When people hear that I’m the only girl on battery (drumline for all of you non-band people), they get really confused. I understand, after all, I’m short, blonde, and quiet. No one would expect me to be the one with ten other boys on the football field at halftime, showing off after hours of grueling rehearsal. But everyone has been convinced that I completely stand out among the boys, when really, I’m just another member of my section.

I spend more time with them than it seems possible. We have drum camps and sectionals at each other’s houses during the summer, percussion ensemble and top band rehearsals during the winter, and preparation for drumline auditions in the spring. These countless hours don’t even include the time outside of rehearsal spent playing video games or driving to Sonic at midnight, singing as loudly as we can. So much time together creates an indescribably strong yet unspoken bond between us. And it could be for this reason that really, I don’t stand out as much as you might think.

Now I’m not saying that it’s a horrific idea to be considered a girl on battery. That would be ridiculous. Of course I’m a girl, but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep up with them. I run the same number of laps, do the same amount of punishments and I stay on the field for as many hours under the scorching sun as they do. I endure the aching muscles and blisters the same as they do. But I’m not looked down upon because I’m not a boy like them. We have our own inside jokes. I sit in the back of the bus with them on the way to competitions. And to them, I’m not an outsider.

This year we had an amazing season and I was more proud than ever to be able to call myself the only girl among them. We accomplished so much this year, more than I think even we were expecting. Although our results as a band at competitions weren’t favorable, as a battery we celebrated one of the most successful years in Legacy drumline history. So yes, I am the only girl on drumline. The exception to the same-gender seat arrangements on bus rides to football games. The one girl out of ten other boys. The stand out. But over the past two years, I’ve really started to question that statement. To anyone outside my section, being the only girl means I can’t fit in with them. But within our tight bond as a section the description doesn’t quite match. I’m just one with the boys.