One of my most memorable experiences with the Sunrisers: Was when the rest of the color guard and I were practicing outside the stadium in Derby, CT in 1992. Ed Doscher instructed us to toss the flags “on our own” until it was time to do them together. Well, I was tossing my heart out! I guess they were the best tosses I’d done all season, because Ed walked over to me and said, “Terri girl, you’ve come a long way since May.” That one little sentence made me realize…that I didn’t suck! Since then, I’ve had more confidence in performing with the color guard. THANKS ED!!
The moment I realized that the Sunrisers meant more than just a Drum Corps. The Sunrisers are my family, my friends, and my soul mates. I’ve felt the biggest sense o r pride and happiness as well as loss and disappointment with the Sunrisers. The Sunrisers can be at each other’s throats during the hot summer day, but love each other unconditionally at night. My friends in other corps describe the feeling they have with their corps, but nothing compares to what we feel here. After all the bitching and arguing, the name calling and the yelling, the Sunrisers truly love one another. That’s something right there to be damn proud of!!!
Although it wasn’t amusing then (not at all)! On the way to DCA prelims in 1992 – Heather Kellam, Tom Willms, George Pallino, Joe Sitler and I got lost. We missed the run-through. We miraculously found our way to the stadium and arrived 10 minutes before we went on. The directions were all wrong (Blackmon Street, Remember?). After the show, we found out we weren’t the only ones. But man, speaking for myself, I was scared to face the corps! I was a rookie, I thought I was dead! Turns out, they were just happy to see my butt there!!
Terri Miller Mignemi, 1992-1998: Color Guard, Pit
