LancerLegend

I am offended by "the list" or the insinuation that this is DCI's fault. 99.9999% of those corps folded because of several reasons: 1) lack of interest by members - who moved on to other activities 2) lack of interest by members - who were more ambitious and moved to more competitive corps 3) lack of interest by parents - as their own kids lost interest 4) lack of interest by church or other sponsoring groups (AL, VFW, etc) 5) lack of funds - less parents being forced to raise more funds to dwindling membership 6) lack of vision by remaining management to seek other funding sources 7) corps went by the wayside when they refused to offer some touring opportunities - to keep pace with other local units 8) failure by all involved to realize the energy it takes to simply co-exist with other youth activities Fill in the percentages to the above.....or add other reasons why corps have disappeared. On the flip side, would there be any corps remaining, or would the junior corps activity have survived, if 13 leaders did not take the initiative to control its own destiny?

Not part of this forum - but in Greater Boston alone, it seemed like every Catholic parish had kids involved with the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) programs. There were literally hundreds of bands, drill teams, and color guards. Some of those kids saw the discipline, the sound and the "spit and polish" of drum corps as the purest form of excellence and moved "up." My CYO parish (Sacred Heart, Roslindale, MA) had 3 bands, 3 color guards and 2 drill teams involving over 400 kids. Now but a memory, but a great one !

What Stu said......I would take a survey and ask how many DCP'ers are still marching vs pure drum corps ageouts vs band only w/ no corps experience vs Fan with no experience. Here's my wild ### guess... Still marching - 9% of DCP'ers Pure drum corps ageouts - 78% Band only w/ no corps experience - 8% Fan with no experience - 5% Any takers? FWIW - I'm a DCI ageout.

A single VA judge to be exact......

What a talent......and yes, she's still got it.

Big diff in 88 that affected BD was the "one and done" change in the prelims order. The top 5 made television, and picked their appearance order out of a hat without knowing their actual prelim score. It was never done before, and never done since...... I think, if BD had known they had lost to Madison in prelims, they would have attacked their finals performance would more of everything......that being said.....I had seen them several times during the season - from east coast to their home show. One of the greatest performing corps in all respects. Arguably a visual concern might have been looking at the "non" blue uniforms - but that guard was superb !!!

Indeed it was Aug 1975 in Philly a few days before DCI prelims. Victor Borge wore one of the Marching Major uniforms.

Or, put another way, it shows how the tick system DID work !!

Forest - I'm confused. Are you really talking about 1997 in Orlando? Surely your Momma musta known the music to their show theme called As Time Goes By? She was probly laying on her back when the movie first was shown And those Blue Devils did a great job with it - just ask the BD Fans

Thanks for your continued support and kind words TimK. I lived, breathed, slept, ate and drank everything 27th from the time I first saw the corps on Columbus Day 1969 in the annual parade in Revere. I was fortunate that I marched 4 years - with some original members - and - some future DCI HOFers. I was also taught for 4 more during some of the most competitve years of the corps life. When the call came for Once More in 94 - I knew the next 18 months of my life was going to be centered around re-living my youth. Fortunately for me - my wife is a Lancer rifle - and we were able to participate together. I won't say we'll never assemble again - but it will never be the same. One of the most heartbreaking stories to share, is the number of friends that have passed since that performance - including our surrogate parents Patsy and George B. The logistics to assemble are enormous, and with the alumni movement very strong in greater Boston, I am certain we'd be competiting for the same members - which might be a good thing for some - but not for all. In my heart - it's the memory of the entire committment that remains strong - and perhaps best left on video for others to enjoy for the ages.

You should have seen the audience response from my side

If I didn't match in drum corps - I would no doubt be calling this story BS. However - because I did march - I know this is one of those stories that makes me believe every word is true !!!!

Thanks Linda - I know you're a significant contributor to these pages and I appreciate your kind words. With the passing of George B and Patsy, it's a little more work to figure out the logistics. So many people have good intentions, but the focus has got to be done by a narrow group, i.e., "too many cooks......" The final date should be verified within a week from today. I'll post it once I hear.

Sully......photos don't lie - neither did Bunny Hopkins. Rifles were not allowed at the opening ceremonies - which were held outdoors. Obviously rifles were allowed at the closing ceremony which was held indoors. Ironically, that piece written by Michael Boo needed some additional verification.

I grew up in the Roslindale section of Boston, adjacent to Hyde Park and the Most Precious Blood parish. I also marched in the era where corps pride stood above all else. We were local kids and stayed local. Occasionally, we'd have a kid move in from out of state to march - but it was rare. I always remember seeing the back of the red BAC equipment truck - the "Old English" font - the pride and fear that it presented to those of us "young" kids that knew what it meant when we were in smaller, CYO programs. I for one, truly believe that we have a responsibility to teach history to our young people. Without the knowledge of our past, we are condemned to repeat the mistakes of others. I would hope every member of Boston would be made aware of the history, the struggles, the transitions, the failures and successes of past corps - so that they can continue with the rich and proud traditions for future members. 40 years ago, a 27th Lancer would never write something in support of BAC and vice versa. Times have changed, but Boston is still alive !!!

I was on the drum staff of the 27th Lancers and we did indeed participate at both the opening and closing ceremonies. Tommy Walker - a Disney employee was hired by the LPOC for the entertainment portion of the Olympics. He attended the 1979 DCI Finals in Birmingham and fell in love with 27th. I remember practicing with the corps in Dec 1979 - the focus was to teach an entire show. I remember too thinking - this whole thing is going to fall apart - they'll never have a drum corps open the Olympic games. Even when we were boarding the bus, I was still waiting for someone to call and say - sorry. We stayed at a school about a half hour away. There were about 150 performing members including many alumni. I did not perform - letting younger members have their fun. Some other drum instructors did march. It was cold - it was really freaking cold. The valve oil was freezing up with the warm air blowing through the horns, and we started using anti-freeze. It worked !!! Mylar drums heads were shattering like glass into fragmented pieces. The opening ceremonies were almost a let down. One huge exception was - the Olympic Committee needed a group to carry in the HUGE Olympic Flag. A dozen Lancers were selected and proudly carried that flag into the stadium. Of course - the Lancer color guard was featured and the flags were most note worthy and colorful. There were people in the audience, but nothing like what we see on television the last few games. The security was somewhat lax - you needed a paper pass to have access to different parts of the arenas - which the Lancers were given. We mingled around in town among athletes and spectators alike. For the closing ceremonies - we left on Friday evening when the USA was playing the Soviets in hockey. Needless to say, we were consuming mass quantities of beverages and listening to the game on a transistor radio - when we could pick up some reception. On Saturday morning, we had a practice with a choreographer at the Sonja Henie rink. Immediately following us, the Russian hockey team came out to skate and after that the US hockey team came out. What a contradiction of styles. The Russians were like skilled surgeons, perfect passes, disciplined, razor sharp. The US team - Herb Brooks was blowing his whistle so hard I thought his head would burst. The US team was fooling around, sliding their sticks across the ice, complete chaos. But it worked. On Sunday evening, we had the closing ceremonies. We had taped sandpaper to the bottoms of the navy oxfords to prevent slipping. It worked well, until you did a pivot on the ice. After we marched off, it looked like a dozen turds on the ice - which were sand paper. When we left Lake Placid, we started a pool - pitching in a $1 each. The goal was to guess what time we would get back to Revere on Monday morning. People were all over the place guessing times. The actual winner was - George B's daughter Denise. She nailed the time within a few minutes. I asked her how the heck she was able to get it so close? She told me that since George B was driving - and a school teacher - he needed to be in his classroom that morning. Fans did recognize us throughout the entire 1980 season for our Olympic performance, and we proudly carried the Olympic Flag beside the American Flag. Ironically, about half of the people that went to Lake Placid left the corps before the season began and we literally taught the show again to a whole new group of young people. Although Cadets did a great job with their performance in Atlanta, it was no where near the same experience that we had with the many days we spent in Lake Placid.

Ray - you're showing your age - and I'm grateful !!!

The Wall might work.....there are no more MDC cops to take our beverages !!!

'74 Kingsmen - won World Open over Hawthorne, the show with the "auto lawn sprinkler going off" photo with Kiltes on the field. Kingsmen were a fantastic corps in 74 - two snares - Ralph Hardimon and Tom Float - went on to teach several corps - and with completely different writing and playing styles - their respective lines were always successful

I remember the "new" name of a mid western merger - but cannot remember the original corps involved. New name was "The Thing".......around the middle 70's ???

Thanks Mike - that would be Mr. Steve "Saint" Dorgan. His nickname being given to him by our drill instructor, Ike Ianessa. Steve had come to 27th from the St. Agnes CYO Band in Arlington. Needless to say, I thought he was a "Saint" because of his abilities to make that horn sing !!! Saint went on to teach the Rockland Defenders for many years. We marched together in the 27th Lancers Alumni Corps in 1994, and is now playing in the Defenders Alumni Corps. He's a real class act !

I really admire your response - very well described, but what about GE ???? That's where I'd give Jeff the nod. He would be standing on one leg, twirling his other leg and the bell bottoms would be swinging.....he was a player and a showman !!!

That would be Mr. "Diamond Jim" Brady. All three guys had different genres and were superb solists. The 4th character is Jeff Keivet. Those four were in a league of their own. They played long solos, and I never heard one of them crack. Many others played far shorter solos and had cracked at some point in a show - or at finals !

Trying to spread the word. This was posted on Facebook by Janine Bonfiglio McWilliams: Hello Lancer Nation - - - just wanted to post that we are in the planning stages of our 45th Reunion which will take place next Fall (2012). Once location is finalized we will post to let everyone know. Stay tuned!

Post on Facebook by Janine Bonfiglio McWilliams: Hello Lancer Nation - - - just wanted to post that we are in the planning stages of our 45th Reunion which will take place next Fall (2012). Once location is finalized we will post to let everyone know. Stay tuned!