PeeWee

Yeah, that's very cool. Congratulations to Carolina Crown! But...where's your review?

I haven't been to a Blue Devils rehearsal in a few years, but the last one I was at they were doing the same thing - no individual water jugs, no hustle, and long water breaks. While it made for a boring rehearsal from a spectator point of view, I'm sure the kids appreciated it. Vanguard still rehearses the "old school" way - water jugs, hustle, and short breaks. Perhaps other corps should start taking their cues from Cavaliers and Blue Devils! After all, these two corps seem to hold the monopoly on winning these days.

VANGUARD - Mean to Clean the Red and Green July 9, 2008 Uniform maintenance at Vanguard is a daily event in the summer. Our Stanbury uniforms are tremendous and easy to maintain, but they take a beating each night with the physical nature of the show Vanguard performs each year. There's always a short list every morning of an ornamental button to replace, a feather to change, an Aussie-strap to repair, a flag to sew or even a small blood spatter to address. "There are mornings we open the equipment truck - following an evening performance - and you would think the corps had performed in a flood! We wash their uniforms usually every six performances, but sometimes you have to make the call earlier, especially if there was mud or dust on a performance field. A quick run to a local Laundromat with 42 guard uniforms or 10 red tops always raises an eye. We get many interesting questions," said Marie Bienkowski, the volunteer in charge of making the corps' uniforms look great each season. Vanguard normally attempts to schedule the uniform laundry days well in advance, and are always looking for volunteers to meet them at the housing site at a designated time. Many times these days are posted on the on the web site calendar, but for your convenience, we're posting them below. If you're able or interested in assisting with Vanguard uniform laundry on any of the days below, please contact volunteer@SCVanguard.org with your name and contact information. Thanks for your enthusiasm for the Vanguard! Laundry Date #1: Sunday, July 13 - Elizabeth HS, Elizabeth, CO - 7:30 am Laundry Date #2: Friday, July 18 - Southwestern HS, San Antonio TX - 1 pm Laundry Date #3: Thursday, July 24 - Missouri/Illinois/Tenn - Site TBA - 1 pm Laundry Date #4: Wednesday, July 30 - New Jersey - Site TBA - 1 pm Laundry Date #5: Tuesday, August 5 - Indianapolis Area - Site TBA - 1 pm Laundry Date #6: Saturday, August 9 - Indianapolis Area - Site TBA - 7:30 am

Well, remember now, "DCI" is basically the corps directors themselves. If you don't like something, let a corps director know. I know SCVs directors are sick and tired of my e-mails, but I will continue to e-mail them nonetheless (unless, of course, they block my e-mail address). It's just like contacting your local congresswoman if you don't like the way the country's heading. Voice your opinion. Then let it end with that. There's nothing else you can do unless you want to get involved in running the show yourself. I'll promise you one thing though, blogging your complaints on here probably won't do very much to change the activity, even though I do catch corps staff members snooping around from time to time.

Yeah, my bad. I guess it's tracking my survey by the number at the end of the URL I posted. Dang it! I tried. I agree with the above post though, DCI needs to get this survey out to people who haven't recently attended a show. Sorry to hear that some "old timers" won't even come out to a show anymore. You don't know what you're missing! The concert sounds of todays' drum and bugle corps and the choreography in the guard are just amazing! Oh, and to address Harrisons' response (hey!), we've had threads on here before about the topic. Music in schools and marching bands in general (the organizations that feed our activity) are dwindling at record pace nationwide. DCI is doing its' best to adapt to the changes and challenges of the 21st century. It's not at all the same environment it was in the 70s, 80s, or 90s. Personally, I feel the activity is going to continue to shrink if the trends in music education continue. Very sad, since a lot of us alumni grew and learned so much during our drum corps years. Generations of kids after us may not have this privilege.

I just received an e-mail from DCI today as follows: "Last year, you participated in DCI's Audience Survey. We want to get your opinion on several issues that are important to Drum Corps International and the corps. We have created a short survey (about 3 minutes in length, that we invite you to participate in. You can take the survey by clicking the link below. Thank you for participating in our 2007 research and thank you for considering participating in this project. Drum Corps International http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=U29UW6ZVFNMS " Now's your time to let DCI know what you think. Click on the link above and take the survey!

I agree on musicality. I believe that's what the percussion judge said the 1989 SCV drumline had when he awarded High Percussion to them that year. He said something like, "I was going to award percussion to Cavaliers, but you guys were just so musical" or something to that effect. I watched the DCI Fan Network video of BDs drumline in Pasadena. I think it's great that they did that for the crowd! But when a snare drummer was doing his thing on the video, I was thinking, "My gosh! That snare is so high and tight and quiet that it sounds more like a small tom drum than a snare." I could barely hear his solo over the rest of the battery and the crowd. He looked sort of silly as he was gyrating all around on what I perceived to be a little toy drum. Maybe is was the location of the microphone picking it up, but I don't think so. I think BDs tenor drums, drum for drum, are much louder than their snares. Just my observation (from a non-drummer, so take it as you like)

Yes, agreed, visually anyway. Their visual program is more "effective", but no more or less demanding than any of the other top corps. Phantom Regiment, Blue Devils, Cavaliers, and Cadets all have to march and play their hineys off this year! SCV just came out of the chute much dirtier, and incomplete. Why? I have absolutely no idea. But they need to remedy that if they're ever going to compete with corps that are complete and clean in June.

Thanks for the review! Though I admit BD has some serious performance capabilities this year, it sure would be nice to see someone other than BD, Cavies, or Cadets leading the pack for a change. 2004 & 2006 were both really exciting with SCV and Phantom in the mix, as was 2007 when Bluecoats beat BD and Cavies at a show early on.

Hey Ricky, I see you attend WSU, home of the show site for tonight! I graduated from there in 1997 (B.S. IS&T). Didn't do any music ensembles though. I got that all out of my system at San Diego State. It was kind of surreal for me when I first walked around the campus of Weber State. I'd been there with the Vanguard and Velvet Knights in the 80s, so it was kind of like walking through a dream. Beautiful campus though. Weber State, Weber State, great, great, great!

Thanks for your review! Perhaps you should move it to the Reviews section and title it "DCI Fan Network review" or something. Honest! Your review is more comprehensive than most of them in there. I think The Cadets will definitely be in the Top 4 again this year. Their performance levels are too high for anything else. So for Top 7, I see more of: 1. Blue Devils 2. Cavaliers 3. Phantom Regiment 4. Cadets 5. Santa Clara Vanguard 6. Carolina Crown 7. Bluecoats Now, what I WISH for would be: 1. Phantom Regiment 2. Santa Clara Vanguard 3. Cavaliers 4. Carolina Crown 5. Blue Devils 6. Bluecoats 7. Cadets ...but we all know that's never going to happen

Not tonight. But hopefully it'll be by tenths of a point again come Denver this Saturday. BD and PR are both cleaner than Vanguard, who didn't even have a complete show to start the season. SCV has got to work twice as diligently as the other two in order to catch up. Will they light the fires underneath themselves this season? Only time will tell.

Well, I always want SCV to be competitive. For people who were around the activity in the 70s and 80s, when SCV was perennially in the Top 3, the SCV of [most] of the 90s and 2000s has got to tug at the heart strings. But let's look at it this way - 1. SCV has never folded 2. SCV has never taken a year off from tour 3. SCV has never, ever placed out of Finals during the history of DCI (not even Blue Devils can say that) 4. SCV puts together a very good package every year 5. SCV has a fan base probably larger than most other corps, and a large part of that is the class and integrity of the organization 6. SCV has GREAT organizational leadership! 7. SCV, as an organization, recently went through a restructuring that has made them even more secure for the long term So you see, they've still got a lot going for them. I'll cheer for them regardless. It would be nice to see them contending for the championship again some day, but things could be much, much worse.

And you're fighting on behalf of whom??

Nevermind - I was thinking this was a Boise review. Sorry

I only have one question: Www..what's a boondoggle?

Thank you for your review! Every review on here is welcome. Unless, of course, you speak very negatively about someones favorite corps. (You didn't in your thread, no worries) Your comments about buying t-shirts made me wish I had the funds to do so at the two shows I've already been to. No worries though, I'm going to Indiana and hope to have enough for souvies then!

I was thinking the same thing when I read the reviews of the show...was it an intentional silencing of their PA system? And to your second comment, I think people are hoping that the amplified voice will go away. That's probably why they're booing it. Just a thought.

Thank you for the review! Glad to hear Crown is doing so well. If they're as good, or better, than last year I'll have to start adding them to my list of favorite corps

Funniest: 1988 Velvet Knights - the bull urinating on the matador, or the kitchen sink that got thrown out from the giant top hat (and bikini clad girl) onto the field at the end of the show Bad idea: 1989 Santa Clara Vanguard - wearing plaster of paris masks on your face in high humidity. The mask doesn't completely come back "off" of your face

Wow! You must have had that camera up to your eye during the entire show. Thank you for all of the photos. I liked BDs new uniforms, especially the white. And I think the shimmering red in Vanguards new jackets looks great up close. Phantom and Vanguards' guards are just so dark (costume) this year. They seriously blend in to the field.

Thank you for the review and great photos you were able to take! (Man! I need to invest in a better camera)

Thank you for the review!

Thanks for the review. Wish I could have been there, but I was still too wiped-out from Pasadena. Thanks for the photos too!