Marianne

I'm actually hoping no news is good news. A poster on another board auditioned for SYTYCD a few years ago. She was all excited about going to her audition. Then suddenly total silence for a while. It turned out she made it to the choreography round, but didn't go any further. Nevertheless, she had to sign a contract that she would not discuss the outcome until the segment she auditioned on had aired. I would hope that if they hadn't made it past a preliminary audition, it would be ok to talk about it, since it's unlikely they'd even make it to the air. So let's hope they advanced somehow, and are sworn to secrecy.

So, how did I discover drum corps? Or how did I discover DCI? They are two different things you know. One is a summer marching/music activity, the other is the governing body to that activity. Just saying. As for discovering drum corps, my two older sisters became involved because some friends they went to school with were in it. When I was 10, my Mom asked if I'd like to do this drum corps thing too. (personal story coming) My childhood wasn't exactly the greatest. I was the one at school who was constantly bullied for being different (curly hair, glasses, and fat). The only reason my peers at school even cared I existed was for fodder to pick on at any given chance. My two older sisters (being typical older siblings), were tight together, but didn't want me around in their day to day life around the house. I had serious self-worth issues from all of that; punctuated by a grandmother who hated my dad with so much passion that at one point when she was babysitting me she blurted out that I was no better than that no go father of mine. I was somewhere between 3 and 6 at that time, cause I know my mother/father divorced when I was 3 (and I never saw him again), and I wasn't in school yet, thus the babysitting stint. So, when I joined that drum corps thing my older sisters did, I was suddenly around a group of people who actually wanted me around, and valued the concept that I existed. Sure, outside of rehearsal, when there were social things going on, I was still sort of on the outside. But I was pretty good at what I did, and I was valued for what I could do on the field. It was the first time in my life I felt like I was worth something. I seriously have no idea what would have become of me if I'd had to live my life without drum corps. My sisters eventually found "better" things to do with their lives. But for me, drum corps probably saved my life. So imagine my devestation when, at age 16 my mom had had enough of my dedication to the activity, and made me quit. 10 years later, when she fully supported my little sister's stint in the Troopers, I asked her why the double standard. She told me then that she just hated the corps I was a part of, but would have let me march in the Troopers. If only I had known before I was too old. I could have had several years in the Troopers which would have culminated with aging out with the infamous 1979 corps. I've decided that there is an alternate world out there (in true Sliders fashion), where I did indeed put on the uniform and became a member of the Long Blue Line. Truthfully, I think that Mom found it really easy to tell me that when I was 26. If I'd turned back the clock to that time she made me quit, and I'd told her "ok, then I want to march with the Troopers," that she still wouldn't have let me do it. But, I guess we'll never know. As far as how did I discover DCI? Well, I was around when it all started. I helped my sister raise the money for her to travel with our guard instructor (and a few other people) to Whitewater in '72. She actually sort of made me do it, with the promise that she'd buy me the lp's of the show when they came out. I never did get those lp's. Despite Mom taking drum corps away from me as a participant, I never let it go. I've been to every single DATR since it started up in 1972. My little sister grew up on drum corps, and as I mentioned earlier marched Troopers in 1984. We tried so hard to get her to go back again, but she'd found a boyfriend who pulled her away. She later married the guy, and had 3 kids with him before they divorced. Her eldest marched Troopers in '05. We hoped she'd return as well, but then the corps took 2006 off, and by the time 2007 rolled around, she just found "better" things to do. This would have been her age out year if she'd stuck with it. I have to say its so frustrating to see both little sis and neice both throw it all away when they were so fully supported to participate. Yet I would have given anything for the support, and for the chance to march. What an evil world we live in sometimes, eh?

We were at my grandmother's apartment in Denver. My aunt/uncle were visiting from California. My uncle (who was notorious for his jokes), came back from the building's recreation room and told us, "Did you hear Elvis has died?" We rolled our eyes and gave him a skeptical look and waited for the punchline. It took him a few times of "no really...." before we actually believed him.

This is outrageous! And to think, a friend of mine almost got introduced to this wonderful world of drum corps when her son auditioned for Revolution this past off-season. He even got a contract, but in the end decided to stay home, get a job and save money for college. I was disappointed when she told me that. But in hindsight I’m very glad he made that decision. I hate to think of any parent’s first exposure to the activity to end up this way. DCI needs to address this issue immediately, especially hearing that this is a common occurrence for this corps! This makes me very angry.

Looks like they're doing a really good job of standing still!

According to Cadet's site, here are the performance times and judging panel: Drums of Summer 7:07 PM -- Music City 7:24 PM -- Crossmen 7:41 PM -- Troopers 7:58 PM -- Colts 8:15 PM -- Glassmen 8:32 PM -- Intermission 8:47 PM -- Madison Scouts 9:04 PM -- Santa Clara Vanguard 9:21 PM -- The Cadets 9:38 PM -- The Cavaliers 9:55 PM -- Bluecoats Encore: The Cavaliers JUDGE PANEL - Drums of Summer Music GE: Paul Hinman Visual GE: Kyle MIller Music Ensemble: Mike Davis Visual Ensemble: Sal Adamo Visual Performance: Carl Nelson Brass Performance: Lynda Eubanks Percussion: Dan Bryan Guard: Michael Turner Chief Judge: Paul Hinman

If you're going to write to them to inquire about video auditions, please remember to spell corps correctly. It's such a glaring error. You don't want to take a chance the person screening the inquiries gets their fur ruffled over a simple detail.

Yay! If you have a program, would you mind sharing when OTL times are? It sure helps us out here in the rest of the world to know who/when and stuff. Thanks!

Not exactly glorious everywhere! It started raining during Cascades. Halfway through their show they were stopped and pulled off the field. Lightning in hte area. Then we had to clear the stands as the sky opened up. The whole stadium full of people stuffed into the concourse for about a half hour till it cleared up. Though it left a wet slippery field as a result. An SCV guy slipped and bit the turf so hard you could hear the thud from the stands. Though it may have been his horm I was hearing hit the turf. He seemed to limp a few steps after he got up again. A horn player in Phantom went down too. Strangest experience.....I decided to brave the crowd and make an attempt at the restroom, fully expecting there would be a line out the door. I not only made it in the door, I encountered what can only be described as a ghost town when I went inside. I don't think I've ever been in a stadium restroom before with so few people in it! There were maybe 4 people in the whole room, and 20 or so empty stalls! It was pretty neat. I really didn't want to exit the room and go back out into that sardine can concourse when I was done! LOL.

80.70 Phantom

79.15 SCV

78.10 BK

73.55 Academy

World 65.15 Cascades

71.25 Revo

Open 70.95 Gold

All age 50.75 HCB

On phone now with sis in stands. I might be able to get scores as they're announced...

Where's the V?

learning the field show in the Fairgrounds parking lot that was our practice facility. Practicing for parades in same parking lot during the off season. High mark time in tennis shoes, in same parking lot, that wasn't plowed after the last snow storm, which has now turned to icy slush.

I'd love a return to trooping the stands, and the winner, as long as they did indeed salute the winner. Many years ago, I recall a DATR where each corps just turned around and took the shortest route off the field. If the winner happened to be standing in between the exit and the current corps leaving the field, that corps would salute the winner. But for those whom the exit was closer, those corps just turned around and left, not even bothering to troop the stands or the winner. Each corps did play themselves off the field, but it wasn't a proper trooping of the stands. SCV was the only corps of the night who took the long way around out of the stadium in order to pass by the winning corps of the night, salute them and troop the stands. I even wrote a letter to the editor of DCW about it, thanking SCV for showing their Class of the night.

My guess is, eveyone was watching the live feed yesterday and posting as they watched. Tonight, folks are watchign the live feed again, and posting in that thread.

One doesn't have to have known the man personally to have been touched by him. I feel touched by having seen his corps. And I know I've been touched by those who knew him personally and became better people for it. RIP George B.

You beat me to it. I was going to point out at least BK, then add check my signature if you have any doubt.