xandandl

I too agree that uniforms have an influence, perhaps not always consciously. Having judged, been at many judging association meetings, having instructed, listened to tapes and going to critiques these matters are discussed, sometimes off the record. For instance, a percussion judge will sometimes comment in critique his opinion that the uniform is cumbersome and affecting playing performance. (Cymbal players, battery, bass drums, and pit are all subject to this critique.) Visual judges of all subcaptions will comment, sometimes on the tapes, about clarity of focus, sense of cleanliness, and impact to the box of the forms, flow, and execution/design. Why do you think that some corps have elected to get rid of the side stripe on the pants beyond cost of production (eg. SCV, Cadets, etc.) I have even heard a noted World Class brass judge comment that the particular uniform style constricted the ability of the horn player to breathe his best due to the stress on parts of the body causing constrictions,etc.. Guard judges will discuss more than just whether Blue Devils dropped 3 pieces of equipment at Finals to get a 20. The uniforms add to the impression, to the performance, and to the impact. Otherwise corps would agree to do rainy day shows in tee shirts or tank tops and basketball shorts.

Didn't Vampira march in the Cavaliers' guard this summer???

Brian, I have contacted the Bridgemen alumni and await their reply once they return from Rochester DCA's. DCPer "Garfield" believes he may have one and has also the means to reproduce it. Thanks for getting back to me. Now as a bonus question for your time and efforts, can you name the only four U.S. States in which the (Holy Name/Garfield/Bergen County/Allentown) Cadets have NOT YET performed in their 80 years? I will give you a hint, Alaska and Hawaii are two of them. (The states of confusion, depression, ecstasy are not the other answers at this time.)

An inperson viewing, from the field and especially from the box, would have changed your confident statement I suspect. When horns were up, no red was apparent at all. I agree with 7567 that the uniform not only deprived any credit for visual improvement but actually added to the cluttered feeling, particularly in those drill situations that were front-forward on side one. Just like shows need a variety of musical emotions in successive balance to keep the audience and judges engaged, so does the visual. A show that was in the dirt as its theme (windmills considered) doesn't need distractions making it more dirty, but contrast so that one sees the highlights and depths.

Thanks. I have passed this info along. I did not know that legacy collections included the non-finalist corps, in this case a non-semi-finalist.

yes ditch those uniforms for next season, especially those black ones...especially when using brown accouterments at the same time. leave black to the podium prince/princesses.

2005 and 2006 might be even better examples for Cadets, although I agree with the 2011 zipper closer. Cavaliers' "darkness" is only a recent phenom of the last few years, their non-medalist years in fact. Kaleidescopic macho presence otherwise. No mention of Crown's brass??? (most years) Blue Stars have to be noted for an innovative and excellent guard in their early and present years. The comeback kidz.

But hasn't the BD criticism always been, they Glyde about it so easily, some don't think it's difficult?

Thanks John. I had presumed he had. Of course, this being DCA weekend, they are a bit busy in Ra-cha-cha-ster.

I think he is hoping for the holidays.

I have been approached by someone who wishes to surprise his parents who both marched in the 1985 Bridgemen. Would you know if a video of their performance exists in any form, from championships week or any performance that season? Since they weren't in finals (26th place with a score of 63 and change) they are not on the FN. Northern Thunder or anyone, any leads or contacts? Thank you.

I have been approached by someone who wishes to surprise his parents who both marched in the 1985 Bridgemen. Would you know if a video of their performance exists in any form, from championships week or any performance that season? Since they weren't in finals (26th place with a score of 63 and change) they are not on the FN. Northern Thunder or anyone, any leads or contacts? Thank you.

This,from Rebecca Karu,Cadets 2 major, makes for a great match-up this weekend: It was posted on C2 public website. Cadets, I love saving this for finals weekend. You have grown so much this season, and to think that the final push is already here, well... The end of the season is full of mixed emotions. We are excited for all the great things happening this weekend like the banquet, the corps necklaces, our final push of rehearsals, and obviously our last two performances. On the other hand, we are upset that this is the end. Like Rich has been saying, this is a fast-moving train, and all of a sudden there are no tracks. But I have one last request from all of you: Fight like hell. It's all a mental game. Being tired is mental; hot weather is mental. It's all a mental game. Don't think about things that don't matter. If you think you want to give up, don't, because every single one of you is capable of pushing a little harder and giving a little more. Don't think about the negative; think about the positive. How great do you want this show to be? It's up to us. It's 100% us. We know the music, we know the work, we know the show. It's our show. We are the one and only 2014 Cadets2. And each and every one of you should be proud because you are Cadets. You have 4 more days of rehearsal. 3 nights to sleep next to your closest friends. 2 more times to put on the Cadets uniform and max out our last 2 shows. 1 more weekend to spend with with the 2014 Cadets2. You are it. This is the last weekend to stand next to the same person in the snare line or the hornline. The last time to ever perform with the same group of people ever again. But you have forever to be a Cadet. Represent us wherever you go. Take the lessons you've learned this season and apply them to your life. You are Always a Cadet. We have 1 weekend left. How hard will you fight to make this show as great as it can be?

Nuts said: Big shout out to Vanguard Cadets ​and I have to agree. That drill by Myron was truly kaleidoscopic and so beautiful to watch both in Open Class and in their World Class at Indy appearences. Well done, VC.

Their growth this season was amazing, particularly since so many of them were rookies. Kudos to their conductor David Warren for his Jim Jones award, well earned.

According to this post by Northern Thunder on the Open DCP forum, I guess this look won't be returning for the 75th. I thought it the most powerful to the box of recent versions. Posted 18 August 2014 - 07:01 AM In its early stages. They have apparently acquired the uniforms formerly worn by the Boston Crusaders: http://www.battalion...rg/#!news/c17qu

All in good fun. "News release Now that the season is finally over, once fearful that his favorite corps might follow Queen Joan, Hopkins, and Gibbs into "the cold war of props" (a term used by Steve Rondinaro on this year's video broadcasts of Indy,) Chaos001 has finally released from captivity the hostage prop he feared might be used by Big Bird and the Quack Pack for their Swan songs in Swan Lake in case no one dying wasn't impressive GE on its own. http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/worlds-largest-rubber-duck-makes-way-into-la-port/ This reporter could garner no further comment from Chaos other than 'Congratulations to David and his phine phamily. Suta! '"

or Cappybara vs. DCP, on most threads.

While Michael Shapiro and the wonderful Blue Stars color guard already this summer gave us an attempt at Bubble Wrap drill with their Home is Where the heart is show, the photo above may explain the "tonality" of certain other hornlines, yuk, yuk. Actually, there have already been some marching bands of the Autumn seasons who have done these exact visuals as pictured above. Maybe not so suitable for those Texas summer temps or the "Swamp Tour" Phantom and DCI maintains each summer season.

re Jeff Ream: "look, the last thing I want is to see anyone hurt. I was there in 05 and saw it live," I too was in Scranton that contest and witnessed the same. I was also at the Stillwater incident and later contest when Cadets performed using Spirit's flags, drums, and some horns. For some who found my concern hyperbole, this may be part of why I think the issue is important today.

Jeff, Eat less sugar, better timing with your liquid intake, have a better diet, do a few laps around the track before taking your seat and I am sure you will be better behaved to enjoy the shows. :-p

re: Jeff Ream, raise your hand if you think one lawsuit can really #### up drum corps. Lawyers and legalities were a concern when Jim Ott died in that van load of instructors on the highway, when there was a traffic accident involving the Cadets' equipment truck outside Stillwater, MN which involved a fatality, and when one of the Kilties dropped dead on the field at the Scranton DCA championships earlier this millennium. Thankfully, all these involved corps are still with us today. Let us remember in our hearts all those who passed and those involved who will never be fully healed of memory.

Liahona and 7567, I guess you have been eating those same mind-reading pills as Brasso that give infallible judgments about what others have for thoughts and motivations. In fact, I have volunteered the last few years at Crusaders' home shows; a branch of my family lives in Hingham which is how I met the possible donor, a major player in the regional banking and telecommunications world there in the greater Hub and whose turn-off was a camp on a major religious weekend for several religions prominent in Greater Boston (and the nation) while the same administration was trying to make money off CYO's past history. To me, his criticism was much like the kid in Hans Christian Anderson's The Emperor's New Clothes. No disrespect to past or present members of Waldo's family. If taken, read the book. Hey, a possible show idea for 2015.

When drum corps were more neighborhood or regionally based and prior to the 4 month style of scheduling, families and fans could more easily follow their corps by being present more often at practices, performances, and events. I should have said that our current model of drum corps touring does not allow this as frequently due to the high cost in today's economy while junior or miss boards a corps bus not to be seen again until the second week of August. Not everyone is able to volunteer for food crew or other tour duties due to health, job, economy and other obligations. Few families are able to afford more than one sibling being in a World Class corps today, particularly if college tuitions are also needed. It is a question of the economic world in which we live, not a question of the shows the corps present. It's sometimes kidded that "Boston" is a place in Florida not Massachusetts for today's Crusader corps. There were no DCI drum corps contests this season in Florida; the family of every member from Florida had to spend a nice bit of change to travel to see junior perform in person. Thank God Tom Blair's crew allows them to see such things as Akron and Indy or travel "nearby" to Atlanta in Georgia, not Florida.

The WGI policy is exactly what I am speculating should be part of the discussion of DCI BoD and Directors of corps with their staffs. Thank you mj for posting it and to seen-it-all for your comments. The challenge for DCI corps/designers/instructors is even greater given the velocity of tempo, the number of performers, the size of the vertical space and "black space" at major competition sites. Because I do not officially speak for any of the four corps with whom I travelled this season, did consultations for this season, or helped with administrative matters this season, I have not included my name. It's the quality of the issue that is more important than the personality selling it. But no where have I said that I disdain modern corps visuals, think the staffs are ignorant or not conversing on the topic. That is the wrongful judgment of two loud posters unaware that I have worked on the visual staffs of three medalist World Class corps, have judged, instructed and provide multiple sponsorships, and still do. Keep to the topic and if you are unable, then don't post. In other words, don't stand in the way if you can't feed the discussion. Perhaps a different way of looking at the possible need to re-vamp our perceptions and perspectives so to re-evaluate our procedures is this which was emailed to me privately by someone not on DCP. Imagine a corps tried to fill the vertical space at LOS by having a horn player ride a zip-line from the 30 to 30 in the closing moments. Maybe cheesy like the Cadets' banners at the end, but potentially as inexact as the hanging of those banners actually were across their top (the sagging Capitol.) Are we prepared for the dangers, without nets, without cushions, without medical staff able to interupt the show to get to injured players? These are good off-season questions BEFORE more serious problems result. Just ask BD's guard from this spring training.