fourouttheforty

I have an extra ticket for the quarterfinals broadcast in NYC this Thursday. If you haven't bought your ticket (or know someone who hasn't), can you PM me to arrange buying mine? (This is my first post in years, but I'll try to check my inbox here...) I paid $20.

Drum corps made me a muuuuuch more patient person. Clean your own house first, worry only about what you can control, what can I do to make myself better, etc. Before marching I'd say I was much more prone to hissy fits and moping over external factors. And I guess it made me more humble: everyone has something they can improve on, and if there isn't someone already better than you, they're someone who is busting their ### to become better than you. Besides that, I guess it was cool to have audiences treat you like a rock star (not a lot of people can say they've experienced that), and it was cool to escape the real world for three months where I can worry only about keeping my feet in time and not bills or school or anything like that (some people can only dream of such an escape), and it's pretty cool to be part of a group where everyone is passionate about and so driven toward one goal (this is rare in real life).

First of all, check out where the OP is from. Yea, might be a little more than a few hundred to go to a camp just to audition. If you're good, they won't just shut the door on you. They could want you to do the same tape assignments as the rest of the hornline every month. My advice is let the caption head know your situation and what their policy has been for, say, members from Japan.

All of you who think that editing out someone breaking their leg is wrong are sick. Who would pay money to see that? Who would ever want to see something like that?

I don't understand why every corps needs that pad bass sound. Drum corps sounded good without it, and it certainly made the quarterfinals broadcast very distracting.

Even though they tacked on the 2009 closing statement, it's really the 2008 show - the search for the perfect ending.

If you want more protein, there's a certain snack that's available at every meal in unlimited supply...

No, this mobile site is pretty dreadful, especially since there doesn't seem to be an obvious way to go to the non-mobile site. Not being able to find recent scores on the "Scores" tab (never mind it being sorted from least-recent to most-recent) is awful. I'd be curious to find out who thought this version of the site should have been made public. EDIT: Just checked it out this morning, apparently the mobile site has been disabled.

Maybe someone already brought this up (thread was tl;dr), but you're not serious about this, right? I lol'd pretty hard.

Except that the Cavies beat BD in Allentown in 2008.

Perhaps, but then that'd bolster other posters' argument that Crown should stop borrowing ideas from other corps.

Some would say it is never a good thing in drum corps.

Additionally, have you asked the caption head from the corps you were cut from for leads on other places to march? Most Top 5 corps refer members they cut to other corps down the chain, and they wouldn't refer you to a corps/staff that they wouldn't vouch for.

Haven't heard of corps just flat out cutting people this late. Usually they'll make an offer for you to be an alternate for the summer or they can let you go as though you had been cut (w/ tour fees refunded). But I totally understand leaving the corps if such an offer were made. While you hear a lot of stories of alternates getting a spot, there are alternates who never get to put the uniform on. My advice is to start sending tapes to caption heads (super easy if you saved your camp tapes to your computer!). Email everyone, because some corps won't publicize holes right away, and tell them what you've done so far this winter. Do this now and then do this in May if you still haven't found a home. My first year I was offered an alternate spot at a top 5 coprs after the last April camp, declined it, and then after talking and sending tapes to a couple other corps was invited to move in with another Finalist corps. Stay in shape through move ins so that it's clear you can march the spot. After all, you nearly made a Top 5 corps, so you are probably good enough to march most finalist corps. (Don't really understand the distinction of top 10 as opposed to finalist. 10ths not so far off from 13th.) Also, +1 for the Troopers.

Don't miss instructions. Easy way for accidents to happen.

I thought Star only chopped the brass trophy once with the Blue Devils? 'Cause wasn't there a year in there where they only determined it by your Finals night score?

I'd believe the injury prevention thing if there were an actual physical involved in the decision. I'd also believe it if I saw more bigger dudes actually have to drop out in the middle of the season than others, but I don't think that's true either (may not even be close).

Lol, being cut because you're too fat is absolutely absurd. Actually, all of the big guys I knew that marched didn't have anymore problems finishing the show than everyone else. I bet it's more of an image thing to the corps, which is pretty upsetting for a youth organization.

A corps jacket.

Compare how many push ups staff tells you to do in an average week of the season against number of push ups staff tells you to do in either the last or second-to-last week of tour.

Drum corps shows are by no means as loud as a rock concert where they're amping everywhere, but it's not a visit to the symphony either. There will be corps (Cadets, PR, etc.) that will shock you with their volume.

This show is actually insane. You want the angry Santa Clara Vanguard? Here's your angry Santa Clara Vanguard.

I think what they do now is just fine. It holds you accountable on Finals week for Thursday and Friday night. Lay an egg and drop from 1st to 2nd after quarters? Good job, you probably just lost the championship! Regionals are random seeded based on tiers. If you complain about your seeding going into Quarterfinals and how you'd beat the team ahead of you if you went after them, then maybe you should've taken care of business the last four Saturday nights.

In the Cadets?!

Crown blah blah blah Star.