PCOP_trumpet04

Whoa, slow down there Turbo, it's all meant in good heart. No one's saying, "Oh, the rest of Div. II sucks; those kids aren't deserving of respect; blah blah blah..." There's always room for a little competitive ball-busting :P It keeps things interesting and fun :) And actually it's really not that hard to see The Academy being a serious threat for the title. Have they got a good organization? yes. Have they been solid? yes. Have they been smart? yes. Have they got the talent? yes. Have they got the staff? yes. Have they got the drive? yes. Have they been on another level against their competition? yes. (relatively speaking, yeah, I know) Is this all personal opinion? perhaps, but not unfounded in the least. Anyone who's seen them could agree. Seriously, give em some credit, they've done some amazing things in a short amount of time and have built a financially, educationally, and competitively solid organization in a place where many thought no corps could survive. No one has to throw they're money at you to prove their point. Instead, how bout a simple "Right on, you were right!" when the time comes? And if it'll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, I'll even add the cool icon to make it extra special :)

johnnyboy, you seem confident that they will place in the middle of competition for Div II, and have clearly stated that they will not win the title. Just for clarification purposes, have you seen The Academy perform yet? If so, which show was it? Any reason to say that they wouldn't be a serious threat for the title?

Me too... if only I weren't a broke-### college student :(

How bout you chill and take it all in good fun?:P Anyone who's seen The Academy knows they're good--- REAL good. And anyone who thinks they aren't a serious threat to the title is fooling themselves. Cheer up emo kid--- happy can be fun too!! :)

Sounds fun... Trumpets: 24 Mellophones: 12 Euphoniums: 24 (perhaps 6 Baris and 18 Euphs) Tubas: 12 Snares: 9 Basses: 5 Tenors: 5 Cymbals: 5 (gotsta have the plates!) Front Ensemble: 10 Guard: 28 Drum Majors: 1 Brass: 72, Percussion: 34, Guard: 28, 1 DM = 135

I'd say the real question is: "Who's competing for second?" Academy will rock D2's world. Prepare for some major ownage...

So I guess the real question now would be: "Which corps are competing for second place?" Pure ownage...

Cool Runnings, and heck yes it was. Haha, how bout the door scene at the hotel in Tommy Boy? Haha, I can't help but laugh every time I see The Zone now.

Well, look at the corps from 15-20 last year. Capital Regiment, Southwind, Seattle Cascades, Mandarins, Pacific Crest, and Esperanza. These corps were duking it out all of last season. Having seen most of these corps and the Blue Stars, I'd have to say that Blue Stars wouldn't have had a chance. They were good but not that good. Will they be competitive with these corps next year? I'm going to have to say no. BUT, I do think that if they continue to grow their program and continue with the sophistication we've seen over the past few seasons, they will be a significant force in the years to come. I just don't see them jumping any higher than 19th AT THE MOST. Again, I would LOVE to be proven wrong on that when the time comes, but until then...

I'd be willing to bet that they'll be in the 19-22 spot. With the quality of corps through 19th the past couple years, it seems highly unlikely that they will be a significant threat for a semis spot. I think they will be good and entertaining, but I really don't see them placing much higher that 20th, 19th at the most, although I wouldn't mind if they prove me wrong on that one :) Of course, this is all speculation for now and all personal opinion. Bring it on Blue Stars! b**bs

I have several friends that marched last season with SCV. According to them a high return rate of veteran members is expected, and they are out for blood. In ANY corps that is a good thing, especially SCV. I wouldn't be worried. They'll get the staff and the director thing figured out. Bring it on Santa Clara! :)

With the gloomy rain today in SoCal, I decided to dive into my roomate's collection of drum corps DVD's. One thing I noticed was the hard pivots done by many of the older corps. Done well, it just looked SO bad*** and was really cool to watch. As the years went by I noticed that many corps' marching technique evolved to soft pivots (and probably for good reason). Just wondering, which corps, if any, still do hard pivots? 01 SCV has a really good example (for those not in the know of what I'm referring to)

...moving too... yeah, that was sexy!!!

Nice concept. It gives a bit too much info, but has everything you'd need. And yes, it's been used before. To those having problems viewing the image... the image works perfectly on Internet Explorer, but cannot be viewed on Mozilla Firefox (not sure about any other browsers as well)...

According to the Troopers website, Mathew Krum just resigned as their director as well. I'm assuming that (according to the wording) that Troopers ARE officially out of Division I, in any competitive form. From the Troopers Press Release: "At a recent meeting of the Board of Directors of DCI, it was decided that the Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps would be removed from Division I membership status due to the organization's lack of compliance of the requirements necessary to maintain membership within DCI. In acknowledging this decision, the Troopers Board of Directors will be working with DCI to see that all current membership compliance requirements are met, thus enabling the Troopers to return to Division I status as quickly as possible in the future. As a part of the Troopers organization's plan in resolving this matter, the Executive Director, Mathew Krum, has resigned from his current position. There will be a restructuring of roles within the organization to continue plans of development for the 2006 season. These decisions will ultimately help guide the organization towards its continued goals in the future. There are challenges that lay ahead, but the immeasurable support and affection that existed for the Troopers will be the organization's greatest strength towards a vibrant future." Good luck to Troop. They are truly an American treasure...

We've talked about the affect that school schedules is having on DCI and how it may become a problem in the coming years. We all know that MANY schools have world class competing units in WGI and that their popularity only seems to be growing. Do you think that school sponsored corps are a viable means of saving our activity (for those that think it needs to be saved)? With the recent addition of Hawthorne Gold to the drum corps world, do you think this could be a good sign of things to come...? For those that don't know, Hawthorne Gold is a Div.III corps that just completed it's first season out on the West Coast. They are fully supported and run by the local school district as a summer music program. I think the idea has merit and hope it catches on. What say you?

Josh Groban, "You Raise Me Up" THAT would be gorgeous on the field. Absolutely breath taking...

I suggested a piece in the thread for ballads. This news brings new meaning to this extremely powerful piece. It's called "Giligia (A Song of Remembrance)". Here's a link to a short clip: Giligia (A Song of Remembrance) :( RIP, he was truly an amazing man...

Haha, my bad. Duh... I dunno what I was thinking, oh well. I agree with Muse and Radiohead (STILL think Cavies would fit Radiohead SOOO well). Also, has anyone thought that My Chemical Romance's "Helena" would be a sweet piece for the field? I can see Crown working their magic on that one... This is a fun thread. What about modern swing music? Like if BD played some Royal Crown Revue or Big Bad VooDoo Daddy...

Yeah, I think some Coldplay would be gorgeous on the field. "Clocks" would be the best choice, IMO. There's a band from the UK called Keane. They are drum-less and have a neat piece called "Somewhere Only We Know". What say you?

I doubt that DCI will ever allow woodwinds. Besides the obvious impact that the costs will have on the corps, changing the identity of the activity to Marching Band Internationalwon't be a very good thing to do with the alumni and the current marching members. There's a lot of loyalty to the activity (which is already wearing thin) and losing all of that (considering MANY fans and members, maybe even corps, will flock to DCA) in one season could be disasterous for the organization. Just know that if it ever happens, DCI will cease to exist. The cost of maintaining woodwinds in an outdoor activity in the summer would be huge too. Woodwinds cost quite a bit of money and are far more tempermental to heat, cold, and humidity than brass instruments are. Replacing pads ever few days would be hard enough. Keeping a consistant performance quality with reeds would be difficult as well. I just hope the day never comes...

More and more shows in recent years actually... SCV 03, Phantom 04, and BD 04 come to mind. BD 04 was actually one of my least favorite shows that season, but now I watch and listen to it all the time.

"Giligia" by Alfred Reed. A gorgeous and emotionally moving piece that is just SCREAMING to be put on the field. Dark and brooding, I LOVE IT!!! Here's a clip from a band arrangement: Giligia (A Song of Remembrance)

Pacific Crest did a Dracula show in 1999, based off of the Philip Feeney works. Actually one of my favorite shows from that year, surprisingly enough. Neat-o show, would be cool to see one of the big boys go for the same theme. I'm pretty sure there have been a couple other selections played in corps. I somehow remember hearing an old recording of the Glass piece, but I'm having a difficult time finding anything else on corpreps.. oh well. Great suggestions though! :)

No, but I did find your ad-hominem comment snide and arrogant. Plus the apparent sarcasm in my post was an attempt to lighten up the mood. IF that offended you... cheer up emo kid!!! :) Happy can be fun too, ha ha ha... BACK on topic... I had forgotten about Spirit, that was a pretty cool show too. It's certainly been a while having a show that can capture the color and flavor of New Orleans. What better time than now to celebrate it? Ideas anyone? The guard costumes could be done Madri Gras like, giant headresses and awesome masks. Creepy VooDoo section and stuff (maybe even a thriller dance in there? haha). So yeah, which corps do ya'll think could pull it off? Musical selections? Definately a neat idea that hasn't been used in the big arena in quite some time.