Carol Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 On 2/2/2008 at 10:04 PM, Paul Milano said: Hey Don, Yeah, that's right. Now I remember that there was another circuit out there. I really don't know what the differences were between the two circuits (different rules maybe?). Guess who came from twirly corps to the Cavaliers in the late 60s early 70s? Don McWhorter, Ron Hermann, Skip Swoverland, me, Steve Schmid, Joe Balzer, Chris Lindley, Paul Leo, Bill Morgan, Bill Sweeney, Bill Dunne, Paul Redmond, Frank Esposito, just to name a few . . . Nothing like a long bus ride with a slew of teenage baton twirlers!!! Are you by chance a relative (son perhaps) of the “Mrs. McWhorter”!? - my first baton teacher? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAvery Posted May 14, 2021 Share Posted May 14, 2021 On 4/26/2021 at 11:43 AM, stevedci said: Miller's Blackhawks were a USTA corps, and as pointed out, competed against, Conquistadores (Black Hawks and Conquistadores were both from Dayton Oh). Humington Thunders from Long Island and i vaguely recollect a music/baton corps from Carrolton Oh. The Black Hawks were a semi-feeder corps for the Marion Cadets in the late 1960s and early 1970s. And there were folks who started in the Miller Blackhawks, went to Marion Cadets then went on to other corps, including the Trooper, Kilties, Des Plaines Vanguard and a few others. The blue devils began as a twirling corps in 1956, found by the Odello family. Blue Devil #1 was Annete Odello - a twirler. I started in the Kay-Dettes in 1966 and then went to the Jr. Conquistadors when they were formed. Then I went to the Sr. Conquistadors and when they folded, went to the Blackhawks in 1972. The baton corps from Carrollton, MD was the Carroll-tones. The corps with brass players were call musical corps, not to be confused with the drum and baton corps, which had no wind players. In 1974 when nationals was in San Francisco, the Blackhawks competed against the BD baton corps. I remember their brass using bugles and we were under the impression the brass and drums were from BDB. The Blackhawks won, but the drumline was beat by the BD baton corps. In 1975 I went to the May camp of the Kilties, with a former member of the Blackhawks. Their drumline was full and they handed me a flag. After doing flag for the weekend, I decided that wasn't for me and rejoined the Blackhawks. This was my last year in the Blackhawks and I filled a tympani spot in Marion in late summer 1976. In 1979 I joined the Cavaliers for my age out year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Milano Posted May 14, 2021 Share Posted May 14, 2021 On 5/10/2021 at 10:41 AM, Carol said: Are you by chance a relative (son perhaps) of the “Mrs. McWhorter”!? - my first baton teacher? I am not related to Mrs. McWhorter (who is still alive, by the way, and living in the Denver area with her daughter Kathy). I marched with Audrey McWhorter's son, Don McWhorter, in the Cavaliers. He still lives in the Chicago area and I talk with him still (and drum on occasion) 50 years after we marched together! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithHall Posted May 14, 2021 Share Posted May 14, 2021 MBBB had a twirling section in 1982! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willige54 Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 On 2/2/2008 at 7:39 PM, DAvery said: Paul, Not all corps competed in NBTA. The Blackhawk's, which I was a member, competed in the United States Twirling Association (USTA). It was started, in part, by Fred Miller. The corps included the Conquistadors, Kay-Dettes (I was a member of both), Huntington Thunderer's (The 1st corps to beat the Blackhawk's and from NY), Shepard's Pink Panther's (from MD). In 1974 at Nationals in CA, the Blue Devils "B" corps competed. They placed 2nd to the Blackhawk's. My first USTA Nationals was 1966, in Grand Rapids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calvin Hoffmaster Posted September 15, 2021 Share Posted September 15, 2021 There was a majorette and drum corp out of Baltimore Md, Rodney Goodhart, taught the drum line Ron Dell, color guard and drill and Glenna Kreb’s taught the majorettes. The Toppers Majorette and Drum Corp. Mid 1960 to 1980’s won a few NBTA Nationals, then went to USTA in 1976 down in Miami… won a few Nationals there too! Second year in USTA traveled to Denver 1977, beat the Blackhawks, Blue Devils, just to name a few. a lot of the members went on to DCI, DCA Corps as well the USMC Drum and Bugle Corp. Great times as a youth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Milano Posted September 15, 2021 Share Posted September 15, 2021 On 5/14/2021 at 7:34 AM, Paul Milano said: I am not related to Mrs. McWhorter (who is still alive, by the way, and living in the Denver area with her daughter Kathy). I marched with Audrey McWhorter's son, Don McWhorter, in the Cavaliers. He still lives in the Chicago area and I talk with him still (and drum on occasion) 50 years after we marched together! FYI ... Audrey McWhorter, founder of Vernell Twirling Corps and later the director of the Hi-Lighters Twirling Corps, passed away at age 91, on Monday, September 13th. Funeral arrangements: Friday 9/17 Wake at Kisselburg funeral home in Wauconda, IL. 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. Funeral Saturday 9/18. 10 a.m. Meet at the chapel in the Memory Gardens Cemetery in Arlington Heights, IL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAvery Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 On 9/14/2021 at 8:05 PM, Calvin Hoffmaster said: There was a majorette and drum corp out of Baltimore Md, Rodney Goodhart, taught the drum line Ron Dell, color guard and drill and Glenna Kreb’s taught the majorettes. The Toppers Majorette and Drum Corp. Mid 1960 to 1980’s won a few NBTA Nationals, then went to USTA in 1976 down in Miami… won a few Nationals there too! Second year in USTA traveled to Denver 1977, beat the Blackhawks, Blue Devils, just to name a few. a lot of the members went on to DCI, DCA Corps as well the USMC Drum and Bugle Corp. Great times as a youth. They may have beat the Blackhawks in a category, but the Blackhawks were USTA national champions in both 1976 and 1977. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy H Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 NBTA and USTA were two associations. NBTA has AYOP {American Youth on Parade) held every year at Notre Dame. I marched with The Mustangs from Lancaster Ohio. We won the National title in 1970, 1974,1975 and 1976 in the "Show Corp" category. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly Palmer Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 On 2/2/2008 at 8:39 PM, DAvery said: Paul, Not all corps competed in NBTA. The Blackhawk's, which I was a member, competed in the United States Twirling Association (USTA). It was started, in part, by Fred Miller. The corps included the Conquistadors, Kay-Dettes (I was a member of both), Huntington Thunderer's (The 1st corps to beat the Blackhawk's and from NY), Shepard's Pink Panther's (from MD). In 1974 at Nationals in CA, the Blue Devils "B" corps competed. They placed 2nd to the Blackhawk's. My first USTA Nationals was 1966, in Grand Rapids. I was a drummer in the Huntington Thunderers when we beat the Blackhawks. It was very close and quite a controversial outcome. We lost to them the next year. My father was one of the Thunderer’s music directors. Are any of these organizations still active? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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