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Drum Corps horror stories


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Free day '95 Colts in Niagara Falls. The father of one of our age-out Bari soloists was on support staff and went to dinner with his son and another female support staff member. At dinner he choked on food, had a massive heart attack and died. This was two days before finals.

He sat in the press box and did not perform for semis, but took the field and marched (and played his solo) in memory of his father who had passed away in his arms less than 48 hours prior. Incredibly heroic and incredibly emotional.

I remember that, we were in Niagara Falls at the same exact time. Incredibly tragic.

In '94 on our way to Appleton, WI (i think it was) the left rear tire's on one of the busses broke off of the axle. No one hurt, a few shaken up, but thank fully no one hurt. However some of us did sleep in the parking lot of a gas station whist we used the only other working bus to shuttle us to the housing site. That was the same year we has to constantly push start the old EK food Bus every day. Ah the memories.

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1975 Legionaires disease outbreak in Philly that caused a number of corps (including the Bluecoats) to not attend championships week for fear of exposing the members.

There was either a local drum & bugle or baton corps (read both versions) out of the PA coal region that lost a bus driver to this. Bellvue-Stratford hotel... remember it because my old car club took a day trip to Philly the year before and guess where we met the bus... :shutup:

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We should take a moment and also spare thoughts for Delta Brigade. From Corpsreps.com

Delta Brigade did not compete in 1998, due to the illness of a key staff member, and the 1999 season was curtailed when a traffic accident took the lives of two corps members.

Sam Gossoo and Travis Nail were the staff members (not corps members) who passed away in that accident. I know in Texas, at least, this was a big tragedy - most of the small corps here then were pretty interconnected.

Mike

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This isn't quite on par with shattered legs and car rollovers, but still wasn't any picnic: in the middle of the '93 season, I started having severe abdominal pain, which I first attributed to Taco Bell LOL, but turned out to be a kidney stone

I literally... and figuratively.... feel your pain. I had a kidney stone attack about 10 years ago. I don't wish this on anybody. Keep drinking lots and lots of water my friend, ( lemonade is supppsed to help too ) as those who have had a kidney stone tend to have a high rate of return occurance at some point according to the Docs.

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I literally... and figuratively.... feel your pain. I had a kidney stone attack about 10 years ago. I don't wish this on anybody. Keep drinking lots and lots of water my friend, ( lemonade is supppsed to help too ) as those who have had a kidney stone tend to have a high rate of return occurance at some point according to the Docs.

Oh trust me, I know! I had another in '95 and another in 2010. The last one was big fun- the first doc botched the procedure and left half of the stone in there, resulting in a massive "life threatening" infection a week later, and two more surgeries within four weeks (by a different doctor, thank you).

They are nasty, demonic little things! :devil:

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Man....I'm luckier than you two guys. Both of the stones I've had broke up before they reached my bladder, so I needed neither to pass them or have surgery to remove them.

The pain part, however....I honestly wanted to die when #2 hit.

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I remember that, we were in Niagara Falls at the same exact time. Incredibly tragic.

In '94 on our way to Appleton, WI (i think it was) the left rear tire's on one of the busses broke off of the axle. No one hurt, a few shaken up, but thank fully no one hurt. However some of us did sleep in the parking lot of a gas station whist we used the only other working bus to shuttle us to the housing site. That was the same year we has to constantly push start the old EK food Bus every day. Ah the memories.

That happened to us too - I think in 1987. although not only did the outside tire come off the bus but the inside tire also blew out. We were lucky the driver managed to keep the bus under control and get us to the side of the road.

In 1990 when the Bluecoats pulled into their housing site for their home show, after driving through the night from Indianapolis. One of the Bus Drivers, Dave Delap, died of a heart attack. Apparently he was having the chest pains and made sure he got the bus into the parking lot and put into park before he collapsed. The corps had a moment of silence after their performance that night and then one of the sopranos turned backfield and played taps.

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Spirit also suffered another horrible scare and horrific accident in 1985. After the Sevierville TN show, one of our food moms and several HS students who had attended the show to see one of their friends marching in the corps were hit by a driver who failed to slow down/stop for the police directing traffic. The corps was sent back to a school where we all huddled in the cafeteria and hallways waiting to hear whether the teens and the food mom would survive.

No one was killed and all eventually recovered, but for the food mom it took years and multiple surgeries to help heal the injuries she suffered that night. There were a lot of people that night beginning to wonder if we were "snakebit" with bad luck. Fortunately, though it took years, this did have a positive ending.

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A WC Corps came very close to not making Indy last season.

If it wasn't for the intervention of various staff & parents they would have finished the season in July.

Thankfully they have great staff this year.

would that be the same corps that called everyone they could think of on their way to Allentown asking them to bring food?

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