OFFICIAL 2009 Madison Scouts Thread

[khoutler]

Thanks Mike and Mike,

I had the privilege of meeting many of this year’s corps at the 70th reunion and look forward to giving my best to those brother’s who have come aboard since. We’ll try to get there early enough to watch them warm-up, shake some hands and make some introductions. It’s a 2+ hour drive up from the Cape (through Boston on a Friday night no-less) and the show starts at his bed-time so we’ll see (there may need to be some strategic napping in the car). I’m pretty confident that when he sees the men in the parking lot he’ll rise to the challenge and later, under the light in a potential lightning storm…when the God’s truly come down to bestow their holy ###-kickin’…he’ll be lucky if he isn’t thrown out onto the 50.

MYNWA,

Ken

P.S. Does anybody know when they are showing up at the stadium?

[Mad75]

The Boston area always welcomed the Scouts with open arms. They were always the loudest crowds on tour, the old CYO crowd was like no others.

Crank one out tonight guys....feed off of the crowd.

POW

The mention of Boston and CYO hold a special place for me. My first taste of CYO and the Boston fans was 1975. I realized quickly that these were not your average drum corps fans, they were aficionados and they loved to be slain by power and finesse. I can remember that as we marched through the gate and were announced, uncontrolled bedlam broke out in the stands. It was as if we were at a home show x100! And man, we bonded with these rabid fans immediately! From the first note of Slaughter on 10th. Ave. I swear I witnesses young children being launched into the air towards the field! After our last note of the closer, I cant remember a more spontaneous eruption of mass hysteria. I thought the stands were about to collapse. It was evident that we also had a special bond with the people that ran CYO, because after every appearance at CYO, we were paid a special visit by these individuals which also included the Heads of the Catholic Diocese of Boston. Wonderful people! We would gather around as they would extol their praise and thanks for our performance and then would mingle with us for the rest of the evening. Of course we expressed our thanks in return, for the pleasure was all ours. Boston was always a much anticipated date on our summer calendar. As far as I can remember, we always managed to slip in a little free time in "Bean Town". As a matter of fact, one year (77'-78'?) right after the show that evening, we were given some free time. I think we were staying some where in "Southey" (South Boston) and a few of our guys got jumped by some locals. Well, the call went out "Madison rumble!!!!!" Any of us who were within ear shot ran to the location. It so happened that we had a big Mo Fo (if you get my drift) named Charlie that marched in the guard. Charlie was a black man that looked like he stood about 10ft. tall and just as wide at the shoulders. And he was also one of the kindest, soft spoken guys in the corps. Well, I guess these local anglo's didn't take kindly to outsiders and thought they'd put a beat down on the men of Madison.........But, they'd never met Charlie. It was a stunner! Charlie not only knew how to take care of himself, but he also knew how to put an ugly smack down on several other hoodlums at the same time. The story was that Charlie had delivered such a ferocious upper cut to one of the derelicts, that the punk bit off his own tongue. But here's where it got real interesting. When the folks from the Catholic Diocese found out what happened, they immediately called in some of their own "heat" and put out an all points bulletin on the streets. We got word the next morning from a very proud leader within the Diocese that they had rounded up the perpetrators and that they had exacted judgment. Ouch! You can see, CYO and the Boston fans contributed to a lifetime of memories!

These people loved their drum corps and they let you know it. I was deeply saddened at the news of CYO's eventual demise, but what an event, what a place and what fans! It still gives me a chill up the old spine!

Thank you CYO and the fans of Boston!

Edited August 1, 2009 by Mad75

[khoutler]

"Well, the call went out "Madison rumble!!!!!" Any of us who were within ear shot ran to the location."...aaah, good times...good times. Reminds me of a charming moment in a Piggly Wiggly parking lot in Oxford, Pa with a bunch of racist P'sOS. I wonder if those guys ever got the number of the 'truck' that hit them. I hope they had good dental insurance.

MYNWA,

POW!!

[bass5]

Jerry, The "event" in Boston was in 1976. I remember it was after a long long day (up early in Montreal, styrofoam cup of fruit loops then hit the road, breaks go out on horn bus in Vermont, horn players crowded into guard & drum bus, just make it to Boston for the Packer/Patriot halftime, concession people feed the corps with tons of sandwiches but Gerald Knock-em-over and me were out trying to find a beer vendor so

miss out on dinner, stand on sidelines with the Pack (very cool), then dinner/rumble in "Southie".

1975 CYO sticks in my mind as THE best crowd of the year and your description is just how I remember it. I also remember coming through the gates while Phantom was on the field and the crowd going nuts for us

and literally drowning out Phantom. Its amazing that 34 years later it still is a thrill thinking about it.

Hope the boys give the Boston fans a show to remember tonight.

BYBO guys!!

[oldtimedrummer]

I don't believe the system, itself, was ideal, but I do believe a buildup-only system is not a very good measurement of competitive quality. I believe that errors need to be counted, with mandatory reductions when technical elements are not sufficiently executed. That's part of what competition is all about! Otherwise, let's just call it performance and send the judges home.

But how do you measure errors with such varied and multilayered repertoires? Are you going to have mandatory technical requirements? No, the tick system, IMO, is totally archaic and doesn't accurately reflect achievement. Counting errors only works if every corps is performing the exact same show, at the exact same speed. Best of Luck to the Scouts coming down the stretch.

Edited July 31, 2009 by oldtimedrummer

[Green Fleurdelis]

1975 CYO sticks in my mind as THE best crowd of the year and your description is just how I remember it. ... Its amazing that 34 years later it still is a thrill thinking about it.

I feel the same way about the 1974 CYO show. That crowd was louder and more enthusiastic than any other drum corps crowd I've ever experienced -- either as a performer or as a fan. They went wild and the roar went on and on and on. To this day I tell people that that particular time and place was the highlight of my drum corps career.

Maybe we set the stage for you guys in 1975.

[Linda Slocum]

Wondering if any Madison Moms would like to share a room at the Downtown Marriott (Scouts Headquarters) for Finals Week to cut costs. Would rather stay there than the budget hotel (aka Motel 6) 5 miles away. DM me if interested - I already have a room reserved at the Marriott.

Thanks!

Linda

[victrussell]

I just watched the Salem, VA show on the DCI Fan Network. I thought the Scouts really stepped it up in that show. I am impressed with the Scouts continual improvement.

Vic Russell

[Lonnieg1906]

Tonight the men of Madison will start a love affair that I can only hope results in a young man following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps…to carry on a family tradition that includes four of his family members and spans three generations. Tonight my 18 month old son Torsten will be in the presence of greatness when he meets the Green God’s of Madison for the first time in Lawrence, Massachusetts. For tonight I am going to put aside all of my concerns about show design, philosophical differences and potential finals placement and I am going to be the biggest homer ever to wedge my old bones into a bleacher seat and wait, with almost religious fervor, for Madison to take the field and rip my face off. I know that the men can do something visceral and magical which no other group of men can hope to achieve with whatever vehicle they are handed (trust me…does anybody remember ’86?). It’s about tradition, about a unique love, respect and responsibility to the audience and the bond of brotherhood that we all share with every Scout since 1938.

Bring it on men, walk on through the storm, make an old Scout proud and instill the passion that you have now in the next generation.

MYNWA

Oh, and POW!

That is great, Ken. If your son is anything like mine, anytime he hears or see a marching unit they will be the Scouts. lol My son gets fighting mad when I tell him that the group that he hears is not the Scouts. SO, I just let him go with calling everybody, " MY SCOUTS". He will learn as he gets older, I , hope, guess and pray.

MYNWA and POW

[bass5]

Maybe we set the stage for you guys in 1975.

The 1974 Scouts set the stage for the entire 1975 season, there were people all over the US pulling for the Scouts to win that year (especially in Boston).

Can't wait to hear how the guys did tonight.