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1) Marching "only" one year at Glassmen doesn't disqualify my personal opinions of my favorite corps. I am the most critical of my corps because I know the most about them (and also I care the most about them). Don't scold me and be condescending toward me publicly for "not knowing better" because I only marched one year. PM me or Facebook me instead. I'd be happy to discuss this more with you there. 2) I do not have to "buy into" the fact that we release probably the least information out of all the world class corps. Look at the excitement generated by other corps already. It is my opinion that the Glassmen need to build up the hype or at least be more prominent in news releases, especially to the gfam. Again, I think this is a serious issue that does need to be discussed and processed by the drum corps community. You do not need a public relations major to post frequent updates during camp weekends or emulate the success of other corps. I agree with you in that social media doesn't make a corps successful, but it gets their name out there. It gets them donations. It gets them members. 3) I think long and hard before I post anything here. I enjoy being a part of this DCP community (most of the time) because I can talk about our activity in a very real way and digest some of the successes and improvements DCI and its corps need to make. I try to ignore and not post the vitriol that many others post on here. 4) All of the information I've posted here currently is public information, including the show name and the announcement of a new hornline. The only private information I posted I deleted because I reconsidered and fessed up to making a mistake. 5) I have donated over $300 as a full-time college student to the organization since 2010 in support of members, souvies, and gas funds (mostly on members, then gas money, then a shirt). I back up my words with actions. 6) I should clarify that the 2011 was a disappointment to many alumni in terms of show design. This itself is a statement I make based on mine and several other alumni opinions directly made to me. Those I've talked to would have liked to see an homage to our past, our successes, or our name (like this show will apparently be). Let me be perfectly clear: I am not disappointed in our placement or performance of the members last year. I loved the energy, arrangements, and execution of our show, regardless of placement. It was a fantastic year for the Glassmen performers and it killed me that I could not be out there with them and I am SUPER pumped to get out, volunteer what time I can, and support my corps 100% this and every other year. 7) Look at many of my other posts regarding Glassmen (and other corps). I am super positive on here and felt the need to vent once. BH is aware of what I consider problems. I plan on emailing him, and I likely will do this from now on instead of posting another long vent session on here, but I know many other members who have contacted him already and share my frustrations. My opinions are shared by many in our family and by the drum corps community as a whole. Now that I am done defending myself from a public attack, please keep any further comments to a PM or a Facebook chat. I'd be happy to speak with you more about this.

My son gets on an airplane and heads for Mars tomorrow. He will be marching his age-out year, and I find myself pretty weepy about the whole deal. It seems like it was just yesterday when I was driving him to Jacksonville AL for his first camp when he was still 16. Drum corps, irrespective of where loyalties/preferences/tastes lie, is a fabulous thing for Thomas, and for thousands of kids each summer. He has literally grown up, one rehearsal, one run through, one performance, one bus ride at a time. He started as a boy, and now marches his last summer as a fully grown man. All of you who teach, who direct, who volunteer, are owed a great debt of gratitude by parents like me. We put our children into your hands, and you have earned our trust. I hope every single kid, no matter what judges sheet or someone screaming in a crowd or here has to say, gets to experience a summer of fun, of growth, of excellence, and, every now and then, of the transcendence and beauty that drum corps can bring into this often fractious world of ours. Good luck to everyone! Wear sunscreen! Find that quality within yourself that allows you to know that sometimes limits aren't limits, and there is always a little something more that you have deep down inside yourselves.

I will reiterate: you may feel free to email me, PM me, Facebook me, or call me to "dissect the myriad of flaws" with my post since you would love to do so. I will be on my computer and next to my phone most of this week. I am concerned that nobody else has addressed me from this past camp publicly or privately to discuss the dislike and frustration caused by my posts. I do realize that I should have contacted BH first and have since corrected this mistake. I will be back to my positive self as the season goes on. I just hope that you and the gfam realize that supporting the corps is not the same as not being critical of how the organization is run. I am highly vested in this corps and want to see it succeed as much as any other past or present member, volunteer, or administration. Aside from this, I am truly excited for this summer and can't wait to see the Glassmen as they develop with Key Poulan and this amazing show they have put together. I also forgot to mention that I really like the enthusiasm from the current marcher in the posts above. Really excited to see the energy from the performers and within the corps is as high (or higher) than last year. I sincerely can't wait to get out to the Glassbowl and see some rehearsal going on.

People are arguing on this forum. Drum corps season must be getting close.

I must say, as an alumni, I love the positivity you are showing. I marched 14 years ago and this corps means as much to me today as it did in 1998. A little positive momentum will go along way towards making this a great and enjoyable season for all of the members. I'm excited for this program and I can't wait to see it this summer. Best of luck to you as move ins approach!

True, DCW didn't spill the beans in regards to song titles. I'm sorry if I made it seem this way and yes, I may have made a mistake in listing the songs here and have since removed them I am just confused as to why I as an alumnus of this corps have heard nothing from the organization about the 2012 production when the corps as a whole has known the music for months (since at least February). I really wish that we would start following the success of other organizations who get their name out in social media and release whatever information they can to get people (and future marching members) excited. The Glassmen struggle mightily with PR issues, and I feel like I am being left out in the cold. The only emails I get are to ask me to volunteer or for money. One or two sentences monthly about camps from the Facebook and Twitter accounts. No show announcement. No composers listed. No show description. Nothing and it is the month of move-ins. For a corps that regularly needs members to fill holes even around San Antonio this is not the way to function. I hate having to hear information second-hand through my friends who are marching or Drum Corps World and yet this is how it is. Each year the Glassmen slip a little more under the radar in the drum corps community. The fiftieth anniversary, which could have been HUGE, was a disappointment for most alumni especially in terms of show design (and I don't even mind that they didn't make finals). Where was this show last year? No homage to our storied past on a MAJOR anniversary. I know I am just venting right now, but a lot of this has been on my mind for some time now. I love my corps and I had a hell of a time touring with them. I support them and the members in whatever way I can, but this stuff can't be overlooked.

This question stems from something I remember from a couple of years ago. We were sitting next to a couple whose daughter was marching Phantom. They told us that year there wasn't a single member of the corps from the town of Rockford. This really surprised us alot, as Rockford seems like such a big city, and to think not one kid from Rockford was able to make the cut(or maybe none auditioned?) I don't know how good the band programs are in Rockford, but we would have thought that tons of kids from the city would try out for the hometown corps. So just wondering, how many corps don't have a single kid from their hometown marching? And how many members does/did your corps have from the home state which the corps was located in?

I think that this season based on what I saw out of Fusion Core, that anyone who waits it out for the top 5 will be missing some fine performances in open class this season regardless of placement. I think the fact that three won't make it will push everyone to really extend and to really put on some strong performances and develop strong shows. Thank you for the DCA membership parameters. I was unsure as to the vagaries of it now. It's very fair to have the A corps have that opportunity to get that mambership opportunity- and that alone should be pushing some of the ones at the bottom of Open Class to do better.

You certainly didn't violate any community guidelines. In the future you might want to use a normal font and avoid the overuse of bold text. But please don't stop posting. Now, if someone who has appointed themselves DCP Police for Glassmen members and alum has whined to you via PM or something (gee, I wonder who it could have been . . .), then kindly tell them to STFU. Every corps seems to have its share of busybodies who feel they have a divine mandate to tell others what they can and cannot say on this forum. But you didn't air out any dirty laundry. Didn't call out anyone by name. Didn't bash your corps or other corps. Didn't reveal any closely guarded corps secrets. You just hyped a little, and there's nothing wrong with that. As for the Glassmen's show, please do something unique and memorable. I can recall each Glassmen show from the mid 90's up until the circus show in 2008. But I cannot for the life of me distinguish between the shows from the last few seasons. It's not as though I haven't been paying attention. The Glassmen have always been called "boring" (something I haven't always agreed with), but they used to be uniquely boring. But lately they've just been generically boring. Which is a very bad thing to let happen to your corps.

One of the most musical flag books I've ever seen. The guard that year had finally caught up to the rest of the corps ! Later, Mike

20\^/12

wompwomp is correct. Thirdcoast, myself and others loaded up Badger One for the trip to Indy for every days. There were 5 of us alumni from the 70's, 1 from the 60's, 1 from the 80's, 3 board members, a current Scout and a future Scout. There were no horns playing, flags spinning or drums banging but there were plenty of back in the day stories being retold for the umpteenth time. Always a great time hanging with my brothers.

The best proposal in the bunch is not to allow guards who makes semi finals or finals in Open and World to drop down to a lower class the following year. With the number of guards dropping down only to be promoted back up the same year this rule makes sense.

Jamey Thompson bleeds class. He makes me extremely proud to be an alumnus of Phantom Regiment. I was very lucky to march one year in his drill. He has the keen ability to focus on what really matters within a program, and he's a drill writer that makes the program count and is the least selfish human being you will ever meet. Jamey could have went all out last season. He can write serious, crazy, extravagant, geometric, gyroscopic drill--- BUT, he wrote drill that fits the music. No one could have written better drill with such a slowly paced program.

I found it very surprising as well. There must be at least 10 high schools in Rockford I would guess, and I don't know much about their band programs. Maybe their band programs aren't very good there? Or maybe the band directors don't allow kids to try out for corps, I have heard of that happening in the past with some directors. Personally I would think there would be tons of students from that size town that would strive to march Phantom. I have also been wondering, since Crossmen moved to Texas, how many members do they have from the state of Texas now? And how many members does Revolution have from Texas? I would almost guess that corps like Jersey Surf, Mandarins, and Pioneer would have lots of members from their home states, anyone know how many in the last season or two? And if I overheard correctly a few years ago, over half of the members of Academy were from the state of Arizona? I think that was in 2006 when they were champions in DII. Anyone know if that was accurate, or if they still have a large number from Arizona since they went World Class?

Fun to play indeed! Also, sidebar: euphman89 (whom I know personally) wants nothing but the best for the Glassmen and indeed has shared some of the frustrations that some of the alumni, myself included, do feel. While I do not presume to think that he or I is speaking for the alumni generally, there is a segment that is indeed concerned about PR vis a vis show announcements and otherwise. At the end of the day, I, at least, would like to know what's going instead of what happened my rookie year, in which our show was announced after the first performance of the season. Believe me, I understand how and why Brian likes to play it close to the vest. I would, however, like to emphasize that those of us in the G-Fam would indeed like to have a least a hint of what's happening instead of surmising what we can from a board or from FB. EDIT: Grammar.

In places? Seriously? You can't expect us to be that gullible as to swallow the suggestion that the crowds are flocking to see alumni corps rather than junior corps. In the first place, they're not flocking. In the second, junior corps draws far more at its biggest shows (and in aggregate) than alumni/seniors do. The exception most definitely does not prove the rule in this case. HH

I think Alliance loses a vote due to inactivity this season. I could be wrong but pretty sure I am right.

Hey, I wasn't complaining at all. I did the parades and marched the whole season (as a rookie). The rash was a mark of pride in "Ji-row". The left-hand technique? Well, they sacrificed that for the visuals of marching, but they also wrote parts that let you grab the drum and swing it around while playing 16ths, too. Those who never had to march a "flat" drum didn't complain much. But my first love was drum corps. And, yea, I lost a year of development when I marched TBDBITL.

I totally disagree. It was a "big" announcement when Cadets announced their show in the beginning of September, more than nine months before the first competition and well before any other corps (even though the theme changed later). Bluecoats not having released more than the show title yet just reeks of being behind the 8-ball, and not something that all of a sudden is "big" news in the middle of May when they are among the last two or three to do so.

Must be a TIA thing :-P lol

Or... You could do like The Ohio State Univ Marching band... Shorten the strap to about 3 feet long. Over the right shoulder, under the left armpit, and hook the two ends together at about the level of your heart and carry the drum up high so you can still march "chair style" ("Point your toes!") This method does stop the drum from swinging and lets you hold it steady while making sharp turns. (It also cuts off the circulation to the left part of your body, burns a nasty rash on the right side of your neck, and virtually destroys any left-hand technique you've developed. But hey, anything in the name of TRADITION!)

You are not alone in that evolution of opinion. I aged out in '92 so that was my first finals as a spectator. I knew what I was seeing was special in terms of performance, but I too must embarrasingly admit that it still left me wanting something more at the time in terms of design. But, it is easily in the top 5 of shows that are in my rotation on ITunes now almost 20 years later. It is shocking to me now that it was the design that left me wanting at the time since that is 90% of what makes it great. I would love a time machine at my disposal to go back and watch that show live knowing what I believe to be a fact now. The fact is...It is impossible to overstate how ahead of its time this show actually was. greatness.

That's a nice way to go to prison. If a director did that to my kid, I'd probably JOIN him in prison, if you know what I mean. No seriously, how can such stupidity be considered acceptable? Even more, how can you give such stupidity a thumbs up. There's nothing funny about that. Whoever that director is deserves to lose his job and have a criminal record. Nothing personal man (I usually enjoy your posts) but I don't see how you can make light of a director hitting a kid in the head with something that can cause serious damage. There's nothing funny about it.

It's cut off right where it starts to get REALLY good. What a tease! Lol. Guess I'll just have to pop in the DVD now.

85 and 87 cadets both got hot late...I think 2 points down to SCV both years a week or two before finals Phantom 96 with the tie SCV 99 with the tie Phantom 08 some examples of corps catching fire late

Doing the math your voting corps are: MBI Bucs Empire Hurcs Cabs Corpsvets Govies < CLASS A Fusion < CLASS A Carolina < CLASS A Kilties You already have 3 Class A voters. And half of the ten are from the traditional Northeast, the other half from the rest of North America. Pretty good mix, seems like.

yea, I'm not saying DCI is a bad experience... just that drum corps is not the ideal way to experience the USA, heh. And your post makes me remember the time in 07, as we were heading west... one evening, the director asks if anyone was awake at 5am when we were coming out of the mountains and you could see Salt Lake City in the distance. He said it was very beautiful. The members just kinda looked at each other like "really?" We did have a slightly extended meal in SLC, and me and another guy did jog to the mormon temple. Walked around for a few minutes, took a few pictures, and then jogged back. Of course then the first thing the hornline did when rehearsal started was run a mile, but what are you gonna do, eh? lol

Well, they can come back to "see" the United States after they've aged out, but the American junior drum corps marching experience is something that is fleeting and must be enjoyed while one can. I'm guessing that while they're marching, they're a bit too tired to really notice they're missing much outside the bus windows. And God forbid they think the stretch of I-65 from my home in northwest Indiana to Indianapolis is representative of what there is to see in America! (I've learned to drive it with my eyes closed...It goes faster that way.)

Agreed, and this is all that Hook was trying to say. This year will be a very collaborative effort. I am sure that Hinshaw will do fine and collaborate with the rest of the staff. They will let him know if something isn't up to Cavalier standards. They aren't known as the Green Machine for nothing... MG is incredible; there have been many great drill writers in the Cavalier's History and I am sure that the drill will still be Cavalier drill... Who writes the Cavaliers' drill? Here are the drill writers over the Corps' history: 1948 The Cavaliers were formed 1949 Parades only 1950 First field show 1951-1952 Art Garikes/ Dick Snyder/ Glenn Hatton/ Sal Ferrera 1953-1954 Dick Folsum 1955 Sal Ferrera 1956 Earl Joyce 1957 -1968 Lenny Piekarski 1969-1972 Paul Litteau 1973 Scotty Wild 1974 Bob Hesner 1975 Bob Hesner/Tim Guare 1976 Steve Buglino 1977 Steve Buglino/ Bob Hesner 1978 Bob Hesner 1979 Gary Czapinski (rewrites by Ralph Pace) 1980-1981 Ralph Pace 1982-1983 Steve Brubaker 1984 Steve Brubaker (with help from Tim Guare) 1985-1989 Steve Brubaker 1990-1991 Steve Brubaker (with help from Greg Poklacki) 1992 Steve Brubaker/ Greg Poklacki/ Michael Gaines/ Jeff Fiedler/ Mitch Rogers/ Gordon Henderson/ Chris Marchetti/ 1993 Michael Gaines/ Mitch Rogers 1994 Mitch Rogers 1995 Greg Poklacki 1996 Greg Poklacki (rewrites by Pat Ruddy/Mike Tarr) 1997 Vince Noble 1998-2011: Michael Gaines 2012:

The real old dinos recall inspections. If you were lucky, the temperature was under 85 and no bugs when these starting line inspections took place before you performed in competition. If not, you'd be in uniform on a starting line where an inspection judge would slowly go up the line and look at each marcher to check for such things as threads on the uniform, feet not at a 45 degree angle, bugle not positioned straight at attention, bugle not spotlessly clean, white bucks not shiny and polished, shako not on straight, fingers on bugle not properly aligned,drum not on properly, rifle or flag issues, and dozens of other requirements. A tenth would be deducted for each infraction, and it was not unusual for Corps to have anywhere between 2 tenths to 2 points taken off for infractions before one performed and this could mean placement difference in competition. The worst was when it was hot and humid out. Standing on a starting line often would have 2 Corps in front of you. You stood at attention or parade rest until it was your time to approach the inspection line. The process of waiting in the straight long parallel line in the pre inspection area, and then the inspection line inspection itself could take a half hour to 45 minutes or more in the hot blazing sun. Routinely, Corps would have marchers faint right on the inspection line, or during performance itself afterwards. Fainting was quite common in day shows. The old timers remember all the fainting that used to take place in pre DCI days.. The Corps all came in on non AC buses to begin with. (Nobody had AC in their homes either.) Drinking water was not always available, so marchers were hot and dyhydrated when they got off the hot busses. Early evening shows under the stadium lights could be awful as mosquitos would sense dinner and would come and eat marchers alive under the lights as the marchers sweat on the inspection line in their heavy duty uniforms. Movement to swat a mosquito while at attention during inspection led to a tenth infraction deduction.So basically you sucked it up and didn't move as the mosquitos essentially sucked it up with you. Fortunately, at least half the shows were later night shows where it tended to be more tolerable regarding humidity and mosquitos weren't a problem until late summer, and at early evening shows for the most part. Despite these challenges in doing Corps, it was overall still a blast doing Drum Corps, and everybody we knew seemed to love the overall experience.

This would constitute a surprise as the Cavies have finished out of the top 5 only once in the last 28 years.

There are 9 people from the Netherlands marching DCI this year, check out this cool list from dutchindci.com, it has the peoples names, where they're marching in the USA and where they march(ed) in Europe: * Jan Bakker (Euphonium) --- Carolina Crown (Marum) * Andrea Boot (Color Guard) --- Blue Knights (Juliana) * Demy van der Jagt (Baritone) --- Boston Crusaders (Jubal) * Michelle van der Jagt (Baritone) --- Glassmen (Jubal) * Erwin de Jong (Baritone) --- Colts (Con Spirito) * David Roes (Baritone) --- Blue Stars (Beatrix') * Krijn Verstraaten (Baritone) --- Blue Stars (Jubal) * Melanie Verheul (Color Guard) --- Blue Knights (Jubal) * Martijn Verstelle (Mellophone) --- Madison Scouts (Juliana)

When I was first introduced to drum corps in the seventies, I had the opportunity to attend a show with my friends in which the Caballeros performed. We all became instant fans and considered Cabs as a standard setter. That is why so many years later when I was able to compete against them it was very meaningful. And when my friends heard that we were actually fortunate enough to place ahead of them in some contests, my friends were suitably impressed because we still consider the Cabs as a benchmark for the activity and thus to have placed ahead of them was a great accomplishment. No disrespect to other corps since this is based on my own personal background. My point is that as a performer and competitor you want to compete with the best. Otherwise how meaningful are any of your accomplishments? I welcome Cadets2 and the entire organization to DCA and hope they do come out with a strong program as most expect. So, God willing, when I return to the field in 2013 I will have the honor to compete with a corps with the level of quality befitting that organization. It is no dishonor to lose to a corps like Cabs or what I hope C2 will prove to be. The only dishonor would be to quit or not even try. Trust me, I will be ready to deserve the honor to share the field with them.

You're missing out on some really cool shows man! They play some great music. Loud, brassy, old school style drum corps. Check out 2010 and 2011. 2006 and 2007 are cool too if you like dark shows.

I'm not overly concerned about holes at this point. Its a May Camp and not move ins yet. I think the hornline in general has been a bit young in recent years but I'm sure they'll be fine, especially if they got new horns to replace the Dynasty ones they've been using. That would be a step up from recent years for sure.

I have a feeling that we'll see that this year.

I'm glad the three of you have given your support for Jamey. It took all I had the other day to not say some biting remarks to the absurd notions of "high school drill." Michael Cesario (someone who is a creative genius and understands visual presentation as well as he does) said that Regiment's drill had "pictorial integrity" and was the epitome of "motivated movement." I'll take his professional view over any DCP poster.

Jamey Thompson has more tact in his pinkey finger than 99.9% of all visual designers to ever take a breath. Their entire show was a ballad, basically. He showed more professionalism with how he treated that program than is imaginable. They were rewarded visually for his professionalism last year. In fact, the biggest issues that the judging community had with the visual program is when he veered away from that slow flowing drill in the closer with all the double time stuff (much of which was scrapped over the course of the season).

...to 2012! and..... Safer travels Less bus/truck breakdowns Better gas mileage (and lower gas prices) Yummy food and Great shows while having the time of your lives! See ya down the road!

It is not a list at all without "Black Market Juggler" by the Bridgemen.

If that is indeed what happens, the the rest of the corps will have no one to blame but themselves. Frankly, a high-placing C2 might well be the best thing that could happen to DCA.

Nothing about snuggies was professional (professional players wouldn't do such a thing and a professional org wouldn't tolerate such a juvenile thing), which is why they were stopped. As mentioned already in this thread, there was a good reason why Dave stopped these... simply the kids were above that sort of thing, just no one had really made them understand it yet. Dave had a clear vision for taking the organization to another level in terms of professionalism and overall respect (and the bar was already pretty high). The transitional years were a bit tough, a lot of distractions with people getting emotionally invested into silly traditions that didn't really matter (I remember one hugely emotional breakdown with soloists not being able to take off their shako's). Uniform changes in 94 were sort of a symbolic representation that this philosophical shift (91-93) was complete.

I was not alive or present for the majority of the first 3 decades of DCI but here is my take. 70's-Scouts Slaughter show in 76 and Spirit in 79. Holy god that was beastly loud even for an old recording from a lap top! 80's-I would have to say 89 SCV's company front. That moment is ridiculous and was the first chill moment I ever got from a video of drum corps. 90's-Stars last few years and I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned but BD's opening statement in 96! HOLY GOD/ALLAH/BUDDHA/ZUES THAT WAS AT LEAST FFF. 00's-Hands down 07 cadets. Nothing has been close enough to be that loud and I saw that and CC 08 and there is no comparison. Cadets no how to peel skin off the body with volume 11's-Blue Devils were loud at the rock out section after the trumpet double tonguing feature. And the resolve in Bloo's creep was pretty #### loud as well.

2002 Cavaliers. The best ensemble sound in the history of drum corps. So much so, it doesn't sound like drum corps.

I'd love to hear some more scoop on the music selections (the blasts from the pasts that have been alluded to, woven throughout Pictures at an Exhibition), are there really 28 trumpets in the show, what the ensemble brass sound is compared to....say 2010, any new directions drill/staging is going this year, experiences thus far with new percussion leadership, etc. Hoping for a lot of great things from the Scouts in 2012.

This is true only in theory. Non-profit organizations still pay millions in taxes. They pay taxes in various forms every single day, from sales to property, from facility taxes to personal taxes (as an employee of a nonprofit). There is zero doubt that Indy is cheaper than the previous location in total taxes paid by employees and the organization.

REframed... REmembrance? please

Yeah we got our own thread finally..... sometimes I feel we're the Rodney Dangerfield of DCI :)