DerrickSCV87

I don't chime in much on these forums, but this type of topic moves me to do so. The Vanguard's "downward spiral' is far from that. there is no need to predict the corps not making finals next year as we aren't even done with this year. The Vanguard knows how to compete through the whole summer. They know how to turn it on as the season progresses. They know how to show up Finals night. That's what makes them SCV. If you check your history, Vanguard at their worst is a solid finals competitor. If I recall no other corps has placed in ALL of DCI's finals competitions. Not The Cavaliers, not the Cadets not even the Blue Devils. If "Top 6" is your gauge of greatness then 7th place shouldn't send flags up to fold the corps. Every corps in the top 12 of DCI is pretty darn good. I'd bet any of the top 6 or 7 corps of the las few years could give some of our favorite champions of the past a run for their money. Last year's Crown (or SCV for that matter) sounded every bit as good (or better) as the '87 Vanguard or Cadets. plus their drill and music is harder. Those corps were AMAZING! and so are the current top corps. my point is that maybe SCV is as good as they've ever been. Maybe not. but for SURE everyone at "the top" is MUCH better than the Top 6 or 7 of just a few years ago. Vanguard not making finals is NOT going to happen "overnight". It will not be a surprise if it ever DID happen. It would be over MANY years that they would fall from the top 12. A corps with the history, foundation and tradition of the Santa Clara Vanguard will not fade away like that. Things run in cycles. Look at Phantom in the 80's all over the board with a 10th place in there too. They seem to be doing just fine. Santa Clara is just fine. they'll be "back" soon enough. Their history speaks volumes. Don't count them out because of a few "less than stellar" shows. that's all d

There were hash marks on the field. It was a clearly painted field and the grass seemed to be in great shape. The crowd was set up for the fireworks, which were launched from behind the opposite side of the stadium. This was not a drum corps show. It was a community Fourth of July event with drum corps. The (non drum corps) crowd did seem to enjoy all of the performances. And I also noticed (in addition to Phantom's standing O) that the crowd clapped for the Devils' colorguard as the entered the tunnel to exit the field. It was a great night of drum corps! Pacific Crest was quite "artsy" in their presentation yet quite accessable. The Academy reminded me of an "old school" Garfield Cadets approach to what they do. A "thinking man's" corps as they said in the day. Vanguard was "the Vanguard" that we know and love from years past. Intricate, intense, classy and very entertaining. Phantom Regiment's performance level was a pleasure to watch. This corps is bring Spartacus to life on the field. The Blue Devils are showing us that they can do anything they want and do it well! This show is "just wierd enough" that it keeps you guessing but it also entertains. Nice job to all.

I don't know if I would call 87 SCV finals performance "pretty bad", but here we are minus one title for SCV after not losing all season. Meh, what-er-ya-gunna do? D ------------------------- "That's stupid! You talk like you're smart, but you're stupid"

oh, you meant TRIBUTE... Sorry I was a little confused ( yeah that's it). D

"tribute"???? He wrote it. truely one of the best shows ever.

That will only work on a PC. For Mac, you'll need to convert the .wma file to .mp3 or AAC with something like EasyWMA (one step) or if you have QuickTime Pro you can convert to .wav then use iTunes to convert to .mp3 or AAC for your iPod. out, D

From 1964-1975 The UCLA Bruins won 10 of 12 NCAA Basketball titles. They have more titles (and probably tournament appearances) than anyone else.The NY Yankees have won 26 World Series titles (in 39 appearances) more than any other team in baseball. The 49ers, Steelers, and Cowboys each have 5 Superbowl wins. The Cowboys have more appearances (8) than any other team. There are pleanty of teams in every sport/activity that dominate. It has less to do with "flawed systems" and more to do with "quality programs" (for lack of a better term). The reason Vanguard has placed in the finals EVERY year and has 6 title is because the have a solid organization and put out high quality shows every year. It's the same reason the Devils have 11 titles. These groups are consistent in what they do and how they do it. That's why everyone knows who they are. The Cavies and Cadets are a perfect example of what you say can "never happen" to the Crossmen. Both of these corps worked thier way up the ranks of DCI to become the dominant force that they are now. They worked hard figured out their "thing" and kept doing it. And got better at it. And the rest is history. Madison and Phantom are also very consistant in the quality of thier design and execution. Therefore always one of the top groups from the beginning of DCI. Another thing all of these groups have in common is history. They've just been doing it for a long time. BD - 50 SCV - 40 Phantom - 51 Cadets - 73 Cavies - 59 Madison - 69 These are years! So the Crosmen at 32 years (keeping with the example) are newer at this than the others. So for the Crossmen to win DCI they have to operate (design and execute) at a higher level than those that have proven to be the best year after year. I wouldn't say that they can't or "won't", but that they haven't. The any given day has to be stretched out over the season. If the Crossmen want to beat Phantom Regiment in August at the big show, they will need to be SMOKIN' in December so that when they come out in June they are ON FIRE! Because we KNOW Phantom will be. Parity is, I guess, not really possible in drum corps because of the dynamics of the activity. Equality is absolutly in place and a big part of what makes drum corps exciting. Knowing that everyone starts from BASICALLY the same place in December and seeing what happens by the end of the season is what keeps us coming back for more. Done and done. D

They also didn't use valves, have grounded percussion, or march assymetric drill. d ----------------------------- "Make me proud... or at least less ashamed."

Another reason is that in many cases, the entire orchestra is "amped". You often can't see them but there are mics all over the stage. D ------------------------ Homer Here's a lesson to you kids-- never love anyone! Lisa Not even you dad? Homer Especially me!

It's crowded because there were 100,000 people there. The Rose Bowl may be wrong for DCI for a TON of reasons but capacity ain't one of them. D

The thing is guys, this was not in any way meant to be a PR moment for DCI. It's Disneyland's 50th anniversary and this parade was meant to celebrate only that. If DCI were to try and "ask for [any sort of] guarantee", Disney would have, with out a doubt, laughed in their face. The difference between this "event" and the Macy's Parade or the Rose Parade or whatever is that this was in effect a glorified commercial for Disneyland/Disneyworld and the others are much more like community events. Seeing a DCI corps or Joe Blow High School is not going to sell tickets to "The Happiest Place on Earth", but giant gingerbread men and Goofy will. I would guess that the reason the ABC TV & Disney folks were so "GO GO GO..." was because every minute they are out there with "you" (ALL of the people in the Parade, not just DCI) meant THOUSANDS of dollars in production/talent costs. It also means that all of the folks watching in the park are not buying mouse ears and churros (mmmm...churros). Don't get me wrong though!! I'd MUCH rather see ANY drum corps than 2 hours of Buzz Lightyear and skating snowflakes. And while we are all very disappointed about the minimal coverage, and knowing Disney, we should all be happy that there was any coverage AT ALL. Just my $68.45 Derrick

What if... Some group got rid of all acoustic instruments, only used recorded sounds and all marching members had flags, sabres and rifles...that would be the end of drum corps as we know it. Oh wait, that's Winterguard. Ok, what if there were no guard and no brass, ONLY drums. That would be the end of my support for DCI!! But as I think about it...nevermind, I guess that is winter drumline. My point is (I suppose) that if you change it enough it becomes something else. There is no reason for anyone to march a five man, amped drumline and call it drum corps. At that point its 'Blast' or something else. The sky isn't falling. D

This is right on. There was no "nose thumbing" at all from that corps. The show was designed to be "entertaining" AND competitive. The judges loved the coprs and judged them fairly all year long (evevn having the beat the Cadets in field vis at a show!) The VK was never known for thier execution and that is the only reason they placed where they did. Out. D

How would they do that? "They would [insert 'evolutionary' change here] and that would move the activity forward..." just curious d ---------------------- "…they feed us horse meat, with traces of jockey meat!"

I just heard the APD. Cool stuff. I think what makes the opening narration less than spectacular (for me) is that it doesn't sound as "serious" as it could. The original Twilight Zone intro has a very "matter of fact" tone to it that really brings you in. I don't want The Cadets to imitate the original, but I feel like I'm being yelled at rather than told what's going on. The Bjork "narration" is actually the lyrics from the real song. The Cadets arrangement is pretty faithful to the original (at least at the start of it). Very cool show (watch out). D ---------------------- "...if you tell me you're a "Super-Mega-Ultra Lightning Babe, that's alright with me! I'm good..."