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You had me worried there for a second.

The corps spends the first two weeks or so of Spring Training in Johnstown, PA, then travels by bus to Ada, OH for the remaining couple weeks, then starts the tour. That has been their schedule the last two seasons, and will be repeated this year. The corps leaves Ada June 16 (a handful of days earlier than usual) and instead of driving to Indy for the season opener, they drive on to Nebraska (and rehearse on the 17th), then to Wyoming (and rehearse there the 18th), then to Utah (and rehearse there the 19th), then to Nevada (and rehearse there the 20th), arriving in California the 21st. To be honest, I don't believe the additional miles on the front end will necessarily add much, or any, to their overall budget, because the corps will simultaneously be saving the cost of renting dorm rooms for ~200 people for the several additional days they would have stayed at Ada had they only been heading to the Indy opener. They're also doing 7 shows in California, all clustered around SF and LA, so there are several days in Cali where they are not traveling significantly at all. They're also cutting out the Florida leg of the tour, which was lengthy the last two years. Someone can probably run the exact mileage on google, I suppose.

Enjoyed Cadets camp today. I must say, the improvement in the brass line over last year is remarkable. This line can part your hair...a lot of focus on power. And the book is way more interesting than last year. Drew Shanefield is doing great stuff...he wrote a great book. Really happy with the Cadets right now. I believe this is the best foundation the corps has had to build on for several years. Today was the debut of the vocals at ensemble. Very surprised that I was impressed...not a big fan of vocals in drum corps. The singers are extremely talented and the vocal arrangements seem way better than previous attemps. The Cadets should go into spring training with a really solid product. What happens when they put the show on the field is the real test. We shall see how it turns out. Hopefully, the design staff won't shoot themselves in the foot again this sason...please!

Super proud of the work our members are doing to recruit new people to join Pioneer this year. Here is some insight into our original goals, and just how our students are rising to the occasion to achieve them and push to new heights! Trumpets: Minimum 18 (94.4% achieved at 17) Maximum 24 (70.8% achieved at 17) Mellophones: Minimum 14 (114% achieved at 16) Maximum 16 (100% achieved at 16) Euphoniums: Minimum 18 (72.2% achieved at 13) Maximum 24 (54.2% achieved at 13) Tubas: Minimum 10 (90% achieved at 9) Maximum 16 (56.3% achieved at 9) ____________________________________________________________ Total Hornline: 2017 Total: 28 2018 Minimum: 60 (91.6% achieved at 55) 2018 Maximum 80 (68.7% achieved at 55) _____________________________________________________________ TRUMPETS, BARITONE/EUPHONIUMS, and TUBAS! If you are still looking for a place to march this year, consider joining Pioneer as we march the largest hornline in corps history! We'd love to help you reach your goals. #GrowPio

So - as some of you know I've been laying low. I did get a video and call from a friend who was at the camp over the weekend I guess the big thing to share is the brass line is set - and a much more powerful and aggressive book/approach than same time last year My buddy - who marched elsewhere (BD) but is a pretty tough critic - was impressed by the book and the brass. 70 some in attendance. He said it reminded him of the 2007 line in terms of sound/power. I loved that line so when he said that it surprised me. Anyway - that's all I got. G.

This is what he said. Yes, today, Feb. 12th, Lincoln's Birthday, This is what he said. pretty good is an understatement, no?

Many of the corps who did west coast tours in the past decade did not have deep cash reserves, BAC excepted. The number of shows done on the Pacific run helps offset the extra expenses for driving. Feeding the corps remains the same number of meals whether sitting in place or travelling. Phantom and Madison are two examples of corps who ventured West and aren't known as money corps. Cadets have publicly voiced several reasons for doing the Pacific run this season among them: meeting full panels of judging earlier and more frequently; maintaining and expanding the brand market of the corps in that locale; giving the mms, particularly the vets a different and new experience of a wider nation; enticing some new recruits beyond an East Coast or Southern tour, etc., etc. Many of the Western corps plus Oregon Crusaders and Seattle Cascades succeed with their own sponsored contests when different corps compete in front of the Northwest audiences. Ask these corps yourself.

Garfield's numbers, while no doubt accurate, aren't the answer to the question. Corps like Cadets and Crown have to scrape to fund themselves. Neither donors nor members nor the combination cut it. I think that's the "big money" distinction X is making. BD and SCV, on the other hand, are big money. Bingo cash is the differentiator. Bingo is what's put BD in hotel rooms finals week for as long as I can remember. HH

Freelancers 1987... We folded in 1986. We weren't supposed to be any good. Our average age was something stupid like 17. 90% of the corps was rookies.. not Freelancers rookies... but rather rookies. We had total faith and trust in our staff and leadership because, well, we simply did not know any better. We started first tour with over 20 holes in the brass line. And then, we got pretty good. Ended up finishing 19th and set up the run of finals appearances in 89, 91 and 92. Awesome year.

Brian, yes they are! Thanks for your support! I will post pictures and a video from the March camp/Chicago Irish parade!

I could really use any show 1993-2001 as my favorite but I am going to put 2001 Chivalry out there as my favorite. My husband marched DCI in 01 and this was one of his favorite shows that year. In that era the Colts were just a good drum corps putting great music on the field. Least favorite- 2015 ...And a Shot Rings out. I can go to a lot of venues to see this kind of a program and I just don't like it in DCI. h @BoaDci posted a great lot video of the hornline and it just frustrates me more that these great musicians were playing 2nd fiddle.

I marched the first three years of Spirit of Atlanta, but my favorite year was our second year, 1978. We had finished in 23rd place at 1977 finals in Denver, so no one was expecting much out of our sophomore effort, despite having a lot of returnees from a year of almost all rookies. Jim Ott began telling us in the spring of 1978 that we had something special, but his words really didn't click with us until we got to the second show of tour, in Cedarburg, Wisc. That night, the crowd was electric, and we began to feed off the crowd's reaction to our still very-new corps from the South. The audience shot to their feet when we hit the company front in Let It Be Me, and remained standing for the rest of the show. It was pretty much like that the rest of the season, which was so much fun because NO one was expecting the sound that Jim Ott coaxed from us. We ended up the year in 6th place, missing the high horns trophy (which would later be named for Jim) by a mere .05. Not too shabby considering that only two of the horn players had ever even held a bugle before our first rehearsal for the previous season.

Ray was a wonderful person and true drum corps guy. His influence and membership in the early years of the Bushwackers, along with Ed Hayes, Sr. and Lou Marshello, helped our hornline and corps. I loved running into him at shows and catching up with life in general. He and his late wife, Patsy, were always there with a smile and a kind word. I will miss seeing him this season and at every show going forward. Rest in Peace Ray and God Bless. Thank you for all your smiles.