"Twirling Corps" of the 60's and Early 70's

[DAvery]

21 hours ago, Shelly Palmer said:

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?

Not that I know of.

[IllianaLancerContra]

Holy Resurrected Post, Batman!

[denverjohn]

Maybe some corps could hire a twirler and feature the music of Jethro Tull. (Oh, wait.)

[TASA]

This is a response to Paul. I believe I also attended Nationals in Mississippi. I was a member of The Guidons Twirling Corps. Is our name in your program? Do you remember an incredible twirler Sandra Walker, she twirled in Betty’s Rebels. I would love to share memories with anyone interested. Terry

[Paul Milano]

Hello TASA,
Yes, your corps' name is on the first page of the season ending National Championship program.  
The Guidon, from Wausau, WI, is listed as being in first place in the Twirling Corps division (there were many divisions back then and I don't recall what the criteria were to be in one versus the other). 
I had just turned 15 when we went down to Mississippi for the 1968 national championships.  It was also in Mississippi in 1967, if I recall correctly.  My final year, before joining the Cavaliers drum corps, we went to Syracuse, NY for the championships in 1969. 
There was always some fun surprise artists that performed on the big night for all of us kids.  In 1967 it was the Madison Scouts drum corps, in the only year that they wore the West Point Cadet uniforms.  The other group performing that night was an unknown, at the time, band with a tremendous girl drummer named... The Carpenters!
The next year it was the Fuller Brothers (I think one of them married Goldie Hawn years later).  In 1969, the main act was Bobby Vinton.  Good times back then.  

After that, and until this day, I believe, it shifted to Notre Dame in Indiana.
I don't recall a Sandra Walker, in particular, but I do recall competing against Betty's Rebels many times.  They always seemed to have the cutest girls back then (important to a 15 year-old boy at the time!).  Of course, nothing ever happened between any of us since we were all, quite frankly, too shy to even talk to them.  

Lot of excellent groups back then that I competed against, mainly from Illinois and Wisconsin.  Great times and I was fortunate to have had excellent instructors who prepared me well to become a snare drummer in the Cavaliers.  

My group of marching mates, from the Velvet Vikings, has a Facebook page and we all talk regularly, 55 years later and get together for reunions every few years.  Several of my dearest friends to this day, including my best man (both weddings!) were from baton corps.  And I've been the best man for two baton corps friends.  We're a close bunch still.

  

Edited December 10, 2023 by Paul Milano

[TASA]

Thanks so much for responding Paul. So cool our name was in your program. We did win 1st place what a thrill. We were strictly a baton Corp. no instruments. I totally remember the Fuller Brothers. As a matter of fact I have a ton of pics of them while waiting for autographs. As you know we were from Central Wisconsin so Oxford was quite a culture shock for us, ie the climate, the southern food and accents. It seemed like we were on the bus for days there and back!