wvu80

You better be right with this analysis, Boo. There will be heck to pay on this board if you're wrong. +++ Edited: I just read your recap. I was just funnin' with you above, but I have a semi-serious question or comment, if you please. Seriously, your analysis was just that; completely objective and unbiased. But where is the wry midwestern humor and turn of phrasiology we have all come to know and love? I wanna know what you really think, written in your own indomitable style that only you can do. :)

Best Bluecoats ever. They deserve every accolade they've earned this year. Put me down as a huge fan of the drum line. What a great job they do every night. If you get a chance, listen to the FN replay on headphones. Even if you don't watch the video, you'll understand how tight the battery and pit are. Watch the video and you'll see the distance between them, and you'll be more amazed.

According to sources on the Blue Devils Discussion Board, those are real, live mirrors. Very heavy and difficult to schlep around all season.

Those 2v King French horns are sweet! Very light weight, just a nice horn. +++ I sent you emails with my list of horns and pics. These are all 2 valves in excellent to good condition. 2 Deg Sops 1 King sop K-20 (very rare) 1 Deg alto (very rare, brand new old stock) 1 Deg mello (pictured in my Avatar) 1 King French horn (prev. owned by Sky Ryders)

"Revenge is a dish best served dead." Drum corps, on the other hand, is an activity best seen LIVE! As an old guy, you should know this. +++ The FN is not the best vehicle for our activity. It is video and audio at internet quality, not broadcast quality. It feeds the need for us drum corps nuts, but it is truly not for the average person, or a good experience for a first time fan. Big mistake, my friend. She must like you a lot to put up with drum corps just so she can spend "quality time" with you. Now you have to sit through a chick flick with her. I hope it was worth it.

I'm not sure they can. I saw them in June, so I know there's another notch up with the sound, but according to my sensitive but highly untrained ears I thought the corps had a "young" sound to them. Maybe they have a lot of rookies, maybe not a lot of college music majors, I dunno. I also thought the basic balance of the corps with 20 tubas left them without a sop heavy top end, which many of us old people would call the signature "Madison sound." Without that top end, I don't think they will achieve that "power corps" sound that frankly, many corps do have. Power or no power, they have a great show this year. I know you Scouts alumni are proud, and you should be.

Don't make me look this up! I remember just off the opener the drum line marched on the oblique from the left 30 towards the 50, while two lines rotated from a center axis to allow them through. I won't argue with my betters on that point, but that's what I remember which I call "asymmetrical." Absolutely! Young people, take note.

I saw you were replying, and I wondered what your opinion would be. I was thinking along those same lines, that the 1980 27th Lancers were more innovative than SCV, which featured a Zingali drill all the way. Not that my dumb opinion matters, but: 1976 Blue Devils - their style of REPEATING their best tune year after year was copied by all of that era. 1983 and 1984 -Garfield Cadets - I had to include both, because it was the FIRST TIME EVER a championship corps had thrown out their ENTIRE repertoire from the year before and did an all-new show, and the all-new show won. EVERY CORPS to this day follows that "all new show every year" style. 1990's: Star of Indiana - their style and the concept of TAKING CHANCES is still seen in every winning corps today. 2000's - Cavaliers 2002. For the first time ever DRILL replaced music as the key to winning a championship

Happy Days are Here Again - Blue Devils, 1988

Thanks for the clarification of what you are. I won't make the mistake of replying to your posts again.

As of San Antonio, 7th ranked Phantom Regiment had high drums overall in DCI which includes both nights. BD was second, Coats 3rd. It seems reality is in conflict with your opinion.

Let It Be Me. Spirit of Atlanta, 1978, 1979, 1980

1988 Blue Devils. The guard released the balloons. My WVU Marching Band (400 piece) releases balloons before the pre-game show starts while on the field. Search for that on Youtube, maybe you will find some ideas. The crowd loves it btw.

I have a 2V Deg mello in excellent shape I could let go.

I have a DEG mello in good shape, but only 2v. I just thought I'd offer you a choice. :)

From the specific to the general: Anytime a poster raises awareness of safety and protection for the young people who march in this youth oriented activity, it meets with my approval.

Agree, and well stated. (I saw your reply after I had written my previous post, just upstream)

Mr. Z is correct. State law (not a single national law) prevails, and it is different from state to state. For most laws of this type I'm familiar with, they have de-criminalized rape if the person is over the age of 16 and the older person is within 4 years. It used to be they had rape as the only charge and then the convicted rapist would go to prison for 20 years. The problem became no jury would convict a young person to prison for 20 years for having sex with another young person, so they came up with degrees of rape with lessor sentences, and now they have more convictions. I think Ohio has six degrees of rape, from inappropriate touching, to the most serious charges involving penetration with an adult against a child over a period of time. For older people having sex with younger people, they put the hammer down, as that clearly is a perp taking advantage of a young victim. Again generalizing, if the victim is under 14 it is almost always statutory rape, consent of the victim or not, and regardless whether or not there was penetration. Over the age of 14 consent can be considered a mitigating circumstance in the charges. +++ To me this is a legitimate issue for DCI to investigate, and to check with all its member corps to see there are safeguards in place. I would call on DCI to do just that.

The Bridgemen?

Bluestars are using chairs this year, too. The guard (Houdini) sits on them as they are escaping from being tied up with ropes. Do we have any of the same people who criticize BD, also criticizing Bluestars for the same thing? I thought not. Or are those same DCP'ers being exposed for being the hypocritical corps bashers with no credibility that they are?

"(DCImonkey @ Jul 10 2010, 11:58 PM) * You can't synchronize drill with music when your brass doesn't play for 4 minutes straight." Winner.

LOL! Funniest (and most accurate) quote of the night! The guard guys have to turn in their man-cards after this one.

Of the shows I have seen live (ie, not the Blue Devils): 1. Madison (for the musical selections) 2. Bluecoats (for the drumming and overall show) 3. Crown (for the brass sound) 4. Cadets (for the marching and drill)

LOL! I get it, as the ability to grasp the obvious has always been one of my strengths. I'm sure your recognition of the specialness of the moment of two deserving corps is appreciated by those corps, especially considering your affiliation with one of the great organizations in DCI. That is classy all the way around.