CrossmenAlumni

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Actually, any year there is a tie for first place between two corps, there technically isn't a second place finisher. In 2000, for instance, the Cavaliers and Cadets tied for first place. The Blue Devils were third. No second place announced or recorded. So that list isn't entirely correct.

Silliest and most overblown myth in drum corps history. It doesn't even belong in this thread with all these other things that actually have value.

You'll be hard pressed to find any one thing that would universally be claimed as the most sacred in all of drum corps history. Rather, you'll most likely see (and we're starting to see it already in this thread) that each corps has their own set of traditions, slogans, icons, and mystique around them. And when you examine them, you'll see many similarities. For instance, I've been around drum corps for around 20 years and I never knew that the Madison Scouts aussie was such a big deal. Having never marched there, it obviously doesn't mean a thing to me. But I know what my Crossmen aussie means to me. It is every bit as sacred an object in my drum corps life as what was described by the Scouts alum who spoke of their aussie. Similar meanings. Different corps. Happens often. And there isn't anything wrong with that. Every corps needs those things that they can claim as their own. And while some of the themes surrounding these things may be universal, each corps puts a unique twist on them that distinguishes them as unique to that corps. Another for instance...the concept of "unity." Every corps has it to a degree. Some corps have invented slogans that encapsulate that concept, others have developed rituals meant to enhance it, etc. At the Crossmen, we are (as far as I know) the only corps to outwardly display our Unity for everyone to see, doing so by clasping each other's hands into the air while exiting (and sometimes entering) the field of competition. Other corps have their own rituals and traditions meant to glorify the virtue of corps unity. We do it in a way that makes our version of it very unique to us. To the best of my knowledge, it is the longest-standing Crossmen tradition there is, going back 30+ years.

Like I said, I don't necessarily disagree. I'm just saying that this particular corps has endured stretches of change before where they've done pretty well in spite of it all. I'm not saying that's the way it should be or that I like it that way. Just saying that it doesn't always mean disaster. It's easy for people to say "just keep the staff the same." Sometimes, that's way more easier said than done. People get married and start families. People go back to school and can't commit the kind of time they used to. People simply move on, get new real-life jobs, or take other drum corps offers closer to home or for more pay. And there are even occasions where changes MUST be made because the chemistry isn't right or they're just not doing the job they were hired to do. It's all a delicate balance...and if there were a magic formula out there to success, more than a few corps would have been able to figure it out by now. Hopefully, this new team in Texas will be able to establish some roots that will allow the corps to move ahead and be successful on AND off the field for many years to come.

Wanna talk about the 2006 Bluecoats and Cadets? New thread here. Enjoy! :)

Since another thread was hijacked, I thought I'd create this one where the topic can rightfully be discussed. It was mentioned that because the Cadets had an off year last year, it paved the way for the Bluecoats to finish where they did. Discuss...

Point understood and I don't necessarily disagree. YET... 1989-1995 4 corps directors 5 brass caption heads 4 drillwriters 4 color guard staffs Those are some pretty great years for the corps. Very popular with the fans, and they did fairly well on the competitive side of things. Now in no way am I saying that all this change was ultimately good for the corps....I would have much preferred more continuity. Just saying that just because things have changed often, doesn't mean that the corps always suffered. The next few years will be very interesting.

Did anyone catch Heroes the other night? Was anyone else surprised that Nathan Petrelli was the cheerleader's biological father??? I wonder if the invisible man dude will help Peter learn how to control his abilities, or if maybe he's going to make things worse. Should be interesting.... :P

It should also be pointed out that despite all the changes, despite all the uniforms, despite all the directors, despite all the times the corps could have (and probably should have) folded, and despite their recent competitive struggles, there are still only six drum corps on the face of the planet who have made DCI Finals more times than the Crossmen. Yeah, there have been ups and downs, but that's still pretty impressive, and demonstrates a certain level of consistency in and of itself. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what the new team in Texas can accomplish with the corps in the future.

Amen, halelujah. :)

1995 Adam Sage Renee Fredrick Michelle Owens Michael Shapiro 1996 Martin Hughes Craig Biesecker Michelle Owens Javier Sosa 1997 Martin Hughes Michelle Owens Derek Smith Javier Sosa 1998 Martin Hughes Alisha Hughes Michelle Owens Derek Smith 1999 Jennifer Leseth Joe Heininger Carrie May Michelle Owens Jim Schaffer 2000 Michelle Owens James Buckley Amy Clark Jim Schaffer ...give or take a few other contributors.

I, for one, don't like anything where a bunch of corps try to play the same thing like this. It sounds awful to me, and I cringe every time I hear it, whether it's America/O Canada or whatever they played last year. Nobody is in time, nobody is in tune with each other, it just sounds awful. Blechhhh!!!

No, Pete was in the pit all season long. We started the season with eight snares. Injuries brought it down to seven and then six. Towards the end of the year, another kid went down but managed to stay healthy enough to perform part of the show. He was in the snare line for the opener, went to the pit during the ballad and stayed there for First Circle, which was a pretty unrelenting tune physically.

I'd love to hear a ringtone of Brandt Crocker saying, "It's time for the DCI PRIZE PATROOOLLLLLLLL!!!!" They'd make a mint off of Crossmen members and alumni.

Hahaha, check out the BOA ringtone that says "Go for it! Break ranks!" That made my day!

Here's some perspective. The following is the text from a handout we were given as members of the 1992 Crossmen. It is the quasi-"official" show description from the Songs For Planet Earth show. I'm not sure if it was an official press release, or something just given to us members, to DCI, and to the judging community. Back then, corps didn't have websites and DCP never even existed, so it's difficult to say how "official" this really was for the time. I would think, however, that had all this internet stuff been around back then, this probably would have been posted on our website as the official show announcement. Here it is..... (* The now-famous "question mark" at the end of the show was not the original ending to the show, and was added in early August once it was decided to make this a three-year project with further installments in 1993 and 1994. If memory serves, the question mark was the idea of one of the members.) ...........It's interesting to read that after all these years. It brings back some amazing memories. Yeah, if you read it and are just looking to see what the songs are, it may seem quite high brow. Maybe even esoteric and "hoity-toity" (is that a word?). Aristotle? Empedocles? Carl Sagan? Rain forests? But in the end, like others have said, it's all about what happens on the field. It took a while for audiences in 1992 to grasp what we were doing.....this was a new thing conceptually speaking for the Crossmen back then. But once the performance quality started to rise, and thanks to some very wise decisions by the staff in terms of mid-season changes, the show took on a life of its own and became very popular that season and beyond. Many people list it as their favorite Crossmen show ever (or at least top 3). I'm proud of that. Some people will read the above 1992 write-up and it will do nothing for them. It may even add more fuel to the "esoteric" fire. But others might read it and go back to watch that show with a new understanding of the inspiration and thought and meaning that went into its design and performance. It's been 15 years since Songs For Planet Earth, and it's still a show that is talked about......who knew? :)

The corps will speak for itself when the time comes, I'm sure. They'll do their best and whatever happens happens. That being said, in 1997, here's how it broke down for the Crossmen: Brass - 16 vets Drumline - 6 vets Only the color guard had a lot of returning members. We were filling brass spots while on tour that summer. The corps finished 6th, got the highest score in our corps history, and our drumline finished 4th. Weird things happen all the time. They've got a long way to go and I wish them luck. Go get em, Crossmen! :)

Good thing shows were designed to be seen and heard at the same time. There is absolutely no substitute for experiencing a show LIVE...sight and sound.

There's a neat camera shot from either semifinals or finals in '92...i think it was finals...at the end of the Crossmen "Songs For Planet Earth" show of our soprano soloist playing backfield, and you can see the moon above the back stands of the stadium. Kinda neat for the "earth" show to have that shot...well done, camera people!

507 merged with the Keystone Regiment to create the Crossmen. The Iron Cross was formed a few years later as their feeder corps.

There's a group in Indonesia (Surabaya) that models itself after the Crossmen. I think this stuff is amazing! How they even know about drum corps is beyond me, and the fact that they are so passionate about it to start one of their own is just incredibly awesome! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I guess...

I don't either. If I want to feed my drum corps fix, I'll go to a show in person or pop in a video or DVD. Just listening to drum corps does very little for me. But before I started marching, it's all I used to do.

1998 Crossmen started the season with eight. Injuries got it down to seven, then six, then FIVE. Fortunately, one kid was able to perform the first half of the show at Finals. The second half (First Circle) was just way too much of a physical beast, so he played in the pit. So next time you watch the '98 Bones, you'll see six snares at the beginning of the show and five at the end.

The actual origin of that name came from the fact that the three pieces we played all toyed around with crazy time signatures throughout. Until they scrapped the middle tune in the winter (which was my favorite part of the show!) and replaced it with the more standard...and contradictory to the title of the show...4/4 ballad. Oh well.