Leaderboard

The Cadets are always running all the time (hence their legendary endings from...'83 on?), which is why their show this year will be...different. I always hold them (and BD) in the highest regard because their feet are just the best, hands down. 1. It's been staggered. When two major snare drummers left after '08, things got a little rough for the line. When Herbert left the guard after '10, things got a little rough. But they always rise again, it just takes time. 2. Pit's still the worst-written book I've ever heard, consistently. They're stuck in WGI mode (harmony is rare, 'boards are just being smashed, wrists are exploding, "performance" is the only focus). 3. Crown does have great confidence, but it borders on cockiness. This mentality does not make for consistent performances and Championships.

Do you realize that the judges don't get to press pause and play out on the field? It really isn't as bad as you say... I'll admit Crown was dirtier than BD... but BD were NO SAINTS! Phantom got screwed visually.... Now onto fanfare.. the DVD recording really is bad. I have NOT enjoyed the mic placement of recent years... too close to the field. Picks up a lot of individuals. Those holes you hear in the breathing is normal stagger breathing at FFFFFFF dynamic. Depending where you were sitting in the stands.. or THE BOX you did not hear that. Many players were really right on top of the mics. It really is a shame that such a great moment went to waste on the recording because of bad mic placement. Which has been similar the last two years. It is better in that the mics are not right in front of the amps, and the amps are individually miced so that you have more options when mixing. But you hear a lot of normal dirt that you usually don't hear up in the stands. It is a better balanced recording front ensemble to field... but the recording of the field stuff goes out of wack a little more...

So Reading and MBI don't count as "goosebump" corps? And as for comparing Empire to Cabs? Cabs are sticking around and trying to figure it out....Empire is not. But I will say this...Empire is a whole lot closer in comparison to Cabs than Edge is to Blast.

I love Empire and Cabs. Two of my favorite corps. But they are my favorites because they are so good at what they do and because of their style that has been developed over years. It would be a mistake for everyone to try and be like them and I personally like the diversity we have today in style within DCA. There is no reason why a corps with the style of Empire or Cabs can't win in DCA. If you want to emulate Buc's, then focus on their preparation but I don't think to be DCA Champion you have a show style like Buc's. Like I've said before, if Cabs continue on the trend of the past couple years I really think they have a shot.

BD's drill since around 07 or so has bored to me death. And I don't think it has really been all that good. I guess it works on the sheets well... it's not my cup of tea really, and is not entertaining to me. I'd take Leon May's writing any day over BDs. And I had a good long conversation with BDs drill writer and a couple of other staff members over a couple of beers at a bar in Allentown. I respect what they do. But I just do not like their shows. And after that conversation.. I feel like they are in their own little world. There really are good intentions.. they always design with the fans in mind, according to them. I just think they are at a disconnect with many fans. They are doing what they like to do, and they assume that everyone will love that. I really can't blame them.. how are they gonna design a show that their heart isn't in? I would expand on my thoughts and reasoning more. But this is the Carolina Crown 2013 thread... and I'll let the conversation go back to Crown.

What flavor was your cone since I'm guessing you were the kid? As for your reply, I see nothing wrong with the topic. We discuss other topics from decades ago and see no problem with this one. I imagine other alumni of the era have spoken to those marching in their old corps today about the 50's -70's.

I agree with you chaos001. Phantom's demand was exactly what was required for that show and it wasn't easy. Each show has different demands for sure. There's no need to run all the time if it doesn't serve a purpose and enhance the show. Phantoms drill was great for what they were trying to do and it didn't need to have any more sets to be difficult. Plus, Phantom was actually clean and uniform. People need to stop harping on that BS right now. Also, the corps in the lower third of the top 12 have demanding shows too. Maybe they're not performed as well as the top corps or they're not designed as well. Whatever.... All the shows are difficult. Of course I still contend that Crown's brass is DCI's best, so there's that out there again...

If they make it too complicated, judges will have to start writing previous scores down on post-its to keep in their pockets during the show in order to keep up. Mike

Maybe we could all send happy thoughts and start this thing all over again...You know, a kinder, gentler direction with butterflies, unicorns and angelic visitations...Nah, what was I thinking!

I didnt say I dont enjoy Empire or Cabs. I said I prefer watching the Bucs style. I do follow DCI but I enjoy and follow DCA just as much.

I watch the show and it's so involved and mesmerizing that I can't concentrate on one thing. While all of this is going on they play so wonderfully. On top of this, I love Copeland and what they did with his music was wonderful. It was "Copland" and not "Coplandesque." They didn't win. No argument from here that they should have. I am not qualified to discuss who should have. That's why we have judges. But.... WTF was Leon May thinking when he came up with that drill? He didn't have to go that far but the fact that he did has changed the activity. Watching shakos? Not me. I still can't get past the fact they put that on the field. I still can't get past the fact that they marched it so well after putting it on the field and I still can't get past the fact that they played so wonderfully while putting that on the field. I don't care they were 2nd. If this had been 12th it would have still had the same effect on me. My heart belongs to Vanguard and Phantom but what Crown does has earned tremendous respect. They are spectacular.

Yea, you're not right either.

Anyone who thinks DCI is doing "exceptionally well" at a time when they are only drawing 16,000 to Finals and returning to the drum corps a fraction of the corps' overall expenses in producing the product DCI sells is delusional. DCI is keeping their head above water, barely. They have more mouths at their teats than they have resources to provide, and there's very little organizational focus on growing the audience past the existing moms and dads in the stands. There are no major corporate sponsors for the tour. The judging system is designed to allow a relatively small coterie of judges and designers to form mutual admiration societies that make moving up the competitive ranks almost completely impossible (that's not to say that the top corps aren't also the most accomplished in terms of design and instruction, but that in the visual and guard captions, especially, if you're not in "the club", your work is less likely to be rewarded fairly). And there's no one within the organization who seems to recognize that these issues are major problems, and is willing to stick a dagger in the heart of mediocrity and devise a plan for a radical reorganization of the competitive standards, the touring model, and the compensation system for the drum corps. DCI's a bake sale in a Hollywood world. They're keeping the doors open, but they're not exactly the next big thing.

The orchestral term for hand cymbals is piatti, which is Italian for plates (or dishes). It's used to differentiate between a suspended cymbal and a pair of hand-held cymbals.

DCI holding corps accountable to Independent Auditors in exchange for them to engage in DCI sanctioned touring is a far cry from being a Mom or Baby-Sitting. All it does is hold the corps boards/directors accountable, and it lifts up the integrity of DCI.

I have never once even thought about who is actually getting the money and how it is broken down for any sort of concert I might by tickets for. It really isn't all that interesting and, like most of the general public, I don't really care. All that matters to the average audience member is the experience of the show. Now, if you are suggesting that anyone involved with or making money from any aspect of a drum corps show may somehow be amoral ... that is completely absurd. All corps care about the youth participants, their well-being and the quality of experience. ALL. The only point where some don't seem to see eye-to-eye is simply how best to ensure the stability and sustainability of the activity. Some see it as a top-down approach being best, while others think bottom-up is the answer, with another segment thinks it best to limit scope and use resources to instead bring all to an even level that might be higher for some and lower for others. This is all it is... just a bit of difference in strategy, not morality. No need for hyperbole or exaggeration.

You know you are " old school " if the city or town that was listed on your Drum Corps busses and equipment trucks was where you lived.

I'm rather surprised that he (DeLucia) somehow believes SCV should have been dq'd. There were international laws broken in that case, which SCV had NOTHING to do with!

Some things to think about: - how often did they stop marching during the show? - how often did they play while marching compared to how often did they play while not marching? - look at the angles they had to march and when they changed sets - if drill is designed correctly, it looks better and works better on the field

Oh relax.

.... and you just might be be " old school " if you've ever competed in Drum Corps inside an " old school ".

When the beginning of the show was the "off the line" and the third part of the show was performed standing in concert formation.

"REALLY Olde Skool'': If you marched before the PARENTS of the current members were born........ Elphaba WWW

That's what I like about the Blue Devils. And it definitely is cockiness from them. But hey, they have the history and swagger and the skills to back it up. The way I see Crown's visual performance is that there is a huge majority of individuals that are champs. These people could march against the best from any corps and have a very good chance at showing them up. But one or two individuals here and there, especially in really exposed drill moves, can ruin the entire effect.

While I don't completely disagree with your first statement, I think your second point is pretty insulting to the other corps that do indeed work their butts off to get the crowd into their show. I go to a few showa s year, and i can tell you without a doubt, many more corps get a strong reaction from the crowd besides Empire and Cabs. To imply otherwise shows you haven't been to too many shows lately, or you are letting your own bias affect what you see and hear from the crowd.

How about the following - what do these mean? Page 1 of G7 Report: "ideas for change from 7 of the corps of Drum Corps International" Page 2 of G7 Report: "We have the backings of our boards, we have discussed matters in depth, and we are united in our goals." Sounds like full endorsement to me.

No one should have been surprised by that situation.

Sounds like something Float would've come up with...

Many would disagree with you. I disagree to a point. We shouldn't let these corps fail.. we should force them to do better. I think Stu makes a good suggestion. Corps like 27th, Suncoast, VK, Anaheim, Bridgemen, to name a few of the big names that went down off the top of my head, are all still deeply missed in the activity. The activity was better with these corps, and DCI would not be where it was today without these corps. Just letting corps like Glassmen fall by the wayside isn't good for DCI at all IMO. And hey.. some of the G7 are one oops away from existing no longer. We need to work with what we have, and save what we have right now. Yes.. things need to change. But you cannot ignore the emotional side of drum corps. That being said, the artists need to stop making business decisions and the egos need to go. Corps directors all across the competitive spectrum need to take a step back. It's not just about their corps anymore. The activity has grown way to small for the every man for themselves attitude. They have to work together, they have to bring new people in. Seeing MIM being put off another year is a good sign. I think the 7 realize they cannot survive without the DCI brand. I would suspect if they really did split off, they can forget using the DCI name. And that does nothing to help either organization. They need each other.

Let them fail. Replace them with new ones that are built from zero based on best practices, with well-trained management and proper boards. Part of the reason why it is acceptable for organizations to be so poorly run is that there is an emotional or sentimental attachment. It is better to shift the mindset to something a bit more like a sports franchise where it can move or change names or be shut down or replaced. Quality of experience (for both participant and audience) is far more important than one the name of the group was or what color they were wearing or what city they were from or what quirky traditions they might have had. 3 months of eating well and being treated as a professional trumps decades of history.

If you can't see the widespread visual dirt in For the Common Good, then I can understand why you might think Crown deserved the gold or got robbed or something. I mean from cubes>hula hoops is kinda what I'm inferring there. If there's one thing I learned in DCI, it's not to bash other kids' shows because I know I put my heart and soul and gallons of sweat into mine, but come on, FTCG just had near constant foot timing issues, interval issues, form control issues, kids breaking down technique to make dots, that means bouncing all over the place, catching air on just 6-5s. Some of the halts were really good, actually, but there were just as many that just looked bad, like what were supposed to be straight diagonals looked like stair steps. even consider that body in the fanfare ballad, almost no two or more than a few kids looked the same even at checkpoints and the spread of kids probably contributed to all that visual phasing. Aside from the rotating cube (which you could tell they just repped endlessly) they got away with murder in their closer considering they won feet, just those same interval problems, foot timing, kids falling behind, sinking down on direction changes, not completing visual phrases. Press pause at any of the crazy drill parts and it's hard to tell what's going on, who's in what pinwheel or what kids are even doing, where they're going, who they're with. Um Himmels Willen, the last set of the show, the Crown set was ugly! I'm sorry, it was, check out Cadets Crown set for comparison! Look at the way the feet line up in the front row and the not occasional, but routine interval errors and leanings, it's supposed to be 1-3-3-1 two step intervals and some kids toes are very close to or on yardlines. I really don't enjoy bashing kids and their shows on a public medium, but as a Crown fan, I know it's tough to swallow shortcomings and its frustrating to see reasoning like this. We collectively love to make excuses about percussion and the like, but even if Crown got a 20, they'd still have been about half a point short of BD. Maybe I'll get a ton of down votes for this, but you don't have to be looking for these things to notice them, you don't have to Madden the hell out of it.

DCI shouldn't exist to be any corps' mom. My view these days is leaning more toward letting corps fail. The real issue here is that management of a lot of corps don't really have the practical and managerial experience required to both raise the required funds to compete on a world class level and spend this in a smart and sustainable way - year after year. DCI babysitting these groups are not going to somehow give these guys the necessary skills. Emphasis should be placed on recruiting and training a new generation of corps directors and management that have the necessary skillset. I don't see much of an opportunity here to teach old dogs new tricks.

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST IS NOT TO START A FIGHT (of course that is near impossible of dcp) Ok, so here's the deal...I am NOT a drum corps rookie. I have been around the activity since I was 5. I understand show design and such. But I'm not seeing it in Crown's shows. I want to like Crown and all I hear are amazing things about their shows...but I just don't get it. Someone PLEASE explain what is so fabulous about them, show me videos sound clips anything just help me because all I get from their shows is that they are OK at the max and underwhelming. I must be missing something.

Amen! They were fourth at best!

While I agree that the "7" definitely do many things well, I do not agree that the "non 7" are doing anything wrong (or anything that needs to change). I enjoyed the 2012 "non 7" more than any other year! My 3 favorite shows were Colts, Crossmen, and Spirit of Atlanta. To say that a group that is not in the top 7 is lacking something or needs to step up the game is simply ignorant. If there are going to be 20+ groups on the competition field, then somebody is going to finish in 8th-20ish place whether they are G7 or not. This does not indicate fault, this just means that 20+ groups are on the field and they all can't be 1st-7th (to state the obvious). That is what we call competition. That is what I love about drum corps.

It's how it works for me. If Crown can't connect phrases while stopping and starting moves, then you shouldn't be surprised when I say I prefer Phantom, BD and Cadets' hornlines.

Hello, all! I got permission from G James Miller and Dennis DeLucia to repost this message which was originally posted in the 1970's Drum and Bugle Corps group on Facebook. Dennis's account speaks for itself. I will repost the two messages in full, starting with G James Miller's introduction. G James Miller Hello folks - I didn't march in 1975 muchachos, but was with the corps in 1977, my first year in drum corps. I have heard stories of what happened from corps members and others. I have had a 30 year friendship with Dennis DeLucia, who was on the staff of the corps that year. I asked him what really happened in 1975 and, with his permission, I will share the account of that year, and the events that lead up to Prelims in 1975: THE HAWTHORNE MUCHACHOS: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED By Dennis DeLucia More than three decades have passed since the Hawthorne Muchachos, who had become one of DCI’s elite contenders in the mid-seventies, were disqualified at DCI Championships in Philadelphia in August, 1975 for marching an overage member. Those are the facts, but the back-story is involved, convoluted, mysterious and worthy of a Hollywood movie! I grew up in Bergenfield, NJ and participated in the school district’s music program, which was created by and run by the incredible Dr. Bernard Baggs. In my junior year, Dr. Baggs hired a young Don Angelica to run the band while he took on more administrative duties. My involvement in drum corps was [and is] a direct result of the support of my family and the influence and mentorship of both Dr. Baggs and Mr. Angelica. I graduated from Bergenfield HS in 1962 and Upsala College in 1966. I was immediately drafted into the Army during the peak of the VietNam war. I auditioned for and was accepted into the West Point Band’s “Hellcats” as a drummer, a position I held for almost three years. While at West Point, I started to teach a drum corps [The Pacers, Poughkeepsie, NY] with my friend, Bob Devlin. Upon leaving the army, Angelica convinced the Muchachos to hire me as their percussion arranger/instructor for the 1970 season. At the time, the corps was an all-boy off-shoot of the famous Caballeros, and practiced in American Legion Post 199 in Hawthorne, NJ. The details that I am about to outline are derived from my direct experiences [indicated by one asterisk *] plus conversations with notable people who were connected to the Holy Name Cadets **[later called “Garfield” and ultimately just “The Cadets”], the Caballeros/Muchachos ***, the Cavaliers ****and DCI itself. I prefer to eliminate many names, and to refer to the man at the center of the Muchachos’ fate as simply the Boss. Here is my account of what really happened to the Muchachos in Philadelphia in 1975: 1. Around 1940, the Boss and friends were marching in a small corps in NJ. The group included Jim Costello, who was to later become the long-time director of the Hawthorne Caballeros***. 2. They joined the Navy during World War II***. 3. Costello would eventually marry the Boss’ sister***. 4. After World War II, the friends returned to NJ and joined American Legion Post 199 in Hawthorne, where they started a senior corps, which became the “Caballeros”***. 5. The Boss was a marching member of the Caballeros and became an assistant to Costello [officially or unofficially---I’m not sure]*** 6. In the fifties, Jim Costello taught the Holy Name Cadets, and the Boss was an “unofficial” helper/assistant director**. 7. The corps’ staff regularly hung out at a particular restaurant/bar, above which lived the Boss**. 8. Around 1958 or 1959, the Boss allegedly shot and killed the drum major of Holy Name**. Nobody has ever told me why that tragedy happened. 9. The Boss went to prison until 1968 [?]**. 10. Upon release from prison, the Boss returned to Hawthorne and became the “assistant” director of both the Caballeros and Muchachos, who had been created in 1959 as a youth activity for male relatives of Caballero members and alumni**. 11. Don Angelica had been in Holy Name in the fifties, then marched in and taught the Caballeros in the sixties*. 12. I was hired to teach the Muchachos for the 1970 season, knowing about the Boss’ story*. 13. By 1972, the Boss had ascended to the directorship of the Muchachos after the 1971 Director had to resign to run his business full-time*. 14. The Boss was so tied in to the American Legion and the Caballeros that he resented the newly-formed “DCI” because he considered its possible success as a threat to the Legion’s involvement in and dominance of the junior drum corps scene*. 15. The Muchachos were NOT one of the founders of DCI because, up to 1971, they had not achieved competitive “elite” status*. 16. The Boss refused to sign the corps up for the initial DCI Championships because he wanted to stay loyal to the Legion*. 17. At the last minute, Don Angelica convinced the Boss to sign up, which he did*. 18. As a result of being the last corps to enroll, the Muchachos had to go on FIRST on the first day of the two-day prelims. In spite of that handicap, the corps made finals, finishing tenth*. 19. The Boss was therefore automatically a member of the DCI Board, but did not attend meetings and continued to profess his dislike/distrust for the new circuit, probably under pressure from the Caballeros’ organization and his deeply-held affinity for the Legion*. 20. DCI Board members, aware of the Boss’ past [prison] and his reluctance/refusal to fully participate in DCI events, never fully welcomed him or the Muchachos into the fold, even though the corps moved up the competitive ladder every year and became a legitimate contender by 1975*. 21. Many corps in the early years of DCI marched with overage members, probably as an result of practices under the Legion/VFW years as well as Catholic corps who were usually based in inner-city environments and whose priests considered their purpose to be more “youth-protection” than drum corps competitors [strictly my opinion]*. 22. In the winter of 1975 a young man [i’ll call him “Tommy”] auditioned for a spot in the Muchachos’ drumline. He did not get the spot, and ultimately joined the Cavaliers in Chicago for the ’75 season, where he marched [timpani, I believe]*. 23. “Tommy” knew of an overage member of the Muchachos, a person with whom he apparently had a personal grudge***. 24. In the early Spring of ’75, the Boss showed me a letter from DCI asking him to check on the possibility of three members on the roster being overage. The Boss replied to DCI by refuting their information and telling DCI, in essence, to “mind your own business and to not to interfere in the running of my corps”*. 25. I knew then that 1975 would be my last year with the corps*. 26. At the World Open [Massachusetts] in early August, “Tommy” hid behind Cavalier adults and pointed out the Muchachos’ member who he knew was overage****. 27. A Cavalier father followed the corps out to the truck and struck up a conversation with the overage member, who played an unusual drum called roto-toms. He took a picture of the member with his drums, allegedly to “show his son these unique drums”****. 28. The Cavaliers turned the photo into DCI, who checked the member’s age and image against the documents that the Boss had turned in prior to the season****. 29. At prelims in Philadelphia, after the corps performed, a member of the Cavaliers’ management accompanied Executive Director Don Pesceone to the Muchachos’ truck where they demanded this member’s wallet and driver’s license*. 30. The photo matched the photo that the Boss had submitted, but the member’s birth info did not match. Factoring in the negative feelings of DCI Board members towards the Boss, and in spite of hours of fruitless begging and pleading by Frank Gerris and me, the result was already decided. Game over*. 31. The aftermath was tragic---we lost a great drum corps, the Boss passed away, several members of the corps suffered incredible hardships [including suicides] and the activity itself was damaged*. Epilogue #1---“Tommy” ended up in prison in Texas for impersonating a doctor! Not just any doctor, but a gynecologist!!! Nice guy. Epilogue #2---In 1989 the Santa Clara Vanguard was caught with two overage members at prelims. Not only were they NOT disqualified, as the rules clearly mandated, but they were allowed to compete if they removed the two overage members. Result? They won the DCI Championship! Ironic. Epilogue #3---The scores were never revealed, except for our drum score, which was 19.3, winning percussion by six tenths over Santa Clara! Rumors have persisted about whether we won prelims or not, but I have no firm proof. My best guess is that the Muchachos finished second to Madison by a couple of tenths. Epilogue #4---In prelims, including the Muchachos in the top-three, the results were as follows: 9th----83.0 Kilties---------7th in finals 10th—82.3 Garfield------11th in finals 11th---81.9 Phantom-----10th in finals 12th---81.4 Cavaliers----8th in finals 13th---79.6 Troopers----got into finals as a result of the Muchachos’ disqualification. 14th---79.4 Watkins Glen Squires The corps who were “on the bubble” of either making or just missing finals, were the Cavaliers, Troopers, Phantom, Garfield, Kilties and Squires. It is my understanding that they all voted to disqualify the Muchachos. Ironically, I had positive proof that at least three of these six corps had marched overage members! In the immediate aftermath of the Muchachos’ disqualification, I found at least six of the top-13 had marched with overage members during the 1975 season, including prelims. I chose to NOT pursue the information out of my strong belief in the positive benefits of the drum corps movement. But the events of that day and its aftermath haunt me still. I recommend a book written by Nic Waerzeggers called “Drum Corps International: The First Decade, 1972-1981” published by Steve Vickers and available through Drum Corps World---publisher@drumcorpsworld.com. It is a beautifully-written, detailed account of the first ten years of DCI’s existence, and includes many photos, stats and interviews with key people in the activity. Dennis DeLucia January 31 at 11:38am

That's ok. You haven't done so leading up to now anyway. Why should I expect a change now?

You are " old school " if " the Children of Sanchez " wasn't a song, but who marched in your Corps.

Back then, it was the marchers fighting. Today, the marchers are fine, and the adults in Corps are at one another's throats. You are " old school " if you remember when it was mostly the marchers in Corps that had to be separated by the adults in Corps, instead of the other way around.

DCI, per se, does not actually perform on the field. The corps members do. And regardless of the sponsor, people go to see shows with their high school students for several reasons: 1. To expose their students to a higher standard of performance 2. To show their students what is possible after school 3. To raise standards in their own performances 4. To share the joy of music/marching/colorguard 5. Because many directors have past experience as drum corps performers, and want to share that experience. 6. Because many directors inherit programs that have "nowhere to go but up" and want to excite the students. 7. Because they are asking their students to pay attention with a critical ear/eye to higher level performances. 8. Because they are teaching their students to be active in support of the arts. I'm sure there are more reasons to attend with high school students -- but you get the picture. The adults involved care about the politics. The non-"7" would do well to come out prepared, raise their standards, and understand that the idea of "amateur" performance is far less sustainable than it was when we were a neighborhood and community hobby/activity. The "7" would do well to extend a hand to allow the entire activity to move forward rather than small segments of the activity. This was a wake-up call for all sides... and while it was presented rather petulantly at times, there is a very real concern about the viability of our beloved drum corps pass time that needs addressing. But... back to the kids: Drum corps is a spectacle that comes to their town maybe once a summer, and is nothing more and nothing less than that to non-participants. We who tour, perform, attend more than one show a year, create, teach, judge, administrate and give a portion of our lives to drum corps should not be shocked that our audience is far more casual in their fandom. Bottom line: Great Performances are Great Performances -- whether it's STOMP, Broadway, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Mumford & Sons, Lady Gaga, or any of a thousand other opportunities to see/hear/witness great performances -- the sponsor does not matter. The performance level, the ability to completely engage their fands, and the unique and thrilling experience matter. Those who perform at the highest levels will draw fans. Those who perform at lesser levels will struggle. I support a unified drum corps activity -- but I'd be less-than-honest with myself if I didn't acknowledge that the "7" do have certain legitimate concerns, and that the "Non 7" have certain hurdles to overcome as they come to terms with the reality of the performance/competitive/financial climate of 2013. Back to writing -- thank you for your time. Chuck

Amen!

Double post. OMG...I'm fallible! Run for the exits! Save yourselves!

I read through Dennis Delucia's numerical walk through infamy. I took one thing away from it. "We cheated." Didn't this guy work with '77 Bridgemen? Quick, someone check the birth certificates of '85 Star of Indiana.

The ###### show was held in Everett at Everett Memorial Stadium! The Manning Bowl was closed for a year due to renovations. Don't make me come over there. It was a one-year deal due to the renovations at the Manning Bowl. When we went to World Open in 1976, it was a totally different place. The World Open in 1975 was plopped right in a residential area of houses right behind the main stands. The stadium was practically in people's back yards. I wrote about that in Cavaliers' 1975 yearbook, my first corps writing experience.

I believe the SCV account is also incorrect as to when the 2 overage guys left. As I was told by a member of the tenor line, Gail found out during a rehearsal and told them they might want to be gone before the corps proper found out. Those 2 lied to everyone...SCV was determined not to be at fault, as they had been fooled as well. The Muchachos situation sounds more like a soap opera bit of childish spite.

Blairstown is one of the best rehearsal sites I've ever been to. Enjoy your weekend Cabs!

Ah. Strictly speaking, other corps know what it takes to write for the August judge (and crowd). Crown's still working on that.

Wasn't even close in percussion.

That joke was old when it was first used -- in 2010.