We had a story last week about three Lawrence High students — Meghan Baker, Matt Huck and Josh Lund — who played for the Nashua, N.H. drum and bugle corps which recently won the Division II DCI championship. You can still read it here: Lawrence students compete with drum and bugle corps

Do you remember the fairly old magazine ad with a guy wearing sunglasses sitting in an easy chair, looking at a stereo and the "sound" (wind) blowing his hair back, his scarf back, his clothes back at like 75 mph? The point was, this stereo is really good.

My point is: That is what it's like to be in the home stands when a DCI corp plays. The brass and drums literally blow you away. The sound, the power, is electric.

I never played in a DCI corps but my high school band in Pennsylvania won two state championships in my four years there (I played drums), and we did corps-style shows (as I suspect Lawrence does). We played exhibitions at some DCI and DCA (adults) shows and got standing Os. We were good.

But many of us really, deep-down, aspired to do what Meghan, Matt and Josh did this year. We aspired to be a Madison Scout, a Casper Trooper, a member of the Phantom Regiment, Garfield Cadets, Bayonne Bridgemen or Santa Clara Vanguard. Some of us were good enough; some were not. But most of us weren't dedicated enough to find out.

So, read our story. And then go to ESPN2 at 10 p.m. tonight (Wednesday), turn up the volume and think about the combination of musical and athletic ability you are witnessing.