It is a shame that a corps with so much potential has so many problems. I marched in the CR colorguard in 2003 and most of 2004. In 2003 I marched in a colorguard with 32 members, in 2004 we had 6 vets in our guard. 6 out of 32 and we only had about 3 people age out. I was someone who wanted to stay and march with the same corps my whole entire marching career, that obviously didn't happen. Let's just say the problems that are happening now are nothing new. I had a fabulous staff in 2003, they now teach at a top 4 drum corps. For almost the whole summer of 04 I rode a bus with no airconditioning, yes it happens I know, but for the majority of the summer? We got off the bus in Louisana and it was cooler outside than on that bus. There were days when after the show the meal we were fed was chocolate pudding, so I would go meet up with some friends from other corps to get some decent food. I had a fantastic colorguard instructor have to leave the corps mid July in 2004, someone I greatly respected,someone that had been with the organization for quite a few seasons, someone that had the ability to make us fantastic. I felt cheated then, I feel cheated now. I truly love drum corps, I love to watch it, I love the feeling of performing, I only wish I could say I loved marching. I wish I had marched somewhere else so I could have the experience that so many of my friends from other corps have had. After everything in 2004 I have felt like I have no place in this activity and that saddens me as it is something I truly love.
I have never wished anything bad on CR. I have hoped things would end up good for them. I had watched all season and hoped that this would be the year they would make finals. But it is hard to make finals when over half of your members don't come back.
I hope there is something that can be done to save this corps. I wish it was a corps that members would want to stay at. I also wish it didn't make so many people doubt this activity and what it is about as it did at one time to me, as well as many other talented people I marched with.
I guess we will see what happens from here.