EdMedina
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Posts posted by EdMedina
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Was it created in order to entertain or so that you can have a ring?
I like to win, I like to compete, but I am well aware that without entertaining an audience, drum corps would not exist.
... nor would any other sport for that matter.
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Overheard in a neighborhood sports bar the night of the ESPN telecast:
"It can't be a sport if you wear sequins!"
Touche!
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True, but in golf, you can't do something like tackle your opponent while he's teeing off. That's what I meant by "directly preventing your opponent from winning"; doing something that will actively hinder his chances of winning. So for Nascar, it would be either blocking or spinning out your opponent, baseball it would be striking out an opposing batter, running over the catcher on the way to home plate, etc. You can't really do something like that ind rum corps.
You can collectively max out your show better than the other guys did. Just like Tiger can take fewer strokes than Vijay.
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Here's how I define a sport:
First and foremost, there is a governing body that makes rules and sanctions contests or events. DCI has this in its board of directors (and Nascar has Mike Helton)
Also, it must be possible to directly prevent your opponents from winning, While Nascar might have this, drum corps does not, so while it may have competitive and athletic aspects to it, it's not a sport by my definition.
Bowling and golf do not have defensive aspects either. Many consider these activities to be sports.
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drum corps is an athletic form of art. not a sport.
Then why keep score?
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I used to look forward to standing next to the Troopers at retreat. I couldn't wait to hear them play "Happy Trails" on their way out. The tempo at which they played it could best be described as a slow horse trot, and I always pictured a guy wearing a Trooper hat, with his head down, riding his horse out of town with a rifle unthreateningly lain across his lap. That image is seemingly aprpos today.
They used to sell old Trooper hats at their souvie schooner. My friend Tim bought one and would wear it at rehearsals. I was very jealous of that hat. I always wanted one. My Troopers souvies included, in addition to a few T-shirts, a canvas laundry bag with the Troopers' logo emblazoned on its side. I used it to lug laundry all through college--a great conversation piece--and I still use it today whenever I find myself with a load of "whatever" worth slinging over my shoulder.
The Troopers are in no way enigmatic--what you see is what you get. Although their competitiveness might have fluctuated at times and many could argue other corps were better, I never had a problem with them being dubbed "America's Corps." I'm sad to say I don't own any videos of them (but I will be purchasing some very soon), but I could never watch them with a critical eye like I might watch every other corps. I guess that's because the Troopers are what they are. They are their own act. It's almost impossible to judge and perhaps a little unfair to score them because of what they represent, who they are, where they're from... and that song.
Happy Trails, Troopers. Get it together and get it back!
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1990 Velvet Knights.
Nice people and great players.
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California Dons.
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Magnum Opus- Kansas.
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The music of Sam Spence, most notably his work with NFL films. Could work well with a voice broadcast and tackling... lots of tackling.
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Those darn VKs are everywhere!
Nice pick up for SCV!
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The fall issue of DCI Today will be tackling this very issue.
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Sorry if someone posted this already, but...
Karl Hunter, saxophonist for Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, was in the Velvet Knights' pit in 91 and 92.
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'Canos took a trip out west in 1990. I remember watching them bust their butts in the Arizona heat one day. They were staying at the same school we were. Hard-working group of people.
Go Americanos!
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My first show was 1986 at East LA College.
Corps:
Arizona Muskateers
Anahiem Kingsmen
Blue Knights
Velvet Knights
Santa Clara Vanguard
Blue Devils
Recovering addict ever since.
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I have a 70s Kingsmen uniform that I wore one time as a Kingsmen member in 89 for a parade at Anahiem Stadium. I have the citation cords but no silver buckle, shako or plume.
I have VK baseball hats and bow ties that I wore on the field in 1991 and 1992, as well as the Chuck Tayolor Converse I wore in 1990 and 1992. I wore the red All Stars to the Classic Countdown and fielded NO questions as to whether they were authentic magic red shoes. My brother and I were the only ones in the theatre who knew I was wearing actual VK marching shoes.
I also have my purple baggies from 1990 VK and every year's member T-shirt, which have all shrunk, as has my corps jacket.
A few years ago I purchased a Kanstul 2-valve soprano off of ebay. The serial number was mine from my age-out year and in the pocket were photos of me at rehearsal. Whoever sold me the horn, which has a sheppard's crook like a cornet, knew who I was but wouldn't identify him or herself (I guess they thought they'd get in some kind of trouble for having the horn... however, I learned later that the corps was told, on the day it folded, something to the effect of, "whatever you have in your hand will be seized, so take it home. It is yours.")
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I found this qoute over in another section of DCP.I think the autor of this qoute brings a interesting perspective to the future of amps and vocals
"Did you notice
The bottom 7 corps tonight did not use vocals in their shows. Four of the top five did. Is there a message there? It seems that the top corps are being rewarded for trying new things, for trying to expand the boundaries of the activity. It will be interesting see how far this goes before fans begin to rebel (if they do at all). "
Coincidence. From my seats, the top five corps were top five corps, regardless of amps and narrations.
We can't conclude that "because of amps/vocals these X-number of corps scored higher." They were rewarded for performing better.
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Not that I've forgotten, but reading the kids' thoughts reminded me of what this activity is really all about.
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Oh my. We were working that angle pretty hard.
Are you going to Finals?
<whisper> Yes. Be there on Wednesday night. Join me for a fruit ponch?
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I aged out in 90 and have been teaching even before that. I especailly love talking about drum corps with my current students. Then when the subject comes up as to did I march or where I march and I say The Velvet Knights, I usually get one of 2 responses.
-----The blank stare that says. "The Velvet Who?
or
-----"Were you guys any good", question. :(
Makes you want to just hop on your moterized scooter and go home.
At least you get that far... Any kids I talk to about drum corps ask, "what's drum corps."
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In a heartbeat without question. Same thing with the Bridgemen. As an educator, one of the lessons I took from VK was a featurette on a PBS Finals broadcast that they did on the clown princes and one of the instructors was talking about how they did things with the members and audience in mind and if the judges liked it too that was far out. Priorities that I stressed with my high school bands and now with the competitive groups that I work with.
gil
"To say we ignore the competitive part of it or the competitive fun and games would be ludicrous.... We want a great show, man. And the bottom line is if that works out competitively then far out!
"We make the bed we lay in and we're happy in the sack we're in."
--J. Gregory Clarke, 1990 DCI finals broadcast.
That was a great quote said by a pretty great individual.
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Nice idea... broadcast it to the movie theaters too.
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Jack Bevins.
is drum corps a sport?
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
Special teams?