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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/29/2019 in all areas

  1. Having been involved with one of the few remaining outside of the NE class A corps I can share some interesting information. For Carolina Gold in my opinion the biggest handicap is travel cost and time. The cost of DCA in the south is much higher than the NE mainly because of travel costs and practice time lost due to travel may be considered a competitive disadvantage. What I thin Gold has done to survive as a DCA corps in the south is first they have a great instructional staff, The Guard caption head is in high demand and many people want to work with him in the guard, also they have great Brass instructors, the Brass arrangements the past 2 years have been written by Jesse, the Corps Director and I think especially this years was really great. I think that their championship show could go head to head with any show from a DCI corps of that size (26 horns). So people are attracted to the corps for the learning experience. It is also a fun corps, I know folks won't pay a lot of money for their kids to go out and have fun every weekend, but most of the parents I talked with always told me how the kids looked forward to their Corps weekend and came home tired, but happy. The part where I came in was that they had good food every weekend , I also helped on the Phantom regiment food truck but I think that my food at Gold was better than what PR had and PR had some good chow too. Last year 2018 was a new start for the corps, basically the budget was tight. For many years before the corps had gone to Big Sounds in Motion in Reading the week before finals. In April when schedules were being finalized it was determined that there was no way that the corps could afford to travel to that show. After that call was made the corps had only 1 DCA show (A dci open class/DCA show ) before finals and I and many others questioned whether going forward was viable the members want to do shows and get scores. I do not Know the full story but with the possibility of losing another corps I think that DCA gave them permission and support for a one corps show 2 weeks before finals, which may have saved Gold's season. So though people moan about 1 corps shows I think that it showed that DCA did want to try to save some out of the NE units. Another thing that I was against originally that I think may have kept Gold going was the move back to Class A for 2018., BY writng a show for 65 people and performing it with 65 committed people you get a much better product than writing a show for 100 when only 75 are really committed and the rest are just filling holes. Also you can have a balanced show, 26 brass in a 65 person show is a powerful horn line, 26 brass supporting a 100 member show is struggling. It also makes sense financially since every seat on the bus is filled and you are not paying for 10 empty seats on each bus. From a kitchen viewpoint cooking for 80( Corps, Staff, Volunteers) is much easier than 120 especially with the facilities we had. I think the possibility of winning also motivated the corps. I am sure everyone would put out their best even if they were fighting for 8th place, However in 2018 when after prelims the corps was .06 behind the Govies and becoming class A champs. the kids really went to work and practiced very smartly and then gave the best show of that Season. This year the pressure of being defending champs motivated the kids and they stepped up huge for finals 2 points better than prelims. In spite of the financial challenges the corps still goes to DCI Atlanta every year, which is actually the highlight of the season for many marchers. The corps is the first corps on and has had no practice time since the Sunday before ( it is a 6 hour drive from Raleigh to ATL) and is judged by DCI Judges who give good tips for improvement, but don't really match up to DCA judging. However it is on Flo Marching, and the kids get to see the rest of the show from the 10 yard line and make contacts with DCI corps if they want to march next season. Another thing that I like about Gold is that it is a second choice corps most of out young marchers tried out for Crown or Spirit and realized they weren't ready yet, ot just couldn't afford it and Gold as limited as performances are gives them a chance to perform and step up their game, this year we had a couple from last year who could have made a good DCI corps but opted to stay with Gold because they liked the experience. If you watch the corps from day one of practice until their finals show you see a huge amount of progress and tremendous growth. The first full corps weekend in 2018 we had such a motley crew and I was worried that they would embarrass themselves on the field (Which is why I styed to help that season, I thought at least they will get a good meal out of practice before they have to hang their heads) But 4 months later they were really good . I don't know how this applies to other out of NE corps but it definatly will hurt them eventually if they don't have a good multi year plan that is transparent. And my biggest disappointment with Gold was that they did not have a real plan that possible donors could see. I had wanted to purchase some new Tubas for the Corps but I could not find out if they had plans to buy a matched set in the future, or how many they would need, or even if that was the greatest need for the corps. Everyone had different ideas what was needed but there was no plan on what the # 1 priority was. ANd no guarantee that if you gave money to buy Tubas that it would actually go to that. I wound up using some of that money to buy Tee shirts for the Corps members and will probably give a lot to my local theater group and PR will get some too. However without a visible plan that donors can easily see and understand there is not a very large supportbase and the corps are forced to rely on member dues for most of the corps expenses. I think a lot of the Class A corps did not have a detailed multi year plan and members and donors did not see where the corps was going and the corps wound up ending or dropping from DCA.
    3 points
  2. Let them worry about it, not you. Be less jerky & wish them well. As the saying goes "In a world where you can be anything...be kind".
    3 points
  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=_wDBJ7v_gcY
    2 points
  4. For that matter why use the phrase "color guard" since there are no longer "colors" to guard? But to your point; rifles in modern drum corps looks more like batons especially when combined with all of the dancing and emoting. I have a nostalgic soft spot for rifles since our corps had a good rifle line. I hope they stick around in the future.
    2 points
  5. Some corps have used alternatives. Some were effective, others not so much. Cadets used those s-shaped props in '91 in Short Ride in a Fast Machine and they were amazing. I think they were one of the most effective alternatives. Remember the air blades? That seemed to have died quickly. Remember the Vanguard bedposts with the tassle on the end? I wasn't a fan.
    2 points
  6. First week of marching band competitions started a few weeks ago and yesterday were the first big shows. I didn't see much in the way of recruiting here in TN / GA for DCI or DCA but I did hang with some of my fellow alumni who's youngest children are about to graduate. Odd how people wearing corps jackets (in the middle of summer) somehow all congregate towards the same spot...much like cattle.
    2 points
  7. I saw both St. Kevin’s and St. Mary’s Cardinals many times starting in 1960. Loved them both, but in 1960 SKEK was something else. They were so good that you felt sad when they left the field.
    2 points
  8. Man I’m sure they want your expertise- please start running a corps immediately!
    2 points
  9. IMO you have this exactly backwards. This is new management attempting to straighten out years of miss-management. I'm sure they would rather be floating along with wonderful cash flow so they can pay the folks in a timely manner, as identified in their adjudicator materials. Look back in history of the many corps that failed over time that never were financially sound, that ran seat-of-the-pants operations. IF this approach YEA is taking is true (as all we know is what a person posted), it seems to me that their admin team is working to get their fiscal house in order. As to your "wink, wink" statement....if they renege on their payments later, how many people would EVER come back next year as staff or adjudicators? IMO they are working towards creating a professional business-like operation. It doesn't happen overnight. NOT running shows as they work through this is the WORST idea I have seen posted, as it would eliminate a large revenue stream just when they need it most, and it would be the end of USBands, for sure, which IMO is a terrible idea. Admin hat on: If anyone has an email from YEA to the staff and adjudicators, do not post it here. It is against DCP Guidelines to post emails from anybody other than yourself.
    2 points
  10. which would make you troll on here more?
    2 points
  11. Yup! We just put a different “spin” on it.
    1 point
  12. Kingsmen color guard did it first in 1973’s “off the line” (ancient term?) and again in 1974 at the end of drum solo. A man named Stanley Knaub invented it. PR did a version later in, I think, 1977, 1978? At the time we thought it looked familiar. Ha Ha!
    1 point
  13. Yes, the Phantomettes truly earned their place in the pantheon of color guards. Those were some dedicated, focused and hard working women. And I feel fortunate to call them my phamily.
    1 point
  14. Time for greg_orange county to chime in...didn’t Anaheim do a “Rockford File” off the line in ‘72 or ‘73??!
    1 point
  15. I will always have a fond spot in my heart forThe Kingsmen and 27. Kingsmen were bad A$$ in such a good way and 27 were tradition and majesty at it’s zenith. I was humbled and honored to compete with you. Both of your organizations set the bar much higher for the rest of us.
    1 point
  16. Whaddya mean OK? The were the standard in their day. Those women did manuals that no one else attempted and they did it with style grace and class!
    1 point
  17. It was all about Military Bearing then. The precision of movement And carriage over the randomness of dance. Nothing wrong with either. I just prefer synchronicity in my drum corps.
    1 point
  18. Yes they were. I miss 2-7. They were one of my favorite corps.
    1 point
  19. In rifle lines in the 70's (and maybe 80's?) the hands were not as close together, and the upper part of the rifle only covered the left eye - but you get the idea here.
    1 point
  20. Kingsmen rifle line was not to be trifled with either. In 1974 they had a drum break from the Exorcist I believe and I remember the rifle line did some crazy contortions
    1 point
  21. 1 point
  22. Speaking of age, the average age of the Govies trumpet section this year was over 50 -- yes 50. We figured that the 5 of us we had over 70 years of competitive drum corps marching experience. We called our section "Team Tapioca" since we heard that some people eat tapioca when they get old. We don't think of ourselves as old, just seasoned veterans. And yes, all of us we marched the entire show asking for no special accommodations. If "Team Tapioca" can still stay relevant and active at our age, any reason you give for not marching any longer is simply lame. If you love the sport, keep playing. We do and are looking forward to next year.
    1 point
  23. Heck lets add the fire baton while we are at it!
    1 point
  24. *cough*santaclaravanguard1988and1989*cough* Sorry I had a tickle in the back of my throat....
    1 point
  25. I still laugh when I think about seeing a guard dressed in evening gown type attire tossing around rifles back in the late 80s. Could you imagine someone unfamiliar with the activity seeing that for the first time? Wha??? A rifle line can be impressive when used in the proper context.
    1 point
  26. Very true. There has to be a balance. And don't sweat it. My cave is a little more modern (late 80's) but I still get questions about what we did before kevlar heads. I usually tell them we had to go out in the woods behind practice fields and hunt rabbits or kill a calf so we could skin them and get them stretched before pre-show warmup's.
    1 point
  27. Making the blade much lighter would effect how well it spun in the air. The heft is what stabilizes it during spinning and tossing. Don’t want the blade taking flight due to a wind gust. Remember when some guards would tape washers in the straps? That was mainly used for timing but darn it was cool to hear the precise click click click of a great rifle line on a recording. Ok I’ll go back to my cave now.
    1 point
  28. I agree and yet I'm still ok with them. Tradition comes and goes but for some reason, rifles just feel and look right to me.
    1 point
  29. Fun fact. Star of Indiana never used rifles. I do agree that nowadays rifles seem out of place as the activity has changed so much.
    1 point
  30. 1 point
  31. Interesting question. I would think it's more of a "better the devil you know" type of thing than anything else. Since it's a common implement which is still taught, I would think it will just take time for design to fall in line with functionality.
    1 point
  32. Oh wow...so sad to hear this...he was very passionate about BAC and also a great guy overall. I really enjoyed our chats over the years and this past summer as well. Rest in peace.
    1 point
  33. I watched SKEK win the Dream in '64 at Roosevelt Staduim in Jersey City, and seriously considered dropping out of school to move to Dorchester that very afternoon. Does anyone know who played the double high "C" at the end of Stars and Stripes? I swear it seemed to ring the stadium rafters for about half an hour.
    1 point
  34. Well, this is cancel culture and no matter what, The Cadets should fold.
    1 point
  35. Both did time in Cadets and on Cadets staff under Hopkins. cf. link Mr. Ream posted in post immediately above mine.
    1 point
  36. I agree that this admin team is just trying to dig out from the hole dug by previous errors. They have their work cut out for them. I do not envy their task.
    1 point
  37. Yes, it is a very good post. Now, go back and give the guy a like click.
    1 point
  38. after what I told him when he said he wasnt going to pay, i doubt he'd be there welcoming me
    1 point
  39. https://www.facebook.com/notes/holly-marino/fusion-core-staff-additions/10151097107544943/
    1 point
  40. they should only go all the way with proper consent
    1 point
  41. I thought it said “all go away “. I kid, I kid. 😉
    1 point
  42. I've been lucky enough to personally witness some of the legendary live performances in the history of the DCI era from the mid 70s to now, but the one I'd give anything to have seen live, based on the recording, is '74 Muchachos at Finals.
    1 point
  43. Oh, man - that's a hilarious visual - Frankey D as Gandalf. About as funny as OP as Frodo!!
    1 point
  44. Iron lips, the "Gandalf" of drum corps, wize old wizard that he is....
    1 point
  45. It's refreshing to see discussion on DCP elevated to this level. Of course, one might expect as much whenever my old friend O.P. opines on anything. That famous '62 recording of the USAF corps feautring Rod Goodhart and the others was already worn to a licorice wafer on my turntable by the time JFK went to Dallas. That afternoon, the announcement came over the PA at my military school in NY and I was summoned to the Headmaster's office. There would be a solemn high funeral mass and I was to be the bugler who sounded taps from the nave. The Arlington service preceded that and I watched attentively as Sgt. Clarke cracked on the "E". The next morning, the local WNYC-TV cameras rolled at the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier and that evening they intercut my version with his. It felt other-worldly and most unreal. No doubt, Rodney felt that way the day before on Pennsylvania Avenue. That was about as solemn as drum corps could ever get, and it seems like yesterday.
    1 point
  46. Since its beginning, the USAF D&BC had a pipe section/band that would perform with it (using the "rudimental" drummers from the corps - John Flowers, John Bosworth, Dave Woodford among others). During Kennedy's funeral, the family requested that the Pipe Band play "Mist Covered Mountains," an old Irish tune, at the graveside ceremonies. The following year when the drum corps was disbanded, the pipe band, a White House favorite, became an independent unit of the USAF Band at Bolling AFB with Bosworth as lead drum. This band's reputation in the international piping world equalled that of the corps here in the US. The band was very innovative; combining corps style rudimental drumming with the more traditional Gaelic style was one of the band's trademarks and greatly influenced drumming in both arenas. It was disbanded by the Nixon admin in May, 1970. And, for us old-timers... who DOESN'T remember where we were, what we were doing when this tragedy occurred?! (Moi? ...in 7th period class in 10th grade.) SKY
    1 point
  47. Gosh, this is an amazing picture. And the video was hard to watch. I was only 5 at the time, so I have just vague memories of seeing the funeral coverage on TV. Yet it still breaks my heart, I guess because the raw emotions are captured so vividly.
    1 point
  48. Found these on the net Rodney is 2nd from the right. The snare line, from left to right consisted of Jimmy Dinkins, Eric Landis, Bill Mojica, Rodney Goodhart, Bob Hoffheins and John Bosworth. John
    1 point
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