fleabag Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Remember Inspections? Before you even started your field show you could loose tenths or even full points off your score.(and get the nerves of many kids all shook up) Man, I used to love them! All the preparation the night before and the morning of, all the way right up to actually going out there and lining up for the inspection. Most of this was done the night before,(sometimes late into the night) Mothers helping press and clean every spot on the uniforms, cutting every little hanging thread off. Hair trimmed down off the collar, or in later years, hairnets pulling hair up into hat and neck hair trimmed off. Horns and drums shined up and then shined again. If the rifles used any type tapes on them they were usually put on new for this day. Navy oxford shoes(or white bucks) spit shined until you could see yourself.(same for guard boots) The morning of, On the way to the show and marching into the stadium, still wiping and cleaning drums and every water spot off horns. Marching from bus to stadium with bags or old socks over shoes to keep them spotless. Checking each other for any missed uniform threads or lint hanging anywhere. Making sure no stray hairs hanging out anywhere from hat. Here is how it went down where I marched, We would come out and line up in the endzone, usually while the corps in front of us was still performing their show. We would be in rows, lined up all the way down the endzone. We were told to snap to attention (and I mean snap) when the judge walked up to the person next to us. Stay at attention and stand there like a statue, do not move a muscle in your body! Get ready to stare a hole through that judges head when he moved in front of you. No eye movement at all, no looking up or down or sideways. (some judges would even try to get you to move those eyes) Head slightly elevated up, chest out, shoulders back, feet better be at a 45 when you come to attention. If you felt a bug land on the back of your neck, leave it alone, if it bit you act like nothing is happening. If the judge spoke to you or asked you a question do not answer until your DM told you to! (the DM accompanied the judge down the line) Once he moved past you to the next in line you then snapped to parade rest.(and did not move a muscle once again) Before you knew it, it was over and time now to do your show! Hopefully, you did not loose any points off your score. Before your performance ended the next corps could be seen being inspected. Most corps had a couple of these they went through every year(VFW and American Legion) Great character builders! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royal-air canada Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 (edited) . Edited April 10, 2009 by royal-air canada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancerLegend Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 (edited) Before I marched with 27th - I marched with my CYO parish band and we wore white bucks. We always had trouble with polishing our bucks for inspection - making sure the entire red soles on the sides were covered with white polish. We also anguished over the shoe laces. Right over left - but which way? As you look at the laces, or as I look at the laces? If you were a drummer - your fingers on your sticks better be perfect with each other - and the hair on your neck better not be touching the collar of your uniform - or - your ears !!!! Edited April 13, 2009 by LancerLegend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 We wore bags over our bucks on the way to the Orange Bowl for VFW Nats in 1970...kept them from scuffing quite nicely. We also made great use of the 'wear and tear' concep, as a good portion of our unis were close to 10 years old...the one I wore from 70-72 was new in 1962! In 1971 Don Angelica joined our brass staff part way into the season...he travelled with us to Dallas on our two-week tour for VFW Nats. Rehearsed us in Miami where we were staying at a private school prior to our Dolphin/49'er summer exhibition performance...we get to Dallas, and guess who was judging inspection? Don Angelica! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legolaus Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Great character builders! Man that was some intense times. I agree that this process really built character. I remember rehearsing standing at attention for what seemed like hours in preparation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindap Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 lot's of boot polish for the guard, white boots for years, then black riding boots. I was a dm. Before inspections I felt like a mother hen, pacing up and down the line, plucking flecks from the uniforms. At one inspection on a breezy day, I followed the judge, tried to run interference but the wind picked up a white thread and placed it on the baritone's black pants. Mother nature had a mind of her own that day. We started our show with a score of -.01. During my summer of reserve training and drum corps, I had inspections daily, twice on weekends. Did ok at drill too; didn't tell them about drum corps and I resisted the reflex to spin at the rifle range. I learned to like inspection for self control, time to clear my mind, focus on my drum corps show and not be distracted by the corps on the field while we waited for our turn at OTL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I think it was 1972, at the NJ American Legion show in Wildwood, weekend after Labor Day..... We (Sacred Heart Crusaders) were on VERY early that morning..... and it had been raining on and off until just before showtime. I thought I had cleaned all the raindrops off my French horn..... but just as the inspection judge was getting around to checking me, a drop of water fell onto the bell. Yikes!!! A tenth of a point deduction, thanks to Mother Nature.....LOL Fran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mellofello01 Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 (edited) The tougher inspections: http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/inde...p;#entry1149776 Edited April 11, 2009 by Mellofello01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royal-air canada Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 (edited) x Edited April 12, 2009 by royal-air canada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Never did like them. Seemed just like the military version. "Make sure you are spic and span clean for the Inspector....... Now go out and sweat and get muddy and dirty ". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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