Rocketman Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 In the 70's and early 80's corps were permitted to "ground" typmani during "concert." What rule would have prevented them from leaving them somewhere along the front line where one individual, instead of four, could play them? Don't give me the "design" reasons for not doing it. If there was a rule, what was it and, how would you get around it? Rocketman ampssuck ampssuck ampssuck ampssuck ampssuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankBeMe Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 The only one I could think of would be the rule that said a corps could be halted only for x amount of minutes..anything more was a penalty. It was some like a show was 11 1/2 to 13 minutes long with 7 1/2 to 8 mintues had to be in motion--and those aren't the exact figures--but that meant the entire corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocketman Posted November 5, 2003 Author Share Posted November 5, 2003 The only one I could think of would be the rule that said a corps could be halted only for x amount of minutes..anything more was a penalty. It was some like a show was 11 1/2 to 13 minutes long with 7 1/2 to 8 mintues had to be in motion--and those aren't the exact figures--but that meant the entire corps. Frank, I recall that to some degree. So, to get around it, the tymp player could be marking time? Rocketman ampssuck ampssuck ampssuck ampssuck ampssuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankBeMe Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 The only one I could think of would be the rule that said a corps could be halted only for x amount of minutes..anything more was a penalty. It was some like a show was 11 1/2 to 13 minutes long with 7 1/2 to 8 mintues had to be in motion--and those aren't the exact figures--but that meant the entire corps. Frank, I recall that to some degree. So, to get around it, the tymp player could be marking time? Rocketman ampssuck ampssuck ampssuck ampssuck ampssuck it depended.....I've seen where they kept them grounded just for concert...I've seen them lean forward, set them down on the front leg during concert...I've seen them carry the things the entire show. But they marked time the entire time the rest of the corps did no matter where they had the drum positioned.... Now there could have been a grounding rule too.....not sure though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffernbus3 Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 (edited) Grounding rule as I recall meant that NOTHING could be grounded, meaning instruments, equipment, etc. Pre DCI I'm saying here. Dropped equipment was a .1 penalty and picking up dropped equipment was a 1.0 penalty under the tick system of the 60s and before.....that meant also that no knees could touch the ground. Tymps were carried through the whole show, they marked time like the rest of the corps...I think that they could drop a tymp leg to the ground during concert later in the 60s and 70s. Please correct my recollections if I am wrong on any of the above. Sorry...I should have read the initial post better and I would have seen that you were talking about the 70s and 80s. My error. RON HOUSLEY Edited November 5, 2003 by ffernbus3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Milano Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 In 1970, the Troopers rifles "intentionally grounded" their equipment during their square dance segment (about 32 counts or so). It was very obvious that they were setting them down, doing their "dance," and then picking them up. Regardless, they had to deal with several penalties and controversies during the early part of that season while they debated with VFW and American Legion rules committee personnel over this interpretation. Ultimately, they were allowed to "intentionally ground" their equipment without penalty (in those days it would have been a 1/10 penalty for dropping it, and a 1 point penalty for picking it up). As for the tympani being grounded, I carried a marching tymp in 1970. We were allowed to set them down during the three-minute concert number (the maximum amount of time a corps could stop marching time consecutively during the show). We were not allowed to set them down otherwise - not lean them against one leg, or anything else - only during concert. That was my understanding. We couldn't "randomly" set them down from time to time during the show - only concert. Yes, many corps did take advantage of the concert "grounding" of the tymps to have one guy play on all four of them, while the other three guys stood off to the side. We more than made up for setting the tymps down for those three minutes, however, since we had to carrying the $%(#*& things during every parade (at least in Cavaliers we did, and I saw my "brethern" tymps in most other corps do so also). I did note that Santa Clara did NOT ground their tymps at all during those early years. They carried their tymps very high (above the waist) without legs. This gave them better leverage, and made them lighter (feeling, at least). Most of the rest of us simply carried our with two criss-crossed snare slings and a leg rest. As usual, Santa Clara was smarter than most of us! Another tidbit about marching tymps back in those days. It was always a macho thing to see how the tymp lines trooped the stands after the show. Kilts were the best, as they would unhook their tymps and flip them upside-down and carry them over their heads. Not to be outdone, one very strong dude in DesPlaines Vanguard carried his smallest tymp (23") by holding it at the end of the leg and extending his arm straight out in front of him. He made it about half-way down the track before giving out. All of us tymps in the other corps applauded him anyway!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charphar Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 Frank, I recall that to some degree. So, to get around it, the tymp player could be marking time?Rocketman ampssuck ampssuck ampssuck ampssuck ampssuck Didn't the Kilties do just that...park the tymps and one guy marked time for a great part pf the show? Maybe late 70s, early 80s? Kind of a "precursor" of the modern-day "pit"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecoats88 Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 I believe in 1980 the Blue Devils marched their tymps onto the field and then set them down and one guy played them the whole show just inside the front sideline while the other guys who carried them onto the field did something else, probably cymbals, and that would be the precurser to the modern day pits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jojo Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 (edited) In 1970, the Troopers rifles "intentionally grounded" their equipment during their square dance segment (about 32 counts or so). It was very obvious that they were setting them down, doing their "dance," and then picking them up. Regardless, they had to deal with several penalties and controversies during the early part of that season while they debated with VFW and American Legion rules committee personnel over this interpretation. Ultimately, they were allowed to "intentionally ground" their equipment without penalty (in those days it would have been a 1/10 penalty for dropping it, and a 1 point penalty for picking it up). I remember SCV having to have the rifles "collected" for the bottle dance because they couldn't be set down without being considered a drop -- along those same lines the year they used the "tamborines" (which were really embroidery hoops) after the bottle dance they were carried by another member and then dropped onto hooks sewn on the back of the rifles tunics just before the bottle dance began, again because they couldn't be grounded. Edited November 7, 2003 by jojo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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