Leaderboard

A couple moments that made the weekend special for me: First and foremost, the pure classiness of everyone I encountered involved in the Buccaneers organization. These guys are top notch, seriously The prolonged standing ovation received from members of Renegades and Bridgemen as we returned to our hotel after prelims. Thanks guys And sharing this entire experience with my other family, the Govenaires. From I&E, to the soaking wet post-retreat party on the field. What a great bonding experience for these two great MN corps. The moment that almost brought me to tears though, was lining up behind the field right before our finals performance, facing the Side 1 endzone, and there are the Govenaires, decked out in full uniform, waving their green corps flags for us and screaming VALHALLA at the top of their lungs. Best pre-show hype ever. Love you guys

It certainly seems like the moves this year are bigger news. Especially cause Vanguard is sucking up all the staff in DCI. Good for them though.

? What, exactly, was 'rebellious' about anything Madison did in 2011? Scatter-drill? Playing a pop song? (fail - Devils' whole show was a pops fest, and a lot of the other corps in Finals had standards or pop songs in their repertoires). Seriously, this delusional contention that somehow Madison cares about entertaining the audience, and no one else does, has begun bordering on pathological among some of the true believers. Back OT, the answer is still '83 Garfield. They changed the standards for what is 'good', hence changing the standards for what was necessary in order to win.

Whoa, Jeff. There you go again... George Hopkins DID NOT have a voice in DCA with the Sunrisers. During the corps' affiliation with YEA! Gary Williams was director and the corps had its own administrative team. The YEA! affiliation had more to do with daily operations of the drum corps. George Hopkins had nothing to do with the creative direction or philosophy of the corps at that time. None of our design team came from YEA! None of our show concepts came from YEA! Not one rule change proposal came from or was influenced by YEA! ONE TIME in the summer of '98 George Hopkins came and ran an ensemble rehearsal. Thankfully, it was the best rehearsal we had the entire summer! Trust me when I tell you that the failure of the Sunrisers to continue fieding a corps in the late 90's had everything to do with the Sunrisers. YEA! did all it could to support our efforts and bears no responsibility in the demise of the corps at that time. So in making your comment "didn't work out well", on what are you basing this? Where you there? I was... BTW, seems to me that we've had this same discussion in the past...even on ramd yet you continue to make the same claims which lack any basis whatsoever other than your own perception.

I have lost a lot of respect for the Kilties organization. Any time there is a negative comment about them in a thread or review, they get all defensive and start to rant. It getting old. If you have issues with what people say on here about your corps, dont read DCP. If you dont want to have people to say "mean" things about your corps, get better. Kilties IMHO, are not very good. Sound wise they are ok but visually, I hate them. People give you bad reviews because they write about what they see. If you dont want a bad review....dont suck. Use it as motivation to get better. Maybe its time to have a talk with the members of the Kilties. Your negative comments are starting to reflect poorly on your organization. If one member post 1 rant comment from a corps, no big deal. But every time kilties are mentioned, multiple members/alum freak out. GET OVER IT.

I think you've taken some offense when there's none to be taken. The Kilties are one of my favorite corps, always have been and you'll notice most of those negative comments were only about one small, but very visual, facet of the corps, the guard uniform. I was pretty darn heartbroken the last few years when you guys were out of Finals. To say I was thrilled you were in this year would be an understatement. So lighten up a bit, take the comments for the type of constructive criticism they were, or ignore them completely for all I care. I don't mind. But please don't take honest opinion for a dislike or personal dig on the corps. There are always going to be differing opinions while we continue to perform in an artistic activity like we do. As is obvious in my statements, the Buccaneers aren't my cup of tea but that doesn't diminish in any way the impressive, high-quality product they put out on the field year after year and my little opinions aren't going to, and shouldn't, matter to the legion of fans that corps has. That is all. Carry on.

Only if you were one of the good ones...the bad ones got it worse.

I've been working on a list in my head but seeing Amy's post made me want to jump in and add to hers. After observing both the Buccaneers and MBI closely during the weekend, and subsequent communications, Facebook postings and so forth, it seems pretty clear to me that members of both organizations will have highlights involving interaction with, respect for, kudos from, etc., from members the other organization. In other words, the mutual respect, admiration, camaraderie and good will that exists between both corps runs pretty deep, at all levels of both organizations. That, IMHO, is freakin' awesome.

Well said George!!

Reliable source: Hannum, Markworth and Schlicher to lead Crown percussion. Look for announcement soon!

In response to the title of this thread: "DCA Open Class Finals - Should There Be" I can definitively say yes... there should be a DCA Open Class Finals. Moderators, please close this thread now.

I sorta agree. I mean, they were technically great! I just thought he had a tough road ahead of him with people making comparisons between his arrangements and the arrangements of Cadets '89. Had I not heard the Cadet's arrangement and the imagination of that score, I would have really enjoyed Mr. Kennedy's arrangements more. Kennedy was more straight forward, more literal with his take. So, I don't want to hate on him, but I didn't get as much out of it as other arrangements I've heard from other corps AND many marching bands over the years. It was good, but I guess they all can't be humdingers (Joesph Heller)!

Thanks, Adam. I expected to find a post like this sometime this week or early next. It's been our practice to release the information when all the Is are dotted and all the Ts are crossed and when we can make the announcement with a degree of polish and professionalism, and not before then. So many great things happening in Pretzeltown, and it will be a plesaure to announce it when we're ready to do so. Tom

Jay Kennedy was great but, I hated his Les Miz arrangements.

Those few brave souls who still write reviews, are to be commended. The comments about the Kilties were not mean spirited at all. It was an honest and thoughtful review, in MY opinion. (and I am a Kiltie).

Getting into it regularly with people from other corps? I dont believe I have argued with anyone before about corps. Maybe about other topics but never about a corps. (ps. its not just the kilties, i lost some respect for Alliance as well when their director posted a rant in another thread.) My point is that Kilties like to complain about people posting negative comments about them when al lthey have to do is be better. Your fault, not theirs. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

... or just beginning, depending upon one's point of view.

Oh no! not even a week after finals and no next season staff announcement! looks like Bucs are taking the year off...

Well it was going to be a surprise....but since you asked.... [pic removed as requested]

Because that's never happened before.

Agreed. I don't want to see a corps floating on credit for expeditures to be in Open, and fold the following year because they couldn't pay off their purchases. Especially in this economy.

Or you need to stay with the people who's ego you didn't clash with. Like possibly Rennick and Shaw getting along with each other very well...I don't know. Just speculation.

yet you are still a rookie

In the words of Tappy Tibbons from the film Requiem for a Dream: "We got a winner!" It was Avon HS.

Well actually, if you remove the positive comments from her Kilties paragraph and size it up with with the criticisms of Bucs show, I believe you would have a fairly similar amount of space. Now if it wasn't a complete waste of time, you could do a word count of each paragraph to see which group she truly 'devoted' more space to not liking. Only then would we truly know whether her anti-Buc bias outweighs her anti-Kiltie bias. Or, you could take her review with a grain of salt.

When the Bucs prepared for retreat at Lewisburg, we were alongside of MBI. I met Laura of the color guard. At Rochester when the corps merged to troop the stands, we were again alongside of MBI. There was Laura. What a moment for us to treasure!!

Hannum.

I got picked up at some random bus station

Thanks. I agree that this was our best offering ever. We're aiming for Finals in Annapolis and to get there, we'll need to continue to grow and perform at a higher level. We embrace the challenge! The last two years have seen us present more mature, crowd-friendly shows, and you can bet we'll continue that trend for 2012!

"Bring em Back to Life": There are just SO MANY to choose from: Starting with St Vincents Cadets through Cambridge Caballeros, Skokie Vanguard, Hawthorne Muchachos, Hutchinson Sky Ryders, Argonne, and Suncost Sound (To name a very few) I would love to see the St Catherine's Queensmen brought back to life. We could hire a few of their illustrious Alumni such as Frank Doritte, Billy Cobham, John & Freddy Sasso, and Billy Hightower to arrange and instruct. Elphaba WWW

Any corps that is an addition to DCA should be welcomed! Who cares about personalities?

1) Watching Star United's performance. One word.....AMAZING! 2) Hanging out with my mini corps friends from Golden Eagles. Man...I miss you guys!!! 3) Mass Brass and Ghost Riders. Both corps were on top of their game Friday night! 4) Taking the field for the first time in 11 years at a DCA Prelims contest. 5) Praying to a fallen friend right before Finals, and a video of it making the DCA montage at the end of the night. 6) Taking the field for the first time in 11 years at a DCA Finals contest. 7) Finishing the season!!!! 8) Watching Star United's rehearsal before their performance at Finals. Couldn't think it was possible, but Even better than Friday night!!! 9) Making Jim Costello proud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are so many more memorable moments, but these are at the top of the list!

[quote name='Absolutely Sweet Marie' timestamp='1315452364' post='3082349' Huh. I don't suppose you've ever seen Jeff run a visual rehearsal.. Kinder and gentler are not two word that come to mind. Fiedler basics....

....hahahaha, there's somethin' to it, This I Believe! cg

Imagine that....Cadets going against the grain or the norm,,,,,,,lmao......maybe its not hop but a great tradition...............Yeah CAdets( AND OTHERS) for going against the grain no matter what and in the process showing others YOU CAN !!!!!!!

All of those terms apply. Especially if you are running a corps with a majority or underage members (underage here being under 22). Most DCI corps use these terms, or something similar, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. And honestly, if you're not marching, teaching, or supporting C2, why do you even care? Your anti-Hopkins rhetoric is really just sad.

No kidding. But- at the risk of being sacreligious, maybe that's not such a bad idea. With visual programs starting to become more modern and more demanding having a uniform that would hide bad feet and make the performers look taller would help. (Of course black and blue is taken) They will have to come up with a great uniform, while still staying true to their heritage. Than they can pull out the traditional uniforms for their anniversaries. As much as I love kick pleats, they don't do a whole lot to hide bad feet. That's probably why they put such an effort into actually having good technique, since they can't hide it otherwise. Going back into a safe place now so. Making sure I'm not grounded so Coz's lightning bolt wont hit me. As far as staff- Hiring and firing isn't always the answer. When the design team is meeting in September and October, they just need to think REALLY outside the box and be creative. When a designer thinks... no way could we pull that off, maybe you need to stop and think..... well, can we??? What Bucs and MBI have done is taken that creative line between whats possible and whats not, and pushed it further towards whats possible. Couple that with a deep theme that offers a continuing story throughout the corps performance and you've got a show with championship potential. Step 2 is making sure you get and keep as many members as you can during the winter months. Be it a strict attendance policy, winter appearances that the corps proper performs at, or just an overall enjoyable atmosphere... corps win championships in the winter, not in the summer. ($1 to a great man who used to say that a lot)

As a partisan viewer of the webcast, I was thrilled to see that the the Renegades recaptured their groove, the Kilties in finals was a gas, and the Empire Statesmen cymbal line was/were awesome...

I get the frustration, honest, I do. I guess my feeling is that I look at the movements the last couple years as being pieces of a puzzle being assembled, with each new piece being stronger than what came before. That being the case, I don't any reason not to be optimistic about the corps prospects going forward.

It was the double bass drum kit.

The Blue Devils blend many different visual eliments in their show. Marching slow-fast, jazz running, dancing in groups and individually. The uniform, the stripes, the panels reflect well on the variety of their visual offerings. If they focused on one aspect such as a high velocity drill then it may not be condusive to that look. Personnally I think the panel has worked very well for them by adding visual interest with flowing material and flashes of color and/or pattern . Will it be appropriate next year? Who knows what next year has to offer which is what I love about them. What's your feeling on capes and combat boots?

I love the Blue Devils' current look. To me, it's very distinctive, very them. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

240's not fast enough?

I'm cool with whatever they decide to do. I personally love the skirts (I think they're technically called "panels") because they add so much attitude. But I've loved their uniforms every year since I first saw them. I don't know what next year's uniforms will look like, but in the end it's not the uniform that determines how great a corps moves and sounds. Once the show is announced, I think it'll be an indicator of what the uniform will look like. BD & Crown... and even Phantom have modified their uniforms over the past couple of seasons to reflect their show concepts. Who knows?! I'm just excited to see what's going to be out there next season. If this year was any indication of what's to come-- next season is going to be incredible!

Right dude... because the Judging community is that easy to fool that all you have to do is hide a little dirt but adding a scrab of fabric. Why would one of the best, cleanest and most consistent corps BEFORE they added the tails be the one to do it? They still have the same staff, talent level and designers. They just felt like taking some time off? And why arent all of the other designers and instructors out there who are desperate to crack into the top tier do it if its that easy? Hey.. the judges are all apparently stupid! All you have to do is add some fabric and you no longer need to worry about marching clean! There is a difference between some flapping of a fabric scrap and "hiding" something. Thats like saying that hanging a flag that can blow in the wind will hide a tree or wall. Yes, it may cover it for fleeting moments, but you can still see the tree back there. If thats all it took to get around marching clean, a lot more groups would be doing it right now. Meanwhile, this is obviously some corps rivalry showing its face in the discussion. No, I am not a member of the blue devils, nor do I think they should have won this year. lol. I just think this whole discussion is ridiculous. Makes me silly for getting in it i know, but hey! its too late now

It seems that when they started running into opposition it would have been wise to create an alternative plan. A corps can learn a chart in no time, and spending time on something you know very well may not be approved is a bad idea. The process of getting approval is usually no more than a rubber stamp. Mason and his team have been around long enough to know that a stonewall like this is unusual and not a good sign. In hindsight, using the chart proved (possibly) disastrous. An audio blank spot on the discs will suck big time.

Sky Ryders 1985 started telling stories through Music and Color Guard with the 1st Wizard of OZ themed Show. They marched the same show in '86 and shot up from 15th in '85 to 9th in '86. They did West Side Story like no other in '87 and came in 12th. Sound of Music in '88 and took 12th again...

In my opinion, the most influential Drum Corps " show " in the history of Junior Drum Corps was the show of the Immaculate Conception Reveries, of Revere, Mass. in the year 1966. Without this show it is highly doubtful that the Bayonne Bridgemen style would have been allowed to take hold, nor would DCI have begun a few years after the I.C.Reveries performance at the VFW National Championship Finals in Jersey City, New Jersey. No other single show performance so altered the Junior Corps activity to any larger degree in my opinion as this show performance ireversibly altered the activity like none before,.. nor none since, imo. For context, at this time, Corps participated in rigid sets of rules dictated by the VFW ( or AL ). At the 1966 VFW Nationals Championships Prelims in New Jersey the 14th finishing Reveries were afforded penalties, as was the 13th finishing Corps, Racine Scouts ( terrific Corps at the time ). However for reasons unexplained, the Racine Scouts penalties were purged, and they were told they would be in the Finals on Finals Night ( Top 12 ) The Reveries similar penalties however were not purged, and they were not given a satisfactory reason why ( according to them anyway ). This made the Reveries furious. On the night of the Finals, the Reveries showed up outside the gate in uniform with full intentions to march and compete. St. Joe's Batavia, NY, a qualifyer for Finals, saw them, were informed by the Reveries of their intentions and St. Joe's graciously allowed the Reveries Corps to go by them, and the Reveries proceeded to the starting line ahead of the Racine Scouts who were unsure of what was taking place. Once on the starting line, the VFW saw the Reveries there. They were stunned and demanded the I.C. Reveies leave the field. The Corps refused, and instead orchestrated a " sit in ". The entire corps then sat in the lotus position on the ground in starting position and refused to leave until allowed to perform their show and compete. The VFW Sponsors then huddled in a quick meeting while 15-20 minutes went by. Reveries not moving, still in the lotus position. The VFW show sponsors even called the police as a precaution. The Crowd received word in the stands about the penalty dispute, and became sympathetic to their plight, and began to chant " Let them compete... let them compete ". Finally, the VFW announced to the Corps and the audience that the IC Reveries could do their show, but would not be scored. The Reveries performed their show, but were not scored. Keep in mind that this was a protest, "sit in"..., in 1966 at a VFW Convention. "Sit ins " were taking place in areas around the country as a form of civil disobedience and revolt in that time period in the US. The LAST group of folks that would be supportive of protest sit ins in the 60's were the tradition based VFW and AL... and this was now happening at their Drum Corps National Championships, no less. The reason this Reveries show performance was so influential in 1966 is because from that moment on, the VFW, AL and the Drum Corps community would begin to go their separate ways. The Reveries Management left after that year's " show ", and the Corps Director ( George Bonfiglio who later formed the 27th Lancers from the same community of Revere the next year after the " sit in " ) met with other like minded Corps Directors, and shortly thereafter, they formed DCI... and leaving the Veteran organizations. Once DCI was formed, Corps would be provided MUCH greater lattitude and liberties in show design, styles, etc, and the judging would be developed along new lines as well.... it would be inconceivable for example to witness a Corps with a freestyle like the Bridgemen compete at a VFW or AL with that style of uniform and show. The St. Andrews Bridgemen, yes... but not the Bayonne Bridgemen that would evolve from that Corps a few years later in DCI. So without the I.C. Reveries making a statement in 1966 with their show performance at the VFW Nationals, it is questionable to say the least as to whether or not we'd see the styles of shows we saw the following decade regarding music, show designs, etc. So in my opinion, I'll make the case that the single most influential show perfomance that altered and influenced the activity the most, was not '93 Star, not '77 Bridgemen, nor '83 Cadets, nor the others that had influential shows. It was the show performance of the I.C. Reveries at the Finals of the recognized National Championships in 1966 that had the most influence... by far... on the direction of the Drum Corps movement. That'd be my choice for " most influential show performance " anyway.

I'd rather see this than this regardless of forward and backward technique matching. Yes, I know all corps have some bad jolesch pictures.