• 1 Gallon Water jug (Required), Walmart sells these for $12! Maybe blue ones for some school pride? Absolutely NO small water bottles. Let's set the example and not have anyone in our section sitting out this year because of heat-related issues.

• Packed dinner and snacks! (Keep it healthy please, some suggestions are below)

• Athletic clothing: For Color Guard: preferably form-fitting so it is easy and comfy to dance in! It also helps us clearly see how you are moving, so that we can correct any weird posture or movements that could lead to injury. For Band: Basketball shorts & T-shirts.

Recommend: tank tops, leggings, running/biker/yoga shorts, etc. Just keep it appropriate! If you have any questions or if something is appropriate, please reach out to me or leadership.

• Hats (baseball caps/bucket hats/visors)

• Sunglasses

• Athletic/Tennis shoes: We strongly recommend New Balances or Asics, but most are great! Please no Vans, Converse, etc. They do not support your feet and will not feel great after a day or two. Ballet Flats, Toms, sandals, flip flops, etc are absolute no's!

• Hoodie/Sweats/Raincoat (for when it starts getting colder)

• Drawstring bag/Backpack

• Fanny pack (optional, recommended): this will be super useful on the field so you can keep little things with you!

• Pencils (Note the *s* at the end meaning multiple.)

• Small notebook (small, small)

• Chapstick

• SUNSCREEN preferably 30 SPF or higher: will be outside during some of the hottest parts of the day, this is REQUIRED.

• Bug Spray

• Any medications/inhaler; it is YOUR job to take care of your body.

Leadership suggested that they would find food recommendations helpful. Everyone always says to make healthy choices, but not everyone knows what that means! These are just good choices in my opinion to help guide you, not required. It's so important that you guys are fueling your bodies; lots of carbs and lots of protein! We work super super hard, so we have to fuel our bodies so they can keep going; kind of like a car, the more you drive the more gas you need to put in. The more we work hard, the more we need to eat!

Snacks:

- granola bars

- protein bars (Cliff bars, luna bars, PowerCrunch bars (my personal favorite, taste like a cookie)

- **Fresh** Fruit (bananas, grapes, berries, apples, peaches, etc)

- Dried fruit (craisins, dried apricots, dried mangos, etc)

- fruit leather or fruit snacks

- Veggie snacks (cucumbers, carrots, celery, sweet peppers, etc)

- Applesauce

- Greek Yogurt

- Veggie Straws, Pita chips, Pop chips, Crackers, etc

- Cheese &/or Deli meat (sliced turkey, chicken, ham, salami, etc)

- Beef jerky

*****Disclaimer: We have some very severe nut allergies in the Band. Please DON'T bring anything with nuts in it to camp!!!! (Still good snacks outside of camp though)

Dinner:

- Sandwiches: using some form of wheat bread! My personal favorite is Dave's Killer Bread since it's got a lot of protein in it.

- Chicken: some version of chicken and rice, super good for you since it's high in protein and in carbs.

- Turkey (Or regular) burgers! Add whatever you like, I personally love adding avocado

- Adding veggies! Or a salad!

I always like having my main food item, with two or three sides: could be something from the snack list or other things that you like!

Outside of practice:

- Good breakfast! Could be oatmeal, smoothies, eggs, bacon, toast, etc.

- Make sure you're eating before you come to practice!!!!

- Protein Powder/Shakes: Find something you like, there are a BUNCH of brands out there that make a ton of different flavors. You can mix with oat milk instead of water, but you could do regular or different alternative milk or put it in a smoothie too!

- AVOID: sodas, fast food, and junk food (things that are super processed: Lays, Doritos, Chips Ahoy, CANDY, etc)

We strongly recommend cardio and weight training to prepare for the season, but we also understand that going to the gym isn't always an option. So here are some things you can do:

1. Stretch!!! Everything every day, it will help your muscles handle the "shock" of band camp much easier.

2. Go for a run, walk, hike, etc. Endurance is so so so important in this sport.

Quick Circuit Conditioning

- Jog in place for 1 minute

- 15 crunches

- 15 squats

- 10 Jumping jacks

- 5 (or more up to 15) pushups

- 10 lunges on each side

- Plank for 30 seconds

Repeat 3 times! This is a great way to build up endurance & strength! Also, these are all things you can do in your room or backyard!

4. Practice your marching technique. HEEL-TOE! HEEL-TOE! Color Guard: Review your across-the-floors and/or equipment basics! Wouldn't be a bad idea to get a head start on getting your body used to these again.