Leaderboard

I don’t really have any regrets except i probably should have marched 1979. I do know that there were a few brass players who I marched with that followed Tim Salzman out to SCV in 1981. So it has been happening for a very long time.

I did it for a couple years, it was cool, one good thing was I sat next to several board members and was able to pick their brains and figure our what they did right in building a Corps. I have been disappointed the last 3 years that Phantom Regiment has not been there. Somehow I wound up touring with PR and have had to miss the closest show to my house. I think that the crown club seats are a great option.

Our son is returning to his corp specifically because he enjoys the staff which makes the marching experience way better. He would follow them to a new corp because he would know they would instill the same values as they are instilling in his current corp. The leaders you respect are ones you will follow as there are reasons they gained your respect. For the part where you say " I didn't let any of mine do it (sports/schools) when I held decision making power". If you are saying your children then I understand as that is within your right as a parent. If you are talking students that aren't your children then to say you wouldn't allow your students to do it when you held decision making power would be a problem. If his High School directors even tried to interfere without any justified reason then they would have a very long talk with me and my wife about what level of influence and power they do and do not have over our child's choices and decisions, especially outside the commitments to the school. We value their insight, but they DO NOT have the power to demand/dictate his choices. It costs over $6K for most corps nowadays so kids have a right to make decisions they think will give them the most enjoyable experience.

I'd say times have changed but they really havent... This has been going on for literally decades... especially in the guard and percussion captions.

I dont normally promote the March or Die podcast here but this week we have been joined by Spirit of Atlanta's executive director Jason Burns who generously gave us over two hours of his time for the podcast (dont worry, we edited it down to 90 minutes). I figured this would be of interest to the masses as Jason is very candid about "how the sausage is made". Would love it if y'all gave it a watch and if you like what you see, it would be even better if you subscribed. Next week we have JW Koester from the Mandarins joining us and I have several other interesting folks coming on in the next several weeks.

After '76 we had 4 go to the Kilts, 3 go the Cavaliers, 1 oddball go Troopers (I kid, he was a life long Troopers fanatic). I stayed and instructed my last two years of marching eligibility. If I had it to do all over again, I would have probably gone to Phantom Regiment. Their upward trajectory was stronger than the others where friends went, plus they had Marty Hurley on Percussion. A hero of mine since his time with the New Orleans corps, so yeah, I would have been influenced by both the staff and chasing a ring.

The brass really started getting good in 78 when Tim Salzman joined the staff. In 75, the Guardsmen placed 31st at DCI. When I signed up in the fall of 75, I figured I’d be buying a finals ticket. 😂 I

TBH, I followed my friends to Guardsmen. If I’d been a guy, I’d probably have followed those friends to Cavaliers.

Btw, I'm happy that you're posting again!

... and every mountain and hill made low. But a more appropriate wish for drum corps would be the next lyrics ... to make "the crooked straight".

I am around. But right now, the focus is on my beloved 49ers getting this sixth Super Ring next Sunday! I will turn my attention to BD/Mandarins after February 11th. Bang Bang Niner Gang! In Brock Purdy we trust!

This has to be the most the New York Times has ever published about drum corps. Aside from a couple of mentions of "band" (and really, what's the diff now?) its pretty accurate and complimentary, right down to the mention of PB&J! https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/01/us/heat-wave-south.html?smid=url-share