Phan Doris

Despite what has been written here about Marie Czapinski, let us remember that she is a DCI judge of high credentials and many years of experience. It is not by accident that she is on the finals panel. Any connection she may have once had with a particular corps organization is just part of her past. Let's keep that in perspective. So too should we keep in perspective any marching experience some of today's fine judges may have had with one corps or another. For example, Albert Lo, Jeff Prosperie and JJ Pipitone all are alumni of Phantom Regiment and none has shown any scoring preference to PR. Over the years, many successful DCI judges have come from the ranks of DCI finalist corps. We should be proud of their accomplishments, both as marching members and as judges. :)

You didn't let me down. I knew you could do it!!!! :P

What do you mean, "SUTA!" ? We're not the Regiment.

This was a great read. Thanks. :) My prediction: Nikk Pilato is, as you read this, writing his butt off as he tries to come up with an even funnier thread. B)

PR's winning will put an even happier ending to their show's happy ending. :) Besides, Regiment has an encore concert to die for. :P

Terrance, I queried Nikk as to why he spells certain words in the British style and he told us that he learned English in Costa Rica from a British teacher. Now it's your turn. Why do you write in your interesting, if unusual style? Was Yoda your English teacher? Just for the record.

Hmm, let's see: Who is the perennial fan favorite? Let me guess. Was it DCI Montreal, when Phantom Regiment passed out their famous libretto that was printed in French, complete with all the Canadian idioms? Or was it DCI Atlanta when all those streamers rained down from the stands at the end of Regiment's performance? This same enthusiasm was to be repeated for several years thereafter. Maybe it was 1987, the year Phantom Regiment introduced its all white uniforms and its extremely beautiful guard unis? Nutcracker and Swan Lake together with those feathery white plumes on the helmets. Perhaps it was DCI Kansas City when PR's New World Symphony scored the highest second-place score ever. For you fans of more recent birth, how about 2005 when Phantom Regiment captured your heart and won the Spirit of Disney award for their efforts. I dunno. What do you think? :P

Thanks to Studio Tan and Wild Nights, Doris feels whole again.

Back in "the day" there was the CCI (Cadet Corps Int'l.), which was comprised of several feeder corps from the Midwest. For example, the Phantom Regiment Cadets were so good that they won the VFW National Championship in 1984 and beat the Canton Bluecoats on July 3 of that year too. :) Blue Stars Cadets, Cavalier Cadets, Colt Cadets, Cadets of Dutchboy, Guardsmen Cadets, Kiltie Kadettes, Madison Jr Scouts and the PR Cadets all were feeder corps for their A corps. There were also a few CCI corps that were not aligned with an A corps. I hope I did not leave anybody out of this list. Drum Corps Midwest (DCM) had a rule that each member corps had to sponsor a DCM contest every year, which caused increasing financial hardships on organizations like Phantom Regiment when feeder corps were invited into DCM membership. For instance, Regiment and the PR Cadets each had to host separate contests and Regiment had their DCI home show too. Three Rockford contests every year, with appearance fees for all participating corps, as well as the usual other expenses. Eventually the strain got too much and, one by one, the feeder corps went inactive. <**> In their heydays, feeder corps members really did "graduate" to their A corps -- as well as to other A corps, much like kids today who jump from corps to corps. Phantom Regiment membership often was comprised of about 25% former PR Cadets. There were even some former members of the PR Pre-Cadets, who began their corps experience at age 7, who eventually made it all the way to the Regiment. Talk about burnout! :P It is really sad that in 2006 no current member of Phantom Regiment is even from Rockford, let alone a former PR Cadet member. :(

Personally, I'm impressed that some (most?) of the highest-scoring corps don't use amped voices in their shows. :P

Point of interest: This year it is just the "Rockford Phantom Regiment" apparently due to Loves Park's dropping the ball on its financial backing of the corps. But that doesn't shock me half as much as finding out that nobody from Rockford (or Loves Park) is a corps member this year. :(

Great review! :) Thanks. I can hardly wait for finals night.

And, if I were Hoppy, I'd be worried if Elmer brought his shotgun: "Where are you, you wascally wabbit?" :sshh: :sshh: :sshh: :sshh:

My vote goes for Elmer Fudd too. ". . . fwom Wokfodd, Iwwinoise . . . Phantom Wedgiment! . . . Dwum major, is the corps weddy?" :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P

For a first post, you did very well, in my opinion. Youl stated yours (opinions) and framed your remarks from there. No fair persons should flame you for your honesty, whether they agree with your views or not. Congratulations and thanks for a job well done. :)

Enjoyed a bit of nostalgia on the way home from Show of Shows tonight when my car somehow got in among The Cadets' buses and trucks. It reminded me of that night so long ago when I was driving a Regiment bus along a 2-lane highway somewhere in Ohio and the Cadets (Garfield then) made things interesting by passing our caravan. :sshh: Phantom Regiment's encore performance tonight was simply awesome! :P What a 50th birthday celebration. They entertained us with selections from Spartacus (1981 & '82), Canon in D ('03), New World Symphony ('89) and Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral ('79). Truly breath-taking!

Rockford weather today: Sunny with temps in mid to high 80s and breezes from WSW 18-25 mph; 30% possibility of a stray thundershower this evening, with winds changing to north @ 5-10 mph and temperatures dropping to around 60 overnight. Order of appearance: Colt Cadets Crossmen Capital Regiment Colts (intermission) Carolina Crown Blue Devils The Cadets Phantom Regiment Encore perfomance to be by Phantom Regiment in its tradition for their home show. Repertoire may include several favorites from previous years, such as Spartacus and Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral. Tonight ends a two-day celebration of Phantom Regiment's 50th anniversary of its existence since the corps was started in 1956. Last evening there was a big celebration party in Loves Park where mountains of corps memorabilia was on display. This may help explain Regiment's absence last night from the Indianapolis contest.

In 1984 when Phantom Regiment performed Alfred Reed's Armenian Dances, the composer himself was guest of honor the day of Regiment's Show of Shows. At lunch that day, Professor Reed and PR brass arranger Jim Wren joked back and forth about the music and how Reed, though he'd never dreamed that his work would ever be performed at such a venue as a football field, was amused at how Wren had arranged the music for drums and five dozen bugles in the key of G. I vividly remember Wren's comment: "Dr. Reed, you're the genius, the composer; I think of myself here as more of a decomposer." A good laugh was shared by all. :)

News flash: Rockford's airport directors last night changed the airport's name to "Chicago/Rockford International Airport" to gain notice among prospective passengers. Maybe we can get a couple more Chicago/Rockford connections too, like Chicago/Rockford White Sox --------- the 2005 World Series Champions! and Chicago/Rockford Phantom Regiment ------------------ the 2006 DCI Champions! I see a trend here, don't you? :)

The demise of most Midwestern cadet (feeder) corps came soon after DCM changed its membership rules to make it nearly impossible for those little corps to survive financially. As late as 1985, the Cadet Corps International circuit still included Phantom Regiment Cadets, The Cavalier Cadets, Madison Jr. Scouts, The Guardsmen, Cadets of Dutch Boy, Pioneer II, The Kingsmen, and the El Toros (Americanos). Some of these units were quite good in the 1980s, especially PRC -- who once beat the Bluecoats in a contest in Ohio, and who often gave the Glassmen plenty of tough competition. Incidentally, the 1985 PRC brass caption head, Albert Lo, is the music performance judge for DCI Finals tonight! I can still remember reading a comment in a Phantom Regiment yearbook that stated, "Gee, these Garfield Cadets are pretty good . . . I wonder how great their A Corps must be!" :P

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena: Whaddaya want first, the good points or the bad? Having attended the Tour of Champions show there last year, I offer a few observations: Good Points -- :) Big parking lot, lots of seating, no seats obstructed by posts, most likely great California weather, Jumbotron scoreboard may augment visuals, and California fans deserve having DCI Finals there. Not so good points -- :( Since the bowl shape may let too much sound escape before it reaches the audience, more amps may be needed to fully enjoy the pit instruments; due to gradual incline of the aisles, many seats are too far from the field to fully hear/see/feel/enjoy performances without binoculars or hearing aids -- not much tingling of the face by loud horn lines -- and you may have to peek between heads even to see what you want to see (unless they broadcast the shows on the Jumbotron); restrooms and concession stands seemed inconveniently located. On balance, DCI and the Rose Bowl management may be able to work out someting to maximize the overall experience of the fans. We can hope!

The corps members were nestled, their last night on a floor, With visions of crowd noise, a most deafening ROAR!

Recaps for Div. II-III are posted on the DCI site. Can we eliminate those judges from Div. I and narrow the guesswork? Also, do the Div. I corps get their scores and recaps right after they compete, or do they wait until all corps have finished? If it is the former, then maybe someone might see who the judges are early on and post the names here.

Regiment, you seem to have an abundance of well-wishers. :P And, deservedly so. G.S. -- Let's keep this thread on the front page, so more messages come in. :)