83 Garfield Cadets

[Ghost]

Not interested whether they (GZ) or some other corps should have been credited with a new style of drill. But, during that year, did any other corps make drill changes to emulate what Garfield was doing, and if done, did it improve their placements?

Edited October 29, 2014 by Ghost

[xandandl]

i don't recall any per se. I think it was more the '84 show which moved the activity. In the words of Dave Kampshoerer, DCI HoFer who was schooled in Phantom Regiment but directed the Blue Stars, the '84 show could have been repeated in '85 and many, many others would still be trying to catch on and catch up. Thank God Cadets didn't since '85 had them climbing the fences at Madison finals.

These three shows tilted the activity in the new direction first intimated by 27th and SCV.

Good question, Ghost.

Edited October 29, 2014 by xandandl

[TerriTroop]

I don't remember any major changes to shows that year to try to emulate what Garfield was doing. I sure did love that show, though!

[Lincoln]

Not interested whether they (GZ) or some other corps should have been credited with a new style of drill. But, during that year, did any other corps make drill changes to emulate what Garfield was doing, and if done, did it improve their placements?

I can't recall if any corps even tried to emulate Garfield back then. I remember many corps using asymmetrical drill but that wasn't a Garfield led change as much as a 27th/Vanguard led change.

In fact, back then I don't remember corps doing a lot of major drill changes at all - at least not the way they do now.

I don't even know if there is a word to describe Garfield's drill back then. Asymmetrical is perhaps technically correct, but at the same time some of it looked like it was controlled by the wind or the waves. A correct term escapes me.

[xandandl]

Zingali grew up in Revere which is a seaside town, so waves were probably one inspiration.

I remember him explaining to the Garfield membership that he also was in trance watching the flocks of birds appear and disappear in the sky as the winds and clouds mottled their migrations from Canada and New England south for the winter and back for the Spring. Clouds and nature were much of George's inspiration from what he shared.

[dbg]

i don't recall any per se. I think it was more the '84 show which moved the activity. In the words of Dave Kampshoerer, DCI HoFer who was schooled in Phantom Regiment but directed the Blue Stars, the '84 show could have been repeated in '85 and many, many others would still be trying to catch on and catch up. Thank God Cadets didn't since '85 had them climbing the fences at Madison finals.

These three shows tilted the activity in the new direction first intimated by 27th and SCV.

Good question, Ghost.

What exactly is meant by climbing the fences?

[xandandl]

As you may know, the music for the show was Bernstein's Jeremiah Symphony based on imagery of the Jewish Scriptures/Old Testament Book of Jeremiah. The music was arranged by Michael Klesch.

The opening set started with the corps scattered on and off the field and then forming front facing files to mimic the tribes of Israel according to what Zingali shared. Both Tom Smith and Mark Hart were out of view in the stands. To make the timing requirements of the show and that opening hit on cue, Tom Smith fast marched from the corner across the full corps to his spot while Mark Hart, later a DCI visual judge, actually hurdled the fence in the endzone and did some gymnastic moves similar to what we today call "parkour" to get onto the field and zoom into his spot at the exact moment the corps played the opening hit. The crowd went wild...

The problem seeing the show only on video is that the camera angle doesn't give you wide angle of the whole field while seeing the intricacies of what each of the 128 members (back then) did to get to those tribal files.

Edited October 29, 2014 by xandandl

[jthomas666]

I don't even know if there is a word to describe Garfield's drill back then. Asymmetrical is perhaps technically correct, but at the same time some of it looked like it was controlled by the wind or the waves. A correct term escapes me.

Fluid?

[drumcorpsfever]

Not interested whether they (GZ) or some other corps should have been credited with a new style of drill. But, during that year, did any other corps make drill changes to emulate what Garfield was doing, and if done, did it improve their placements?

It wasn't a drill change, but check out the DOUBLE Z Pull at the end of Bluecoats show. The Double Z kind of got lost in the shuffle of all the other fabulous things that Bloo did in TILT. Wow, what a cool drill move!

[xandandl]

Double yup!

Of course, Fever, Coats' drill writer JVK marched the original Z- pull in Cadets with Leon May (now Crown's drill writer) and Jeff Sacktig (still Cadets' drill writer) in the same soprano (trumpet) line.

I remember well the 3 of them eating up every word Zingali would say, working by hand writing and plotting charts for their early band writing gigs, listening very seriously to George Z when he offered a comment or suggestion here and there, checking with Marc Sylvester just to get that they understood George's comments correctly.

Jon went onto to be George's assistant and then successor at Star of Indiana (cf. Star of Indiana '93)

This was and still is an amazing trio who still rival each other today for the activity's betterment and entertainment.

It's a pet dream of mine that at some DCI major show these three would don their horns again, or maybe even most of those who teach and are in admin, and wow us with the talents they used when they marched. Hopefully, it wouldn't develop into the senior class-faculty basketball game, ha, ha.

Edited October 29, 2014 by xandandl