classicslv

That would use up about 1/2hr

At what point do corps accept their fate? _____________________________________ When one stops looking FORWARD is the moment you best be paying atention to what is BEHIND you. Whats that saying? Objects in the mirror are closer than they actually appear...

... and that right there is the first step in being prepared and mostly complete for the first show of the season. When is Wildwood 2013? CONGRATS BUCS on a great 2012 season! Looking forward to 2013. Keep pushing the bar

I have not seen C2 since the Downingtown show. Considering what everyone was saying the week before they looked like they did a lot of work in one week. If C2 can polish up their feet and clean up some of the dirt visually I can see then nipping at HURCS come finals. Hurcs tend to become stagnant about now falling in that comfortable 4th position. Don't get me wrong I was impressed with the strong start Hurcs had at Bridgeport, but hasn't grown from there and comparing the two...... C2 visually uses the over all field much better. HURCS still tend to keep their "players" compressed relying on the guard to pan out the field. This could be an overall factor when comparing A & B for a flip flop come Prelims & Finals. I see Finals ending 1-BUCS 2-CABS (by a narrow edge, maybe right at finals) 3-MBI 4-EMPIRE 5-C2 (also by a narrow edge, again maybe not until finals) 6-HURCS

Is this the First DCA 90 in JULY!?? Fact checkers?!?! 7/28/12 90.40 BUCS 7/30/11 88.30 BUCS 7/24/10 89.913 BUCS 7/18/09 84.316 BUCS (Bucs off 7/24) 7/2708 85.350 MBI (BUCS had off)

As a guard person, I have to agree with GUARDLING on this one. Using WGI or indoor is not a valid excuse. Many if not all of these corps have winter camps. Apparently, they are not being utilized efficiently. Put aside WGI, I know that many of the guard members in BUCS and some other top corps are also involved in TIA so their season goes on for almost another month. Using the BUCS guard as an example here… only because I am aware of some process. The members and sections are not even decided until the week after Wildwood indoor which is already into MAY. Neither is the drill because of the commitments the members are completing for their indoor programs. Not to take anything away from the other top groups in the same boat. Yet, BUCS for example come to their first show usually 80% prepared with usually uniforms and their flags. They have the same Fri-Sat-Sun rehearsal schedule as everyone else. Those that choose to be prepared do what is needed during the winter to hit the ground running when indoor is over, not start planning the day after. Thats why BUCS, CABS, HURCS and others for example are more prepared. FIRST IMPRESSIONS are essential in the competition arena. Those that choose to ignore that are simply miss-managed from the top down. I'll give a little slack to CADETS2 for not being "finished" (and very little at that), only because they were building an entirely new program from the ground up. They did not have the "vets" setting the example on rehearsal etiquette or familiarity of the style, but that then should fall on the staffs responsibility to teach, train and embed in order to function with utmost efficiency. Why drill was not completed by July 14 by some groups even without guard work is IMO unacceptable. If CADETS2 are indeed a training corps for the next generation of DCI CADETS, then take it from a CADET alumni, they are in for a shock if/when they do move up. I believe CADETS2 administration made the wrong decision to bring them on a mini-tour with big brother for the first few weeks instead of staying home and getting established and prepared for their first shows out. Thats my opinion but seeing now what we do, Im sure many may agree with me. I understand giving CADETS2 a taste of the bug league may have been an experience, however again FIRST IMPRESSIONS go a long way. If this corps looks like it does today, what impression were they making a month ago to the DCI crowd? That reflects on the organization as well as DCA. Its no wonder some DCI members look down their nose at senior corps as a less than acceptable alternative when they age-out. Should they have stayed at home and rehearsed could possibly have pushed everything a whole lot further for their first competition. All choices lead to another, but they all have to start with one somewhere. I hope this will not be one of those, If they only had another 2 weeks situation for Cadets2 to have been just that much better come September in their first season out. On the other hand, they still manage to step over some groups that have already been established for several years if not decades. Does that say more for the CADETS2 or more for those they passed? Glass half full or half empty, you decide. Even if youre struggling in areas I totally agree at least get your impacts together! Hornlines, drumlines, colorguard no exceptions. Again, back to FIRST IMPRESSIONS. Give me something to look forward to in the rest of your program or face the consequences when the reviews come out. In the end it can be summed up in one line YOU ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR STAFF. Look at your better programs and then look at their staff. Look at the sections that are lacking and then look at the staff and you will find your answers. There were a lot of skeptics on these boards when news came out about the BUCS staff turnover, but apparently the understudies that were left behind must have been paying attention all those years, because if you ask me the 2013 program appears to be holding more than a candle to some of the previous seasons. At least indoor guards that are incomplete when their season begins might be able to blame SNOW for cancelled rehearsals, but drum corps dont have that excuse. OK, Ill give you rain, but its water people, get out there and deal with it. To my knowledge drum corps rarely cancel rehearsal because of rain. Ive put more than my share of rehearsals in the rain, in an available gym or under a bridge to learn guard work. For all the dinosaurs that linger on these boards talking about back in the day and being finished… news flash.... this is not your fathers drum corps. Color guards for one are well past the slams, presents and butterflies…. (well most of them are at least ), but I would rather see filler work and that good old back up the dreaded ripple until you get to it and re-write it. At least it is better than right shoulder for an entire number. You do what is needed and make the impression you want As a side comment, I was in Bridgeport, and Mike I will totally give KUDOS to Hurcs guard. They impressed me and yes came out very clean, as they usually do. I thought the show was fun and enjoyable. I liked their uniforms and yes they do perform the heck out of the show. I was not in Clifton, but looking over the recaps according to what I took note of was the Achievement above Composition. Being a fellow guardguy you and I both know what that says. So yes, it better be clean. I hope the Hurcs staff also took note of it. Tom

Actually they will be around Sunday. They are scheduled to march in the BARNUM PARADE. So if anyone is hanging around until Sunday... Bridgeport, CT When Sunday, Jul 1, 2012 SUNDAY SCHEDULE6:00am Up and Eat 7:00am Depart for Bridgeport 10:00am Arrive Fully Dressed 11:00am Parade 5:00pm Arrive in Allentown The Barnum Festival Great Street Parade www.barnumfesti​val.com

looks like this Sunday is full uniform PREVIEW DAY for CADETS2. I'm surprised there has not been the usual overall hype coming out of their press releases yet. Best of luck on your season C2 and hope you step off on the right foot. (no pun) When: Sunday, Jun 24, 2012 Where: Allentown, PA Description South Mountain Middle School 709 W. Emaus Avenue Allentown, PA 18103 SUNDAY SCHEDULE 6:30 AM Breakfast 7:30 AM The Day 7:40 AM Stretch & Run 8:00 AM Visual 10:00 AM Warm-Up 10:30 AM Ensemble 1:30 PM Lunch/ Change into uniforms 2:45 PM Perform4:00 PM Clean-up & Depart

(read that too quick as "THE GREASIEST SHOW ON EARTH" LOL Are tickets going to be availale to purchase at the Holiday Inn Hotel as well as the stadium?

Since the CADETS2 rehearsed as the same facility my indoor groups did over the winter, I saw uniform fittings, the Holy Name patches being added, all the uniforms lined up waiting for bodies to put them on. I won't lie, as a CADET alumni myself I was a little disapointed seeing the traditional colors used after it was announced (paraphrasing here) "similar in style but not color". In the end they are a branch of the same organization so only fitting that they also carry some of the same traditions. One thing I also witnessed were the faces of some of those kids the first time they stood in the uniform. I remember how I felt when I first got to put it on. I've heard it called the "hand-me-down corps" on these boards but if that is what you need to do financially to get off the ground, then you do what is needed. Could it be a smart tactic on their behalf?- Perhaps. At least when I see them now on the field I'll know it is a CADET regardless of a number added to the end of the name. Don't get me wrong, I'm a supporter and have many ties to a different corps not too far away, but do have to admit I for one am looking forward to seeing the CADETS2. One thing apparent as the "unveiling of programs" are being released that people are overlooking, is here is a BRAND NEW drum corps evolving and may even indeed be competitive after only 6-8 months. If following by example, whether it be from other top groups, your own established "parent corps" or philosophy gets you on the field then good for them. There are some corps that have been around for years and still struggle.... just saying The anticipation of what this new group can bring is exciting, however along with that also burdens expectation on their behalf. Regardless of how they perform, how they sound, how many people they have on the field or where they place...... I will give them my appreciation for birthing a new drum corps I can watch. One thing learned from reading these boards, everyone has an opinion. I'm sure the judgment section at their first DCA competition is going to be huge. If I was hosting that show I'd probably take advantage and offer special priced seats to make the extra buck. LOL

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If I were you I would be Karma Capping myself with that bitter comment. (1st time poster)

Congrats to MBI for their win tonight. Definately my favorite MBI show. Congrats to the BUCS for an OUTSTANDING long running consecutive winning streak for the record books! It will be a long time to come before anyone comes close or takes that one away. Tomorrow is another day to see who wants it more! Does BUCS have the option to perform last in finals as Defending champion? Good luck to everyone.

Thanks for the thorough review! I enjoyed reading it. I loved how direct you were getting to the point without worrying about hurting other people's feelings. I'm sure there will be someone feeling the need to point out how incorrect you are because they can pull up a comparison from a show that happened in 1973. Please do not let that disscourage you from future reviews. Sometimes people just need to hear it like it is not like they want it to be.

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I think you got it right. If you are turning people away becuase of size limits, then why not start your own feeder corps. After all, how many of those that do not make the cut end up not marching at all. At least this gives another option. If they have the turnout then I say go for it. I wonder what the cost difference is between CADETS & CADETS2? Im sure it is huge as well as the time commitment and ability to work during the week while still getting a drum corps experience. In the end it's the same tan for a lower cost. LOL Just a reply to a different post regarding the "Crossmen" as a Cadet's feeder program that didn't take. The difference is 100% in the name. When the Crossmen joned YEA there was still that feeling of the "red headed step child" and not being good enough for CORP1 so you go to CORP2. CADET2 is a smart way to accept members that left back then because they were not auditioning for "Crossmen" and felt slighted. This way they would still in the end be a CADET. All the hype around the Cadets2 is simply because of the name. If this was an entirely new DCA corps with no affiliation to YEA or CADETS they would probably be supported and welcomed with open arms. Just by using the CADET2 name, people are already holding them up to higher expectations but only time will tell.

Oh boy, I hope this doesn't mean I will be receiving TWICE AS MANY phone calls, emails and mail for more Alumni donations to my Maroon & Gold membership. It was bad enough when I started receiving sponsorship letters from other drum corps members just because they were associated with YEA.

HANNAH GUARD IIA-class from Susquehanna Township, PA used a pretty cool version in 2008? I believe it was Go to www.njatob.org for contact information.

If this was to be passed I think it would take away a big part of the "competition" aspect of the whole activity. If and when someone knocks BUCS off the top spot I'm sure they will take more pride in doing it on the same grounds of head to head competition. Having Bucs (or any champion) step out of the competition circle really IMO does not give anyone the bragging rights to say. "WE were the corp that broke the streak" if they technically didn't "Beat them" does it? What goes up , must come down.... it's only a question of when. Last season there were more corps nipping at the BUC'S heals and appear to be learning what it takes. MBI definitely brought their A game, and just the fact that it wasnt a sweep on captions says ALOT! It works both ways, I'm sure that BUC's also realize this and will be doing what they can to open that envelope even further. Looking within to try to re-invent themselves and challenge themselves. I don't think BUC's are about to hand anything over at this point and unless there something to take them down within, they will go down fighting all the way till that score is announced and the newsgroups are buzzing..... and then beyond to reclaim what they took for granted.

I have to agree. I spun this a little from a sample that we had at a rehearsal. The one we had rotated in the air fine, but did appear a little slippery in the hands. An improvement for the company making them may be to put some sort or defined textured areas to the bottom or where tape might go or something. I would never spin these outside in the rain. It may be a good idea to tape it up anyway at least to give some grip spots. Trial and error I guess. The hollow "thunk" is odd also. it seems to be a poly-propolene plastic of some sort. Like a cutting board somewhat. I also think they hurt way more than a wooden rifle when you catch. It also appeared to pick up dirt easy also, but being the material it is that could probably be easily cleaned off with soap and water. Call me old school, but I prefer the feel of a good old fashion wood rifle. To each his own.

1989 CADETS I remember getting off the busses and filing into the courtyard of a corporate center around lunchtime. The corp did a standstill of the show and a few other selections. It was actually pretty cool as the music echoed through what almost seemed like a park-like atmosphere and watching everyone come to the windows and start filing outside. I remember leaving thinking that was oddest thing.

Absolutely! Especially for a corp that doesnt even get to see any of the top groups until this weekend. Much respect for them.. always a favorite.

LOL

isnt this about the time DCP crashes?