TerriTroop

Short answer: yes. (But will they? We won't absolutely know until August 8.) Go Troop!!!!!!

Troopers, I loved the performance today. You came out hot, hot, hot! What a great show.

ATLANTA REGIONAL!!!!!! Go Troop! #>"<KA

Go Troop! 81.25 tonight. Atlanta tomorrow! KA, Troopers!

Troopers are at Temple HS in Temple, GA.

Howdy Granny, nice to see you chiming in. I'm in agreement, and you probably predicted that. However, I can see Troop pushing their limits quite a bit more, musically speaking. I think part of the problem is how boxed in we are by our history and our head gear. No, I would not want us to take on shakos, but when we try to do something else, people look at us and say "I can't buy it with you wearing cowboy hats." I wish it weren't so. No idea how we shake it, other than to just try to swagger through it. Yep, dead on Pinwiz. Honestly, I wish Troopers would re-envision movement on the field and do something completely new. The "straight leg" and "bent leg" dichotomy is not the only way to move bodies. I think we have the staff smarts to come up with something completely new, or at least something that makes us look much more different and is more physically efficient. I also wish we - and EVERY OTHER CORPS OUT THERE - would stop copying the "poopy pants" or "squish a bug" body moves everyone at the top started doing a few years ago. I know that's where most drum corps instructors learned their stuff, but surely we can do better. I really want Troop to take a leading edge on visual performance and come out with something that turns heads in a whole new direction. Visual is where the game is played now, and I know that Troopers admin and staff are aware of that. They're playing the right game - but there was a lot of catch up to do.

Well, I stopped reading on page 4 because I saw where it was going. I hope what I say hasn't already been said. From my experience: My first 2 years of drum corps were with a small corps from Houston. We folded after our home show in Houston in 1984, just 2 weeks shy of finals week. We were small, scrappy and had a fun but serious attitude. My only hopes and dreams were that our buses would make it to the next site. The next year as a member of the Troopers, getting a 9th place finish at finals was truly amazing to me. My second year in Troopers was even more fun - the show was more exciting to me, I loved that opener!!!! (American Salute) At the time, I'm sure I felt a little disappointment in falling to 11th place, but that show.... What a blast to play. I skipped 1987. (had an amazing travel opportunity with my mom - she won a travel agency convention prize and so she and I spent 23 days that summer traveling around the world. Wouldn't trade that summer for ANYTHING - even a DCI ring.) In 1988 I returned to Troopers for my age out year. We had another great show, but very small numbers in the corps made our placement problematic. Was I disappointed? Yes. VERY. But I was 21, and sulky and annoying. I was proud though - proud of our 4-member pit that played a heck of a book without watering it down, proud of the musicality of our entire corps, proud to wear the Trooper uniform for my age out year. Even though we placed... heck, I don't remember without looking at corpsreps... Well, it was hard to take off that uniform on quarterfinals day and never put it on for another competition. I was sad to be done, I was disappointed that we couldn't have fielded a bigger corps and gotten more points, and I was proud as heck that I aged out as a Trooper. I hope that answers your question a little bit. It's just what I was feeling at the time, and I can't speak for any others. I know folks move from corps to corps because of their feelings. Sometimes it's for higher placement, sometimes it's to follow an instructor, sometimes it's to follow their significant other or a best friend, and sometimes it's just closer to home or because their college buddies talk them into trying out. But that wasn't your question. You asked what it felt like to slip in placement, and I guess it felt like life - you can either handle your circumstances with grace and pride, or you can be a jerk and blow up at everyone in the same boat.

I just spit out my drink!

Intermission now, Troop pit is setting up. (from Troop Chat - we have one person reporting from the location, but they are only able to watch a little bit before having to head back to food truck duties)

First show for Troopers since San Antonio. They've been in a big stadium and I'm sure they've been working hard on changes and cleaning! GO TROOP!

Last night the totals were neck and neck within just a few dollars of each other!!!

80 is the common goal. Definitely 72 minimum for your top corps. Troopers has close to 80, if not 80. I didn't count but I know we have 16 tubas.

Let's not find out what's growing under Fred's hat! What would cause me to write a bigger check? More disposable income. But seriously, what would make me write a bigger check is nothing - I give as much as I do because: H...L...D!

Honestly, I think it's perfectly normal to have years where the "wow" factor is a bit lower than usual. Also, what used to be "wow" has become more of a staple, and sometimes we feel it's more an an "oh, that again" moment. There's several corps with crazy rotational blocks, unusual company front approaches, zippers, and examples of athletically challenging movement while executing any number of geometrical patterns, etc. etc. etc..... These moves used to be big surprises. They are no longer big surprises, but they're still cool as heck. Also, I think it's unfair to expect a new and amazing "wow" product out of someone every.... single.... year. Heck, even taking an old idea and making it new again can be "wow" for some of us. (home team example, of course: 2013 Troopers sunburst - amazing new take on a trademark move. Never ceases to make me feel a bit of "wow" when I watch it.) Lastly, about the body moves: I honestly would like corps to stop the "poopy pants" moves. I get it, it's multiple demand. Let's do something better than those moves. Seriously, it's time to stop.

Fred Morris' hat should not leave his head! Let's go Troopers!!!! Support the Troopers HERE!

From what I've seen in a few rehearsals over the last few years: the common protocol is 1) run a chunk of show, 2) wait for comment from top, 3) top tells techs to take a moment for field stuff, 4) repeat. Good techs can correct on the fly when allowed/asked but they also. Know how to step aside for the big picture. Techs have to buy into the technique fully, know how it looks, feels and sounds, and instruct it all constructively. It is a huge part of the growth of any show, IMO.

No? For clarity's sake, I actually apologized in a later post to the OP. I thought he said something in a response but it was another DCP poster. In any case, I was actually responding to caliswift who painted all of us who marched "back in the day" with the same broad brush. I wanted them to know that their opinion of at least one of us dinosaurs was totally wrong. So, to answer your question: no, I honestly don't believe my opinion is "more true" than the OP's. I liked the original post, a lot. But none of my comments was about whether or not my opinion was better, or more right. I'm honest about the subjectivity of enjoyment in this activity, and I know that for some it's an "anything goes" opinion, and for others it's a "drum corps died in XYZ year" opinion, and there's an entire spectrum of opinions between those two ends of the bell curve. I was hoping that was clear from my post. I guess it wasn't?

If the show happens anyway and the weather miraculously clears up, we will give you credit. ;)

If either of these shows comes off (Denton or Austin) I'll be amazed. Corps kids are extremely resilient, but performing after being stuck on a bus for so long with no down time simply sucks.

Things have been really bad in the northern part of the state. On Tuesday while driving back from Denver my daughter and I drove through significant hail and rain and heavy winds from Clayton, NM to Amarillo, TX. Seems that system has kind of parked over much of central and north Texas and is firing up this weird weather. Truly, we are almost always bone dry in July here in Texas with only the occasional little odd thunderstorm - unless there is a hurricane remnant floating about. This system is really unusual and apparently unpredictable. A friend of mine reports that Cadets have been delayed up to 3 hours due to flooding and they are hoping to arrive at their housing site by 1pm. Yikes.

This is nuts - July is almost always bone dry here with only the occasional tiny flare up of a thunderhead. I'm going to the Round Rock (Austin) show tonight - weather permitting. We may not have it as bad as Denton, but the forecasts are not looking good here either.

LOL no need to apologize! Good for Spirit AND Troop for moving up tonight! We'll see how things play out in Round Rock tomorrow with Colts, Crossmen and Troop in the line up together. This 12th spot battle will likely just get more crazy in the next few weeks.

do it. DO IT. you know you wanna....

Maybe people are actually just watching the show and enjoying it! We are all hyper addicted to the immediate feedback - me included! I'm enjoying a relaxed Troop Chat with parents and alums waiting to hear about the show from kids and maybe stay up for scores. Edited to add: Justin Anderson, Troopers DM, goes to U. Tulsa.

Go TROOOOOOOOOOP!