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Devils- We don't care Phantom- We love fans Crown- Have awesome sound Coats- Better every year Scouts- Throw your babies Cavies- Finding their identity Cadets- Changing your activity Blue Stars- Tomorrow's elite corps Glassmen- Hot dog time (sorry, just my opinion) Blue Knights- Becoming fan friendly? Boston Crusaders- Not very exciting

So far, I'm not really liking DCP.

D W A O I M W T P N H S

The Skinny on D8N from a Daytonian. . Ah yes. . .Another amazing WGI is almost upon us, and I thought I would again share some inside Dayton info for those of you making the trip this year! Travel (I-75) For those of you who are going to be traveling I-75, you should know that there is construction in both directions. If you are coming North from Cincinnati, there is going to be construction all through Warren County (Warren County is just south of Dayton and is where Touchdown Jesus use to be, he got hit by lightning and burned to the ground this year) For those you coming from Indy/North of Dayton who will be heading south on 75, there is construction all through downtown and up until the exit for the UD arena. *It should be noted and is very important to know that you can NOT exit onto I-35 from 75 if you are heading south. This is the way that MANY people go to get to the Marriott. I repeat, the I-35 ramp from 75 South is closed. You must get off at the Edwin C Moses exit, if you would like to get on 35. For those of you going to the Marriott, this is the exit you would want anyway. Another VERY important side note to those coming from 75 going in the south direction. The Edwin C Moses exit can be very tricky because of the way it is set up to handle the closed 35 traffic. As you are heading down the exit, DO NOT be in the left lane, as it is a continuous loop and will put you back on 75 heading in the north direction so that you can get to 35. Again, the left lane of the exit is a continuous loop and will put you back on 75 (there is a blockade, so if you make this mistake, you’re pretty much hosed) The right lane allows you to turn right onto Edwin C Moses (which you don’t want to do) or allows you stop make a left hand turn onto Edwin C Moses (this is what you want) so that you can get to the arena or the hotel. It should be noted that this also is very tricky because in order to turn left you have to realize that there has been made an ‘open space’ in between 2 construction barrels so that vehicles can turn left. If you are still confused…which I don’t blame you, I made a video today driving south on 75 through downtown and getting off at the Edwin C. Moses Exit. My hope is that this video will help those out-of-towners feel more comfortable with unfamiliar surroundings…and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Video here: Lodging/Restuarants Also, for those near UD/Marriott. . .there are many restaurants on brown st. …and this is probably your best place to grab a bite to eat. You are literally a right hand turn and 3 blocks away if staying at the Marriott. There is a chipotle, panera, burger joints, dewey’s pizza, sub shops and a lot more. The infamous Pine Club is also on Brown st. For those who like local mom and pop type places…check out the brunch club and/or tanks. FYI, for those night owls, Tanks kitchen stays open until 2AM If you are staying north of town (the miller lane area) that is right next to 75…there will be a ton of places to eat, but not much entertainment. This area is very close to the Dayton International Airport. Every hotel chain and chain restaurant can be found on the miller lane strip. South of town (Dayton mall area) You have lots of places to eat and things to do..laser tag, the mall, bowling etc. You also have places like PF Changs and Bravo! Right there by the mall. ..along with every chain you can think of. I recommend First Watch for breakfast/brunch. . it’s wonderful and they only serve breakfast and lunch during those respective hours. For those with a finer palette, check out Anne Kearney’s restaurant: Rue Dumaine. It’s probably one of the best places in the mid-west and well, it’s Anne Kearney! http://www.daytonmall.net/ http://ruedumainerestaurant.com http://www.firstwatch.com East of Town (WSU/WPAFB area) for those unfamiliar: WSU = Wright State University and WPAFB is Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Over here there is also a ton to do with every imaginable restaurant under the sun. Near the nutter is also the Fairfield Mall, which is a nice place to stroll around and unwind, though quite a few stores have left and moved to the greene. The Greene is an ‘outdoor lifestyle center’ which is just a fancy way to say outside mall. If the weather is nice, this is probably the place to hit….great stores and places to eat: Cheesecake Factory, Flemings, a great Pub and there is also a wine bar. Also some local places…a sushi place, a Mediterranean place (think kabobs) and Mongolian BBQ. There is also a large movie theatre on site as well. For those near UD/Marriott…if you make a left hand turn out of the Marriott and then in a mile or so, another left hand turn on Dorothy Lane. . you’ll run into the Greene, it’s only about 15 minutes away from that area. http://www.thegreene.com/ http://www.mallatfairfieldcommons.com/ Other entertainment. . .well I’d say go explore the National AF museum. . it’s amazing and yes..it’s free!! You can literally spend 3 days in there and not see everything. There is hope that NASA is going to retire one of the space shuttles at this museum in the near future. The Dayton Art Institute is another option and it too is free! Beautiful works and the building is gorgeous as you drive right by it on 75…it sits opposite/to the west of the skyline. I would not venture any further west than the art institute as West Dayton is ‘our rough area’ Let’s not make bones about it. . .everywhere has their bad areas and in Dayton, it’s the Westside. I would say from I-70 south to about the Dayton mall/Miamisburg area you should stay east of 75. It’s a gamble if you want to venture into that area, but it’s your call. For point of reference the Hara Arena is in Western Part of Dayton…and probably the nicer part of the West Dayton area. Also, there is the Dayton Peace Museum which is small, but a great place…and just to our south there is the Cincinnati Premium Outlets that just opened up about 6 months ago. Don’t let the name fool you, it’s closer to Dayton than Cincinnati (since we’re growing into one area anyway) CPO has outlets of Ralph Lauren, BR, Coach, Michael Kors, Gap and other hoity toity designers/brands. For point of reference, CPO is at the same exit you can find Touchdown Jesus. It’s about 20-25 minutes south of downtown Dayton. If you’re staying south in the Dayton mall area, you can probably be there in about 15 minutes or so…given your respective driving abilities. Be warned though, all of warren county has construction going on on I-75. http://www.daytonartinstitute.org/ http://www.nps.gov/daav/index.htm http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/ http://www.daytonpeacemuseum.org/ http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=79 Hotels…just be smart and stay at a chain. Avoid the Westside and the no-tell motels. Rule of thumb, if you don’t recognize the name/chain, chances are.. it’s a gamble. Another gamble are the hotels right by the UD area that site across the highway on the west side. Yes, you can literally see them from the UD parking lot, but there have been lots of issues at those places.. .I think last time I checked they were the econo lodge and la quinta? I’ll double check. The Marriott, courtyard and Holiday Inn Dryden rd. should be fine. ..as are the Doubletree and Crown Plaza that are downtown. Clubs. . .there are a lot of them downtown, specifically in the Oregon District, but let’s face reality, everyone will end up at Masque. All the gay clubs in Dayton are in an area what locals refer to as ‘The Fruit Loop’…thus there are about 5 or 6 clubs that form a semi circle around the main parking area behind masque (the main entrance to masque is also from this parking lot) Straight/mixed clubs are scattered throughout the Oregon, Downtown and The 'Burbs http://oregonartsdistrict.com/index.php?op...ge&Itemid=1 http://www.clubmasque.com/main.php I would also recommend you rent a car while in Dayton…we are after all Midwesterners who live obsessively to drive EVERYWHERE…which is why we have so much sprawl. Taxis are few and far between and there is a regional bus provider (RTA) but riding it would take a lot of planning and ramping up on their bus schedules. So it’s easier just to rent a car. Check the Weather Reports: http://www.weather.com/weather/today/Dayton+OH+45402 The Dayton Daily News, just in case: http://www.daytondailynews.com Things that are unique to Dayton or the Dayton Region: Marion’s Piazza (Dayton style pizza) Dorothy Lane Market, home of the killer brownie, Mike Sells Potato chips, Esther Price candies..the best chocolate ever. Graeter’s Ice Cream, Young’s dairy Farm…and many more I’m sure that I’ve missed. If you have a question or need additional info, feel free to shoot me a PM. http://www.marionspizza.com/ http://www.dorothylane.com/ http://www.estherprice.com/ http://www.graeters.com/ (enter zip code 45402) http://www.youngsdairy.com/ And yes, the local law enforcement has been warned and is on the lookout for Sebastienne St. Jacque and his senior performance ensemble: Convalescence Winterguard.

Then I am definately sending them a muffin basket!!!!! Later, Mike

Yes...and guards 21-24 may like to send a muffin basket to Beatrix. Had Beatrix not been bumped to IW, only 20 guards would have made it to semis. Now that Beatrix is in IW, that moves the total number of IW guards competing to 31, and thus moves the number of units making semis to the next bracket(from 20 to 24)

They're not going to be available from Ticketmaster at this point, but probably weren't available when sales opened to the public anyway, as these seats are usually blocked out. Corps, Friends, fans with extras, scalpers will have good seats available, though it's easier to get one or two seats than six in a row, obviously. You may pay a premium but it doesn't have to be huge particularly if you're okay with sitting at the 35-40 yard line where the sound is still quite good at least down low. Up high at Lucas Oil, the sound isn't great anywhere, though if you prefer drill to sound, you may be happier up there anyway. Another thing I always recommend: if money is tight and you can't afford great seats Saturday, go Thursday. The tickets are much cheaper especially on resale from people forced to buy Thursday to get great seats Saturday, you get to see many more corps, you can usually sit where you want (between the 45s even if your ticket says you have 10 yard line seats--in the unlikely event the real ticketholder shows up, just move over--this doesn't work as well Friday and doesn't work at all Saturday when every midfield ticketholder shows up and wants his seat). Most finalist corps do as good a show for quarterfinals as they do for finals. There's less crowd buzz but it's by far the best value of the week.

The symphony orchestra.

The "real" Cadets? In my opinion, each and every Cadet that puts on a Cadet uniform, (regardless of what it may look like) sings the corps song and feels the brotherhood of the Cadets is a REAL Cadet. Sorry if the truth hurts but it is not only the ancestors who know what makes a Cadet a Cadet.

Young Whipper Snappers

Glassmen: Boring in Bb (I jest - this was printed on a shirt they made during the G to Bb switchover) Ed: Used printed twice in the same sentence.

Yes, it is most certainly your right to disagree with anything you choose to. If nothing else, it makes for great discussions. And in retrospect, I probably came down a little harder on you then I really meant to. I do agree with most of your posts, after all. I just get really frustrated when (and I'm not saying you did this) people bash what a corps is wearing and deciding they won't even watch a show because of it. Again, they have that right to bash all they want, I just don't understand it and tend to question it. That being said, I can't wait to see The Cadets' 2011 Production! Unlike the majority of the people on dcp, I absolutely LOVE George Hopkins, and I wish I had the chance to study under him. I know I won't be disappointed.

I was always a huge fan of Southwind. More often than not I found them to be more entertaining and engaging than a lot of finalist level corps. Being from Kentucky I've known many people, including some good friends, who marched and they always had a good experience in spite of the problems the corps faced in its later years. Came close to marching Southwind myself, and even though I went elsewhere I came to be pretty well acquainted with the corps and its people in the time it was based in Lexington. No, a finals appearance wouldn't have saved Southwind, but that group richly deserved to be in. Attracting members wasn't really their biggest problem anyways. From an outsider's perspective it seemed as though they were never quite at home in Kentucky, and their efforts to make their presence known in the local music community, much less the community at large, always seemed half-hearted. Maybe I missed something, but their presence always seemed to be pretty low key, and that may have hurt them.

So time is flying by and summer is almost upon us, so I thought as BKs biggest homer it's time to start their fan thread. Thruthfully I'm excited to see what they do every year but I'm really intrigued this year. Bocook and Hardimon writing the music and drum book, Sully and staff have marching style solidified after the change to straight leg, and Andy and Tim had great retention in. The hornline and guard! The retention is something I'm really excited about, because they're building something really special in Denver. BK is gonna have 80 horns and has been ripping it up in camps I'm told, if their show and tells are indicators then this is going to be an awesome season!! If u haven't done so I suggest u go listen to their march camp show and tell on YouTube. So even though its still pre season, I'm already amped up for BK and wanted to give them a shout out- GO BK, Keep Up The Good Work!!! We'll seeu in the summer! Wesley Perkins BK '97,'98

Anyone know where, when and details on the preview shows for Wednesday night this year?

UPDATED 3.29.11 Hello All, Were are back up and running! You may visit our websites without a virus, (or the gift that keeps on giving). The "Star Store" is offline, possibly not to return, so sorry to disappoint if you had you heart set on some Star Swag. You can also catch a video from Star United's March Camp** on our site We can't wait to see all of you at DCA, and more information on our Performance at NKU in June will be forthcoming. And again, Thank you all for your support! Jeff Star United Website Star Alumni Website **may or may not be actual video of our March camp...

I don't think these two-items are mutually exclusive. Perhaps 'esoteric vs. 'accessible' would have been a better choice?

86 BD

I was just sent an email by Hazelton Ford, the assistant to Sebastienne St. Jacque and he informed me that there is a very good chance that Sebastienne will be performing a musical medley in the lobby of the Marriott after semifinals on Friday. This should be VERY entertaining!

Based on the 'rules' 20 to semis...it seems awful to cut only 2 guards, but then again they cut 3 last year and took 20.

I love that Crown consistently has the "biggest" sound in drum corps.

I think your main hobby is having disturbing avatars. This is like the tenth one that's made me go "wait, what?"

Blue Stars: Finis Coronat Opus

Pretty good list...a few things, Tarpon Springs is no longer going. I'd put Rancho Bernardo in their spot. I also think Norwin gets in at the expense of LC Also, I think Juxta and Beatrix make IW finals, most likely at the expense of Ars Nova and Diamante.

I get ten 50 yard line seats from Friends of DCI, yet only my son and I go to Indy. The rest I heap on friends who shower me with praise (green pluses), commit early (August 20th), pay early (December), give me the best seats in the block, and get me snacks so I don't miss the fabulous INT show. Sadly, 2011 is already spoken for, but there's time to start kissing up for 2012! Let the games begin!

"perfectimeofday" should have the 411 on this event usually held at centerville h.s.. i also hope he posts his annual informative "dayton guide to WGI" again!

IW: Santa Clara Onyx Blessed Sac Braddock Zydeco Fantasia Corona Opus X First Flight Premonition Alter Ego Black Watch Ars Nova Cypress Diamante SW: Carmel James Logan Avon Northview Trumbull Flanagan Seminole Marion Catholic Arcadia Tarpon Spings Warren Central Americas Lawrence Central Warren Central West Johnston (i think Center Grove will be the first one out - very painful to say) Open and A to follow later....

Ok - Father Ryan Highschool's show is just really fun and quirky. I don't know who the staff is - but major kudos to designing such a gem of a show! Later, Mike

WTF ?

My fault! But I felt compelled to chime in. I'm pretty much looking forward to everyone, BD included.

Maybe so, but IMO it usually just boils down to someone who likes a show (or corps) using it to describe someone who's said they don't. (The likelihood of it being used is inversely proportional to the amount of tact used to express the dislike.) For me, it carries about as much weight as borg, dinosaur, etc.

82 Madison 78 Bridgemen (Diamond Jim!) 79 Nohthstah 84 BD (La Fiesta!) 88 BD

Accessible? ..like a Frenchman speaking English to an American living in Paris...an American that's too lazy to learn it himself. "Hey, it's like you Frenchies have a different word for everything!" That kind of accessible? Then yes, BD needs to stop stumping the DCP audience. Simplify...do the familiar, the non-different, you know.....like to old days when they wore gray pants with sashes and screamed. Come on BD...can't you hear the chorus of fans on here cheering you to be normal...uh oh, what's that, another rumor of normalcy...shhhhhh...yeah maybe will like em' this year!

The real heroes of the activity today are board of directors of the corps today that work tirelessly to keep their corps solvent. I serve on the board of a top twelve corps and spend on average $450 to attend board meetings. I voted to approve just the type of budget that everyone here is protesting against. Majority of costs occur before the season starts and the majority of revenue comes in after the corps is on tour. Based on previous years performance I have supreme confidence in the Executive Director, Corps Director and the entire tour staff in executing the plan to meet the budgeted goals and we have a distasteful backup plan in place to cover a deficit. Executive Director's today have to deal the hand they are dealt. They sit around a table at DCI headquarters holding their cards close to their chest waiting for someone to ante up first. Then they pounce on the one with the lowest card. Everyone is in agreement that the current business model sucks but it is what it is. I would go as far as saying that one corps failure every five years is acceptable in this type of environment. If we want to see the corps on the field entertaining us we have to work within the present system.

05 BD. Some great screaming trumpet in there. This is also, in my opinion, one of the more underrated shows of the last decade.

I have insider information! .... that will remain inside PS: corpsband, your constantly changing banners are fantastic!

I have an idea for using the synth to enhance GE... use it to produce synthesized audience reaction. It works for television laugh tracks, why not for drum corps? If you hear people laugh, you tend to laugh, and if you hear people applaud, you tend to applaud. It would also help educate the audience to know when something is supposed to be exciting, humorous, etc. Or have the corps already secretly been doing it?

I think that most drumcorps fans - even the most curmudgeonly (including me) - agree with you on this. However, where we disagree is the definition of "successes" and "failures". In many people's opinion, electronics has been one of the failures.

sophisticated, occasionally brilliant

Blue Devils 2008

Change is great. ( if it works) as far as it's just all about the music..lol...you couldn't be more wrong

BD: unbeaten world champions.

Lance....just a request....the "Haters" expression/term....can we drop that in 2011? Let's leave that in the dust somewhere in 2010....

If DCI wants more butts in the seats...they have to figure out how to get a real buzz going during the off season. A buzz so strong that has fans counting down the minutes for the season to start. You know....meaningful corps camp updates...with tidbits of show music thrown in (even if its midi files). I remember back in late 2003 and 2004 when SCV was posting monthly updates of their 2004 production. I couldn't wait to see/hear their full show. And you know what...SCV 2004 was a DCI finals crowd favorite that season. Think of movie previews. They are designed to inspire you to attend movies. DCI needs to engage/inspire the fans more during the off season.

Let me cheer you up. 12 world class corps have not made any official announcement of their repertoire or show title. And of the corps that shared some information it is barely enough to gauge if a show will be "good" or "bad" or "indifferent". Also, ALL 23 World corps have not even completed their 2011 drum corps shows let alone solidified their designs. And absolutely no one knows what these 2011 productions will look like or sound...

Prediction: Convalesence will actually get the opportunity to perform, but will be disqualified immediately upon taking the floor and will need to be escorted out of the facility. Any predictions on the infraction?

To the best of my knowledge, logo submissions will be open until March 27th which leads me to believe that what you saw is NOT the logo.

I assure you we have armed guards with rifles twirling 24/7 at our equipment trailer. If any intruders attempt to hijack any equipment, Roger Grupp sends out a distress squeal on his trumpet that can be heard across the metro area and MBI swarms to it's beckon call.