playerNOTpounder

I read all posts in this discussion and Mr. Russell's best matches my own feelings. I think Mr. Hopkins is in need of a sabatical to regenerate. He seems to be bored with the activity to the extent that he goes out of his way to be manipulative of the rules in order to irritate those who --for the most part-- beat his corps (consistently). It is one thing to be better... to bring new ideas and energy to the idiom, rather than merely playing with the rules in an effort to get a leg up on the competition. It's as if Garfield is void of the tools needed to win in the current environment, so they keep stretching the envelope to both annoy the competition and to "hang on" and stay in the top tier of drum corps.

You are correct sir. Vision, Technique, Superb execution= CHAMPEENS!

Racine Kilties (Jr. Division I) Troopers (Finals) Blue Stars (Division I) Blessed Sac Skokie Vanguard Norwood Park Imperials Royal Airs and (although I think Racine could only support one Jr. corps) I'd like to see the "Chrome Domes" back. I'll also start a list of corps I never want to see again.... Muchachos Sky Riders Blue Rock Star of Indiana

Admittedly, I'm a Geezer having marched with my last drum corps in 1971 so please take that into account when you read my observations and comments. I've seen a little bit of drum corps over the years but I haven't kept up with the latest changes and innovations (Are they all improvements? ). I sat in a sold-out theater on Thursday night for 5+ hours and found it very enlightening as to the current state of drum corps. I really don't understand how the scoring works anymore so I can't intelligently comment on that other than to say that if a corp has vision, technique and an excellent performance, they should rise to the top. It seems that could happen this year. So while I don't understand how the scoring works, I'm happy to know the 3 or 4 corps that I like the most have a chance to win on Saturday. First, I'm amazed at the skill level of the performers. And it was refreshing to see that their dedication and committment is as strong as it was in my day. As we all know, DRUM CORPS IS A GREAT ACTIVITY and much of what I learned in drum corps has helped to make me the person that I am today at the age of 52. So watching the pre-recorded video segments in-between the corps performances brought back many great memories and helped to explain the passion to the friend I brought with me --who had never seen a drum corp perform. My friend had seen the movie Drumline and he liked it. I told him that I could show him a glimpse of the "real world" of competitive marching and he took me up on my invitation to attend the show at a theater in Minneapolis. First, watching 15+ corps in a theater is NOT a comfortable experience and to an unexperienced viewer like my friend, it is downright boring. I found it nearly impossible to explain to him the little nuances and differences between corps in the lower and middle thirds of the show. They all looked the same to him and to me as well. It wasn't until we got to the final 6 that genuine "personalities" started to emerge among the competitors. Again, I haven't stayed close enough to the activity to understand the scoring system, so I'll just try to rank the corps --as I did on Thursday, based on their overall appeal to someone like me who understands the premise of drum corps, if not the latest "insider" techniques and methods. 1. Santa Clara - show is beautiful concept and more importantly, tells a story. 2. Cavaliers - Impressive drill, can't imagine marching like this in 1971. 3. Blue Devils - Difficult show, good vision, too much emphasis on soloists. 4. Phantom - A beautiful show. Like a brass choir in motion. 5. Madison - Second half of show great, first half, a mess. Guard = prancers 6. Bluecoats - Nice musical score. Need more difficulty, but ready to ascend 7. Crossmen - Nice thematic show with beginning, middle and end. VISUAL! 8. Spirit - This corps sounds good, but they need a makeover. Delta Airlines is bankrupt and Spirit seems to be on the verge. 9. Garfield - I just don't get it. Can someone explain it to me? Drill is nothing but follow the leader. Guard is good. And that Hopkins fella is kind of scary. Isn't he? 10. Carolina Crown - If this is the future of esoteric drum corps, I want out. 11. Boston Crusaders - A down year? They could use a makeover as well. 12. Glassmen - Boring. Dreary. Dull. Made me want to visit refreshments & poddy. Corps from 8 to 15 were really all the same with the same uniform style and identical shows. The biggest difference seems to be the top 7 corps play more 16th notes, move faster, have better guards and their drills are (much) better conceived and executed. Hard to believe that the same person wrote both the front and the back halves of the Madison show, isn't it? Overall, drum corp needs more thematic diversions. Too many shakos for my taste. Wouldn't it be great if Troopers and Kilties were competitive again? They would crush all those military academy robot corps, wouldn't they? Still, it was fun to see on the big screen, but next year, I'll arrive with 90 minutes left to see the top 6 or 7 only. Otherwise, my brain will freeze as it did on Thursday.