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Actually wasn't Karl Lowe on staff for the Got Funk year? I believe he talked about that show at both Spinfests and discussed how it didn't quite turn out as planned! It was a good lesson hearing one of the greats talk about what went wrong during one of his team's down year.

Is the talk of Fantasia not coming out in 2009 a fact, or is just speculation? Has there been any announcement made? Also what happened to San Jose? They took 2006 off, back in 2007, and then not heard from in 2008.

I read the same thing off of another post on here a while ago. I don't see anything wrong with it. This kid was just repeating what someone else had posted in the past. On top of that, isn't that pretty much a known public fact for the most part?

After a successful first audition, the Fusion Winter Guard from Montville, NJ will be holding their second audition for the 2008 winter season on Sunday November 11th from 11am to 4pm. The audition will be held at the Community Park, 130 Change Bridge Road Montville, NJ 07054. If you are between the ages of 14 and 22 and would like to be a part of a family oriented, nationally and locally competitive winter guard, this may just be the place for you! If you would like to come to our audition on Nov 11th or for more information, please visit our website at www.fusioncolorguard.com and fill out the information under the "Join Us" section. You will then be contacted by one of our staff members with more information about our organization. Even if you missed our first audition, you are still encourgaged to come and check it out as we are still accepting new members for the 2008 season. The guard will be returning to the floor in 2008 for their 30th anniversary after taking the 2007 season off. They are a 4 time WGI Ind A Class Semi Finalist and a perenial WGI Regional Finalist, including a 2nd place finish at the WGI Syracuse Regional in 2006. Locally the guard has been a consistant contender, most recently in 2006 earning the gold medal at the TIA Chapter 10 Championships, and earning bronze medals at both the TIA All Chapter Championships and the MAIN Championships in the Ind A Class. The guard already has an excellent staff in place with years of experiance at all levels of the activity. Staff and show announcements will be made in the coming weeks.

If I remember correctly from the post at the time, he decided not to come back so he could concentrate more on other things, but I'm not exactly sure. As for Brubaker, yes, he wrote for the Cavies from the early 80s (not sure of the year, maybe 81 or 82?) through 92. I believe he only wrote the opener in 92 because he was sick at the time. The rest of the show in 92 was Jeff Fiedler, Greg Protlacki (i'm sure I didn't spell that write), and even Michael Gaines making his outdoor drill writing debut! Basically, without Brubaker, there is no Michael Gaines, Pete Weber, Greg Protlacki, Mitch Rogers, or Jamey Thompson.

That's a very interesting way to think of Gaines' work. My favorite shows of his are the more rhythmic, visually driven programs that the Cavies have done. As far as all time, drill today is not what it is without George Zingali or Steve Brubaker. I don't think you can mention one without the other. They developed the two distinct styles we see today. The activity is not what it is now without them.

But better than anything else out there? Absolutely. There were things going on that have not happened before. That's innovation.

Let's see this season. While 2007 was just ok compared to what he's done before, 2006 was groundbreaking in so many ways. Even if this wasn't his best, it was still the best out there this year, with Sacktig a pretty close second. And yes, Sylvester wrote for the Cadets from 1989 to 1994, then again in 2002. Jeff Sacktig did 1995 to 2001, and 2003 to the present. 2002 was the year Sacktig was at Magic.

While I believe Pete Weber will eventually be the "next big thing", he's not Michael Gaines. Weber has some innovative things going on and improves every year, but Michael Gaines is still the standard that everyone else is held to. Pete Weber writes the way he does BECAUSE of Michael Gaines. Also, Gaines' guard staging and integration is in another league. I'd say only Jay Murphy is in his league in that aspect. Pete Weber still has to develop in that area. This is something most fans and young designers do not pay enough attention to. It's amazing how people become "stale" in other's opinions. A few years ago people said that Jeff Sacktig had gotten stale (although I think he rejuvenated himself this year) and Michael Gaines was the new big name. Now he win's a few titles and people are tired of him and the Cavaliers? Just sit back and enjoy it while he's still writing and at the top of his game. Never ceases to amaze me.....

Let's all remember, Michael Gaines' first drill writing experience with a drum corps was a portion of the 1992 Cavaliers show, and that turned out pretty good! I wish this gentlemen the best of luck. I'm his age and I can't imagine getting a chance with a top 4 DCI corps at this age, let alone any age! It's great to see new names out there. Good luck!

Can we have this topic closed due to the clear stupidity of it? It's oblviously going nowhere and has gone far away from it's original point.

Because I was trying to show that both groups have been successful WITHIN THEIR OWN DIVISIONS. Both groups are very good organizations, with great kids, great staffs, great adults who care about the activity and the kids, and offer great experiences for the kids. Last time I checked, this was the most important thing. What's irrelevant is all our opinions. What started out as a simple audition question turned into "who's better" forum. All anyone wants to do is cause trouble on here cause nobody has anything better to do. This is why I don't like to post on here much, so that I don't get caught up in the stupidity. I made that mistake today though. Get over yourselves...........for the sake of the kids.......

All I said is that both groups have been competitive within their respective divisions. This is not meant to compare the two head to head.

During the last 8 years, the Raiders have grown in membership from the low 40s in 2001, to low 50s in 2004, to low 60s in 2006, to 79 which they were this past year. They have basically doubled in 8 years, which is pretty good. 2000 marked the beginning of a new admistrative staff for the Raiders, and they apparently have done a pretty good job judging by their steady growth. Surf experienced their equally impressive growth in the 90s, and have basically had the same leadership group in place since then. And yes, even though you'll find a few Div 3 corps making waves with the Div 2s in the past (late 90s Mandarins, 2003 Blue Stars as some examples, 2007 Memphis Sound and Fever), you'll find that the top half of Grand Finals are usually packed with Div 2s. As much as I sometimes hate to admit it (myself being involved with many small groups thoughout the years) larger numbers give you more options design wise and gives you a wider dynamic range, both musically and visually. Ask any judge or designer. Most will tell you that it's harder to create effect with smaller numbers, and it is also harder to design for smaller numbers. This is taking nothing away from any of these two groups, as they have both more than held their own in their respective divisions.

Apples and oranges is a good way to describe it, since the Raiders (between 40 and 60 members from 2001 to 2006) have been in Div 3 till this past season, and the Jersey Surf have been in Div 2 with over 100 members each year. I know they are on the same sheets, but the larger Div 2 corps have usually been scored higher. As you can see, both the Raiders and Surf have been pretty competitive within their own divisions. Raider Placements in Div 3 since 2001: 2001 2nd 2002 7th 2003 6th 2004 6th 2005 1st 2006 3rd 2007 (Div 2) 6th Jersey Surf Placements in Div 2 since 2001: 2001 6th 2002 9th 2003 5th 2004 8th 2005 8th 2006 7th 2007 2nd

The Fusion Color Guard from Montville, NJ will be holding an audition on Sunday October 28th from 1pm to 4pm. The audition will be held at the Community Park, 130 Change Bridge Road Montville, NJ 07054. If you are between the ages of 14 and 22 and would like to be a part of a family oriented, nationally and locally competitive winter guard, this may just be the place for you! If you would like to come to our audition on Oct 28th or for more information, please visit our website at www.fusioncolorguard.com and fill out the information under the "Join Us" section. You will then be contacted by one of our staff members with more information about our organization. The guard will be returning to the floor in 2008 for their 30th anniversary after taking the 2007 season off. They are a 4 time WGI Ind A Class Semi Finalist and a perenial WGI Regional Finalist, including a 2nd place finish at the WGI Syracuse Regional in 2006. Locally the guard has been a consistant contender, most recently in 2006 earning the gold medal at the TIA Chapter 10 Championships, and earning bronze medals at both the TIA All Chapter Championships and the MAIN Championships in the Ind A Class. The guard already has an excellent staff in place with years of experiance at all levels of the activity. Staff and show announcements will be made in the coming weeks.

Who do we think the best drill writers are of each DCI era and why (70s, 80s, 90s, 00s,)? Each era is so different, I don't think you can say which one is the best ever. My picks are: 70s - Pete Emmons 80s - George Zingali and Steve Brubaker (couldn't pick just one of these guys, and their best shows were even in the early 90s) 90s - Jeff Sacktig 00s - Michael Gaines Also, what are the drill designs that changed DCI at the time and why? My picks are: 1975 27th Lancers (Ralph Pace began to push the boundaries of symmetry, with the floating circle on stage left in Danny Boy) 1980 Santa Clara Vanguard (although not well received at first probably because the activity was not ready, Pete Emmons welcomed asymetry for the entire show) 1982 Garfield Cadest (while the following string of championship years gets all the credit, Zingali shocked everyone with this production) 1985 Garfield Cadets (Scatter into the box at the beginning of the show brought us a new way to create effect, again by Zingali) 1987 Garfield Cadets (my favorite Zingali work, pure art in motion, so fluid, and we now see experimentation using the body during the disappearing / reappearing company front which one of my favorite drill / visual moments ever) 1990 Cavaliers (Brubaker puts geometry in motion and sets the standard for guard integration, as well as mastering the element of surprise) 1991 Star of Indiana (Zingali tests the limits of what the performers can do WHILE playing, and the ending cross to cross segment is another one of my favorite moments ever) 2000 Cavaliers (again although the next few season's shows get more credit, this show started the trend of the visual driving the show rather than the music, and cemented Michael Gaines as the designer we marvel at today) 2002 Cavaliers (geometry in motion at it's next level, and probably Gaines' most innovative work) 2006 Cavaliers (set new standards in how the colorguard is used and how it drives the total package, again by Gaines)

The Fusion Color Guard from Montville, NJ is currently seeking interested members for the 2008 winter season. The guard will be returning to the floor in 2008 for their 30th anniversary after taking the 2007 season off. They are a 4 time WGI Ind A Class Semi Finalist and a perenial WGI Regional Finalist, including a 2nd place finish at the WGI Syracuse Regional in 2006. Locally the guard has been a consistant contender for the top, most recently in 2006 earning the gold medal at the TIA Chapter 10 Championships, and earning bronze medals at both the TIA All Chapter Championships and the MAIN Championships in the Ind A Class. If you are between the ages of 14 and 22 and would like to be a part of a family oriented, nationally and locally competitive winter guard, this may just be the place for you! Please feel free to visit out website at www.fusioncolorguard.com and fill out the information under the "Join Us" section. You will then be contacted by one of our staff members with more information about our organization. The guard already has an excellent staff in place with years of experiance at all levels of the activity. Staff, show, and audtion date announcements will be made in the coming weeks.

My favorite moment of the weekend was watching my corps come onto the field for their very first DCA Prelims appearance, and the wonderful performance they put out. I'll also always remember how happy our members were when our score was announced.