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Not a major championship along the lines of the VFW, AL, World Open, etc., during those years.... but my first year around drum corps, 1967, my older brothers marched in a Garden State Circuit corps from NJ, and I remember the Riversiders from NYC dominating the circuit that year and winning the GSC championship. Great local corps.

I remember the Riversiders well. They could really blow the house down. But 1 corps that hasn't been mentioned, and I'm very surprised about this, is C.M.C.C Warriors! They could really put out a sound.

Knickerbockers get honorable mention as well.

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They did get creamed ... but also bested the 1964 VFW champs, The Kilties by 3 pts ... then beat the Cavies at the 64 WO Prelims ... and then were blasted in the Finals by 2 pts, but outpointed both the Royal Airs and Kilties ... 64 was definitely "topsy-turvy" at the end of the season ... IMO, the Boston Crusaders took the brunt of the political warfare you speak of in 64 ... they lost only one show (to my Bpt PAL Cadets) going into Nationals (including a very successful Midwest tour) and became an "also ran" at the VFW and WO ...

You are very much correct in citing the ###-for-tat that occurred between the Midwest and East Judges (and instructors) ... made it very tenuous for East corps competing in the MW and the MW corps competing in the East ... very sad what happened amongst the grown-ups ... and they wondered why the kids fought at contests ... heh ...

Hard to believe we're talking about emotions garnered more that 50 years ago ... but ... that's the way it is ...

:-)

Saturday August 15, 1964 Highland Park IL Position Corps Score 1 Cavaliers 84.170 2 Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights 79.280 3 Kilties 76.400 4 Norwood Park Imperials 74.630 5 Toronto Optimists 73.770 6 Racine Explorer Scouts 72.700 7 Vanguard 70.850 8 Marion Cadets 62.930 9 Cedar Rapids Cadets 62.720 10 Madison Scouts 61.620 Sunday August 30, 1964 Bridgeport CT World Open Junior Finals STADIUM: Hedges Stadium Position Corps Score 1 Cavaliers 86.250 2 Blessed Sacrament 84.433 3 St. Kevin's 84.383 4 Royal Airs 83.166 5 Boston Crusaders 83.100 6 The Cadets 82.483 7 Kilties 82.450 8 St. Lucy's Cadets 78.583 9 Selden Cadets 76.466 10 Bridgeport PAL 75.183
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The '64 WO Prelims -

That was the day the Troopers missed the cut by one placement. It was their first trip to the big bad East. Somehow, Donald Angelica (to whom an entire thread should be devoted on DCP) convinced the show sponsor (Ray Samora of Drum Corps News, if I am not mistaken) to permit them to do an exhibition since they had come so far.

When they performed (and with all due respect to the ten finalists) they caused a sensation, as it was pretty clear they were better than half the corps in that show. Freddy Sanford was in the tenor section and their soon-to-be drum major, Pete Emmons, was on soprano.

The following year they finished third at World Open, then won their first National Championship in '66.

By the late '60s there were a good many creative exchanges between East and Mid-West and by the time Hy Dreitzer began writing for Des Plaines things were really heating up and the whole country achieved a kind of drum corps critical mass which eventually gave birth to the west coast corps, and here we are.

New York really was a nucleus for much of this. Consider that, in addition to Hy, quite a few others from the area made their influence felt, not the least of whom was a kid from the next generation, a soloist with the Smithtown Freelancers and the Sunrisers who has been teaching and writing for that blue man group from CA for the past 40 years or so...Wayne Downey.

Believe me, New York was a great place to be for a drum corps kid in the '60s.

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They did get creamed ... but also bested the 1964 VFW champs, The Kilties by 3 pts ... then beat the Cavies at the 64 WO Prelims ... and then were blasted in the Finals by 2 pts, but outpointed both the Royal Airs and Kilties ... 64 was definitely "topsy-turvy" at the end of the season ... IMO, the Boston Crusaders took the brunt of the political warfare you speak of in 64 ... they lost only one show (to my Bpt PAL Cadets) going into Nationals (including a very successful Midwest tour) and became an "also ran" at the VFW and WO ...

You are very much correct in citing the ###-for-tat that occurred between the Midwest and East Judges (and instructors) ... made it very tenuous for East corps competing in the MW and the MW corps competing in the East ... very sad what happened amongst the grown-ups ... and they wondered why the kids fought at contests ... heh ...

Hard to believe we're talking about emotions garnered more that 50 years ago ... but ... that's the way it is ...

:-)

Saturday August 15, 1964 Highland Park IL Position Corps Score 1 Cavaliers 84.170 2 Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights 79.280 3 Kilties 76.400 4 Norwood Park Imperials 74.630 5 Toronto Optimists 73.770 6 Racine Explorer Scouts 72.700 7 Vanguard 70.850 8 Marion Cadets 62.930 9 Cedar Rapids Cadets 62.720 10 Madison Scouts 61.620Sunday August 30, 1964 Bridgeport CT World Open Junior Finals STADIUM: Hedges Stadium Position Corps Score 1 Cavaliers 86.250 2 Blessed Sacrament 84.433 3 St. Kevin's 84.383 4 Royal Airs 83.166 5 Boston Crusaders 83.100 6 The Cadets 82.483 7 Kilties 82.450 8 St. Lucy's Cadets 78.583 9 Selden Cadets 76.466 10 Bridgeport PAL 75.183

"New York Corps":

Although not a "NYC" corps upstate St Joseph's had a good placement at 1964 VFW Nationals Finals, and then got hammered out of WO Finals by several of the corps they (Racine & Madison Scouts, Troopers, Bridgeport PAL Cadets).

Anyone out there in cyberspace know what happened?

Andy?

Elphaba

WWW

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>>Although not a "NYC" corps upstate St Joseph's had a good placement at 1964 VFW Nationals Finals, and then got hammered out of WO Finals by several of the corps they (Racine & Madison Scouts, Troopers, Bridgeport PAL Cadets).

Anyone out there in cyberspace know what happened?

Andy?<<

No clue ... prelims were a short show ... maybe they had a bad run through ... I always wondered why so many other Eastern corps skipped the WO ... like Vasella, St. Mary's Cardinals, St. Pat's Jersey City, Bon Bons and a few others ...

:-)

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Not a major championship along the lines of the VFW, AL, World Open, etc., during those years.... but my first year around drum corps, 1967, my older brothers marched in a Garden State Circuit corps from NJ, and I remember the Riversiders from NYC dominating the circuit that year and winning the GSC championship. Great local corps.

My first competing year was in 68, and my little GSC corps competed in shows with the Riversiders...note that I did not say "competed against" them...that would imply some sort of competitive parity...they were always 15+ points or so ahead of us.

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My first competing year was in 68, and my little GSC corps competed in shows with the Riversiders...note that I did not say "competed against" them...that would imply some sort of competitive parity...they were always 15+ points or so ahead of us.

But then, in 1969 it was the Riversiders looking up at you guys.

Edited by Northern Thunder
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