69Cadet

What do I like about the activity these days?? nothing

I TOO was a 13 year old at that show, and even then I knew something was very, very wrong in the results. To this day, I still have my own theory, (but I'd never ever speak ill of the dead) & would love to know how Sac won that show, with the lineup that was there? Never got an answer tho. 1966 Troopers @ Dream 82.293 3rd place Aug 23 1966 Troopers @ VFW 90.450 1st place Aug 24 1966 Sac @ Dream 83.320 1st place Aug 23 1966 Sac @ VFW 87.250 5th place Aug 24 Now I'm no rocket scientist, but........

The only problem I have is when kids today, refer to 2001 etc as "old school" shrugs - wtf do I know As god as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly (Fran Haring)

bravo - EFFING Bravo !

Hear HEAR and cheers to you. Tho I think there is nothing wrong with the potential that growth can bring, it's really now pretty much outta hand at this point. The "newbies" 4-5 years in, really know nothing about what drum corps is or isn't - how could they? These people will look at something or hear something from a few years back and call it old school. Me? I've been around longer than most of you & I don't like any of this one bit. How much DON'T I like it? I walked away after championships 2004 and never went to a show since. Closest I came was a percussion reunion in Allentown last summer & it never even occurred to me to go inside and see the show. My personal belief (in all things) is - "If you're not a part of the solution, you're part of the problem" Simple. Folks? I have some harsh reality for you... it NOT Broadway on a football field, it's NOT art that moves and It's definitely STILL the 1/2 time, NOT the game. IMHO, drum corps is dead, it now just Drum & Trumpet Bands. Look @ the statistics, there hasn't been an upward spike in what, 20 years??? How many are now left? less than 50, and prob less that 40. Gimme a break. I say, hire Keith Emerson for the Keys player and get the flying spinning piano for a good G.E. score

OK, that's pretty ###### funny !

HAHAHA Ray.... THAT was not anger, you should have heard me back in 2004 ! Nice to keep "bumping" into you out here. Simply stated, I am just not a fan of anything DCI. Maybe one day I'll publish some of my emails from Acheson so people can decide for themselves what a brilliant guy he is (sarcasm) I was at Allentown on Saturday last summer for a Cadets drumline reunion & didn't even consider going inside the stadium. Funny thing about drum corps discussion tho, and not just here but live and in person, published interviews etc... It's always fluff and anytime someone pops up with a dissenting point of view, all hell breaks loose. So be it. Not to sound like a s**t, but DCI really didn't make anything possible for me, I did it based on my reputation and talent, just like people such as you have. (shrugs) Looks like your kids are all doing well these days - & good to know. I can remember donating to Kevins' Crossmen fund at the Archie post long ago. best, DR and yes, everything is just fine on my end - I am simply donating my time, talent and $$ elsewhere.

I'd have to disagree in that this is a hobby. It is not. It "was" years n years ago. It is all business now and has been for years, albeit a poorly run one. And I'd have to disagree in your assumption that I'm ranting. I simply stated my personal case &/or viewpoints. Most likely, I've been around a lot longer than you have and as a result, have seen the transformation. I've been too close to the inside, have seen, heard and even wound up a result of the rediculous political BS that is the driving force behind what drum corps today is. Unless you personally have been there, well...... Don't get me wrong, I see nothing, absolutely nothing wrong with growth, new directions et al, but somewhere, it (like anything else) need to retain some of it's roots. Not all, but some - and here none exist. Most these days know not a thing of the roots or background. I do not "hate" the activity, but certainly do not love it as I did for well over 40 years. Why I do not help at all, is a personal thing, not really for these pages. Indeed, THAT would be a rant, not to mention seriously embarrassing some some pretty powerful people way up the chain of command. No rants here, as I said, if I can't speak my truth......especially out of first hand long term experience.

Not to pee on your parade, but in reality, DCI actually has no direction

bravo, bravo, BRAVO !

Since I really don't have and DCA experience or participation, tho I do know many of you, I wanna put my own 2 cents in here.... Wait a sec, does rehearsing with Cabs for 6 months, then walking prior to the season count for anything? "What were they thinking" How Blessed Sac won the National Dream in '66 or for that matter, plenty of other years as well.

Newbies, who know nothing really of what Drum Corps, or would it be more politically correct to refer to them now as Drum & Trumpet Bands ... when they see a 3-4 year old video or image and refer to it as "old school"

nope ----> OLC and Garfield

1968

No doubt, my reply here will most likely bring down a lot of complaints. But, so be it - if I can't speak my truth, why bother? I am 55 years old, & got my start in Brooklyn NY in 1962 in a small Sea Cadets parade Corps, moved to the OLC Ramblers, then to the NY Kingsmen and finally marched in Garfield to end my marching days. I went on a short hiatus for about 15 or so years - getting on with my life. Re-found Drum Corps by accident. I didn't get a lot of it and all the changes, but loved it none the less. From 1989 - 2004 I spent every single summer on the road shooting shows. Renewed numerous friendships, and made plenty of new ones. Now with the exception of DCA and the Alumni thing, it's my opinion that Drum Corps is all but dead. Granted, many changes have affected the Junior Corps world, but no doubt the biggest guilty party is DCI itself. And if that was an actual "business" and a publicly traded entity, thatso called Executaive Director would have been out on his ### and collecting unemployment years ago. (And this is by numbers alone). And again, it's just my opinion, but it's NOT art that moves, nor is it Braodway on a football field & it's STILL the 1/2 time, NOT the game. There is NO growth, it shrinks & shrinks & shrinks & ........ year in & year out. Anyone who tells you it's about the kids, is full of it. It's about ego, greed and what will you do for me this time. I could continue my rant, but I won't. To be honest, I no longer do anything for the activity. I don't go to shows, no longer donate to my Cadets - and it pains me deeply, - make no mistake. But I was raised to believe that if you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem. DCI? You Effed it all up. Lets hear it for mics, narration and synthesizers God bless you Cozy. You'll be missed

Personally, I think they held auditions in advance for rudimental drummers & could be a huge mixture of BD, SCV, Renegades, Imuplse, VK et al