NICOLE Adamson has great posture, thanks to years of marching.
She never wanted to march, but when she was 11 she was roped in when she went to meet Shona (her Mum) who was having her marching costume altered.
“There were all these girls there and they said I should march, so I did. I guess it was a bit of peer pressure,” says Adamson, laughing.
The uniform was definitely a draw card for Adamson, who was a natural. Now, Adamson’s auntie Colleen Pobar coaches Lochiel, her Wellington marching team, which was first invited to attend the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1978.
“My mum and auntie were both involved when they were younger – everyone was doing it. I like dressing up in my uniform and prancing around.
“It teaches you discipline. You have to stand without moving or fidgeting. People think it’s not physically demanding but it really is. Three minutes of marching and you will be puffing and you are mentally counting the whole time – you have to stick to the beat.”
The girls may crash into each other if there are any deviations from set movements, but the trick is to keep going and pretend it didn’t happen.
“We have crashes all the time. I’ve landed on my ass a few times and crashed several times but the skill is trying to hide it. You feel it if it is a good march – like you are one. If it’s good it’s really good and I love marching in front of a crowd.”
In 2008, Adamson travelled with Lochiel to the Edinburgh Tattoo. As one of the leaders, Adamson says discipline is key to being a good marching girl. Most of the girls have been marching from as young as five so they learn discipline from an early age.
“In Edinburgh we had to stand for 20 minutes for the finale and the national anthem. I sing songs to myself to focus and wriggle my toes –the girls work out what works for them,’ she says.
“Standing behind the gates your heart is beating. The scariest part was marching on the drawbridge. We do movements and change from one pattern to another. We wheel around on one person – the ‘pivot’ person and the marches can last up to eight minutes.
“We’re like a big family when we go overseas – we have to get along because we stay in tight confines in army barracks.”
The 2011 NZ Championships were cancelled last month due to the Christchurch earthquake, but an alternative event is planned for Wellington this weekend. It is not an official Marching NZ event however, as many Christchurch teams could not make it, so the teams will not be ranked.
Lochiel marches at Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt, from 11am, March 20.