The Dom

Cabs - practiced and partied at same place the one and only POST 199 (I think the place has some kind of mystic powers.) B-men - The V

No, I hate to fly...Cabs on the 15th and 16th though. I do have to go to Sky alum too. I promised Charlie V...see off the field no rivalry; I wore the bell bottoms but I'll play NY NY too. Won't taste to good but hey, I promised.

LOL thanks...I had to get another music stand; heavy duty. I may get a 16" ring book next.(Ha,ha,ha)

I want to see if I could get as many corps names in my tag line as you do...

It's about the only corps left that you and Charlie V. haven't marched with...

Hey Ray, One of the new tunes goes like this...daah, daah, daaah, dah, daaaaahhh, dah, dah, dah, daaaah, daaah, daaaaahhh. Does that help?

I grew up on 24th street in Union City across the street from Union City Roosevelt Stadium (not to be confused with Jersey City Roosevelt Stadium). Every July 4th there was a Jr. Drum Corps competition. I grew up wanting to be part of it. The Caballeros used to do the exhibition and I loved the whole thing.

I expected..."Giddy Up!"

Oh Geez.....

Not sure if this was a thread in the past; if so I aplogize and Never mind. For those who came in at the end or after it was gone...many years ago in the hallowed grounds of what was known as Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City there was a drum corps contest called, "The Dream." Many a champion was dethroned and many a champion discovered at that show. I remember the stories from the late James Costello about past dream contests where there were upsets and disappointments. It is now your turn to schedule; "The Dream." Let me set the seen...Late July/early August the summer is in full swing. It is a day time show; now list the corps you would have in your Dream Contest. The rules are five Jr and five all age or Senior: I'll start (not in order of appearance): Jr. 1975 Muchachos 1989 SCV 1995 Madison Scouts 1977 Bridgemen 1991 Star of Indiana All age or Senior: 1984 Cabs 2010 Bucs 2002 Brigs 1981 Hurcs 1975 Sky Exhibition: Reilly Raiders and Royal Airs.

Back in the day we were allowed to bring cassette recorders into the shows and record the corps shows (circa 86 and before). I recorded (audio only no video yet) the Skyliners 1983 DCA finals show and yes, Sidemouth and John Girardi, the other sop, nailed that number. I listen to that one piece over and over. It is one of my all time favorite corps tunes. Just to note; Sky had one of the biggest horn lines that I remember them ever having. I believe I counted 55 horns at 1983 DCA finals; and loud!!! (What else would you expect?)

The dream still lives...Bridgemen Alumni are a live and well with the main objective to bring those days back.

I think this tread can lead to stimulating debate because there are some deeper issues involved. Do we really matter? Do those competing both in DCI and DCA really understand who we are? What our purpose is? Do we have a purpose? Is there a place in drum corps for the alumni activity? I have been in the activity for six years. I have to admit, I wonder if we really matter to Drum Corps or did the activity just pass us by and if the only reason we exist is for own purposes; that feeling usually hits big time when I'm getting ready to go on at DCI East. In the past, we have gone on after the scores were announced (which I thought was really disrespectful especially being the majority of the alumni members were the building blocks of what the activity has become), and before the star spangled banner with only about 50 - 100 people in the stands. After a while you start questioning why do it??? I'll never forget the first time at DCI East warming up in the park; a member of Carolina Crown came up to me and said, "For old dudes you play pretty well." I thought to myself if he really knew who was in the corps. Members who were ground breaking with triple tonguing during their judged portion of their show, members of the famous Muchachos, members of the first corps ever to go undefeated in back to back years, members who were the first to transcend from the military type drills to the fan friendly shows, and members of the first eastern corps to win DCI. So do we really matter, will the alumni activity continue? I guess to those few that continue to post to forums like this it does matter and their hope is it will, if only we got the same type of respect from the group we were instrumental in building; maybe then it will.

Does any one have a copy of 79 DCI East Prelims or finals and/or 79 DCI prelims...I am very interested.

1976 Muchachos a show in Conn. While loading on to the buses getting ready to travel to the show (after a full day of practice), I was told I needed a new hat. (I paraphrase due to this being a family forum.) "When we get to the show get one", but when we arrived at the show, the truck had to move quickly away from the field entrance. I dress as quickly as I could; we didn't have much time due to our arriving late. I got a different hat. What I didn't know was the buses were being moved at the same time I was at the truck getting a new hat to the parking lot 250 yards away from the field. I never got the chance to get my sop off the bus. A member of the staff ran to the bus, grabbed the first sop he saw, and ran back to the field and handed the sop to me...only problem; he never brought the mouth piece with the horn. I went through the whole show without a mouth piece. We won the show and high horns.

Maybe they tag in and out...is that allowed?

Hi Kev, Nice job on the commentary. We (the Bridgemen) had a very good horn line this year, and Gabe Gulino was a major part of that development. Our hopes are that we will continue his ideology and take it to the next level as he envisioned. Unfortunately, you caught something I wish never happened. Yes, I did take a note up, unfortunately I had to switch my hand position and my glove got caught on the # slide on my sop. When I tugged it wouldn't release, so I tugged harder and I had to do it quick before I had to come back in. I am very embarrassed that it was that obvious and looked as though I was going to fall over. We had rehearsed that sequence at least fifty times with nothing going wrong; the one time it could or would happen and it happens at DCA. Ughhh!! Well, I guess I made the DVD again...

For Allentown - Friday's show, does anyone know what corps are practicing where?

Hey Charlie, rumor has it that you were, in between your triple duty (w/bmen, sky, and BS); selling programs and 50/50s...did you make commission or did you donate all proceeds to the home corps? You are now known as: "OLD Iron Lips" which is a step up from your old nick name.

Question; why only four competing corps? Is it because of the other show upstate NY? I am a Cab alum (84 &85) and I have taken my family to this show for years. I remember discussing the Grand Prix with Cos back in the day, and it's draw.

DCI 1973-1979 never made finals DCA two undefeated years with the Cabs 84 and 85 Alum 2005 - Present Maybe one more DCA year - I want a ring not just a patch.

Many of you are Drum Corps alums and I bet there are some great stories both from the hey days of each town having a Drum Corps through today; what was your favorite show (where you performed) and why? As a member of what corps?

Thanks for the details.

Here, here!!!

Jeff, my apologies for sounding ignorant but I may have missed some years with DCI; when years 91-93 and 2007 are mentioned in these contexts what happened or what was the issue of those mentioned years?