1980 prelims

[stoods59]

Yeah, well, we came in 11th, only to slip to 12th with a 7 point drop!!!

[byline]

Yeah, well, we came in 11th, only to slip to 12th with a 7 point drop!!!

But at least you made finals.

[Scerpella]

Figured I'd bump this being that it is Championship week.

Any video out there of 1980 13th - 25th???

I would suggest contacting WHA in Madison as they were doing the broadcast that year. And the pictures I have from prelims from 1980 show the on field cameraman having a WHA t shirt on. The camera assistant girls shirt says wonderful wisconsin on it.

Edited August 13, 2008 by Scerpella

[njthundrrd]

I marched that show too. It was brutally hot, but, since it was my last show in a 16 year career, I don't think I even noticed. The worst part was seeing where we came in in M&M (26th). We just could not march that year, no matter how much we practiced. Too many young members and a very confused marching staff (dot vs. form).

LOL Dave, but my team wearing the peacock came in 8th in field brass! .... We couldn't march into the ocean from the beach, but we could play! = )

[kansasDC]

LOL Dave, but my team wearing the peacock came in 8th in field brass! .... We couldn't march into the ocean from the beach, but we could play! = )

Yeah, you guys were clean in brass!

BTW, what was with that uniform ?

[byline]

I would suggest contacting WHA in Madison as they were doing the broadcast that year.

It would be wonderful if they still had those tapes. But, in my thus far unfruitful search for tapes of Canadian Nationals during the years I marched, the verdict seems to be that Rogers Cable (who televised those contests) simply reused those same tapes later on, so unless somebody taped those telecasts at home and kept the copies, they're long gone.

Edited August 14, 2008 by byline

[HUGADA]

Ha! We placed 34th.

Brian...do you think that the Conquistadors should have stayed class A in '80? Even though we were an improved drum corps from '79, maybe going open was a mistake...I'm undecided. I think that we were top five in class A in '79?

[Jocko the Wonder Llama]

Absolutely! I feel that we had a better show in '80.

We finished 3rd in '79, with the improvements that we had in all areas,

I feel that we would have seriously contended for the class A title in '80.

Let me see if I can get this right without refering to Corpsreps.com:

1977 - 8th place Class A

1978 - 6th place Class A

1979 - 3rd place Class A

1980 - 34th place Open Class

Looks to me like we had a good trend going there.

Note: Edit because my memory is as good as my hairline.

Edited August 15, 2008 by Jocko the Wonder Llama

[randomnoise]

I don't remember the heat of prelims, but I do remember PRACTICING for it.

Our staff had the bright idea of having the corps practice in full clothes and jackets at the same time we would be performing at prelims the next day. There were people with down jackets (I wore jeans and a flannel shirt). I remember that run through very well. I thought it was stupid, and that we were only practicing how tired we would be the next day.

But we won prelims, so I suppose they were right!

[njthundrrd]

Yeah, you guys were clean in brass!

BTW, what was with that uniform ?

Just think of that uniform as the precursor to the Crossmen's "Three Amigos" uniform of a few years later.

The peacock uniform was unveiled to the Crossmen in the winter of 1980 and most of he corps got up and left. Two weeks later it was presented to the Royal Brigade and we were told that DCI "needed a Muchachos like corps back in Finals" and we drank the koolaid. Well, at least the young and dumb ones like me did. = )

We knew that Garfield had less than 20 brass in April, but we didn't know that George Hopkins was in a van in the deep south recruiting some great talent.... and now, you know, the REST of the story!

Edited August 20, 2008 by njthundrrd