craiga

Safe travels to all the members and staff heading to San Antonio for camp today! Looks like it will be a beautiful day to fly for our New England and Florida members, as well as a great day to drive across town for our San Antonio members! 😀 Seriously, Castleton is now less than a month....I LOVE this time of year!

Lol! Funny you should ask....for years, I have been comparing F1 racing to DCI'S Top Twelve! Until recently however, I have referred to Lewis Hamilton (Team Mercedes) as the Blue Devils of that sport. Incredible organization, limitless funding, and unbridled winning. Max Verstappen is now surging in the sport....hmmm...perhaps the BAC of F1, Chief?? 😀

I, for one, don't even know what drum corps are talking about anymore!

BAC has their first and last full corps camp this coming weekend, and as of then, we will be only four weeks away from Spring Training in Castleton, Vermont. This year, they will only be up there 17 days, with the rest of pre-season on locations closer to the Boston area. Along with several local performances, many of us are thrilled to have the corps closer to the Hub. Can't wait for the start of the season!!!!

Not us, Jurassic.... 😀

This is true. Not only that, but back when I was alive (80s), there wasn't anything like a 60 day tour which had to be staffed. DCI had what amounted to 2 two week tours....we even referred to them as Tour A and Tour B. So, drum corps staffs just made sure to all get those specific weeks off to go on tour. It is difficult to get staff these days to be able to get 60+ days off from their jobs so that's why they cycle in and out and more staff are needed to cover the rehearsals.

Chief, you know by now, no whining and crying from me! Personally, I think they have a 60% chance of getting a "fourpeat". But there are several teams who will also bring their A game this summer, so we'll see what happens!

If it was any other corps, I would think somebody screwed up. However, this is the Blue Devils, so it is probably them being all crafty and subtle. Like I have been saying for decades, if they were to go out in their opening set and take a poop on the 50, DCI judges would say they were making a statement on the futility of one man's struggle in a byzantine society. If Boston or Bloo did that, they'd say "get a shovel!" LOL! But seriously, good luck in 2024 BD!

Yeah, saying that DCI knew the end was coming and "gave" Cadets the 5th place finish was conspiracy theory, clueless, and just plain stupid. The Cadets came in 5th because they were better than everyone beneath them, including this woman's beloved Regiment. They deserved their placement, and I say this as a Boston supporter.

No comment.

Somebody from the Kilties just posted the recap from the VFW Finals in 1970. I had completely forgotten that back in those days, along with the regular captions of GE, brass, percussion, and marching & maneuvering (visual) there were also captions for Inspection and Cadence. Yep, the "good ol days"! Btw, you younger folk might recognize the top corps: 1. TROOPERS 2. BOSTON 3. CAVIES

You know, alot of this reminds me of that famous Hollywood director who raped a 13 year old girl, WAS charged and found guilty, and fled to Europe before he was due to "turn himself in". There were tons of Hollywood actors and other elites who were saying he should be excused because he was an "artistic genius". The ME T00 movement ended that. Just recalled his name...Roman Polanski.

The BAC corps doctor seems to be able to write scripts wherever they travel, but I have no idea how that all works. She is with them from the beginning of spring training til finals, but I think she gets a week off at some point, just like the rest of the staff.

I agree and I am also relieved that I'm not the only who remembers salt tablets. And, no personal water jugs in those days....ever.

I here you. We've already eliminated (hopefully) staff/member transgressions. However, is there in fact a power differential between two baritone players for example, who are 6 months apart in birthdays? How about a couple color guard boys who are both 17 until one has a birthday the day of Allentown? I know a wonderful couple (both drummers) where the boy aged out and wanted to be on staff, and he was hired. But, his gf still had one year to go in the bass line, and BAC leadership told them that was not going to happen. So as a couple, they discussed it in the off season and decided that she would age out at BD(which she did) while he stayed and taught at BAC. Just bringing this up because sometimes we all forget that rules affect people in real time. My heart goes out to them but my brain says the drum corps did the right thing.

That's the problem. There is no nationwide age of consent. They vary by state...some are 16 or 17, and a few southern states are, incredibly, lower. I don't know how you enforce constantly changing laws on a group that travels 10,000 miles in 60 days...

And not only that, but the age of consent varies from state to state. As the corps travels through state lines during the night, the age of consent may change several times, from 16 to 17 to 15 to 18. I do not know what the answer is here. If the boy is 18 and the girl is 17, they could be unwittingly breaking the law some nights in some states but not others. It appears to me that there probably aren't alot of corps members in World Class who are not of the age of consent, but what in blazes do you do with Open and All Age? I don’t know what the answer is.

I had the impression they had worn those unis in parades throughout the summer.

Apparently, the judge has warned them that any use of "Cadets", 1934, FHNSAB, Maroon & Gold etc, places them in the category of "Successor" organization, and jeopardy will be attached to them as well. Don't forget, the plaintiff's attorney has already said he has several of the "Hopkins Women" lined up to represent once he concludes this case. He is apparently known for suing railroads and it seems as though the "Cadets and its successors" are his next targets.

Yes....the forecast for the Northern Kingdom region of Vermont is Nor'Easter tonight thru Friday for 14-22 inches. 😀

I'm sure your info here is accurate. I am curious about one point, however. You mentioned that their BOD wasn't involved in or consulted regarding performance matters. I wonder, shouldn't it be that way? My knowledge extends really only to BAC. Their BOD is made up of nearly 50 people, and AFAIK, their sole mission is generating financial support, not only for the corps but also Inspire's other entities like the high school music festivals and the programs for inner city youth. Also, I have heard that GH had been very involved with the show production back in the day. At BAC, my impression is the director steers the ship, but leaves production decisions to the caption heads. Sounds like very different approaches.

We're down to only 7 weeks until Spring Training in Castleton! Woohoo! The corps members and staff get into town on 5/24 and rehearsals begin on 5/25. I cannot wait! Eat'em Up, Boston! !!-!-!!!

No, it was DCI who had money in the bank. The Cadets are broke.

Well, there's Boston, established in 1940 as The Most Precious Blood Crusaders. Nobody can accuse them of not changing with the times, on or off the field.

Your son moved FLAWLESSLY across the field, every year he marched. The trouble is, he's only about 5' 6" (like me) and for people our height, the jazz runs 🏃‍♀️ are an extra burden! 😀 Btw, if he inspires the Troopers to perform like he did, they'll get a medal!