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I'll be there. Looking forward to it.

Elphabao1 typed that the Troopers beat all the biggies at least once. So, no matter the "contest", I thought RA went undefeated in 65. But, after some searching, they went undefeated from July to the end of the season.

felt that way watching online...and in Allentown

Here you go Golden Girl. http://www.dcxmuseum.org/index.cfm?view=corpslist&CorpsID=6

Fellow french horns, if I recall. Hi Terri!

Thanks! That year was the most fun I ever had in drum corps (on the field, at least). And we jumped from 10th in prelims to 7th in finals. Words cannot describe how we all felt when scores were announced at Finals, as we passed North Star, then Blue Stars, and finally Madison. One of my great memories.

Hmmm...my marching era started 20 years before yours, and I love shows of today. I really am THAT old.

Yes. In general I have really enjoyed crossmen shows from the past 5 years much more than those from the 90s and 00s. 02 would be the exception- I love that show

Hmmmm, I'm from the era of which you speak, and I like the shows today. To each his own I guess.

Happy March 7th, our favorite day of the year! Here’s a sneak peek at our 2018 show just for you. There are still limited brass and color guard spot available for the 2018 season. Visit http://www.seventhregiment.org/audition-inperson/ for more information! Read the rest of the article here. View the full article

My question is - how does this type of theme even come across visually ???? These are the kind of thematic ideas that drive me crazy - because you can't really see any of it in the show unless you have a complete understanding of it. Some of these themes are just to esoteric to work and Crossmen seems to be a victim of this the last few years.

The space between the no longer and the not yet..... hmm... isn't that - the present? So Crossmen's show is: The Present.

I’m not counting words. I’m focused on the artlessness of title. Of how they have boxed in their concept before allowing it develop. How once again, they have to tell me what they are going for instead of showing me. It’s all rather clunky It’s good to have a focus but they are already backed into a corner and blew the visual of the t-shirts I do expect the title to change but it feels like what was supposed to be fixed, it’s stoned awakening statues all over again

1. 2015 - Kinetic Noise My hands-down favorite show of all time. It has everything I could ever want. It makes me bob my head. The ballad is gorgeous. There's a stereo contra feature. I'm sold. 2. 2005 - Caravan Loved the music. Really fun concept that married the version 1.0 Bluecoats with Blood 2.0. Right show. Right year. 3. 2017 - Jagged Line Lots of attitude in the visual program. Though I usually FF through the ballad, Psychopomp and Zomby Woof are 2 of my favorite arrangements anyone has ever done. If anyone out there hasn't listened to the Thank You Scientist album that Psychopomp comes from, check it. One of my favorite current bands, and a potential killer source of more field material in the future for some groups. 4. 2016 - Downside Up I'll never forget seeing this live for the first time in spring training and thinking how the entire activity was about to change forever. The last 30 seconds of this might be my favorite 30 seconds ever in a show. These guys came out every night like a cross between rock stars and super heroes. If I could get a time machine and march any show ever, this is it. 5. 2001 - Latin Sketches The winter camp where the corps read through Red Cape Tango for the first time was the moment the corps shifted for good. Guard choreo. in the ballad was gorgeous. Honorable mentions: 1999 - The Music of Chick Corea (got me hooked with Armando's Rhumba) 2008 - The Knockout (ballad and closer... YES) 1998 - Four Seasons of Jazz (gratuitous screaming and maybe the Autumn Leaves that's aged the best) 1986 - untitled (Hungarian Dance no. 5... only jazz? Really fun to listen to) 2000 - Threshold (because I'm definitely gonna end this list on a biased note. Also, the closer w/ duet)

Hey - I've marched both euph and contra for many years (DCI and DCA). It's a moot point --- but it ultimately helps to have a horn. There's no better way to understand the weight distribution and getting comfortable enough to maneuver with the same level of proficiency as the other instruments. There's no exercise that really mirrors getting it from ground to "chop" -- or snapping from "chop" to playing position -- other than actually DOING it. That said: it doesn't hurt to be in generally decent physical shape. I'm no licensed trainer or anything (usual disclaimer applies: talk to a certified fitness instructor or a doctor before starting a new regimen), but below are some exercises or general workouts that have helped me. In general: you want to give as much attention to your core and back muscles as you do your arms. - Yoga Find a class and start doing it now ... it's great for strength/breathing/endurance/flexibility/learning to achieve specific body shapes -- all of that is completely relevant to drum corps There are classes everywhere (community centers, fitness centers, colleges, etc) If anyone makes fun of you for doing yoga, they are wrong and stupid - Core-specific workouts Planks Crunches Leg-lifts - Body weight training Regular pushups, tucked-elbow pushups, pull-ups or chin-ups ... that sort of thing Some of my friends have recommended stuff on the body weight sub-Reddit - Light-weights + heavy rep training For example - Front dumbell raises with 5-15 lbs weights Low cable row machine to work on upper-rear muscles - Running You're going to be doing a bunch of it in the summer anyway Get good shoes, don't cheap out on them Again: this is all stuff I've done over the years. Find what works for YOU and commit to a regular-enough schedule (aim for 3x a week). One final note: every tuba manufacturer is different. Some have better weight distribution and ergonomic design considerations than others. I've marched several seasons on Yamaha ... by far my favorite, from a weight distribution standpoint. It's the easiest to maneuver and toss around. Jupiter is the opposite, in my opinion. They sound good, but are stupid heavy. Dumb design for the drum corps. Played a little bit on an Adams horn last summer ... it wasn't too bad, but still not as effortless to move around as Yamaha.