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N/S or E/W

Posted by field orientation on 6/23/2025, 3:22 pm

Should a practice field run N/S or E/W? I thought it should be N/S until I remembered that the kids face the sideline. The third option: this is trivial, and I'm overthinking for no reason.

Re: N/S or E/W

Posted by really retired on 6/24/2025, 9:16 pm, in reply to "N/S or E/W"

which way does your football field face?

Re: N/S or E/W

Posted by Me on 6/23/2025, 5:15 pm, in reply to "N/S or E/W"

Students should be facing south or west.

Re: N/S or E/W

Posted by Wha???? on 6/24/2025, 11:25 am, in reply to "Re: N/S or E/W"

Unless you are rehearsing at 7 am, the south or west are the LAST directions the students should be facing. As the sun moves through the day it tracks to the south (as the season progresses the sun will sit lower in the south...as opposed to right now where it is closer to being overhead), and in the evening, the kids will be staring right at the sun facing the west.

Have the kids face the north, and the sun will be at their backs or to their left.

Re: N/S or E/W

Posted by Me on 6/25/2025, 1:15 pm, in reply to "Re: N/S or E/W"

Given the temperature after 9AM, who isn’t rehearsing at 7 yet?

Re: N/S or E/W

Posted by Here on 6/23/2025, 5:14 pm, in reply to "N/S or E/W"

It can go in any direction. Do you have mostly morning rehearsals or evening rehearsals? If N/S the sun will never be in their eyes. But let's say you have all evening rehearsals you can run it e/w and orient it so that the sun is behind them during evening rehearsals.

Re: N/S or E/W

Posted by OP on 6/26/2025, 10:10 am, in reply to "Re: N/S or E/W"

Mostly evenings, and I do not have a tower. All I can do is clean from the ground or a 4-ft podium. I did hear about someone standing on a truck in a podcast, though.

Re: N/S or E/W

Posted by Country on 6/30/2025, 10:02 pm, in reply to "Re: N/S or E/W"

Get a deer stand.

Re: N/S or E/W

Posted by OP on 6/26/2025, 10:07 am, in reply to "Re: N/S or E/W"

Mostly evening rehearsals

Re: N/S or E/W

Posted by But... on 6/24/2025, 8:39 am, in reply to "Re: N/S or E/W"

But if you set the sun behind the kids, you as the director are constantly looking into the sun.

Not better.

Re: N/S or E/W

Posted by Except... on 6/24/2025, 10:38 pm, in reply to "Re: N/S or E/W"

....as the director, you can adjust your position to keep from looking into the sun and still clean the show...whereas a student marching with a set posture and facing can not.

Yes better.

Re: N/S or E/W

Posted by But on 6/25/2025, 1:17 pm, in reply to "Re: N/S or E/W"

I was unaware that I could adjust my concrete installed field tower and see overheads from other angles! Wow!

/s

Yes, I can clean from the ground, but in a one man show, that’s much more time consuming and less efficient.

Re: N/S or E/W

Posted by Mr. Dude on 6/30/2025, 10:15 am, in reply to "Re: N/S or E/W"

I agree...we only practice in the stadium, so it's a pain in the mornings to see from the front...I stand behind a lot and watch fundamentals for a lot of rehearsal.

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