Cubeth77
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Posts posted by Cubeth77
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This is one of those things where you had to be there to understand.
The exhibition was exactly the right thing to do, no more, no less.
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Daniel Webster had once defined the word courage as "grace under pressure". The Spirit of Atlanta certainly proved him right.
In my opinion, having been there and a part of Spirit of Atlanta 1980, with all the emotional stress and events of that day, if we had been told we were going to be in competition that night... I don't think I personally would have accepted or agreed with that due to the fact that we were all in a state of grief and unbelief. It took all I had just to get through that day much less think about being competitive.... afterall, relationship and people are more important than competition. (Other Spirit of Atlanta members and staff from 1980 - am I on target here?)
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I was a member of that corps in 1980 and performed that night in Memphis, TN. I played Soprano bugle. There are no words to describe how I felt going onto the field. Like Bob Clark said, we were determined to perform and stay on tour, but I personally doubted I could ever get through it. To this day, it is one of the most difficult things I have had to do in my life. When we turned around to warm up, and instead of seeing Jim as always, Freddy was in the stands to warm us up, the gasps that my fellow corps member let out only added to my sadness. During the show, I could hear people all around me crying, gasping, and see people passing out. In "Let It Be Me" when I heard that ambulance and saw it going down the track, I felt a sudden panic that I can't describe. I have watched this video of our performance at Memphis one time and was simply floored that I could have felt so sad and thinking every note "I can't make it... how am I going to make it through this? Please Dear Heavenly Father and Lord, help me." I could not wait to get off the field so I could cry like a baby. I can't believe how amazing we sound when none of us could hardly play due to crying so hard..... Only by the grace of God did I get through it.
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Yes I was a member of Spirit of Atlanta in '79, '80 and '81. We were kind of wondering how we could win prelims and then Phantom must have practiced every second between prelims and finals to jump and beat us by over three points. Oh well, we got them in 1980. However some people did not get to march '80....
Cubeth
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Teasing Bonnie? About What ?
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You can probably hear me cheering on that recording. The Blue Devils spent quite a few days in Stillwater that year, and I was there literally every second.
They polished their show into the championship model it became during those long practice days in Minnesota.
It was that week that I met a young soprano player.......oh yeah, it was Dave Gibbs (now director). Also became friends with guard member Lee Doebler, who also won 4 DCI Championship titles.
We continued as pen pals for another 6 years. Had great visits with Jerry Seawright, and saw how the corps loved teasing Bonnie Ott.
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Back in the early 80's when I marched, we learned that they were going to make Drum Corps an Olympic Event... I guess "They" are still working on doing so...
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3 Way Tie:
- Spirit of Atlanta "Let It Be Me"
- 1974 Hawthorne Muchachos - "When I was Seventeen"
- Cavaliers - Softly As I Leave You
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I'm sure many of you have your favorite openers of all-time. Would love to hear which ones I should put on my playlist for a road trip I am about to take...
Here is my favorite:
'92 Cavaliers (Gavorkna Fanfare)
Here is my favorite homer corps opener:
'91 Bluecoats (Nutville!!!!)
1974 Hawthorne Muchachos - Pictures of Spain (can't spell it in Spanish, but it is something like Picturesque es Spain)
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Am I totally going bonkers, or did Crown actually already beat BD one time this season already????
I know I saw it posted on another social network, but maybe it was in error.
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Now I'm a curious soul, and was wondering what made such a dramatic difference to BD's overall performance from 1974 to 1975.
I hear two distinctly different animals when I listen to the recordings. Did they just get good or were there other factors involved?
Jim Ott and Wayne Downey were both horn instructors and Jim Ott was the arranger of the music.
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I just watched the vid. Beautiful tribute!
Many people don't realize that Jim was a member of SCV in 1971. He played mellophone and had to leave mid-season to help the Commodores.Here are a couple bits of SCV trivia for you. Jim's replacement in '71 was Stanley Knaub who many credit as being the father of the modern color guard. Also in '71 both Jim and Wayne Downey were members of the SCV horn line.
And wasn't Mike Moxley also in SCV with Jim and Wayne in 1971? 3 future employees of Mr. Jerry Seawright!
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Wherever Bonnie Ott was...and is!
Loud is Beautiful... She can playe louder than most guys!
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yep heard all that also..I know members were told they won and a DCI official at the time led them to believe this as well.
Yeah some of the old respected guys were alot tougher than most like to let on and competition was just as fierce as it is now....maybe more
I did hear Warren and Jones were sorta a team back then and I do know some didn't like MAC ( Hawthornes director..also have to remember kids rarely corps hopped so the kid that went back to cavies did what he had to to get back in good graces i guess.
Can anyone explain why DCI personnel did not like MAC? He was the Caballeros First drum major and cared as a director also it seems to me.
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Des Plaines ( Chicago Junior Corps ) Vanguard Drum Major died at rehearsal after being struck by lightening in the mid 60's.
Several marchers over the years have died in car accidents after leaving practice or on returning home from a show competition.
(Man, this is a joyful thread, huh ? )
Or on their way to perform at a competition or parade. I am speaking of Dave Rinaldo of the 1976 Hawthorne Muchachos who along with three other members of the corps were on their way to perform in a parade in Patterson, N.J. right after an early morning practice when they suddenly encountered a disabled car in the left (fast) lane that was changing a flat tire. Dave swerved to miss the disabled car and colided with a propane truck. David was taken two days later due to injuries sustained in the incident. One other member spent about 3 weeks in the hospital. The other two sustained only minor injuries.
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You are correct, I marched #2 bass that year.
We had a MAJOR tear and side one of the hornline and the drumline was a full 4 beats off from side 2 hornline after the solos in the opener.
The corps never fully recovered from that blunder for the rest of the show.
What a shame.
The original poster was correct in saying we beat a few finalsts earlier in the week at Randalls Island stadium in NYC during the VFW finals.
I do believe that was the last VFW finals with top junior corps in attendance.
If you have a chance to hear the world open recording from 1976, You will be quite impressed, It was a great corps, YOUNG, But great just the same.
Jay
I was there at DCI prelims in 1976 and saw the Muchachos. They were great even with the phasing problems in OTL. What I also remember distinctly is at the end of their show, a horn player fell out (fainted). You have to also remember that less that two weeks before finals, the corps was victim to a major tragedy when four of their members were involved in a car crash on their way to perform in a parade in Patterson, N.J. One of those four died the following Monday Aug. 9th. One did not get out of the hospital for over three weeks. What I have learned is the cymbal player who passed away was one of the most charismatic, talented and popular members of the Muchachos. This tragedy along with going back to the "place" where the veterans last remember getting told they were DQ'd after prelims in 1975 had to have added to their emotions that day. I think for what all they had been through the past year, they did amazingly well! What a heart that corps had!
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I would say the question to ask is "if the staff who knowingly allowed a lot of overage members to march would have seen the effect on those members who were not overage would they have gone ahead with it."
Bingo... that is the question. And of course they would not have, but I can't see any corps blatently breaking the rules just in defiance of DCI like so many have said the Muchachos did. But again, I was not there and don't know for sure.
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What do you mean?
I mean there are a lot of people who believe the DQ is what the starting of the end of the Muchachos. And lots of innocent members were devastated to see their dream go up in smoke.
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Not sure how many Muchachos there were but instead of penalizing the huge majority of kids that were in the corps, wouldn't it have been a better idea for Muchachos to take those kids out, let the corps march with holes, and deal with the dumb as s adults at a later time? We're talking 15-21 year old kids that spent a lot of time practicing and fundraising to make the season happen. Go after the staff and director after finals. This isn't professional sports! They're not Pete Rose. Kids! Just seemed like a terrible way to handle the situation. As a school admiinistrator, I would not want to punish the 98% that followed the rules, just the 2% and the staff that knew.
I know of at least one member of the 1975 Muchachos who did not fare well after that event and although we can't say for sure what caused his demise, many of those kids feel they never got over what happened to them in 1975 after prelims. If the two Cavalier members could have seen the effect of their turning the Muchachos in, would they have gone ahead with it?
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Spirit of Atlanta's exhibition on the day Jim Ott died
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
You are absolutely right, Jim!