Scorching sun on your skin. Blazing hot asphalt under your feet. Sweat running down your forehead and burning your eyes. Muscles aching. Feet throbbing, Lungs heaving. Mind exhausted.

These are all just a few things that we in marching band go through for an activity that we love.

That love and dedication was insulted on Jan. 15, when a sportscaster named Jim Rome tweeted out the now infamous words: “Is there anyone not in marching band who thinks those dorks running around with their instruments are cool?”

This comment sparked a wildfire of condemnation from marching band “dorks” all over the world.

Marching band is a rigorous activity in which we push our bodies to the limit for three months to achieve something amazing. It’s something that band members and fans love. So when somebody attacks something you care about and degrades it, your natural instinct is to defend it. I respect people’s opinion on marching band not being a sport; however, I very strongly disagree.

Every weekday from late July to October, millions of high school and college students across the country suit up in tennis shoes, athletic shorts, and white T-shirts to brace the heat. Marching on asphalt is a tasking job, especially when the parking lot feels like lava after baking in a sun for a few hours.

Then try adding marching on a hard flat surface for 6 hours a day, causing shin splints and sore legs from trying to keep the correct posture. And don’t forget having sore arms from holding up an instrument the whole time.

We may not run around with a ball trying to reach the end of the field, kick it into a net, or toss it into a basket hanging from the ceiling. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t work nearly as hard as other athletes.

If you don’t think so, try it out for yourself. The first day of summer band is July 29, 8 a.m. sharp.

Good luck.