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I’m actually the designer of Walmart Health virtual care! No kidding! Telehealth does not include any store-centered services, including pharmacy, vision or store products. It does include on demand doctor visits, on phone or computer. It’s a really good service and I am really proud that somehow I am connected to DCI.

There's a lot of pain when your corps folds. I know this personally. But my anger is directed at those individuals who committed the malfeasance that killed it. And, the enabling that went on. My Mom asked me why it was all happening, and I told her, "People were willing to go along and ignore all of the red flags because the corps was gunning for a championship and didn't care about the long-term future of the organization." On that tangent, What Keith discussed and what Brian Tuma discussed on another thread as well as SG recently: I've given a lot of thought about this. It's definitely the culture that exists and has existed. The activity is very result and win driven. Why are some of these people on board? They're perceived to get things done and that they're effective staff members, and there's an attitude with some people that to make an Omelet, well, a few eggs are broken, and well, those broken eggs aren't really corps material. There's also a very in house Good ole Boys' network in place. "Oh, X has a problem, well we can keep X under control here and they're great staff people, we'll give them another chance with our corps. We can keep an eye on them." Why? they figure they can win with this individual on staff or as a performer, just keep a lid on it. People who turtle up about the dark secrets or shun those who speak up for fear it'll wreck their corps are playing into the hands of the abusers and enabling them. It's one of the tools of their trade. "Don't say anything or you'll be blamed when the corps gets sued and goes under." To me, that's evil incarnate. One can't knuckle under to that mindset. Lord, I've got my dander up. And everything in the second paragraph has happened somewhere. Some of it, I've seen personally. You want to turn your back from it, shame on you. This (insert colorful noun here) has to stop.

For years people have been saying corps need to get in bed with corporations to stay afloat. So DCI goes and does that, but now we have to be overly picky about what, who, how, when? Without being able to see the agreement we can’t know exactly how much benefit there is for the activity, but if we want this activity to survive, thrive, and provide more safety and this agreement does provide a net benefit, I’m all for it.

Yeah, saying that DCI knew the end was coming and "gave" Cadets the 5th place finish was conspiracy theory, clueless, and just plain stupid. The Cadets came in 5th because they were better than everyone beneath them, including this woman's beloved Regiment. They deserved their placement, and I say this as a Boston supporter.

I'll preface this by saying I agree with the spirit of what this person posted in general. But, as somebody who was there, they do not know what they speak of with the Cadets regarding Hop. Of course the abuse was there before him, because lets face facts: the abuse was, and is, everywhere in the activity. No corps is immune from it. The cycle didn't start with Hop, but he codified it there. He was dug in like a tick. His grip, an ironclad stranglehold. He was in charge for 34 years, more than one third of the corps' existence. He enabled the abuse there for those years and directly took part in it. Once he took over anybody who marched there can tell you: Hop's culture was the corps culture. Outside the abuse, that culture generally was "work yourself to absolute death if you have to in order to succeed." The work was literally all that mattered. Not people, not physical health, not mental health, not nutrition, not safety - work, even at the expense of all of these things. That was the lesson he wanted us all to get. With that culture, they won 6 out of 11 years with incredible performances. We all bought into that culture. We were flat out treated like dog sh** - and we lived for that experience. Looking back on it I see the absolute insanity. I would never let anybody treat me like that here in my adult life now. But I let them do it back then. Because they were the champions when I showed up for my first audition and I was not. I was a kid. I knew nothing. They're the adults. They must know. This is how you succeed. I must be wrong. I'll just take it. Removing Hop drastically altered the organization and the culture. Immediately. The members from 2018 - 2023 were genuinely supported and taken care of to a degree we never were. It was a valiant effort. It was imperfect. But it was far better. Abuse is everywhere in the activity. Hop made the corps an even easier place for abusers and perpetrators to thrive. I hold him directly accountable for that.

There's no reason for his comment at the moment.

You know, alot of this reminds me of that famous Hollywood director who raped a 13 year old girl, WAS charged and found guilty, and fled to Europe before he was due to "turn himself in". There were tons of Hollywood actors and other elites who were saying he should be excused because he was an "artistic genius". The ME T00 movement ended that. Just recalled his name...Roman Polanski.

The last time I hit the Murfreesboro show, I sat next to a dude who was drinking hot coffee. He was sweating profusely.

Brian Murphy - consultant for Spartans and Academy Matt Stratton - Brass Staff Cavaliers Seth Murphy - Brass Staff SCV Josh Brennis - Visual Staff SCV / consultant Crossmen Julian Johnson - Visual Staff at Bluecoats Enrique Perez - Color Guard Staff SCV Nathan Bashline - Audio at Boston Paul Dolan - Medical Staff at Carolina Crown Kelsey Brunson - Admin at Academy Mike Ryan - Admin at Crossmen

We rubbed dirt on it.

"Mc Duffy"...what a piece of work! In a time when bugles had only one valve, there was no pit, nobody read music, and drum lines played rudiments (whether they complemented the brass charts or not), Mike took the rest of us to school, creating arrangements that sang. Whether for Anaheim, Blue Stars, Kilts, Troopers, Garfield or any of a dozen more iconic units, his work was "the sound of DCI" and we all knew it. And never mind all the "should have happened a long time ago" stuff. Those in the know have acknowledged for years that he was a master, and now it's time to celebrate his "official" recognition by his peers (as if he actually has any).

This is the raw sentiment that most closely resembles my own. I don't wish the end of the honorable portion of any legacy, but when you've experienced firsthand, and been told numerous accounts of, a legacy of abuse that has never been compassionately or honorably addressed by leadership anywhere, I believe such sentiments are warranted. If anyone wants to hear Rand's full commentary, which I cut down in my previous comment, they can go listen for themselves at DCAF. It includes their well wishes to the Cadets alum and community in addition to what I included. So does the rest of the commentary by DCAF. Otherwise, I encourage those who clearly wish to do otherwise in my thread, to remain survivor/victim centric. I won't be responding to known trolls, enablers, or apologists here. Rand offers real solutions that I'd never dreamed of proposing on DCP because the voices of apologists, enablers, and flying monkeys always get honest discussions shut down. I reposted Rand's commentary here in hopes of giving it greater visibility. Same with the commentary I quoted above. Even if OP has changed how they feel, which is understandable, the sentiments in this commentary are fair and shared by others.

Reviving this thread to post a segment of Rand (MAASIN founder)'s statement regarding the end of the Cadets. Thank you DCAF for giving them a platform to say the right thing to a wider audience. Emphases, bold, italics, are mine: "You don't also get to claim simultaneously all the history and victory of the Cadets while washing your hands clean of the abuse that happened. The announcement statement from the Cadets regarding the corps folding essentially says that the corps folded because of the recent lawsuit from an alum who was sexually assaulted in the 80s. Blaming the recent lawsuit as the sole reason the organization folded, knowing the kind of environment survivors in marching arts deals with is deliberately opening up that person to further abuse. Further abuse because I was already seeing a bunch of disgusting, vitriolic comments directed at them before the corps folded, I can only imagine what those people are saying now. This sets us back. Many of us, obviously myself included, have diligently worked to make drum corps a safer place. We should be past the fear that reporting will make people think that you just want to see the organization fold, and you just want to see drum corps burn, and you'll be blamed for the uncaring actions of boards and admin. This statement from the Cadets remastered that fear in 4k for hundreds if not thousands of people. I'm also seeing a lot of people blame George Hopkins. I understand where they're coming from and obviously you all know I'm not going to be George Hopkins defender, but this isn't solely his fault either. In my opinion, looking at George as a the sole downfall of the Cadets is likely how the board landed in this situation. Removing George from the organization didn't solve the issues inherent to the organization because George was part of the problem, not the whole problem itself. The actual problem is that the Cadets organization became an environment that enabled abuse for many people, not just George. Obviously I've never been involved in the Cadets organization, so please take this with a grain of salt, but if any iteration of the Cadets truly cared about survivors as much as optics or finances, they would've handled this differently starting in 2018. Disclosing being a survivor of sexual violence is difficult. People have a lot of reasons for choosing to step forward or not to step forward. But for every survivor that stepped forward, there are probably at least as many that chose not to. Even more difficult is choosing to initiate a lawsuit over it. No one has a good time in a lawsuit and the courts are not kind to survivors. Choosing to sue or engaging with law enforcement often just retraumatizes people. From my experience as a sexual assault counselor, and also being on the MAASIN support team, lawsuits are usually a last resort. When someone gets to a lawsuit, it's likely that the organization failed in a lot of steps in making amends first. Imagine in 2018 if people in our community, but especially in the Cadets board and admin, put as much effort into support survivors as they did in trying to distance themselves from George. Imagine the idea if we took a corps fundraiser seriously and we crowdfunded for counseling for survivors. Imagine if organizations facilitated gathering feedback from alum and survivors on what meaningful change in the organization looks like. Teasing out what's tradition and what's trauma can be difficult for some people but it's a worth endeavor to invest time into. I can't predict the future but if survivors are adequately supported, they are probably less likely to resort to suing to get their needs met. The lawsuit cannot be the only reason the organization folded. There's always more than what's the statement and we know that the economic conditions that we're living in present a huge challenge to drum corps across the board. The person at fault for an organization folding is never the survivor. This is a natural consequence of a board and admin that chose pride and profits over the people the organization is built on. ... Just remember, it was not the survivor who did this."

Every second of 1987 Appalachian Spring. That show plus SCV’s Russian Christmas Music (in the same year), especially the low brass at 2:26, hooked me on drum & bugle corps.

1982 is my favorite. It's the first show I ever saw, and was a real game changer with Zingali's drill and that horn line. The beginning of what would become decades of dominance in the activity. 1982 really put the rest iof the drum cops world on notice. I marched Cadets starting in 1984, so I never watched that show live. But I suspect 1984 could be one of the best drum corps shows ever. I am devastated that I will never again get chills when I see the maroon and gold take the field.

It concerns me when people put their political beliefs ahead of the safety of students and corps. I would rather have quick access to a walk-in clinic at a WAL-MART than spend time searching for a CVS that might have a clinic and that someone is actually there at the clinic. garfield clearly laid out the facts. Availability and access is clear. CVS just doesn't have the numbers.

Aunt Nellie put "moleskin" on the back of our heels between parade #3 and parade #4 on Memorial Day and on Independence Day for added comfort in our "white bucks".

I drank bugs out of the water cooler. Protein. I had no idea at the time that it would trendy.

Dirt was food to us; not wasted on wounds 😎

You guys had bandages. Luxury! We had duct tape.

I wish there was an intelligent, mature, informed podcast that discussed the art form and the business of drum corps, one where the folks who actually know what's what would be willing to go on and discuss the activity and provide insight and clarity to listeners. Can't imagine anyone respectable lending their cred to DCAF.

Jeff, I couldn't sleep after I realized there was yet another Red Flag I was aware of that you wouldn't have been aware of for very good reasons. I've kept it to myself for 30 years and have only discussed it a couple of days ago with someone else. Since this thread involves abuse- That contact person within the corps that we both know that I mentioned? Well, someone took that individual where there were no witnesses during a rehearsal and struck them. Who, Mom and I don't know, we just know the individual was struck and was afraid to say who it was. 30 years is a long time, but I'm thinking that was when Mom hit me with the question as to what in Hades was happening there. Mom and I don't know who it was. And whomever it was should be thankful I don't know. *sigh* There was also the joint Bingo with the Fire Department where it was decided by the Management that it wasn't worth it. A loss of easy and steady income at the time. There's another Red Flag I remember. A lot of times, I know more about many things that I let on, Jeff. I know to many I might come across as a total rube and a goof, but I figure I'm better off underestimated. I know we agree on one thing, Jeff, and I believe everyone on this thread agrees: We want the experience to be far, far better for young people who want to be challenged hard in this activity. It's an intense crucible where one finds out a lot about themselves. Without the discipline I learned and kept with me, I prolly would have given up in the hospital two Augusts ago. But I know I was determined and disciplined enough to fight hard from my corps experience. We need transparency and professionalism badly. People need to stop running away from these things and try and bury it. Yeah, it's horribly embarrassing. Being called out and called a "Worthless sack of (insert colorful Noun)" like I was over the PA system at the Syracuse State Fair Grounds Stadium when I was 16 in the middle of a rehearsal was pretty embarrassing, and it still gets whole lots of great ho-ho-hos and chuckles when its brought up. I just smile and chuckle along, so funny. I overcame it and then some. I was determined to make it in the activity. Some folks might not have overcame that. The activity needs to learn from this stuff and do better.

When I was in high school, I thought and said the same thing, that I would laugh if some "military dude" yelled at me. Until I went to boot camp and this Chief who was built like a Winnebago got in my face. I did a lot of stuff......laughing wasn't one of them.

With as many corps that have folded over the past 45 years, My guess is that it's possible that the majority of former performers on DCP are in this situation.

No comment.

My brother told me Boston, at non major contests that had inspections, would sometimes have several drummers and horn players switch instruments and positions.

No male entering with a shirt like that would ever be searched for contraband.

Or a puffy shirt...

Jay Bocook is listed as a design consultant on BK 2024’s staff page 👀

I will list my favorite years here in a minute. But first, want to mention something I have admired that may have been overlooked…. In high school, my marching band took a few cues from Cadets in how you approach the field, as well as how to stay disciplined and act at retreat. That said, can I say here about a tradition I always saw of them that I really loved? Coming onto the field in that sharp, disciplined look. The block, for many years, always impressed me. Also, standing at retreat in attention and parade rest. No clapping, yelling, or otherwise….disciplined, crisp, and classy. I also watched them at retreat in amazement of their discipline. But here is the thing- while being so strict and disciplined ….there was this completely ironic thing about them too. They were the most willing to be different and take risks. Let’s start with some of the basic things ….marching with the right foot first. If you also looked at their marching style, you will notice this thing they did with raising their elbows on angles, and marching backward on their heels during slow sections, ( instead of their toes). Then, of course, raising the bar as to how fast they could take their trademarked and owned mantra of music equals movement. Those parts of the the show in 1986 and 1987 where for 3-4 minutes straight the tempo is soaring at 150- 175 bpms, you feel like you are soaring with them. More recently, we saw them taking a risk to innovate voice. So much so, it polarized them for several years. In particular, a year where they would be further west then they had ever been for finals, and you hear how polarizing their show was in the crowd at their Finals performance. All this being said, I think it’s worth mentioning that these things have been influential to a lasting legacy. My favorite shows: 1. 1985 2. 1986 3. 1988 4. 1991 5. 1993 6. 1998

Actually, I think all of us aren’t as young as we used to be.

Last time the Cowboys were relevant, Microsoft was launching Windows 95.............in 1995. LMAO.

Another Cavaliers show teaser clip released.

Guessing he's pretty happy with the gig in Rosemont these days.

Matt Stratton went to Cavies

1984. Arranging perfection.

Deaf or hard of hearing is still the preferred term by most of us, particularly those who sign. Hearing impaired measures one by one's deficit after all. Even in the best of conditions, the best lip readers get about 25%-30% by lip reading and the rest by context or a lucky guess.

I was at the St Louis stadium the last time they held a show there. It was run down and poorly maintained.

[laughs] Pink is a solo act, not a band. She could sell that dome 100 times over what DCI could put in it.

Purdue in West Lafayette is a lot easier to get to as it is off I-65. But I am a Purdue grad so perhaps I am biased. If LOS isn’t ready, unless DCI can quickly swing a deal with Detroit or St Louis, it would mean that DCI championships will be outside. As God intended.

The neighbors in Trinidad would be "WHAT IS THIS LOUDNESS? YOU'RE A DEAF SCHOOL."

I just went over to the schedule. I think the shows we’re going to (besides indy)are locked down. Mason, Centerville, Cincinnati, Canton.

They could pick up a great deal on a set of bus tires. Buy 4 get 4 free. 😁

I’m not sure anymore.

what is this thread?

A Walmart with a Waffle House in parking lot is a whole weekend of entertainment

This sounds like a great idea but all I can think of is those people of Walmart videos.

I think this is the most true form of McDuffy’s. A drum corps classic.

Finally, a positive Cadets thread - one that is highlighting and honoring the legendary stamp they've left in the activity. The other Cadets thread is a super buzzkill 😡 I didn't start in the activity until I was 15 and I would have never made the cut for Cadets 1994 guard but that's the show that showed me just how clean a guard could be. 1996 was another WOW factor when it came to the guard so I made the jump in 97 - my years with the Cadets were AMAZING! It was hard - they pushed us HARD back then but it shaped the person I became. 1996 Cadets just had it all for me and will forever be my favorite show, even more so than winning in 1998.

So many iconic shows in their history that will live on forever, but for selfish reasons, my favorite was 2023. I followed them closely all summer and got to see my son on the field in his rookie DCI season. When the last formation hit on Final night in Indy as a large part of the crowd erupted, there he stood. Right on the 50 yard line. Nobody knew at the time that it would be the last brass release of one of the most storied corps in the history of the activity. It brings a tear to my eye now just thinking about it. Yesterday was a very tough/emotional day for my son and our family. We'll all move on but as I told my son, he'll always have last summer and those memories. I'm eternally grateful that he had that opportunity. Thank you, Cadets. FHNSAB