one time tenor

Was Linda Hoffman the DM for the 1979 Florida Vanguards?

When I was 15 I was doing a handstand on a skateboard when I fell over, my left knee hitting the ground. I sat up and saw the bump on the side of my knee, which was actually the kneecap. And then POW! it snapped back into place on its own. I was sidelined from marching band for two weeks.

We did have fun in the Abominables! We marched in parades & played at the Botanical Gardens, Callaway Gardens, & performed for the International Olympic Commitee when ATL was being considered to host the '96 Olympics. I would like to start a band like that down here, we definitely have the talent.

I wonder how they would work if you break em open & rub it on your skin! Yeah, that NoAd stuff is great. It's cheap & it works!

On tour in 1980, whenever we crossed a state line, the first thing on our minds was "What's the drinking age here?"

....so, I always tell my kids to wear sunscreen at bandcamp & rehearsals unless they want Dr. Pinto whittlin' on em in 20 years!

I had a basal cell carcinoma removed from the left side of my nose two years ago. In order to fill the void, the Dr. cut a flap of skin and pulled it down to the surgery site and sutured it there. The scar isn't too bad, but when I'm out in the bars I'm tempted to make up a tougher story to explain the scar to women! But the worst part about the surgery is when he stuck the needle in my nose to deaden it. It hurt so bad it brought tears to my eyes! How can so many people stand to have their noses pierced multiple times??? Then there was the cauterization to stop the bleeding. To me, the burning flesh smelled like Burger King. To the doc, it smelled like money....

Yeah, those rifle gals were sweet & sassy! I loved it when they laid on their bellies and did that thing with their feet during "Sweet Georgia Brown"!

In '80, we rehearsed at a field by the drivers license exam post. The state hospital was next to the field. We did a march-thru performance at the hospital, that was...weird. I was the lone tenor drummer until the other tenor returned from his cruise. He should have stayed out to sea. Then they pulled a snare to play tenor & he was a good sport about it. Our scores were in the basement, in the negative numbers! We didn't care, as long as we finished above Suncoast Sound. But the best thing about being in Class B was that we got to sit back and watch the big boys (Spirit, Bridgemen, Phantom, Crossmen, North Star) over & over again! When we returned to Pembroke Pines after the first tour, several people quit and they were pulling people off the street to march with us. Man, I was getting tired of having to teach newbies the tenor parts. By this time, we were rehearsing at Cooper City High School, where several corps members attended school. The funny thing is that later that year my high school band from GA. competed against Cooper City in Largo, FL. We finished 2nd, they finished last!

Thanks for the welcome, guys! EK, be glad that you're north of all this swamp fire smoke! It was really bad here this weekend, like a fog that permeates everything. We finally got some rain today, maybe that'll help control the fires. Jd, one of my classmates from high school told me he marched guard in one of those corps, I don't remember which. If my schedule allowed, i would be interested. When I lived in ATL in 1990, I marched with the Kelly Feed & Seed Marching Abominables Band. (ever heard of them?) They are an all age community marching band based in Little Five Points. Lots of fun!

Valdosta

Hi, I played tenor in the ill-fated 1980 Florida Vanguards (see my post in the Historical Drum Corps forum, topic: Florida Wave). After lurking for the past year, I'm finally "out"! :P

Hello fellow Corpsmen & Corpswomen! After lurking on this forum for the past year, someone finally posts a subject on which I feel qualified to comment! I was a tenor drummer in the 1980 Florida Vanguards and, regretfully, that was the only year I ever marched in drum corps. I don't know if the experience scared me away from the activity, or if I just used my financial situation at the time as an excuse not to go for it again, but I was 17 at the time, and I had no idea what I was getting into. I guess the only reason I didn't quit & go home was the fact that my home life pretty much sucked. But I learned a lot, played some really cool music, and I have some great stories that I hope to share with you guys!