SpiritVet

Can't post pictures for some reason. Anyway, search Pearl Marching on Facebook, click on photos then albums then DCI 2013 for the Pearl corps pictures. Search Jersey Surf and scroll down a bit to find theirs.

I think I saw on facebook somewhere that it's black chrome. I can see how that picture puts out a little purple, though.

Can't link images today, but I came across a picture of it on an actual person. Reservations I had before are gone. Excited to see this on the field!

Don't have a link but everyone on Pearl this year (BD, Phantom, Spirit, Troopers, and BDB) has pictures up. Spirit's drum finish is the same as last year's. Not sure if they're on new drums or not.

Hm...I do like it, but in my opinion, I would've gone with either white or black pants....and maybe shorter (like 4 inches maybe) on the jacket. That and/or cut at an angle, like WCU's uniforms this year. However, it's a good look for the program this year, and I still think we'll get the same dark Bluecoats sound we've been used to hearing for the last few years. The look is different for sure, but I'm still looking forward to it.

This is championship level trolling. +1 everything Dan.

Nooooooooooooooooo! This show...field was terrible, the baseball stands made it awkward to perform to the crowd, everyone went for the ice cream meaning I'd have to either wait in line for hours or have to walk a mile in both directions for any sort of cold relief... BUT I LOVED IT Also, it was basically my Birthday show. Though we did stay in town a day later and had laundry on my actual birthday...and the ice cream place wasn't crowded at all. Anyway, you will be missed!

Several of the current uniforms are made to be machine washable. If I remember correctly, the washing interval when I marched was 2-3 weeks. Usually, this would be a trip to the laundromat that was separate and different from corps laundry day, carried out entirely by volunteers (THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH). Of course, we were really lucky to stay at schools that had washing machines on campus and let us use them prior to San Antonio and Atlanta regionals. Also worked out since we didn't have shows the day before said regionals.

Just saying Dan, I'm honestly amazed that DCI successfully held finals at Tech in 1984. It would be a logistical/staging nightmare today to move the front ensembles of 20+ corps, much less the marchers, in and out of Bobby Dodd. Me, I'm hoping when the Blank/Reed spaceship lands in 2017, it'll open some eyes while opening its eye.

I had a lot of fun at our first weekend, and we put together some great music! Come on down and play with us!

I think we're spiraling out a little bit. I think most of us can agree that there is no need for a cell phone on a rehearsal field or during a performance as it is a ridiculous distraction from what's really important: the opportunity to be a performer and to improve your performance to unimaginable levels. It's the reason we march. AFTER A SHOW IS OVER, what's really important are people. People who march next to you, people in that other corps over there that are totally nice people, people you'll never see again who came out to see you perform and now you're walking away with a baby they threw at you, AND last but certainly not least, people who love and support you back home. It's been mentioned before that tour is very different now than it was 20/30 years ago. One difference (perhaps an unfortunate one at that) is the lack of a local feel to tour. Because of this, I know several corps members whose families never get a chance to see them perform live. And for a lot of others, it's only once. Cell phones/social media provide a small window that can allow love and support to go both ways. Does the window need to be open 24/7? Of course not. But if it isn't open every once and a while, I feel that we as human beings are ignoring something that is really important.

I can't say across the board, but I believe it's unspoken that you don't use a cell phone during rehearsal. In my corps experience, we made fun of the one time someone "needed" to use a phone during rehearsal, and were generally disruptive background (HI PERSON'S MOM!!!!! CAN YOU BRING ME A GATORADE TOOO???) Some corps still have a no cell phones at all during tour policy...i.e. collect them at the beginning of tour, give them out during off days and collect them again, but several of the big names we associate with this practice have reportedly relaxed their policies. There's also the practical aspect that since you're for sure going to use it after a show, and maybe to listen to music or during the bus ride/nighttime, you'll need to charge your phone during the day, thus leaving it in the sleeping area and not on your person during rehearsal. Now, that's not to say they're completely and totally frowned upon, because closer to the end of the season, there are a lot of field cams during rehearsals and runthroughs. I've even seen a couple videos of major shows from a marcher's perspective taken with a staff placed and well hidden camera/phone.

The Viper shoe alone is a revolutionary thing, and it started several corps down the road of dancelike motion long before Blue Devils and Bluecoats took their coats off or Crown moved away from a traditional uniform jacket. It's constructed like a dance shoe, allowing for ridiculous flexibility but still maintains athletic support and a professional look that will blend well with a very traditional marching uniform or a modern indoor pageantry arts type uniform. Basically, I feel that there's no need for a shoe revolution now because it's already happened. I know advances are being made in almost every avenue of technology, but until we discover a new way to move, I don't see a need for a new shoe. As a recent DCI performer and current DCA performer, I am very satisfied with the newest products available. Many of my friends agree as well.

Oregon's got a great band and look, but you can't use their uniforms as a sign that Nike or anyone similar is going in the marching direction. As most should know, Nike was founded by Oregon alums and they donate very generously to the school, which includes syncing the uniforms of anything remotely athletic on campus. As far as shoes are concerned, the current modern offerings for marching shoes are actually quite good. And I'm not talking about Dinkles, which I have found to be heavy and uncomfortable. Vipers and the System Blue Super Drillmasters are constructed very intelligently to allow for all sorts of ridiculous drill moves the modern marcher must perform while providing good and durable support to last a season and in all sorts of conditions. Not to mention, they tend to be reasonably priced. Most corps and bands are able to get a subsidized price at $30 or less per pair. In my opinion, there are plenty of places to reinvent the wheel with regard to drum corps. Right now, shoes is not one of them.

1. This is how we lose housing sites. Though not likely in this particular case, given the staff connections. Still, this is not the first camp for 80% of anyone there, and cleaning up a school is something you learn and perfect after first camp. 2. Youth Performing Group is an accurate and useful term for drum corps these days. It's how we get donations from rich people who have no idea at all what we are. It implies education and artistry, which are certainly attractive things to donate towards. So, IMO, idiot newspeople got it right. Props also to Jim Coates on excellent damage control.

The Washington Redskins?

This is certainly not new stuff in the music technology realm. The Music Technology folks at my alma mater, Georgia Tech, had a robot that can not only play complementary rhythms to a human player but improvise and create new music. Also, a robot that can play marimba, which they've showed off in this commercial here (fun fact, the human drummer is a Spirit alum).

Here's two perspectives you might find enlightening. Granted, my situation is pretty unique, but some themes are similar. I was set to graduate in December of 2010 with my BS in Materials Engineering, but I got the bonus year and would age out in 2011. Coming out of high school, I was an ardent follower of drum corps, but didn't think I was talented enough to actually do it until after my little brother marched in 2009. I auditioned with him at Spirit for the 2010 season, and made the cut, but eventually decided to take an internship and march all-age (Atlanta CV). Both my internship and marching CV have proved to be very valuable to me, not only in the obvious ways, but also in that I established quite a few connections to people of similar professions while marching. After I graduated, my plan was to apply for grad school, work part time/intern, and march Spirit. I ended up dropping my grad school plans in favor of full time employment, and found a company that wanted to take me starting in May. I was able to convince them of the value of marching corps, and they delayed my start date until August. I ended up leaving that company and searching for new jobs, but my connections in corps, as well as my marketability from internships, and the way I was able to sell my experience marching drum corps got me into my current job. The way flex time works, I've even been able to do some marching band teaching during the fall. Now, my brother decided he was talented enough (very true) and wanted to do corps immediately after high school, and then go to the same school as me, majoring in Aerospace Engineering (eventually changed to Computer Science). He's marched four years and aged out in 2012 with Spirit, and is set to graduate this December. His grades have been outstanding, and he's received offers for internships and/or jobs that he's turned down to do corps instead. He's steered his CS curriculum to eventually move towards grad school doing Music Technology, and during the down time between graduation and the start of grad school, teach on visual staff for a corps. Basically, you'll be surprised who you'll meet doing drum corps. Several engineers have made it work before you, and you'll probably meet them along the way. Also, how you manage to sell your experience can have a great effect on your future. But as for how you split your time doing internships and marching, it's all up to you and your situation. Consider carefully if you'll graduate before or after aging out, and as a CivE, it'll probably be important for you to get your PE, which means getting employed as soon as you can after graduating.

I'd disagree with grouping Spirit with corps that haven't expanded their reach/not been rewarded placement wise. Spirit has for the past year held a Texas audition camp, which I expect to be as well attended as other corps recruiting from the area. Like other corps, several staff members teach or have connections to various programs in Texas, and we've seen consistent membership from various Texas sources. But in general, Spirit's home reach is a very large area, with consistent membership from obvious places like Georgia and Alabama, as well as recent connections and large groups coming from southern Mississippi (and USM specifically), all over Tennessee, and even the Carolinas. Additionally, we've seen membership from the Midwest (especially Michigan), Pennsylvania, Virginia (specifically targeting the JMU and George Mason programs), and lately we've developed a connection to some California programs with one or two individuals making the trip out. With all of this branching out for talent, Spirit has seen rewards in placement, being one of two corps that has improved in placement every year since the 2009 season.

This. Also, the reason this happens is because on software, each performer is a "dot", but in real life, a human shaped object with a tube of metal projecting forward. Or, in the case of a band I'm teaching these days, a prop is a "dot" on software, but in real life, it's a 2x6x2 ft. piano key that you can't march across. Most drill designers design enough space to account for these sort of things, but 5% of the time, it works with dots but not in real life.

No worries on the early announcement! We designed it in such a way that we could wow the crowd into thinking we just gave it everything...BUT THEN THERE'S MORE!

Hey all, I had a blast performing this weekend! Thanks to all who put this on, and I can't wait to be back next year!

I did it last year with a few of my friends. Aged out of Spirit of Atlanta, went to CV, learned the show in a weekend, and performed at prelims and finals. 2011 was a rough membership year for CV, and I was happy to help the corps that gave me my start in drum corps. Thankfully, we didn't have any major membership issues this year. As for this year, I have a friend who went to C2 from Spirit of Atlanta. He tells me it was a blast, and is very grateful for the opportunity.

Unless it starts raining, yes. Warmups were there for semis today(yesterday, timezones, whatever) and the shuttle was great. Was able to watch Spirit of Atlanta in the lot and still make it to the stadium in time for Crossmen.

1-2 is a battle that's been going on since Minneapolis. Can't wait to see how it ends up. 3-4-5 has seen Cadets and Phantom flip flop on top, with Vanguard getting closer lately. Bluecoats seem like a lock for 6. 7-8-9 is a real battle like others have said. Thinking the same thing will happen as last year. Spirit has an off tour going out of Virginia into Pennsylvania, rehearses a few days in Indy and spanks everyone getting close at Quarters, making it interesting with whoever sits in 9th. 11-12-13, would love to see Crossmen make the jump up, but BK and Blue Stars are starting to look more comfortable with their very difficult programs. I haven't even paid attention to scores below 13...I just enjoy the shows!