Pit_Girl_77

We lost the satalight feed half way into phantom in mankato mn :( anyone else???

Great night of drum corps! No rain, only a light wind, packed full house (arrive early, lots of folks with reserved tickets had trouble getting to their seats as everyone "spread" on the bleachers and some spots seemed to dissappear). This is the grass stadium where the MN Vikings have training camp, no track-grass right up to the bleachers-the crowd is so close some drum majors conduct from the stands. My hometown and most fav stadium to play in! Some totally biased thoughts from last night: (i have not seen much of anything live/video/etc for this season, have not even had time to read much) Govenaires: classic show for them, entertaining music choices and they performed the heck out of it. Contra (tuba?...I might be old...) solo with the gold flags is a great design choice. I suspect the closer has not been on the field long, but it is going to rock by August. MN Brass: this show is already looking polished-great guard coustuming and flags, loved the music. Great solo work in the hornline, everything looks and sounds like another DCA-sweep for MN this year :) RACINE SCOUTS: props to the 4 kids in the brass line (yep, 4). Of course there are balance issues with the full drumline and out, but they hung in and did a nice job in the ballad. Nice vocal solo, and the guard work that was ready for the show fit well. Horns were staged near the pit for most of the show. COLT CADETS: my kiddos-great job!!! Full show marching on the field, some guard works needs to be added in places yet. Big sound, then when the shakos come off you remember that many are only 12 years old...yikes! Members are very animated and selling the show, soloists did a great job, so proud of you guys! Pioneer: my vote for "most improved", but I have been out of the loop the past 2 years with the baby...anyway, wow! Big corps in all sections, lots of volume, entertaining show. The costumes and flags fit the theme great, it was easy to follow the story. They are not moving as fast or playing as many notes as the big guys, so I know they are not likely to hit top-15, but they should be very proud of this show. VIP to the cymbal line-lots of effects, good marching and visuals COLTS-Go Red Team! Love the show, set #3 grabbed the crowd great and the wall of sound on the first big hits got them roaring. Trumpet solos rocked, vocal solo was great, and lots of little details on the front sideline with pit and voice actors that added a lot (popcorn...lol...) I can't wait to see how the ending changes in the next few weeks. Narration was a bit hard to hear due to the stands so close to the pit, with speakers aimed right at the wall, but this stadium is unique, so it should not be an issue most other places. Love ya lots guys-keep up the great work! MADISON SCOUTS-love the 1990s uniforms, the whole show has the 90s feel with jazz and screaming sopranos (trumpets....). Big wall of sound was the loudest of the night. Fun, happy show. BLUECOATS-after reading a bit on this show before seeing it, I knew some things I wanted to watch for. I think they maybe the used the silver atom things more then in the first couple of shows, but I don't have any prior viewings to go on. Guard was in and on them quiet a bit, they moved around, etc. The speaker effects are very cool, I loved the muted trumpets being bounced around the field. We were sitting right on the 50, so the best possible listening point. I hope folks further out near the end zones will be able to get the same show we got. But, as cool as that was, I was the most impressed with the crazy body work the corps is doing. Is it required to take years of ballet to be in the 'coats horn line? Slow motion running...crazy cool.... I have never had a good handle on scores, so I won't go into that. Placements were as they performed, and I agree with those 100%....but I hope the COLTS overtake Madison with some crazy cleaning and a few tricks up their sleeves.... I will try to add some photos soon.

I personally know kids in Colts, Colt Cadets, and SCV, so those are obviously my top 3, but other then that I really like the Cavies show this year...maybe something to do with some marimbas

Ok, math issue on the open class sheets-thanks guys! I just hope they did not announce the wrong scores to the kids...

Uh...so topic change, the scores from the open class show in Iowa just went up, and it looks like the corps all dropped over 10 points from the night before? BDB is down 16 points from 77.45 last night to 61.925 tonight. Can I assume there is something off with the math on todays scores????

Try e-mailing Melissa with any specific questions, she works in the Colts office and is a Color Guard Vet: Office@colts.org (She is also super nice! Just keep in mind things are crazy this time of year and she might not get back to you right away, as she is likely traveling with the Colts or Colt Cadets most days until they get home from Indy)

It will be interesting to see how the Colts scores compare, as they are on Friday night and everyone ranked around them is on Saturday: (Rankings from San Antonio) 11th-Madison (Sat) 12th-Crossment (Sat) 13th-Troopers (Sat) 14th-Colts (Friday) 15-Spirit (Sat) 16-Academy (Sat) Will this help or hurt the Red Team???

I saw a photo on facebook of the crowd, it looked pretty full on 2 decks between the 25s or so. It is a huge stadium. Tried a couple things to get it to copy here with no luck... GO COLTS! :)

Sweet---keep climbing RED TEAM :)

Boston 79.350 Colts 75.500 Spirit 74.000 Jersey Surf 66.60 Pioneer 62.650 Music City 62.4 Louisiana Stars 60.35

Way to go RED TEAM! Less then 1.5 points out of the top 12 for the Colts! And the Colt Cadets keep improving too :) (I know...different shows, different judges, etc....but still celebrating!)

scores up on DCI, for some reason I have not been able to copy-paste anything the past few days???

Thanks for the photos! This is the first year since it started that I have not been at this show, but the flu bug won this week :(

I don't know the current numbers, but 2-3 years ago the Colts had at least 23 members that lived within 50 miles of Dubuque. I can name at least 5 current 2014 Colts that are either graduated or current high school students of Dubuque ISD, might be more as I have been out of the loop for over a year. I also bet that at least 70% of the Colt Cadets are within 50 miles of Dubuque. Also...lots of local financial support for the organization. Might be a connection...

The Celebration in Brass Facebook page has lots of photos of corps rehearsing from this afternoon. Ticket booth is open right now, VIP tickets are sold out. This show has been close to a sell out the past 3 years, and with great weather tonight you are not going to want to wait until showtime to get your tickets! (They have had backfield tickets ready to use the past couple of years, I suspect they will tonight as well.) Also, there is some road construction near the stadium, so allow for extra time to arrive and park (Use Hickman instead of University). Parking is available at Waukee High School, Prarieview School, Centennial Park, and on local side streets. No parking on grass due to the large amount of rain the recent weeks. Go early, buy stuff, have fun!!!

Show got moved due to construction at the regular location. GO RED TEAM!!! Colts and Colt Cadets together tonight :)

(I am not @DrumCorpsFan, just someone 100s of miles away surfing the internet for info and who can't wait to she some live shows next week!)

I can't copy-paste and such very well right now, but you can get some show updates from twitter.com/DrumCorpsFan condensed version: Good job Pio, Troop gave them chills, Colts on the field now with a big chair...

GO RED TEAM!!!

Colts Updates: A.J. Pace Named To Head Colts Percussion; David Nelson Returns As Arranger October 4, 2013 Vicki MacFarlane, Colts Director The Colts introduce A.J. Pace as percussion caption head for the 2014 season. A.J. is actually returning to the Colts in a roundabout way as he finished the 2012 season teching the snare drums after Teal Sound could not complete their season. A.J. was the battery caption head for Teal Sound that year. He developed as a performer under the direction of Mike McIntosh at the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps. Read more about A.J. HERE. Returning to write the arrangements for battery and front ensemble is David Nelson, who will also serve on the Colts design team. Dave is back for his fourth season with the Colts. He will also oversee the percussion program as caption supervisor. Read Dave's bio HERE. Stay tuned to the Colts website for announcements regarding the instructional staffs for each caption, as well as brass and percussion audition materials. *************************************************************** Colts Announce Brass Changes For 2014 September 10, 2013 Jeff MacFarlane, Executive Director The Colts welcome back a couple of familiar faces to lead the brass staff and arrange the music. Jason Buckingham, who last served as Colts brass caption head in 2007, returns to the Colts in the same role. Chuck Naffier, an alumnus of the corps, was instrumental in the Colts initial run into DCI Finals back in the early 1990s as brass caption head, arranger, and later as program coordinator. Chuck will write the Colts brass book in 2014 for the first time since 1999. Jason has served as caption head for the Blue Knights, Troopers, Colts and, most recently, the Crossmen. He has the unique distinction of taking three brass programs from non-finalist status into DCI's Top 12 (Blue Knights '96, Colts '07, and Crossmen '12). He was a member of the Original London Cast of "blast!" working on the music staff, and was selected as the Colorado representative in School Band & Orchestra magazine's annual list of "50 Directors Who Make A Difference" while at Northglenn High School in Denver. Read more about Jason here. Chuck Naffier has been involved in the marching band and drum corps activities since 1980 as a performer, teacher, arranger, composer, program coordinator and consultant. He has served on the DCI Judges/Instructors Taskforce as one of two brass representatives alongside Wayne Downey. Since 2011, Chuck has been the brass arranger at Crossmen. In the 1990s, he took on many roles with the Colts including brass arranger, brass caption supervisor and program coordinator. He entered the Colts Hall of Fame in 2003 having been an integral part of the design team that had the corps in DCI Finals every year but one from 1993-99. Read more about Chuck here. "We are excited to be reunited with Jason and Chuck on the Colts brass team," said Colts Director Vicki MacFarlane. "We have great respect for Jason's work with the brass programs he has built through the years. Chuck actually served as my brass caption head back in the mid-'90s, and it's an honor to have him back on staff with the Colts." In other staff news, Marc Sylvester will return as program coordinator and visual designer in 2014. Marc will once again lead the design team, which will be announced in its entirety soon. Chris Tomsa, who served as Colts brass arranger from 2004-13, is pursuing some outside business ventures and, as a result, will step back from his position as brass arranger for the corps. Chris instead will continue to serve the Colts in an administrative, educational and design capacity in the position of program advisor. Said Chris, "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to continue my work with the Colts, and working closely with Vicki as program advisor. We're excited to build on the momentum we've established as we pave the way for an extraordinary time to come." Read Chris' updated bio here. The Colts will make additional staff announcements in the coming days, along with an announcement regarding the preseason audition and rehearsal schedule. Stay tuned... ******************************** Colts Audition And Preseason Rehearsal Schedule Announced October 1, 2013 Vicki MacFarlane, Colts Director Welcome to the 2014 Colts! Check out our winter rehearsal schedule and make plans to attend. Our Annual Banquet for 2013 members, parents and volunteers will be held at the Five Flags Center on Friday evening, November 29, beginning at 5:00 pm with camp beginning immediately following for new and returning members. Additional banquet information will be announced at a later date. NOVEMBER AUDITION WEEKEND The first audition weekend for the 2014 Colts will be Friday through Sunday, November 29 December 1, at the Five Flags Center in downtown Dubuque, Iowa. Registration will begin at 8:30 pm. More details regarding the November camp will be announced here on our website. Colts 2014 Membership Information will be released shortly along with an introduction of the 2014 staff. The Colt Cadets will have a kick off meeting for their 2014 season on Saturday morning, November 30, at 11:00 am at the Holiday Inn. PRESEASON REHEARSAL SCHEDULE Nov. 29-Dec. 1, Five Flags Center, Dubuque December 20-22, (Middle School TBA, Dubuque, IA) January 17-19, Five Flags Center, Dubuque February 21-23, (Middle School TBA, Dubuque, IA) April 25-27, (Middle School TBA, Dubuque, IA) May 19, Color Guard Early Move In May 23, FULL CORPS MOVE IN FOR SUMMER Due to extensive conflicts for many students, as well as helping our members reduce off-season travel costs, we have not scheduled a March camp in 2014. We will be doing more individual lessons via Skype and YouTube, and have found that the weekly contact is as or more valuable to our pre-summer efforts than a March rehearsal. This makes attendance at the February and April rehearsals even more critical, so please plan accordingly. Find out everything you need to get started by clicking the JOIN button on the right side of the page! We look forward to seeing you in Dubuque very soon!

News Link Colts Audition And Preseason Rehearsal Schedule Announced October 1, 2013 Vicki MacFarlane, Colts Director Welcome to the 2014 Colts! Check out our winter rehearsal schedule and make plans to attend. Our Annual Banquet for 2013 members, parents and volunteers will be held at the Five Flags Center on Friday evening, November 29, beginning at 5:00 pm with camp beginning immediately following for new and returning members. Additional banquet information will be announced at a later date. NOVEMBER AUDITION WEEKEND The first audition weekend for the 2014 Colts will be Friday through Sunday, November 29 December 1, at the Five Flags Center in downtown Dubuque, Iowa. Registration will begin at 8:30 pm. More details regarding the November camp will be announced here on our website. Colts 2014 Membership Information will be released shortly along with an introduction of the 2014 staff. The Colt Cadets will have a kick off meeting for their 2014 season on Saturday morning, November 30, at 11:00 am at the Holiday Inn. PRESEASON REHEARSAL SCHEDULE Nov. 29-Dec. 1, Five Flags Center, Dubuque December 20-22, (Middle School TBA, Dubuque, IA) January 17-19, Five Flags Center, Dubuque February 21-23, (Middle School TBA, Dubuque, IA) April 25-27, (Middle School TBA, Dubuque, IA) May 19, Color Guard Early Move In May 23, FULL CORPS MOVE IN FOR SUMMER Due to extensive conflicts for many students, as well as helping our members reduce off-season travel costs, we have not scheduled a March camp in 2014. We will be doing more individual lessons via Skype and YouTube, and have found that the weekly contact is as or more valuable to our pre-summer efforts than a March rehearsal. This makes attendance at the February and April rehearsals even more critical, so please plan accordingly. Find out everything you need to get started by clicking the JOIN button on the right side of the page! We look forward to seeing you in Dubuque very soon!

Colts have "Morning" by Vox One Video from finals week 2010, from the Ball State field house where the Colts and Colt Cadets stay during finals week: Colt Cadets have "For Good" from Wicked, from their 2010 show when they first qualified for open class finals.

Colts had 22, including 5 Rook-outs. If you add years of Colts and Colt Cadet experience, they had a 10-year, 9-year, 2 8-year members, and 4 6-year members age out in 2013.

Colt Cadets on the field now. Michael Boo said no scores were announced yet on his live blog... Live Blog

At Movies 8 at the Mankato MN River Hills Mall, taking parents and sister-in-law with and hoping to see lots of Colts fans and Govies :) This is the first time in 5 years I won't be in Indy on the field with the Colts and Colt Cadets, thank goodness for the internet and all the photos on facebook so I can follow along!