- We're at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana where today the event center is packed with athletes and spectators for this year's Eunice Kennedy Shriver Weekend hosted by Special Olympics Indiana.

Teamwork makes the dream work.

I'm sure you've all heard that quote at least once in your life and it does hold true.

You could be in a weekend recreational league, you might attend trivia night with friends.

Even at your workplace, you are a member of a team that needs you.

That couldn't be more true for the folks in our first story.

Across Indiana, producer Sam Oliver, and myself marched into the world of Drum Corps International to see how teamwork can make or break a performance.

- DCI shows and incorporate musical excellence, visual artistry, and competition, all packed in to a 12 minute high octane performance.

So drum core is essentially competitive marching band - DCI or Drum Corps International is headquartered right here in Indiana, but its members are from all over.

Corps are like sports teams and the group you see on screen now is called Carolina Crown.

They are one of 20 world class corps who compete at DCI and have consistently placed in the top 12 each year since 2002.

Avon High School's band director Matt Harloff, also acts as Carolina Crown's brass caption head.

He's responsible for the overall musical and technical development of the brass section and he allowed us to sit in on a practice to discuss what it's like to participate in this unique sport.

- DCI is an incredible activity we have here at Crown.

We have people from all over the country.

In fact, we have some people from Europe and Japan as well.

So we have a lot of people from all over the place and we travel the country During the summer we compete with other incredible drum corps and experience like, like no other.

- We also got to talk with two of Crown's members who seem to have a healthy rivalry with each other.

- Yeah, I'm mellophone.

He's trumpet.

He said he's better?

He's a liar.

I'd be better at the other person.

I'd be better at his than he'd be at mine.

Yeah, you would sound so bad on a mellophone.

Which one is that?

It's the short fat trumpet.

Okay.

The one that sounds better.

So back in 2008 I was introduced to Drum Corps.

I was introduced to Carolina Crown specifically.

They performed at the high school my dad was working at now and ever since then I've fallen in love with it.

It's always, it was always on tv.

I was always watching it, listening to it in the car.

- I remember in I think 2015 my brother started high school marching band and he got into it and he would show me videos.

I remember seeing that.

Wow.

And then I was like, yep, I've gotta do that.

- The audition process is rigorous to make these corps.

We'll have thousands of kids try out for only 165 spots total for each corps.

There's a lot of people that audition, which is a great problem to have.

- You have to send in two video audition clips and then they'll invite you to a camp if they think you're, you're good.

We had our our one-on-one, our OTM and it is the scariest thing in the world.

You learn all about the visual packet and the technique.

Saturday night is another brass block and then Sunday they'll tell you where you are slotted.

So you're either a no for the season or you have a callback or you're contracted.

When they pulled us into the room and they said, you're getting a contract for the season, I walked out of the room and my dad was there volunteering.

I looked at him and I went, "I got a contract!"

and we got into the car and I'm just sobbing.

I'm like, "I can't believe I'm gonna do this!"

It's my biggest dream coming true and I was so excited and yeah, it was awesome.

- Life as a corps member is relentless.

It's not glamorous but it's unforgettable.

It's a grind, but it's also a bond.

A family forged in sweat and sound.

Here we go.

Set.

- The thing I love most about DCI is being able to work really, really hard with like-minded people who are also working really, really hard.

So it's very unusual to get 150 people together who have the same mindset and who have the same drive to be perfect.

That doesn't happen anywhere else.

Like you wake up, eat breakfast, go to block, eat lunch, go to block, eat dinner, go to block, have a snack, go to sleep, repeat.

It's a loop and you just gotta push through it.

- You're doing basically 12 hour long days every single day nonstop.

It's a lot, but it's really it.

It builds you to what, like how strong you can be before you even get on tour.

And then once you're on tour you're just, you're living on a bus, you're traveling every single day.

You're sleeping on gym floors between all these different states and still maintaining a 10 hour, 12 hour long rehearsal day.

- What what I love about it is that we learn how to suck it up.

It's like this is what you have to deal with and you gotta figure it out.

And we always do.

And you can take those lessons and apply it really to anything that you want to do in life.

- Sometimes drum corps step outside of the stadium and onto the world stage.

- For those that are familiar with the TV show.

Severance season two finale scene included a marching band.

We've actually had five or six of our DCI alumni in that marching band.

Then also recently some of our cor members were able to team up with Travis Scott and participate in a concert at Coachella.

- I got a message from my horn sergeant and he said, Hey, Matt really wants us to get a small group of people together to fly out and do this thing.

And I said, what is this a joke are, are you serious?

There's no way with with Travis Scott, you know when the lights were shining and you could see it was a sea of people, the most people I've ever seen in my entire life.

- What was it like?

I mean it just incredible.

And how does it happen?

It's, it's really technology.

It's YouTube, it's, it's the exposure, it's social media of look at what this is and listen to this and those are memories that will last a lifetime.

- You reach your limit and then you push past it and then you reach another limit and you push past it and it's basically just breaking down your walls as you go throughout the season.

- It's taught me how to be a better person, how to be a better friend, a better leader.

I'm gonna take the things I learned here all the way through the rest of my life.

- You want to be pushed, you want to be challenged, you want to be called, you want to be held accountable, which is not the easiest thing.

- And then the lights come on, the crowd rises and everything makes sense.

Please welcome to the field, from Fort Mill, South Carolina Carolina Crown!

Drum Majors, Mark Troy and Carter Block is your corps ready?

- Being able to be out on the field and putting my whole heart into something and everything that I've worked for, working as hard as I've worked, putting it all out there and getting to share my love for music and my love for performing with other people and then watching people like get on their feet and cheer for us and lose their minds the same way that Crown in the past has inspired me.

I like to think that I'm doing that for other people and that's what makes me love it so much is I feel like I'm inspiring the next generation of drum corps students and I think that's really special.

- Yeah, it's a feeling unlike anything else, - What I've noticed is just the passion that folks have for this activity.

Everyone from folks here in the office to the directors of the corps, to the performers themselves and the fans.

You can just see their passion, you can feel it, it's contagious and it's something that you want to be around.

Under the direction of Joe Roach in Fort Mill, South Carolina, Carolina Crown - While each corps gave everything they had in the end, the Boston Crusaders made history winning the title of World Class Champion for the first time ever.

Congratulations from Indiana, Boston.

But whether or not these performers left the stadium with a trophy in their hands, not a single one left with regret in their hearts.

- Oh my gosh, it's exhilarating.

I've never felt any emotion like it.

It's just pure, a adrenaline and exhilaration and just the most magical thing that I think can possibly happen.

- With me now is the President and CEO of Special Olympics Indiana, Jeff Mohler Jeff, first of all, thanks for letting us be here.

It's been an incredible time filming here and why don't you tell me about what's exactly going on here today.

- So this is EKS Games.

It's our second largest sports competition of the calendar year and EKS is in memory of the founder of Special Olympics Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

So we have four sports going on with our state championship tournaments uh flag football, distance run and walk, soccer and corn hole.

- And if you can just tell me to you personally in your eyes, what does, what does teamwork mean to you?

- Well teamwork is, is all about helping each other become better.

I think individually we could be great, but when when you work with a team you can be even better than that and by doing so, you're also making your teammates better.

So teamwork is all about all everybody on that team pulling for each other and trying to achieve more than they could individually.

- In our next story I followed a group that enjoys working together to create lasting memories and longer lasting friendships.

Stonewall Sports Indianapolis, where all are welcome to join in on the fun.

Like in most cities, pride in Indianapolis is a pretty big deal.

LGTBQ events are held throughout the month of June citywide hosted by a multitude of organizations.

Indy's Pride Parade is a good showcase of these groups highlighting both their mission and specific niche.

On this Across Indiana, we'll be focusing on one in particular, Stonewall Sports.

- Stonewall Sports is a national nonprofit organization.

It is a space for LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies to find a safe, affordable and in inclusive space to play sports and just get involved in other recreational activities - With weekly activities year round, you might have already noticed a Stonewall gathering in your neighborhood with their banners waving in the wind and their colorful team shirts worn by Hoosiers of all backgrounds.

- You can have any identification in play in our league, my partner who identifies as straight plays in the league.

But truly, if you're passionate and are a safe and welcoming person, you're more than welcome to play with us.

- Volleyball is the pick for today and subsequently most of the summer for that matter, with a rotation of other sports coinciding with their appropriate season - Going on behind me right now is volleyball that started in 2021.

305 people are in our volleyball league this, this summer.

And I think overall I just sent an email out to everyone today we have about three, a little over 3000 people who have participated in some capacity over the last five years.

Throughout the year we host a really good amount of sports though we have our fall and spring kickball league, dodge ball in the winter, pickleball in the spring, and then we go into the summer for volleyball and softball.

- I guess my big initiative is trying to grow volleyball as an activity, just getting more people signed up, just seeing where we started with numbers and how every season we kind of grew and grew and getting to know a wide range of people just interacting and talking to me about like, Hey, if it wasn't for this I wouldn't have been able to make this like friend group.

So I feel that it's like a key cornerstone or keystone part of our community where people can just actively go out and build bigger and better relationships.

- For the players here, it's never just about the game, it's about the teamwork that builds relationships and fosters a sense of belonging for those who might need it the most.

- I think Stonewall bridges the perfect gap between athletics and community.

It is a great opportunity for people to get out and meet new people as well as just getting some good exercise.

- I came to Indianapolis right when I turned 21, 24 now and I was seeking community.

I was coming back from a deployment in the military.

I really wanted to be around, you know, LGBT people as much as possible.

And when I found out about this I was like, oh perfect, I can you know, do sports that I'm not very good at but also be around individuals who I wasn't ever around for the last three years or whatever.

- One, it brings a sense of community to people who may not have the people in their lives that they want.

I mean they may have been outcasted by friends, their society, their neighbors, their parents.

This is the community that really gives you that sense of family that a lot of people don't have for being LGBT.

- Whenever we do Pride Nights or if I'm out, people tell me they're new to town and you know, if I'm at LGBTQIA bars, instantly I'm gonna say, do you want to play sports?

Do you need a way to find a little bit of the community here?

I will them to our social media, get them on a signup somehow.

It's a really cool way to just meet people.

- Meeting new people and establishing yourself in a group is hard enough but Stonewall makes a real effort to welcome everyone.

Queer identifying or not, - We have it set up where we have different divisions for people depending on their skillset.

So volleyball for instance, we have a recreational league which is more social, let's go out and have some fun.

And then we have the complete opposite side where we have that competitive league, people that have been playing club volleyball, those who've been around the activity.

So no matter your skillset, you are going to be able to participate and we don't want to push those people away, - You know, you just jump in.

People are never gonna talk to you in a way that's gonna make you feel like you're less than, you're not good enough.

You know, there's levels to this, there's competitive or you're kind of crazy, you really wanna go about it.

Those are the recreational right where you can just slow go.

It's kumbaya.

Lots of good vibes.

People are friendly.

I think that people need to challenge themself, right?

I understand anxiety, I understand being afraid, but when you join this and you're on the other side, it you just feel so much better and it gives you something that you might be searching for.

- One of the best parts about working on Across Indiana is that you get to talk to a lot of really cool and interesting people.

And my next guest is no exception.

Blake Buckner is an athlete competing today.

So Blake, why don't you tell me about what, what you do exactly here?

What, what do you compete in here at the Special Olympics?

- I'm competing in flag football right now.

Flag football, been doing this for years now.

Yeah.

- Nice.

And I, I heard recently that in next coming June, June, 2026, you're gonna be in Minnesota for the the USA games.

First of all, how congratulations for getting into that.

How excited are you about competing in that and gimme some, some details about what's what that's, what's that - Gonna look like?

It, it's gonna be a good performance.

We got a really good team.

I'll say that and means a lot and I'm competing on track.

I'm gonna be doing the 100 meter and I'm gonna doing the long jump.

Well Blake, thanks for, - You know, being here first of all, being here competing.

I'm sure you're gonna have a great day today.

I just have one last question for you.

What does teamwork and being on a team mean to you personally?

- First, I think teamwork.

I think it starts with chemistry I feel like.

You have to have chemistry to be able to work as a team and it helps a lot, especially in team sports or when you're involved with a team.

Like for example, for one of our training camps for track we worked on teamwork exercises so we can get more chemistry so we'd be better, have better, better communication, everything on while we're on the, on the field, on the track where we're at.

But I think it's a big part of this, anything of anything, it's a big part of life I feel like.

I also have the pleasure of talking to Blake's dad, AB, who's a coach and volunteer for Special Olympics.

So AB why don't you tell me about how, how did you get involved with Special Olympics?

- I got involved with coaching basketball when Blake turned eight and then it just grew from there and started coaching basketball, football and track and field.

I've been coaching for now for 15 years.

I love it.

I think more people should get involved and it gives me the pleasure of coaching my son and spending more time with him along with my other three kids 'cause they also participate in Special Olympic sports.

But it's just a fun way to give back to the community and taking the athletes and growing them into a team.

It creates friendships that last forever and you know, it just, it helps me grow myself.

- For our last story in this Across Indiana special, we go to the home of the greatest spectacle in racing the Cathedral of Speed, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

I had an incredible opportunity to sit down and chat with two members of the Meyers-Shank Racing IndyCar team.

One who heads team strategy and the other who leads one of the pit crews.

Buckle up, you're in for one heck of a ride.

- I think most fans don't realize that pit stops aren't easy.

How about Robert Schwartzman watching any three Oh goes in hard.

Oh no.

Like a bowling ball.

Locks up.

You see the front, there's skits long in his box.

It's six feet long.

Just absolute disaster.

- It's very easy to go into an internet comment section and say, oh man, I can't believe they screwed that up.

Yeah, there's - No - Fire, there's fire all over the car and fire down on pit lane.

That's something you never want to see.

Rossi out of the car.

What on earth is going on at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today?

We have seen it all.

So it happens.

- Every year, hundreds of thousands of race fans travel to Indianapolis to witness the greatest spectacle in racing.

Besides the race parties, the longtime fans, the music events and the celebrity appearances.

The Indy 500 boils down to just one word.

Teamwork.

While fans see drivers battling on track, teams wage their own fight racing in the pit lane to pull off lightning fast tire changes and in the pit box where split second strategy and gut instinct must be balanced, the drivers and their teams have to coordinate and work together to have any chance at coming in first.

- There's a whole team of people that are working together during the race, probably eight to 12 of us that are all coordinating what's going on.

What we're gonna do - Across Indiana was given special access to the Meyer-Shank Racing IndyCar team to showcase the dedication and focus needed to prepare for the Indianapolis 500.

While filming, we shadowed two key members of the team.

Strategist for driver, Felix Rosenqvist's, number 60 car and Meyer-Shank Racing's Chief Operating Officer, Adam Rovazzini and Kyle Gibson, the number 60 cars' Crew Chief and Air Jack Operator.

- Basically my job is to make sure that the mechanics have everything that they need and that they're getting all the information from engineering so that the physical side of the car is prepped and ready to go.

- You know, the COO part of my job, you know is dealing with Mike, you know Tim Meyer on the budget side of things, sponsor side of things, just making sure the race team has everything they need to operate on a day-to-day basis.

To be clear, I, I am on the 60 car strategy but I do oversee and work with the other three cars here at Indy, right?

So it's very important that all of our cars, you know, built the same, run the same and are all equal - While we're on the topic.

How exactly does a pit stop work?

- So I do air jack, so as the car comes in I'll jack up the car and then go take the left rear tire off or the right rear depending on which way we're going.

Then we have our four tire changers.

Your outside front, your inside front, inside, rear and outside rear they all do a little bit different of a job.

The outside front will change his tire and then he's responsible for sending the car back out.

So once he changes his tire, he's looking down pit lane to make sure that we aren't sending the car into another car.

In inside front guy will typically take care of just his tire.

Same thing with the inside rear, outside rear is a little different whereas the other guys will take their own tire off the outside.

Rear guy has the air jack man take his tire off and then the fueler really just worries about himself.

I don't think I've ever done a perfect pit stop.

It's very, there's always ah man that could have done that a little better.

I could have saved a little time there.

We call it, we need to have mediocre pit stops.

We don't need to be setting the world on fire, but we need to make sure that we're not taking away anything from the driver when he goes back out.

- Kyle and Adam's relationship is one of many that makes the number 60 car and Meyer-Shank Racing's IndyCar program, a well-oiled machine.

- So Kyle and I have known each other for a few years now, probably more than that.

5, 6, 7.

And he's a, he's a great guy.

You know, he's definitely younger in age for his position, but you could just tell with Kyle that he just has what it takes, right?

You know, it's a commitment and he has that commitment.

- So Adam's worried about the overall performance of the team.

That's where his grades come from, whether that's logistics, how the car builds are, how the team is interacting as a whole.

Adam is over all of that.

Whereas as a crew chief I'm worried about the 60 car - And with other team members pulling their own weight, the sense of shared competitiveness is strong between these teammates.

- There is a sense of camaraderie.

You have your car guys, you have your guys that you've been with for years.

There are people that I hang out with outside of work quite regularly, but when it's race day, it is, everyone is working towards a common goal.

We joke a lot about how none of us could go work a normal 9 to 5 job.

I started my mechanic career in a dealership and it's just the same thing over and over again.

I think that the variety that you get with this, yes the car is the same week in, week out for the most part, but there're, you can encounter many different challenges at any point in time.

Not only the drivers but the pit crew and the engineers and everyone up and down pit lane is just as competitive as the drivers.

They want to be here, they want to do well, they want to win.

And so I think that competitive drive is why you keep coming back.

- But with so many other races on the schedule, why is the 500 seen as the most important?

- So not only, you know, the effort that the team and the crews put into it just to get out here on race day on Sunday for the Indianapolis 500.

I think the whole spectacle of the race day is something to be talked about.

You know, there's 350,000 people in one place at once, you know it's Memorial weekend, you know, all the service men and women are here.

You know me personally when they're doing the national anthem and all the service people that protect us, you know, it's definitely an emotional and goosebump thing.

I'd be surprised if there's anyone when the national anthem's going on and the flyover, if there's a single person here doesn't have goosebumps because it's pretty, pretty neat feeling for sure to be standing out there and be representing, you know, our team, you know in Indianapolis 500, but also our country as well.

- I, I think that there's no bigger event in Motorsport.

When you're on the grid and you look around and there are 350,000 people have come to watch in person like, something that you do, they've come to watch the car that you built.

They've come to watch you do the pit stops that you practiced and then another 5, 6 million watching at home.

All paying attention to something that you spend so much time and effort trying to be perfect at is I think why the 500 is so special.

♪ Back Home Again in Indiana ♪ - Well that's it for this trip Across Indiana.

Until next time, thank you for watching.

And remember there is no "I", in Indiana, I mean teams!