Mergers, What was the story?

[Bsader]

Lindap,

This is my response to the Topic "Here's a random thought...all female Corps." It was started by Ghost on

11 July 2014. You may not agree with my overall point but I hope you appreciate the specific's of my Post.

I marched in the Crusader's from '74-'79. Along with Drum Corp I grew up playing sports. Mostly hockey and football. This was at a time when young woman athletes and the sports that they chose to play were pretty much ignored, or worse in that it was also a time in which female athlete's were commonly harassed and belittled. I'm sure a lot of guys my age remember that the word most often hurled their way was "dyke." Which was just ignorance on top of ignorance. It took a lot of courage for those young women to put up with all that B.S. to pursue their athletic passion. Young female athlete's today don't even think twice about suiting up and running on to the field often to the sound of enthusiastic applause and shouts of encouragement. The young women of today owe a lot to the female athlete of my day. As for myself, back then I had a lot of respect for the female athlete's though I do wish I had been more supportive. So a question one could ask is why wasn't I one of those belittling Neanderthals? One reason is that my parents raised me to be respectful of others, male or female. Another would be, I would like to think, that I wasn't an !@$%@@!. Another reason? It's 1978 and the Crusader's are in Dallas, Texas and we are approximately 8 hours into a 10 hour rehearsal and all 8 hours have been spent outside on a dusty field "polishing" the drill and of course it's well over 100 degrees and I am hurting. Now, I'm not about to admit to this because I'm one of those 1970's tough guy Crusader / hockey playing / stoical / beer drinking ....Anyways, I guess I started to sway a little bit. I started to sway and started to drift away to someplace that was cool and wet and...suddenly I hear a voice calling from behind me. "Are you O.K.? " I turn around and recognize one of the younger members of our color guard. A girl, 16 years old and probably weighing in at under 100 lbs. A 16 year old girl whose wearing a little smile on her face. She repeats the question and then adds "Don't you think you should be wearing a hat?" "I think you should be wearing a hat." It's very hot." "I have a hat." "Would you like to wear my hat?" The Boston Crusader's of my time were masters of busting each others chops. Even the16 year old girls in our color guard who grew up in the leafy suburbs 20 miles west of Boston. I was hurting, and she was not, and she was going to let the "tough guy" know it with that little smile on her face.

The best things that Drum Corp gave to me were great friends, an appreciation of all genres of music and the experience of being able to compete along side young woman. Young woman who were certainly every bit as tough as I thought I was. Young women who gave all that they had, whether it be on the practice field or performing in front of thousands of drum corps fans. And young women who were every bit as masterful in busting chops as the hardest Townie or Southie Boy.

So, do I think their should be an all-girl drum corps? I think that should be up to the girls. But, in my opinion, one of the best experiences drum corps offers is that it is mostly comprised of corps that have both young woman and young men performing in a shared experience. I've read that drum corps is now supposed to be a learning experience. Well learning to work with, communicate with, compete with members of the opposite sex is the most important lesson one needs to learn. The Cavies and Madison may disagree but that's their right. It's their drum corps and over the years they have certainly field some of the best drum corps in our little world.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Bsader

[lindap]

Hi Bsader,

You write well. I enjoyed reading.

Thank you,

lindap