Xmen89

90 for me. Missed Boston also. great fun. They should do this in the stadium at shows.

needs more screaching bald eagles and small children pulling red wagons.

This would rock, combined with "The Jazz Police" from Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. Add a construction worker, an Indian and the "biker" iron cross motif, and... voila! .... Village People jazz.

from NPR.org: All Things Considered, September 24, 2006 · British composer Sir Malcolm Arnold, died Saturday after a short illness. He was 84. His interpretation of Kenneth Alford's "Colonel Bogey" from the movie Bridge on the River Kwai, won Arnold the 1958 Oscar for film score. He was known for integrating a film's action into his compositions. Crank up your 1992 Cavaliers, Carolina Crown and Pioneer, 1999 Boston Crusaders.

Yes, there has been much chatter on the board about some (nameless) VA organization, as well as a music organization in West Chester PA, who both *may* have had their eyes on taking over the Crossmen management. But how much do we (who are debating the merit of the San Antonio move) really know? What are the facts? Now, I don't expect Mr. Hopkins or YEA to make such a major decision by consulting all of us for feedback and trying to reach a group consensus between YEA, DCP, Crossmen Alumni Association (CAA), and Exxon/Mobile and the Union of Concerned Scientists. . . Organizations simply cannot work that way. Leaders lead. BUT... my concern is that (1) there was little or no involvement with CAA on this decision; I have no idea if this is true or not but it seems this way. And (2), there has not yet been any statement from YEA about why the San Antonio team was selected over the (possible) bids by VA or PA groups. I BELIEVE THAT YEA OWES THE CROSSMEN MEMBERS AND ALUMNI A CLEAR STATEMENT ON WHAT THE OPTIONS WERE AND WHY THE SA TEAM WAS SELECTED OVER OTHER OPTIONS. Without this information, those who do play an important role in the Crossmen family are left to speculate. Did the Cadets want to remove another D1 corps in their back yard? Was the primary motivation to bring in as much cash in the transaction as possible? Is this part of larger plan to connect DCI with BOA? Who knows? Good leadership requires clear and timely communication. I, for one, have come to expect nothing of the sort from YEA or George Hopkins. I think they utterly DON'T GET IT. How could they not anticipate the emotional fall out among current members about their future? And so, why were options to find creative ways to get PA-area members to camps in TX not mentioned? How could they not anticipate the devistation of this decision to so many Phily-area alumni including some of the most active members of CAA? And so, why was the initial announcement not accompanied by a statement from YEA and/or Mark Chambers about the role of CAA in supporting the new management team? The kids eloped and never we're reading the wedding announcement in the paper. The approach of "here's what we have decided, deal with it" is amateur and insulting. The decision to move the Crossmen to SA may be great or may not - I just don't know, and opinions seem split among many here. Without a doubt, the decision to get the Crossmen out of YEA is good for everyone. Having now nearly broken my rule of "don't complain about a problem unless you are willing to help fix it", I would like to offer help with the transition to a new re-energized Crossmen organization - one that is independent, connected to its roots and traditions but also aware of the how to navigate the challenges of the future by building a SUSTAINABLE membership, design staff and administration. But YEA and Mr. Chambers first need to pull back the curtain of secrecy and come forward with more information about the decision and about the future. Without such information, I and others have no idea of the new group is Bones or a brand name transfer to an ersatz Crossmen.

As a Crossmen alumnus, I appreciate the support and enthusiasm (wow!) you have shown in your postings. This is a confusing time for many, and perhaps it is human nature to speculate on our greatest hopes and worst fears in the absense of much information beyond a short press release. In my book, you have shown some of the best traits of what it means to be a Crossmen: never give up, offer to help when you see someone who needs it, and keep the focus on the kids. The Crossmen - whether in San Antonia or not - would be lucky to have some like you to join their team. Cheers!

I do not think this is correct. With YEA, donations made to the Cadets stayed with the Cadets; donations made to the Crossmen stayed with the Crossmen. In addition, YEA fundraising/grants funded both corps. Does anyone know for a fact that this is NOT the case? The problem, though, is that your perception has been shared by many others - especially Crossmen alumni and fans, who would not write a check for the Crossmen and mail it to the YEA office for fear that it would be paying for rabbit suits and pink tables. (joking!) YEA and George Hopkins threw a lifejacket to the Crossmen in 1995-6 and saved the corps from folding. But that transition cast off many long-time supporters, alumni, and friends in the process. In the short term it kept Bones afloat and even strong on the field for a while. But in recent years, the connection to YEA has become a liability for the Crossmen - the lifejacket is preventing them from swimming on their own in the D1 pool. Clearly, the connection has also been a strain on YEA, as the Crossmen side of operations simply has not been bringing in enough money to pay for itself. But... my point above may explain why fund-raising has an inherent problem. BOTTOM LINE: TWO D1 CORPS UNDER ONE ROOF IS NOT A GOOD ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL. Crossmen need to be an independent organization, and the TX home may do that. Were there other choices closer to their homebase of PA? I and many other would like to hear more. Report card: The efforts of YEA to help the Crossmen during the past decade: A- The planned split of Crossmen from YEA: A+ The move to Texas: incomplete

get 'em while they last... http://store.marchingstore.com/xmpapatch.html

So... several years ago the Boston Crusaders essentially moved their operations to Florida. Not the office, but rehearsals... right? Today, other than their name and alumni base, little about the Boston Crusaders is about Boston. How does this move for Bones compare?

Anyone have a bio for Mark Chambers? Drum corps pedigree?

Perhaps folks didn't notice, but Crossmen 2006 opened their show with a snippet of "Short Ride".

Which reminds one of the stinging joke of 1986.... What is 2 times 13? 27.

PHRASING. Zingali was genius at creating visual phasing that complemented musical phrasing. His shows build and evolve in visual impact. There is an emotional investment in the entire 11 minutes. Although shows designed and performed today possess a much higher technical level of achievement, they are too often choppy in their design. Many of today's designers (IMHO) need to bump up their Ritalin dosage - the activity suffers from attention deficit. Gone are melodies, replaced by how-many-tunes-can-we-cram-into-11-minutes. Visual design (with some noteable exceptions) are based on single-set moves; they don't build and develop the way George's did. How exciting to think of what he could do with the talent present in today's activity! The past 10 years has been an era of amazing advances in the performance level. Talent in DCI D1 corps has never been higher. However, I find the most show design not really much better than the `84 Garfield Cadets. Other than with colorguard, has visual design become stagnant?

It is surprising to see how much the *relative* GE visual scores (that is, placements in this caption) changed through the 3 nights of Championships. I would think that GE, unlike the performance captions, is fairly set by the time corps reach Championships week. Either you got it or you don't by that point. The GE music scores fluctuated across the 3 nights, but the placements were remarkably constant except for a few very close cases. The GE visual placements were all over the place: Boston Crusaders drop from 8th to 11th. Blue Knight jump from a bottom-6 pack into a top-6 pack. Cavaliers drop to 3rd. Cadets are 4th on Thursday and Saturday, but drop quite a bit on Friday. I suppose GE is one of the most subjective captions and is more challenging to evaluate as a judge. But does this inconsistency indicate that the judging system needs better training in the GE Visual caption? Or is so much movement justified based on relative performance level throughout the week? If every GE judge in DCI evaluated all the coprs across three nights of Championships, and THEN compared scores - how much deviation would there be? I am not a fan of "slotting" corps just for the sake of judging consistency, but think that movement in placements should be more in the performance captions that in GE. Or am I misunderstanding the GE criteria?

Could someone identify the name of the piece that Cadets used in the middle of their show - the ballad that involved the singer? Sounds somewhat like the Canon by Pachehbel (?). I am not looking for opinions on the show, amplified voices or Mr. Hopkins - there are enough of those on this forum already. I am simply interested in more information on the music. Thanks for any help! Cheers.

The corps members in 1986 certainly knew what a dire financial situtation the Lancer organization was in all summer long. The buses were unreliable and dangerous, and caused delays in nearly every trip - eating into valuable rehearsal, sleep and warm-up time. On top of that, the horns were ancient and the uniforms were rag-tag. None of that is meant to belittle in any way the heroic dedication of George B., his family and staff. They dedicated more than can be believed to keep the corps afloat for that last summer. While rumors that the corps would fold began almost as soon as the 13th place finish was announced, the members were officially told by George on Friday night that the corps would become inactive until a time (if any) that safe buses, working equipment and financial stability could be secured. It was a long, sad night in Janesville. . . During the day, members and staff prepared the huge "Goodbye" sign and somberly headed into Madison to watch Finals competition. Perhaps it is the only case of a corps folding at Championships. Unusual and sad. Everytime I return to Camp Randall Stadium, I think I catch a glimpse of the Lancers' message - waving in a gossamer scrim along the back sidelines. . . WE GAVE IT OUR ALL. WE HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE. GOODBYE TWO-SEVEN

Twenty years ago, the 27th Lancers performed their last show at prelims in Madison. The corps missed making finals by fractions of a point and was relegated to the back of the stands during Finals. During the day on Saturday, members and staff of the corps spray-painted a farewell sign using the giant white scrim that was part of the "Sondheim Suite" production. I think it read... "We gave it our all... We have nothing left to give... Goodbye Two-Seven" The sign was walked across the back stands during retreat. Does anyone have a photograph of the sign? Will any 1986 alumni be in Madison this week?

Would it be a humorous jab to briefly "tune the radio" to a station that announced "Yowza, Yowza" and then quickly change the channel? All in the spirit of fun. The marching band section is great, as is the latin (needs more punch, though). The brief traffic report needs a better helicopter sound effect, and the Mozart could be shortened a bit. Otherwise, a fun section of a creative show. Success = a fun, educational, and safe summer of performances members can be proud of. An extra show on Saturday night is a great bonus.

in my experience... 1994 27th Lancers reunion corps 1988 Madison Scouts and from what I have heard... 1981(?) Santa Clara Vanguard bottle dance surprise (trainwreck) at Finals

You are considering two GREAT organizations, with a long history of being dedicated to offering a great opportunity to their members. But, I think I disagree with many of the posts above that evaluate (1) corps placement at finals, and (2) design staff reputation. Both Bcoats and Xmen have been up and down in both of the these categories, but have remained great organizations. The drum corps experience is also about the family you join: the men and women you eat, sleep (separate sleeping bags!), sweat and ride the bus with. 4th place or 14th place? I dont think it makes much of a difference in the end. Certain drum corps have well-earned reputations for being good families, who treat their members well. Bluecoats and Crossmen are both in this category. Once, I auditioned and earned a spot in a corps that went on to win DCI. However, after attending camp and after camp and having NO fun, I quit in the spring to join Crossmen. I made more friends on the first night of the first Crossmen camp weekend than I had made all winter in the champion corps. Xmen were a bag-o-crap that year, but I had the time of my life. Have a great time auditioning! Let us know what you think.

I was HIT by a thrown baby at Allentown in 88. Ouch. Just another peril of being in the pit percussion. . . (the others involve golf carts: navigating traffic in downtown Atlanta and being chased by police for driving through a Dairy Queen pick-up window)

http://doctor-atomic.com/opera.html Doctor Atomic by John Adams

Congratulations to Xmen 05! You rocked audiences from West Chester to Texas. Crossmen alumni are proud of your accomplishments. From performing on finals night, and from sitting in the back stands on a few Saturday nights, I learned that drum dorps is not about the 11 minutes each night. Drum Corps is about the other 1429 minutes of friendship, sweat, learning and fun. Making finals is a huge goal and can seem to define a season for folks in the paid seats and on the internet. But really... its just a number. Lots of kids these days hop from corps to corps in hopes of making finals... making the TV show... getting a medal... wearing a ring. Perhaps this accounts for the incredible talent level in the top corps. But, I think as the years pass, you may find that the memories of being part of a drum corps FAMILY bring more joy than looking at a finals patch or a ring. Aging out from a corps in which you invested several seasons is an incredible award - but you cant display it from your neck, finger or jacket arm. I hope that the young members of Bones work to build the best for Crossmen 2006, 2007, 2008... The phantom Crossmen member who haunts stadiums before you perform is watching!

????? An album of Philip Glass music performed by (Stan?) Kenton? This does not sound right. Glass discography: http://www.philipglass.com/?cmd=recordings

Wow. I heard A LOT more than one phasing problem. Phantom has a wonderful show. Unfortunately, it is often occuring in 2+ simultaneous tempos. Based on how I saw them rehearse in the afternoon, they need to spend much more time in ensemble working....ummm.... ENSEMBLE. They spent almost all of their ensemble time making corrections of horn angles, guard expression and percussion volume. Set phasers on stun, and engage! Great, great show from Phantom! So nice to see them exploring new musical styles.