BASTimpanist

i know that a couple people from the pit plan to march with the troopers. the pit techs from capital are following brian as well. let me get this one straight...capital is in better shape than "several finalist corps"? sorry man, but i'm just not buying that one....financially or otherwise and you can schedule all the lunch breaks you want to, but they don't mean diddly until you can put food on the table. by the way, brian didn't schedule that day. but i'm sure you had that all straightened out a long time ago right? ::wink-face:: i mean c'mon, you guys that only spent a few days volunteering know exactly how bad it was, right? the colorgaurd was asking, "why all the drama" right? the colorgaurd? fo real? the section that saw several people fall over, shake and get carted off to a hospital was asking "why all the drama"? i'm not buying that one either.

is this the 2008 line up? other than that the only thing i could really pick out is that none of them have heads. or headwear. maybe you're just doing pit uni's? i don't know, seems like a fairly important part to me.

how 'bout the academy? picking up crosby, gusseck and hardimon from capital is pretty sweet. UNBELIEVABLE teachers. all of them.

pretty big year for drum corps in general i'd say. quite a bit more "news" happened this year than any previous year (the ones i've marched at least) kind of a cool transition period to be a part of, although some of the transitions i don't agree with-like the indy move, which is probably the biggest announcement to me. i think most of the news has been mentioned, but i wanted to add that competition elsewhere in div. 1 was stepped through the three years i marched-the hunt for 11/12 place and even to make it into semi-finals was just a flat out dog fight. maybe a little more of a push from certain corps would've put them into finals. my caption in 2004 said one of the smartest things about drum corps i ever heard: "there are two places you want to be (as far as scores and placement are concerned), fighting for the title, or fighting to make finals for the first time."

this is kind of a touchy subject...so, i'm going to try my best not to sound rude. but i think that drum corps would probably be too hard for someone with that condition. you have to take into account the things other than playing instruments and marching. like, getting ready to move, being on a bus all night, being around 135 other people all the time that they have not met and so on. what about showering? or what of people with autism? would they be able to handle a summer? and if someone with a condition like these were in a corps, would the other corps members be able to handle it? would the special needs of these kids get in the way of learning or making friendships? the outcomes could certainly be interesting and amazing, but for the most part i just don't believe kids with downs or whatever else should be exposed to something like marching in a drumcorps. and i'm certainly not saying that she or anyone can't do it...but the physical and mental stress is enough to drive people who don't have the condition to complete misery at points. and what about physically deformed kids? at capital we had a couple of kids try out that had deformity in their hands. despite their condition, they suprised us all and were able to play fairly well. but there was certain important aspects that were physically not possible for them to do, which led to them getting cut. i think everyone should be given the fair chance, but some situations (like this) require a great amount of thought before something really, really bad happens.

so alright, i'm sure a free day thread has been and gone...but what harm comes in a new one? post the funniest things that happened to you and your corpsmates... mine: our section leader, being the leader due to his infinite wisdom and mad leadership skillz, was sitting amidst the group of us waiting in a theater for the showing of the "Omen" remake that came out this past summer. we were conversing as we do during the pre-previews, when a blip about turning your cell phones comes across the screen. but how they set it up was weird, they made it sound like someone's phone was ringing during a regular commercial. everyone but fearless leader realized that it was just a commercial with a semi-lame premise. but he decided to turn around and yell: "WHO'S PHONE IS ON THAT LOUD?!?!" nice.

nobody? nobody is gonna say something about scv 2004? meh bluecoats this past year were unbelievably clean, although i didn't really like the music or the show.

i find phantom as a corps that isn't folding to the "innovation" or whatever...that whole cadets/crown/blue knights/bd sort of/cavaliers design that is just so...pretentious to me. they didn't spell everything out...not even close. it was a show for those who demanded more than a big sign over faust that said "this is faust, he's the good guy" i see them as a more intellectual corps than any other. scv is close. i just hope they remember that what they have is something special and different, whether you like it or not, it is something against the grain in these days of...stupid ### shows. i would hate to see them jump into the fold like they almost did in 2005, and i hope they continue a tradition of shows like 2006. that being said, no, it's not the greatest show ever. following this example might turn out one in a few years probably a championship too...but scv 2004 is still my favorite.

sounds like the board of directors is in desparation to make new friends. i highly doubt the need for money with the bingo hall being as succesful as it was...especially without the cost of putting on the tour-de-farce this next season. and i really, really doubt that the board of directors will let his precious buses slip out of his control. especially with how old they are, and god knows how many miles have been put on them...right now the board of directors has about 18 months before he needs them again which is waaaaaaaay more than enough time to fix them all up...you know, things like...brakes and...air conditioning...if done right (ha) it would be a great time to fix them up and give them an overdue and extensive break.

can't wait to see it

if for no other reason...the hands of the players in the pits benefit from being mic'ed. coming from a place that didn't have amps for two years, and did for one...i can say with a pretty high level of insight that it is MUCH less stressful for the hands. plus if you can use softer mallets and not have to play above your eyeballs, then you get better sounds. just a funny on the barbaric comment...we called the mallets we used for two years the caveman series. and baseball bats. and rocks. timpani, however, doesn't matter so much...in fact i kind of just laughed when they said i was getting mic'ed (which got taken out after 1 show) edit: we used our amps on days where we had a good stadium to rehearse in, which meant usually the captions had a good vantage point to teach from.

huh?

yea, so was the pit. and the drumline...i really didn't like their entire percussion section...it just didn't seem to mesh as well with the horns and the music. writing problem? maybe...

hmmm....where did it go? i don't really know, but i can take a good guess...how 'bout you? and capital is only going to come back div. 1 if they get 135 rookies who get brainwashed into thinking it's all better. and um...you know...that word i'm looking for...can't....quite remember...one of those things you need....run a drum corps... A STAFF!!! who would work there now? who? "...and on to journey's end..." for the sake of other's who still have a passion, who live 3 months a year, who revel in the fact they are going to get worked all summer, who are willing to give blood, sweat and tears 23 hours and 49 minutes a day for 11 minutes of sheer exhiliration and power, who who get joy from the thrill of a performance from a semi-crowded, 40 year old high school football stadium in b.f.e. oklahoma to a roaring stadium full of drum corps fanatics, who are willing to push through pain, make sacrifices, who pull friends into family, who still have the untangible in them that makes drum corps what it is...i can only hope you do it somewhere besides capital regiment. after three years of being beat down, cursed at, lied to and having the great misfortune of meeting some of the most unethical, rude and flat-out stupid people-i have nothing left...no desire, no drive, no passion, no pride in what i've done. three years of it, and the best thing that ever happened is the corps i marched in went inactive for a year. what was i supposed feel? i should've felt sad, remorseful, disheartened but i didn't. all i felt when i heard the news was the emptiness that i left dci and capital regiment with, wondering what it was like to tell people where you marched and not getting a "oh, i'm sorry" from anyone (everyone) who asked. wondering what is would be like to have pride in what i've accomplished. to see all of my (and everyone else's) efforts go to better something... instead, here it is. struggling to maintain it's own existence.

Uh....screw president...bryan tracht for emporer of the world!!!!!