All-Age, All Good ~ 27 or 28 Corps in Rachacha!

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From Cincinnati Tradition this morning: "Cozy, We voted yesterday and we are in! I'll let Amber (Roeker, DCAssociates Central Coordinator) know this morning; so you have my word, you can print it! Thanks!" — Tom Slade, Director Cincinnati Tradition Sr. Drum & Bugle Corps, http://www.cincinnatitradition.org .

Two Ohio River corps, Derby City Knights, Louisville, KY, and the Cincinnati Tradition, like the 52' flood water crest in Cincy, have crested DCA to a new record if the thumb in the dike holds.

Looser than a wizard's sleeves, the good news just keeps cascading out of DCA HQ, ably run by President Gil Silva, VP Larry Hershman, Treasurer Red Corso, Secretary Glen Johnson, Asst. Treasurer Dan Rippon and staff. Corpsdom is blossoming with a spring plethora of corps entries for DCA contests. In 2005, the DCA Championships in Scranton, PA, was the high water mark for entries, 26: 16 in Open Class, 10 in Class A. In 2006, the DCA Championships in Rochester hosted 23 corps, 16 Open Class, and 7 highly competitive Class A. 2007 saw 22 entries, 13 Open and 9 Class A. Dick Eschenmann, DCA business manager, announced at the April 26 meeting that 25 to 26 corps entries are anticipated, which will approach the 2005 peak.

For number crunchers, DCInternational had 44 entries last year: 22 Division I (now World Class) and 22 Division II/III (only six were Division II; now Open Class). DCA had 22 '07 competitors, not counting minicorps or the Alumni Spectacular.

Like a spine-tingling, numbing rollercoaster ride, the good, bodacious and ugly news of new corps, returning corps and out-for-a-while corps keeps us checking for the latest announcements.

The Good: Most corps are healthy, most improving and will be back.

The Bodacious: Two returning DCA former member corps, Kingston Grenadiers, Ontario, Canada, and Carolina Gold, will return, competing in Class A. Joining them are newcomers Austin Stars, Sun Devils and Excelsior. All five of these corps have passed DCA Evaluations by Class A Coordinator Joe Geswaldo, DCA South Coordinator Vic Kulinski, Jr., or others. Shenandoah Sound, led by Sean Peck and Russ Ferrer, formerly by Dick Pomerleau, will compete in Class A.

The Ugly: President Gil Silva noted with regret April 26 that the Sunrisers, Class A champs, and Skyliners will not be competing this summer, marking the first year these DCA founding corps and former champs will both not compete in the same year, a sad hiccup in corps history.

27 or 28 corps, a record, for 2008 DCA Rochester? Peashey keen!

Tom Peashey has been runnin' 'round like a cat in a silo looking for a cozy corner the way he's garnered stats. Check DCA PR and Marketing Director Peashey's growing thread on DCP Forums, "Who's Competing in DCA Prelims," for the evolving list, which could set a new record for DCA entries! Granted, like yesteryear, one has to await surprise deletions, but the list of possibles, comebacks and familiar faces could make the reality a record.

Consider the entertaining Individual & Ensemble/Mini Corps and the Alumni Spectacular, and Rochester is truly the place to be seen and soak in some corpsdom. Last year's record entries of 176 and 18 minicorps will easily be topped in aught eight, I assure you. How I&E Coordinators Dick Pronti and Barb Haring and their staff will make this spin yet again will be a challenge.

Peashey reports 28 possible entries in Rochester, 12 Open Class and 16 Class A, with the addition of the Derby City Knights of Louisville, KY. Way to go, Director Matt Basey! At press time, Cincinnati Tradition, Tom Slade director, makes it 28 by declaring Class A today.

Chris Green, Frontier executive director, states that Prairie Sound and High Country Brass will perform in their first "local" show in Denton, TX, while Masquerade will make it to some DCA South/Central contests. The Austin Stars, led by Brent Unger, corps creator mastermind, will wisely stick with local shows only this year.

Mathew Kalinowski, Chops mello, adds more number crunching: "Out of the 15 Class A corps on the docket, only three get a chance at the (finals) title on Sunday. And out of those 15 corps, three have a Class A championship, six have been Class A finalists, and two have been Open Class finalists…At last year's prelims, there was less than a point between 3rd, 4th, and 5th place for Class A. There was a nearly 20-point spread between first and last place amongst the Open Class corps at prelims last year. For Class A, that spread was 9 points."

Ka-Peash?

DCA life is good! Tom Peashey and his lovely wife, Karen, geed the mules and put the Conestoga wagon in reverse from Chief Seattle's locale to return to the banks of the Genesee River (Local Seneca Indian translation: "River that flows in the wrong direction." (Humor, folks, but it does flow north!)) in Rochester, NY. Donna Petrucelli passed the peacepipe back to Peashey who will once again handle smoke signal PR for DCA. Fred Windish did a fine job during 2006 at the PR helm.

Robert Holton, New York Skyliners president, stated that Angel Munoz was announced on May 10 as the new director of the Skyliners. Munoz has decades of experience. Harry Eldridge, Sr., former director, hopefully will continue with Sky. I was quite appreciative of Eldridge's able assistance last year in Rochester. Read more in DCP Front Page News Update.

The Sun Devils of Florida, with John Hoekstra as executive director, are doing incredibly well for a first-year corps. Having passed a Vic Kulinski, Jr., DCA Evaluation, the Sun Devils plan to make it to contests, including Rochester. Hoekstra, with over 40 consecutive years of experience, including Kilties, Minnesota Brass and CorpsVets, helped by his wife, Tammi, is up to the task. Hoekstra is ably assisted by Heat Wave vets, including John M. Johnson, www.sundevilscorps.org . 

Empire celebrates 25 'Their Way' years

The Empire Statesmen are celebrating their 25th anniversary. The Lilac Parade was a success with almost 90 alumni playing "Yankee Doodle" and "Blame It on Rio." All "pork chop" alumni are wanted to participate in July 4th and 5th activities as well as later functions including the November banquet, www.statesmen.org . Mr. B is smiling! Jimmy Steele is pulling double duty as Empire's brass caption head and helping to head up the alumni effort.

Lynch the bushwhacker!

Some no-good rustler(s) hooked up a team of horsepower and made off with the Bushwacker's gear. They got all the harnesses, the accompanying percussion, Dynasty horns, guard equipment, et cetera. Bob Jacobs of Jersey Surf, DCInternational's marketing quarterback, graciously donated Surf's Dynasty horns and more. Read all about it in DCP Forums.

Wrapping up, again, for those bean counters who need more nourishment:

On May 17, Peashey's latest roll call for DCA Rochester:
Here's what I know or "think" will be the case at DCA Championships:

Buccaneers – Reading PA
Caballeros – Hawthorne NJ
Empire Statesmen – Rochester NY
Bushwackers – Harrison NJ
Brigadiers – Syracuse NY
Minnesota Brass Inc. – St. Paul MN
Hurricanes – Seymore CT
Renegades – San Francisco CA
CorpsVets – Atlanta GA
Crusaders – Rochester NY
Music City Legend – Nashville TN
Govenaires – St. Peter MN (Class A)
SoCal Dream – Irvine CA (Class A)
Kilties – Racine WI
Fusion Core – Morris County NJ (Class A)
Alliance – Atlanta GA (Class A)
Chops, Inc. – Minneapolis MN (Class A)
Frontier – Dallas TX (Class A)
Gulf Coast Sound – Houston TX (Class A)
White Sabers – Dansville NY (Class A)
Lakeshoremen – Troy MI (Class A)
Sun Devils – Kissimmee FL (Class A)
Carolina Gold – Rocky Mount NC (Class A)
Excelsior – Albany NY (Class A)
Grenadiers – Kingston ONT (Class A)
Shenandoah Sound – Sterling VA (Class A)

Possible additions:

Derby City Knights
Cincinnati Tradition

Active but NOT coming to Rochester:
Austin Star
Prairie Sound
High Country Brass
Masquerade

Prelims will be at least 26 corps and possibly 28 (12 open and either 14, 15 or 16 Class A)

Posted by on Monday, May 19th, 2008. Filed under DCA ... All-Age, All-Good!.