Empire Statesmen Second In Kingston
Top scores in field and ensemble brass helped Rochester’s Empire Statesmen blow past Hawthorne Caballeros for the first time this season, into a close second place behind Connecticut Hurricanes, at the March of Champions in Kingston, New York on August 9.
Hurricanes won with a score of 90.475, ahead of Statesmen with 90.038. Caballeros were third, with 89.038. Bushwackers finished fourth with 84.738. The two A Class corps competing in the March of Champions continued their steady climb up the score sheets, with Fusion Core scoring 77.550 to finish fifth and White Sabers finishing sixth with 75.538.
In addition to taking top scores in field, ensemble and total brass captions, Statesmen were tops in ensemble visual and music effect and tied with Hurricanes for top total general effect score.
With just two more weekends of regular-season contests remaining in the Drum Corps Associates (DCA) summer contest season, the Parade of Champions American Legion National Championship contest in Scranton, Pennsylvania on August 16 will be the last time the front-running corps all meet on the same field before the DCA championship tournament in Rochester on Labor Day weekend.
Defending DCA champion Reading Buccaneers, undefeated this season, Empire Statesmen, Connecticut Hurricanes, Caballeros, Bushwackers, Syracuse Brigadiers and Rochester Crusaders are the seven corps competing for the American Legion title. On August 23, Empire Statesmen, Hurricanes, Bushwackers, Caballeros and Excelsior will compete in West Haven, Connecticut in Fanfare 2008, sponsored by the Hurricanes. The Buccaneers will be on their home field competing in the Big Sounds in Motion contest in Reading, Pennsylvania on August 23.
The following week, Empire Statesmen are sponsoring the DCA championship tournament for the third year in a row, running from Friday evening to Sunday evening on Labor Day weekend. The weekend events begin with Individual and Ensemble and popular Mini-Corps contests at two downtown locations, Riverside Convention Center and the Clarion Hotel, and an old-fashioned outdoor street party between the two locations. Friday evening events are free of charge, and have been attracting larger crowds each year.
The World Drum Corps Hall of Fame, founded in 1976 by the late Vince Bruni, who also founded the Empire Statesmen in 1983, will hold its 33rd annual induction ceremonies Saturday August 30 with a noon luncheon at the downtown Rochester Plaza Hotel. Members of the public are welcome to attend the social hour before the luncheon, on the mezzanine level, to meet members and new inductees and to view memorabilia.
The DCA preliminaries for Class A and Open Class corps takes place Saturday afternoon and evening at PAETEC Park stadium, just a few blocks north of the downtown business district. Starting Sunday morning at 10 am, nine of the most popular alumni drum and bugle corps from Canada and the United States will participate in the Alumni Spectacular concert and field show at PAETEC Park. The final competition, to determine this year’s Class A and Open Class champions takes place Sunday evening, August 31.
Since first competing in 1983, the Empire Statesmen have won five DCA world championships, four American Legion national titles, and the triple crown: the DCA and American Legion titles and the World Show Band championship in London, England all in the same year in 1998, when the field show featured music from West Side Story. Empire Statesmen have finished in the top four during DCA championship tournaments for 20 consecutive years.
The Empire Statesmen drum and bugle corps is a self-supporting independent group that represents the city of Rochester across the United States and Canada and as far abroad as Europe, the Caribbean and South America.
For more information about any aspect of the Empire Statesmen organization, call (585) 266-2232 or visit the Empire Statesmen Web site at: www.statesmen.org
