1986 Garfield Cadets

[LanceARoo]

I was going through some older shows and came across the '86 Garfield show. While they appeared to have a massive amount of talent once again that year (loved the mid-section On the Waterfront piece!), it just came across as too strange (lack of a full guard, strange props, etc).

I think this has been discussed on here before but knowing the staff/membership that Garfield had that year, would a different show, that wasn't quite so "out there", have produced a 4th title? Just curious...especially from anyone who was around the activity at that time.

-Lance

[ssorrell]

Sure, a different show COULD have produced different results, but that's true for any corps in any year.

However, since this was the year that Garfield marched an enormous brass line (for that era) and a very small guard, I doubt they would have grabbed a 4th title no matter what show they performed. Too many horns to be very clean as compared to a stellar BD line and the marching was the weakest it had been in years. I don't think that's attributable to the show.

Edited May 21, 2008 by ssorrell

[LanceARoo]

Sure, a different show COULD have produced different results, but that's true for any corps in any year.

However, since this was the year that Garfield marched an enormous brass line (for that era) and a very small guard, I doubt they would have grabbed a 4th title no matter what show they performed. Too many horns to be very clean as compared to a stellar BD line and the marching was the weakest it had been in years. I don't think that's attributable to the show.

Just to clarify...I am aware that there is always the argument for a different show producing different results. What I am trying to clarify is the talent/quality of the members and staff present at that time (especially since there was a gap in titles for them - 83, 84, 85, __, 87) and whether a different show written would have stood a chance.

[MilesandCassius]

I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but it was an interesting year.

We lost a boatload of veterans from '85. And '85 was far and away the most talented hornline I marched with. From their champion year of '84, there were only 22 horn spots for '85. It was tight. Onto '86, I think we had almost 50 new horn members. So there were lots of rookies. And some who had left after '85 were HUGE veterans who were the heart and soul of the corps. People who had marched since '80 and '81, coming from the bottom of the top twelve to world champions. These were special people. Of course, the drum line was always terrific. But with only 12 in the guard, we knew GE was going to be down. In '86 we also lost Zingali and Sylvester to Star for the year. And I think there was kind of a defeatist attitude, "There's no way they are going to let us win 4 times in a row, so let's just go out on a limb, do something different and creative and be memorable for trying something new. Let the chips fall where they may." Remember, '83 through '85 was the first three-peat. It was a huge deal when it happened.

It was a good year, a gut-check year, because I think we all knew that another championship was a long shot. New staff, new direction, new potential placement. We had to find out how to be Cadets, to maintain the quality that was the Cadets. And I think we did, because alot of us were there for '87 as well.

I don't know given all that we were, that anything we could do would have made us place any higher. I think we were a 4th place corps.

Because I was so lucky to be part of that corps, I don't look at any one year more fondly than others. There were all good for their own reasons. '86 was a good year.

[jthomas666]

Possible, I suppose. But BD had a truly stunning show that year, so unlikely.

[Cop]

The rest of the top 8 were strong as all heck. Congrats to the Cadets for walking away with a 4th place for their season of 86. I think 8th may have been a possibility as well......

[JeromeyBush]

Possible, I suppose. But BD had a truly stunning show that year, so unlikely.

Cleaner,more exciting,some would say.But "I" wouldnt say stunning.

[tnmaiello]

Cleaner,more exciting,some would say.But "I" wouldnt say stunning.

We came a long way that year....

Contra 1986 Garfield Cadets!

[taters]

No, because we were one angry corps that year, and we survived on a diet of raw meat and the blood of our victims! ;-)

[Underdawg]

Well, here are my 2 cents worth. The hornline was overflowing with rookies that year. I have always maintained that if we had marched a normal 64-70 person hornline ( 68 was the standard for cadets hornlines '83-'85) we would have fielded a pretty good hornline despite being so young. However, we had an additional 16 horns that were .....ummmm .......weaker than we would have liked. That coupled with a weak visual design, inexperienced staff members, and a really poor overall staff moral kept us from being more successful. In all honesty, I think the judges were far too kind, Suncoast Sound was a better drum corps that year.