this team, Powell said, “It’s amazing what they can handle, outstanding what they can accomplish on the field, and I am glad I get to be on this bus with them.”

The Crown would also leave the stadium with the show pony award, for best presentation. The night was full of precise, musical coordination and even if their favorite team did not walk away with first place, the crowd’s reactions suggested they enjoyed it all.