TroopAlum12

Most uniforms now seem to be on a two-to-three year rotation. Even with crown, they still keep the same jackets/shakos, but can change the accent/plume/pants colors to fit the show. Troopers has been doing three/four-year rotations since the 2007 reboot. BD does kind of the same thing as crown. SCV is getting into it as well. TL;DR: Same base uniform, different accents and accessories to fit the theme.

Just bought my tickets for Drums Along the Rockies. The alumni association picked some great seats this year (as in 50 yard line all the way)

*enters sandwich shop* "Yes, I'd like one Einstein on the Beach, please."

Those dang purple pants are going to be the end of drum corps as we know it! Just like grounded pits! And Bb horns! And electronics! And trombones! Ramble ramble GEORGE HOPKINS ramble ramble... (/satire) I really did love those uniforms though. I thought they looked good on the field and helped pull off the show perfectly.

Clarinets and saxophones for everyone!

Breaking 90 and getting a semifinals finish is not bad for a brand new organization. You can bet that all three of our corps will be back in hot competition this summer! In the mean time, good luck to all of tomorrow's finalists! Our members will be in the stands going wild.

Finally, some good news in this thread!

Let's get some baroque/natural trumpets in there while we're at it.

Prelims day rehearsal is wrapping up at the Alpine Scouts base camp, as they prepare to head to the show site in their first championship. Spirits seemed to be pretty high from the members, who tirelessly did rep after rep on the practice field all through the morning. "Its like the calm before the storm," commented the head drum major. "Everyone here knows that the game is on, and that we have to give our best tonight if we want to secure a decent spot in semifinals. We won't give up on a top 12 miracle until the scores are on the paper. I really don't think anyone will be disappointed though, as long as we have the best show of the season. These members have worked their hardest from day one, and have laid a great foundation for the future of the Alpine Scouts." Corps members are gathering now to sing the corps song before hitting the showers. Good luck to all of today's participants!

Funny how quickly championships week can sneek up on you...but things went pretty well! Alpine Cadets placed 13th in their opening season, which isn't a bad start. Western Wind was making some really good progress in this last part of the season, but ended up 15th overall as other corps also upped their game for finals week. The Alpine Scouts are hard at work for world championships this weekend, with hopefully a few final surprises in store!

Personal bias aside, I seriously think Troopers stand a good chance to move up this year. Just seeing what they've been putting out on their Facebook page, its clear that the corps is performing at levels above and beyond the last several years. And I feel as though I'm at least a little qualified to say that ;) Of course, this entirely depends on how much the corps around them also improve, which has yet to be seen. That's been one of the things keeping Troop out of the top 12, the fact that the corps in their current placement range just keep getting more and more competitive. Which is awesome for the activity as a whole.

INT and Couchmen have long dueled for their prowess of the laziest corps in DCI. I prefer the Couchmen, personally. INT always charges you stupid amounts of money at their food truck... That, and with the introduction of their Facebook page and surprise appearance at TMEA, the Couchmen have proven to be a joke to be reckoned with.

This season isBRUTAL in the World Class realm. Alpine Scouts have relatively consistent score-wise, but our placements have been all over the map. That's what happens when the competition is so close that a difference of a few tenths can move you 5 or more places up or down. In Open and A class, we're seeing some really strong mid-season rallies from Alpine Cadets and Western Wind. Multiple show wins from Western Wind over the past week, and dramatically improved placements from the Cadets means that we could see a fantastic finish to this inaugural season.

This, combined with the recent teaser clip they posted on Facebook, makes me happy. That 'aint the same hornline as three years ago.

I don't know who is behind this, but they're taking this to a while new level. They even made a Couchmen van and have a booth at TMEA. Photo evidence on Facebook:https://m.facebook.com/CouchmenDrumCorps

Some states are really, REALLY picky about how you travel. I can't remember where it was, but I remember there was one show every year in the midwest where the state DOT would show up and inspect every corps' buses and trucks. We would be asked to remove everything - photos, bus boxes, stuff stashed in the overhead, anything that they could possibly charge as a violation. Pretty much scrub the whole bus and then re-load it after the show.

I was thinking more of a giant bean bag chair.

A little hump day humor. I think I'll be auditioning for a lead channel surfing spot. https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=qIRo1uSLqZY

I voted Star 93, but only because I listen to it more often. I also love Madison 88. As many before me have said, apples and oranges. Star 93 was groundbreaking, with lots of body movement, silence, and finesse. Madison 88 was loud, proud, face-melting awesome. The drum corps activity needs both, or else it would be a boring grey mush of sameness.

In all seriousness, if they continue to work as hard and grow at the rate they are, I could see them becoming a World Class candidate within several years of entering OC. Maybe even sooner rather than later.

Training. Educational camps, basically. They are going to continue to hold the occasional camp until they start touring, getting the kids who are interested drum corps ready.

To be fair, some of these corps really have taken some very good steps to ensure stability, too. Because some friends of mine are involved, I've been following the development of The Battalion out of Provo. They've been in existence for a while now, holding fundraisers and advertising/recruiting like mad. This winter they started hosting camps, with pretty good turnouts. All of this, and they aren't planning to apply for membership until next year, and then with a very limited tour. Planning things out years in advance, taking baby steps, and not moving on until the foundations are secure (aka good business!) If more startups did this, I think we would see a much higher survival rate in Open Class, and maybe even a higher rate of corps advancing to World Class status.

Jon and his family are being laid to rest today (11AM, fittingly enough) in Texas. Lots of corps members and alumni across the country wearing jackets and sabers in his honor today. One fellow alumni got the permission of his parents to sing the corps song at his graveside following the funeral service.

Byesville is where DCI listed them as, but their website says they're from Huntington.

Just saw this come across my newsfeed today: DCI is expecting to see the return of Southwind along with 4 other new corps that have applied for membership in 2015. Original article here. DCI is referring to this time as "a growing resurgence of startup drum corps," citing the six corps that joined open class last year as well. The new applicants include: Freedom Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Web | Facebook | Twitter Heat Wave Inverness, Florida Web | Facebook | Twitter Jewel City Byesville, West Virginia Web | Facebook | Twitter River City Rhythm Anoka, Minnesota Web | Facebook | Twitter Southwind Mobile, Alabama Web | Facebook I know of at least one other corps, The Battalion from Provo, Utah that is planning to apply for entry in 2016. What are your thoughts? Could we be seeing the return of a larger competitive field? Could drum corps become more widely known once again? Exciting times ahead!