coastiemeg

I saw him last night at rehearsal, it's Raiders '88.

\ I second that one, I work with an ex-Raider and he told me he was in Raiders the first year they used a floor tarp, but he didn't mention what year that was. I'll see him at rehearsal tonight and can ask him though.

I love that music, even though it reminds me of that airline commercial. Didn't Center Grove do that same song in 1998?

I bet gettng the copyrights for that song is a b*tch now, though, especially after it was used in a movie (Coyote Ugly). You got your work cut out for you. Side note: I saw the Charlie Daniels Band play this live a couple weeks ago and they do an amazing job, better than the recording, in my opinion.

Amen to the Northmont comments! I applaud any guard that is willing to push the envelope like that, even moreso because they were high schoolers. That was just mind-blowing.

I agree with Trish 100% on Fantasia's 2004 show. I think the X-Factor for that show was courage. It took a massive amount of courage to take on a show that would pay tribute to someone who was solely responsible for what color guard is today. Also, a ton of people contributed to the final product, and each person that was involved was directly linked to Stanley in some way or another. I can't watch that show without crying, so I try to watch it sparingly!

The key to my music finding success is: Soundtracks. Not just for musicals, but for any movie that I like that I think might have a good soundtrack. I really liked the soundtracks for "Elizabethtown", "Jerry Maguire", "Marie Antoinette", etc etc. I also think of bands that I liked growing up, and see if they've release anything since they were really popular back in the day. Chances are, they released something in the last few years that may not have done real well on the charts, but would be perfect for a guard show. I also take into consideration what type of show my kids feel comfortable doing. Are they able to successfully pull off an upbeat, in-your-face show? Or would they rather do something more dark and impactful? Ask them, chances are, they already have a few ideas for you.

In high school, in addition to weighting our 5 1/2' aluminum poles with bolts, we'd roll up newspaper and weight the entire pole with it. Those suckers were HEAVY! For some reason, though, we didn't weight our 6' aluminum poles like that. We were notorious for using heavy equipment, though. We'd soak our new rifles in a bathtub of water overnight to make them heavier, too.

"Island of the Sniggles" is the show you're looking for. I loved that show!! Northern Lights is actually my favorite guard of all time. I especially loved "This Is Your Life!" in 2001. "Chaos and Order" in 2002 was pretty good, too. "Shawshank Redemption" and "Imagine" made me cry. I was living in Hawaii the year of "Road to Perdition" so I missed it, but I'm sure it would have moved me just the same.

If I were still in High School: Avon SW If this were back in the day and I were a guy: Northern Lights If I could move and had the cash to do it: Fantasia or Corona This is all assuming that I weren't married or in the military, of course!

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend taping it solid, either. You could sand off the white, spray paint it your desired shade of brown, and then just use the 3M brown electrical tape recommended before for just the ends and maybe the strap.

I do the same thing, I work my way up from singles to doubles to triples to quads, etc. I call it "The Ladder". If all else fails, grab a buddy or an instructor and have them help you out. A lot of times, they'll be able to see what's going on.

"You could drive a mack truck through there!"--our drill tech at FHS during Band Camp (I've used this one a couple times, sadly) "Granny arms!"--Me (I'm a stickler for free hands)

I like navy blue with the tan floors as well. Maroon looks good with strawberry pink (doesn't work well for the male members though!). Turquoise with chocolate brown are so complimentary, I love them, but I also agree that they've been way overdone, especially in '06. I'm really digging shades of purple right now: plum with lavendar and amethyst.

Thanks for the new quote, Jon!