FORT VALLEY, Ga. — The last two weeks of summer before the fall semester starts is band camp and for freshman Byron Dacres, it's been a workout.
"We normally do stretches, workouts, running laps, we come back, sit in attention, marches, all that," he said.
Dacres started playing the trumpet just two years ago as a high school junior.
"I was injured when I was playing football and wanted to stay in shape, so I just decided to join the band and ended up never leaving," he said.
45 of the 100 band members are freshmen, and dancer Tamia Dunbar says having a young squad makes the band even more eager to get started.
"I'm a bit nervous and anxious, but it's also exciting because here we build a family and I have a sister bond with the dance team, so it's going to be fun," Dunbar said.
Dunbar and Dacres both grew up in Atlanta and admired the Blue Machine Marching Band's work, so they're just proud they made the cut.
"Band is all about discipline and it really helps you as a person in real life," said Dunbar.
Once classes start, the long band camp days will be over, but being on the sidelines at football games and competing will keep them in tune.
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