snare36

Yeah, especially in a drum line it would have to be impossible to suddenly dislike a guy to which you have become so bonded. I had heard at some point there was a "girlfriend" component to the whole thing. Imagine if that hadn't happened before finals and the 1989 championship would forever have that pesky asterisk next to it. Eventually the truth would have to come out. Still nobody out there that has spoken to them since?

Imagine being the snare drummer that would have marched in that guy's place. What a terrible disappointment to find out that the guy who got the spot you wanted so bad was a fraud.

Fantastic info, Brad. Very insightful. What a strange thing to do at the age of 25. I believe they were 25. Saying goodbye to drum corps when I aged out was rather hard and I remember watching the 1999 corps with such longing. But to do such a thing to march again is vary peculiar.

Hard to imagine, impossible really, that Gail would be in any way negligent or complicit in this. He was a man of integrity. This obviously happened TO Santa Clara. I'm much more interested in what that event entailed for the fellow members and how this effected those who were bonded to these guys. 89 Alum, I know you're out there.

OOH, Rough.

Sorry for digging up old ghosts but for some reason I began thinking of this situation the other day. I wanted to ask anybody associated with the 1989 SCV what it was like to find out two of your fellow members were over age and had essentially left town after their cover was blown. How did it go down? How did the Corps handle the blow amidst finals week? Has anybody kept in touch with these guys after all these years? They can’t be all bad for crying out loud. What were they thinking? I would imagine whatever the circumstances, these guys would have been bonded to Corps members and it had to be very difficult for them to leave the Corps just before such a fantastic victory. Any insight? It’s one of those things many wish they never had to hear of again, but for some strange reason this event visited me in a dream the other night and I began to try to put myself there. It had to be strange, painful, out of the blue, upsetting, and distracting for the Corps. What’s the story?

A personal favorite of mine is the Blue Devils 1986 drum tape where the only words said are the judge exclaiming "OH, Sh--!" during the drum solo. Now that is something special. What a fabulous line.

Ha! Pony up! When you do, send me a note and I'll sign your book.

I have a video of Jeremy W. in a bus fight. He gets thrown against a window as the bus is flying down the freeway. The emergency exit releases and the window comes open. Jeremy is pulled back into the bus and without hesitation another fight broke out. Jeremy usually held his own.

If any of you are interested in what it was like to be in the 1998 SCV drum line you should check out my book. It was a really fun line to be in mainly because we were so aggressive on the field. Drum our rear ends off all day, fight club on the buses at night. Great year.

A few words to describe Glen: No nonsense, cut to the chase, tough, thoughtful, methodical, deeply emotional (though you SELDOM have the opportunity to see this side of him), honest, serious, and an excellent judge of character. Glen's forte is ensemble cohesiveness. In a short time, Glen can figure out the most convoluted of listening situations and teach young musicians to play in time in situations when doing so is next to impossible. He is short with time wasting, impatient with ego maniacs, and can never be beat in a battle of sarcasm. Glen is not in the business of sparing feelings or accepting mediocrity. Glen is a man of deep integrity who will not accept less than the best from members. Glen's lack of notoriety, in my observation, is not due to a lack of talent or "second best" status to Ralph. Rather, Glen does not seek the limelight or have much use for great personal recognition. It seems to perhaps make him uncomfortable. In the short two years I worked with Glen I found that he gleams his greatest satisfaction in life from the excitement of creating excellence and quality music from young people. When he showed up at SCV in 1997 we were sure he ate young children and rusty nails for breakfast. But as the year wore on, he became one of the most revered and trusted members of our staff by the drum line even if we did peek in his breakfast bowl every so often just to be sure. He never lost his cool but had the voice of a volcano when the drum line reverted to stupid mistakes. One never wanted to be the focus of Glen's wrath. Glen is one of the best teachers drum corps has to offer, period! Thanks for everything, Glen

So proud of you SCV. I just can't wait for the next few years. The best of the best to you!

It's so wonderful to see the corps perform such a memorable show this year. Congrats to the organization for beginning the trek in a fabulous direction!

Well known instructor: "People! If you receive a correction more than twice, YOU SUCK!"

Well known percussion caption head to snares after a dirty roll: "Alright, who didn't pull out?" Bass instructor to well know percussion caption head: "Your dad!"