NeutralNovice Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Hey all. I can only imagine what it's like to be participating in a full-summer tour with a corps. Unfortunately, I found out about drum corps at too late a time. I was wondering, with all of the great and awesome things going on, there must have been some major tough times that went on as well. Please, share your experiences and if you'd like, share how you got through it and how much it has made you grow. I love these types of stories because they can be really encouraging and motivational. Share on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fick Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 (edited) Suncoast 1992. With correct recollection, we stopped counting our breakdowns after 14 times - it wasn't funny anymore and we almost didn't go back out after our first leg of tour. (edit) After doing some reading, I forgot about the 'runthrough' season in 93. At home during everydays, we had an escaped convict run through our corps during a run through. We kinda played it off not knowing what was going on, then the cops showed up to bust the guy. The same year, finals week in Jackson, we had two kids on a moped ride through us during a runthrough. We had a contra tech, who had been carrying around his FTJ (fick the judges) bat, start chasing them. Had he not been 300+/- lbs, it may have not been that funny. Edited July 23, 2007 by fick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurakemb Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 BK 2001. Our show was terrible, and things were not going well. We had ONE cook on tour with us. ONE person to feed 150+ people, three times a day. Crazy. At one point, they took a huge bag of frozen peas, threw them in a pot, and put them on the table. Thus was born the "snow peas" hype. Then, driving into Gladewater, TX, one of our members had a major medical emergency on the bus. It was really scary to see one of the family be so sick. To top it off, we were hungry, the a/c was broken on the drum bus, and we knew at that point that finals wasn't going to happen. When we pulled into Gladewater, the staff decided to give us an impromptu free day. The awesome people of Gladewater drove us around in their cars to the lake, stores, restaurants, etc. Then that night we did a run through for them, after which a skydiver landed on the field. Then they fed us an amazing lasagna dinner, complete with salad and dessert. That whole day was the highlight of tour that summer. If that hadn't have happened, I probably wouldn't have gone back in 2002. Thanks, Gladewater, TX! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BozzlyB Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Doing pushups in 88 with the bass drum tech sitting on my back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 (edited) Suncoast 1992. With correct recollection, we stopped counting our breakdowns after 14 times - it wasn't funny anymore and we almost didn't go back out after our first leg of tour. It was the same way in the Dons. In fact. We had one bus go out on us in Utah, I believe it was. Did the rest of the tour with two busses. On a more personal side, in '84 with VF, we were in our week long camp up in Summerville, CA before first tour. I wake up one morning and I can't stand up! I can't bend my right knee enough to lock in place! (Didn't even notice anything when I went to bed the night before). After going to the emergency room they discovered that had torn something in my knee and recommended surgery. I asked how long I'd be out if took I their advice and they said I'd be done for the year. Well, luckily, I didn't listen to them and it turned out to be a severe sprain. I spent the entire first tour playing in the pit wearing a full leg brace and crutches. All I can say is... IT SUCKED! Not only because I couldn't be on the field but I couldn't do anything for myself. It took other members, who I knew were busy enough with their own crap, to turn around when they were done to help take care of me. Luckily, with the break between tours and the help of some good friends and the girl I was dating at the time, I was able to get out of the brace and back on the field for that wonderful 2nd tour. (Which is another story of it's own) Edited July 23, 2007 by skajerk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewbugler Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 (edited) A few highlights, in reverse order: 2002 Crossmen: Driving a van after teaching....a lot harder than I thought. 2001 Crossmen: the Vampire bus, and the six others the hornline use that season. (edit) And how could I forget set 13 at the Herndon, VA show! I had a lil' flying backup for eight counts, and my foot caught a dip or some kind of hole in the field and I heard a snap. There was dirt on my uni near the calf where my ankle had bent so far the right side of my calf hit the ground. I finished the show, sort of, and then was carried off the field (a feat in itself, as I am 6'4'' and was like 250 at the time) by Jeff Bridges and my dad (both big guys, thank goodness). I sat out for 4 days, missed the Bristol Parade, a Franklin Field rehearsal, and some other fun things, but I didn't miss a show. Instead, I stood in the pit and played solos, leading to some interesting RAMD scuttlebutt (search Gomer Pyle lookalike). I finally did a full show again at Hershey. I finally felt better by the time we got to Burlington, IA, and I was running with the corps again. Chuz (a guy who marched with me in 00 and 01, took 5 years off, and is aging out a Cadet this season) and I went full out on a run, and my foot caught an uneven sidewalk. I fell and sprained my left wrist. What a way to age out :) 2000 Crossmen: Camp Greely's broken windows and holes between the logs in the cabin, combined with 45 degree nights. Oh, and my hernia. Taylor Jenkins is reciting "its bulging!" right now 1999 Crossmen: Everyone was telling me how hard the season was, but I had no clue...because I marched: 1998 Tarheel: One cook all summer. A few folks would come on from time to time, but one person basically cooked the whole time. I think some folks in the pit helped too. I also managed to get sick and kept passing out at retreats. I fell on an ECJ member at the Winston-Salem show, and actually ended up marching with her at Crossmen in 2000 and 2001. Thanks Cathleen! 1997 Tarheel: Drums on the Hill in Western Kentucky. There were tornado sightings, and lots of nasty weather. It was our last show before our mid-tour break, and we were driving back to NC/VA that night. We got on the road, and when I woke up that morning we were still somewhere way far away from NC and VA. Apparently a rock slide hit I-40 and we had to detour. It was over 24 hours before we got back, and we didn't stop to eat the whole time. A few of us (Grumpy, Speedy, and P-wrinkle) stayed on the truck to help Larry Einuis, our brass caption head / truck driver stay awake. We listened to the 1994 DCI Finals, Tape 1, the whole way back to keep him awake, while eating his ritz crackers and peanut butter. We'd stop and the kids couldn't get off of the bus. It was pretty brutal, but we made it eventually. The second half of that summer went much more smoothly. Edited July 23, 2007 by drewbugler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDale Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 '86 Which kind of Captain Crunch to have at breakfast, Kosher or regular dinner on Fridays '84, '85 Finding a 7-11, waiting for laundry day '83 No milk for cereal, no water, one dixie cup of KoolAide, being forced to take salt tablets, no hot water for showers, those little green lizards that are everywhere in FL, large bugs, mental games from the director :sos: :sshh: '82 Bus breakdowns, equipment truck accidents, keeping drone reeds in-tune '81 Bugs, one McD's hamburger for dinner, school busses to Montreal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1FMDMBD Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 In 1987 when I was with Pioneer our bus brokedown in Toledo. We were sitting on the side of the road, when the cops stopped by and told us to be careful because there was someone in the area picking people off with a rifle!!! Luckily Glassmen came to our rescue and got us out of there!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roark1 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Getting the crap beat out of me by a couple of 21 year olds (I was barely 16 at the time) for resisting “initiation”. I sure would love to meet up with those guys today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNModdison Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 This one is from my wife, on tour with the Seattle Cascades in 2003... We were practicing in Stockton, CA...I think it was a day or two before our FIRST show...during rehearsal, they had a rifle section, where they through 5's or something (can't remember what it was)...and the girl behind her didn't exactly toss the rifle well. Without any warning, the rifle hits my wife on the head. She bleeds all over the place...gets rushed to the hospital...has a concusion, and a bunch of staples in her head! Rough summer indeed.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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