phido06

Bah...beat me to it. I also thought about the Imperials...and they'd all wear red coats. I must have some weird fascination with the revolution.

100% agree with everyone who says to go to a camp. In the summer of '01, I didn't really what drum corps was, but some of my older friends from band talked about it all the time. They all went up to a camp over Thanksgiving weekend, and came back, deciding not to continue. I was curious at this point though, and my sister told me I should go to the December camp for a different corps. She took me up a month later and I was hooked immediately. I ended up marching for two seasons before getting a real job Edit: And the cost for a weekend camp isn't too bad

I hate to say it, but sometimes the only way to get through to a large group of people is to make all of them suffer for the acts of a few. The failure here isn't really the people who performed the 'hazing' (and I agree that they are probably just a few bad apples, and every organization has them) but rather the ones who did not speak up. It displays at best a lack of courage to speak up against something wrong, and at worst a wanton disregard for doing the right thing. Once a person decides not to speak up, they begin down a slippery slope so that when the hazing does get to the point of bodily harm or egregious disrespect for a person's sexual dignity, they still don't say anything. I would guess the mass punishment was to give the band a little 'shock therapy', which was probably necessary. It only takes one incident like that, and the whole activity will have to button down on 'hazing' (whether you consider any of the aforementioned activities hazing or not). It is best to just make sure it doesn't happen. Lastly, I think when a person honestly sits down and thinks about it, it should insult their sense of esprit with the team (or corps, or band, etc...) when this sort of thing occurs. That sort of thing is incredibly disrespectful to one's own organization. People don't haze because they enjoy human suffering, they do it for power (like upperclassmen asserting their position over naive underclassmen). Hazing is for #### sure not about building team spirit.

Had to be 2002 Finals retreat Every corps playing America/O'Canada and God Bless America (yeah I know, not a show, but a pretty incredible moment the summer after 9/11)

as an engineer who knows nothing about physiology, I say regardless of whether it makes you stronger or not... ...it builds character

Without a doubt. I remember the first couple of days after the moving in the summer of '02 and thinking to myself "there is no way I am going to be able to do this drum corps thing all summer." I remember the pain and sweat and how good a gym floor could feel at the end of the day. Two seasons of drum corps later I decided to try out the military thing, and there is no doubt that being in Bluecoats and competing in DCI had something to do with my success so far. I learned after only one season how powerful leadership by example is. Do your job with all your effort possible, and other people will see it. I remember it in corps and it led to me commanding my unit as well as allowing me to be drum major for a military drum corps my senior year. I learned a bit about time management, which helped me graduate from a military school with academic distinction in a difficult engineering program. I learned a lot about self-reliance (and how not to be homesick), which put me miles ahead of my colleagues in basic training. The second-most important thing I learned is to trust people I work with and to know that they are going to put forth 110% every day despite the heat or humidity or injury or lack of creature comforts, and that the mission is more important than how I feel at any given moment. And the absolute most important thing I gained was a further understanding of honesty. You couldn't BS people in the corps. They knew if you were doing your job or not. They knew if you weren't playing (I'm a brass guy) because you thought you just didn't have the breath to go on. They knew that you would do your job to the utmost of your ability and that if they faltered, you would help them along because someday you would need it too. Drum corps has undoubtedly helped me succeed in my field. I am now on the brink of beginning one of the world's most difficult pilot training courses, and I know that the lessons learned on football fields in small towns across the country will transfer directly to the cockpit. There isn't a day that goes by that I am not thankful for the pure grit in my soul that I gained through marching DCI.

I put at the top of my favorites not necessarily because it is the greatest show ever or anything but it may have been the show that got me into the activity. That was just a year and a half before i decided to give the activity a try. I think that show and maybe a couple others are what really got me into the activity, and two years later the rest was history for me.

The Marine D&BC is a professional unit, and typically have other performance obligations anyway, so they can't compete against us three corps, made up of cadets/mids doing it as an extracurricular. West Point does not field a corps (they have a pep band that does not do field shows). There are many other marching military units, but they are all professional units and thus would have so much of a leg up on the rest of us that it would be silly for them to compete. Also, the competition moves from Annapolis to Colorado Springs and back every year (it depends on where the AF-Navy football game is). And I am sad to say the Falcons dropped the ball (figuratively and literally) against the Goats of Navy. I am one of two senior classes at USAFA that has had to watch them beat us in football four years straight (the other being last year's senior class).

#### straight Air Force D&BC! We have one here in the Springs, it's more like a DCI-type group (crossed with a college marching band). It's made up of cadets from the Academy...

I don't know the origins or details about any curse (I'm a lowly Southern-Ohioan), but said curse does have its own website

I would guess he means Brady Quinn (who I got to see run offensive drills...I mean, play a game against Air Force this last year)

Of course it will be the Bluecoats...as much of a Cleveland (insert team name here) fan as I am, I must admit that our sports teams are at a loss for the necessary talent. The 'Coats, however, can do it this year, and I am betting they will. It is probably also because this would be my age-out year, and God can be cruel like that...

No required moves today that I know of, but I'm pretty sure the required move tradition was a result of the military nature of the activity. It makes sense that VFW and AL would have required a couple moves. When military units do drill inspections and competitions, the platoon commander (or in the USAF, the flight commander) has a laundry list of drill moves the unit has to perform.

You should have seen it last year...competition in pouring rain, parade to stadium in pouring rain, football game in pouring rain, and then it started raining harder. Considering I am originally from Ohio, I actually miss that kind of weather...

That's ok, Air Force is going to soundly sink Navy in the sea of defeat...see you on the field

That's a very good point. It all depends on what they see as their role. Probably some of them are content to give kids a good time performing and learning in the small-corps environment, whereas others want to achieve Div I status. That is completely up to the corps and what they feel their mission is, not what DCI or another party feels it is.

p.s. I also think taking the activity back to its traditional roots somewhat with American Legion, etc. sponsoring shows and even corps themselves would help a lot.

I think something that would help combat this phenomenon is simply a little more awareness of the Div II/III side of DCI. Have DCI market it a little more, approaching the level of Div I. I know part of the appeal for when I was trying out for a corps was the idea that I would be on TV (PBS, but hey it is still TV). That sort of exposure I think would help the cause of the smaller cause. Also, I think it would help if bigger corps aligned with smaller corps to share staff and auditionees. Have a staff member tell a recent auditionee that, while they didn't make it this year, if they spent a year in the smaller group, they would have a much better chance of making it the next year. Finally, I think targeting a younger audience with Div II/III would help, and market as a way to eventually get to the top corps (this way you are appealing to the desire to be in a bigger corps while still getting members in the smaller corps - and many of your vets would probably stick with the smaller corps anyway).

For junior corps: "Autumn Leaves" as performed post-show by the Bluecoats (so I'm a little biased). Though I must say one of the most emotional pieces I have heard was Spirit playing "Georgia" after Allentown 2003(?). For senior/military corps: Someone put the Marine D&B playing the Marine Hymn, though I heard them play a version of "America" a while back that brought tears to my eyes. Also, my corps plays the third verse of the Air Force song, an incredibly beautiful hymn-like piece that we use as our alma mater.

Taxpayer dollars!

I find it a little sad myself that DCA is allowing B flats. I originally marched Bb with HS band and then Bluecoats, but now I am in a military drum corps that plays G bugles. I understand why DCA is changing up, but I also have to say I have had a lot of fun on the G's. Where most people are advocates for the G to Bb transition, I think it would be cool if corps went from Bb to G. The sound is just so much more unique...

The guy on the right (Air Force) is me. The guy on the left is Steve Lozano, a fellow 02-03 Bluecoat, now a mid at Annapolis. In the middle in Larry Hershman. Thought you all would like to see a photo from the show.

I use "Hagerty Silversmith's spray polish". Maybe that's what you used? Blue can. Mary's Ultra tone Is closer to 32 years old and looks like new. Of course it sat around not being used for 25 years until Dream started... :) Our corps found out about Hagerty's last year and we kind of threw wrights right out the window (haha). This stuff is AMAZING! I would suggest this to anyone. http://shop.store.yahoo.com/silvergiftstor...verpoloish.html I'm sure there are cheaper places, but thought I'd just through out one store. Just as I posted I found one cheaper: http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/50011_...ilversmiths.htm <{POST_SNAPBACK}> hagerty's spray is the best stuff around

best mello mouthpiece: UMI mello 6, hands down...

Hey all, I'm about to start playing with the US Air Force Academy Cadet Drum and Bugle Corps, which uses Dynasty G bugles. Since I've only played G a couple of times, and neither on a Dynasty, I was wondering if anyone knows anything that may help me get around the horn (specifically mellos)... Thanks in advance...