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ALLIANCE ‒ For Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps members, championships aren't won under the lights on a summer night.
They're earned before the applause. They are built by relentless work, countless drills and sweat-soaked rehearsals, pushing through the physical and mental demands.
The college-age musicians and dancers have been training at the University of Mount Union for their 2026 competitive season. The first competition is July 2, while the group will have its annual Opening Night Community Celebration at 6 p.m. June 27 on campus at Kehres Stadium.
The Bluecoats, based in North Canton, are two-time Drum Corps International champions. The group won in 2016 and 2024; and finished second in 2025.
The team carries heavy instruments, executes fast movements and performs rigorous routines for hours almost daily at Kehres Stadium.
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The physical strain can rival traditional athletes.
Matthew Lawrence, 20, who plays the mellophone for the Bluecoats, said the grind can be taxing on his body, but he boasts of his pride in the results.
"You are working so incredibly hard on something, just making it as good as you can," said the native of Gallipolis, in southeast Ohio.
Helping to keep the Bluecoats safe and healthy − physically and mentally − is head athletic trainer Kylie Robbins and her sports medicine team.
Robbins: 'We want to focus on proactive care'
Robbins, 30, is a former athlete who also works for Penn State University. Her team includes 12 athletic trainers, a physician and physical and mental health therapists. She also has eight interns.
"We don't want to be reactive. We want to focus on proactive care," Robbins said. "It's 12- to 14-hour days. They're outside in the heat. They're not in their own beds. So, like, sleep might be hard."
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Robbins said organizers make sure the performers take breaks, drink fluids, eat nutritious meals and promote self-care during training sessions as well as during the competitive season. They also stay in communication with performers regularly, and make sure they are medically cleared.
"We are helping them create a healthy balance and be proactive about self-care, and how even doing that incrementally day by day will help them be successful by the end," she said.
The medical team travels with the performers during the season and treat performers' injuries and aches and pains.
Staying in peak condition begins long before the Bluecoats' season
But what does it take to be in peak condition for the rigorous schedule? It starts in the offseason.
Tony Gamez, 21, a drum major from Pflugerville, Texas, is in his fourth and final season with the Bluecoats. He said they receive exercise programs to stay in shape at home.
The Bluecoats have a partnership with Forte Athletics to create and track the exercise programs.
"They create a lot of great exercises and things to do during the offseason for us to be very well prepared going into spring training here," Gamez said of the six-week operation.
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He added: "It takes a toll, and we have an amazing medical staff that really treats us well and makes sure that we have everything that we need."
Robbins said the offseason program includes hydration routines, eating and sleeping properly, having proper footwear and clothes and a two-week acclimation period.
"This gets them acclimated to the demands of the season," Robbins said, "targeting very niche-specific, athletic-specific items to prepare for the summer."
Gamez said the performers make sure they stretch, sleep, eat healthy and drink "lots and lots of water" to overcome the season demands. The season ends Aug. 6-8 with the DCI World Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
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"I think the staff here does a really great job of taking care of us, especially when we're in Arizona or in California. It's going to be quite hotter than lovely Ohio," Gamez said.
Lawrence added: "I feel like the whole group is very well prepared for whatever design they give us. We're going to push production because we want them to know how much we can do."
Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Kylie Robbins and staff keep Bluecoats safe and healthy for season
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