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what was the smallest Corps to compete ?


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In 1996 we (Les Étoiles) came in 15th in World Class (after winining division II the day before) with 68 members. I think that this was probably one of the smallest corps to ever make top 17.

later,

Mike

Loved Les Etoiles back in the day ... and I wish DCI would go back to that system where you got the chance to compete at Quarterfinals.

Hey all you "smaller division" people out there (whatever it's been called through the years) -- do you like the current system of having your championships week with Finals on the same day as the "bigger division" -or- would you like to go back to the previous format where the smaller champions would have the chance to compete at Quarterfinals with the "bigger corps"???

Just curious ... off topic, I know, but related ...

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This week I noticed a Corps competing this year with approx. 9 brass players. ( Les Stentors, Quebec, Canada )

Question........ What was the smallest Corps you have ever seen ( or heard about ) compete in an outdoor competition on a field ? Who was that Corps, when was it, and how many brass, percussion, guard did they have out there to compete ?

Mystical a few years back had 5 or 6 brass, all oher sections were proportional. It was their first year being activ and they were based in Newbury Park, CA.

This is, in my opinion, the problem with the small corps today. The percussion section is disproportional to the brass section. For instance, along with the 9 brass, Les Stentors had 2 drum majors and 12 percussion. Why would a corps of 30 members need 2 DMs, especially when all of the musicians are right at the front sideline and do not perform any drill? I would think a good rule of thumb is approx. 50% brass, 20% percussion, 30% guard.

A very good small, all-age corps was High Country Brass last year. I think 10-15 members: 1 snare, 4 guard, 1 DM, and the rest brass, IIRC. In my opinion, they put most of the small Open class corps to shame. Well-balanced sound and well designed program for a very small corps.

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We are at the end of this stage of drum corps though. Wasn't the rule passed in 2003 or 2004 that corps cannot compete with fewer than 30 members in a DCI contest? I recall that being a driving force behind Phoenix folding. We were in the high twenties but couldn't get over the hurdle.

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I remember back when I was teaching Canos in 1994 and we won div. III with 33 kids and made open class quarterfinals. Also either in 1994 or 1996 the Marion Cadets were placing at every competition they went to like DCM championships and I believe they had 5 horns.

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My notes are not complete, so I can only confirm Braintree Braves having marched 5-member corps on several occasions. I seem to recall them appearing once with just four (may have been 1996)....but never saw them compete with only three.

Marion Cadets did march 5 horns for several years, including when they won DCM division III prelims in '97.

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Whoa !..... they WON a Championship in their division with 9 brass ? That's pretty amazing. I'd imagine then that they must have beat out Corps with much larger brass lines., which is pretty cool. ....." A- 60 ", must have meant " total performers no more than 60 " ?

It was actually 1992 with 10 members in the brass line.

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As someone mentioned earlier, the Braintree Braves did indeed compete with fewer that 5 TOTAL (includes brass/ percussion/guard) in the corps not too many years ago.

The Little Big Horns Drum & Bugle Corps from New York state went out with two horns about 10 years ago, and folded up after both horns left the corps.

You are joking right, about The Little Big Horns ?

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Racine had like 13 brass or all a couple years ago

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Didn't the 1979 Crusaders get a lot of mileage out of something like 29 horns, beating corps with much larger lines?

I think it might have been even less than 29 horns that year for Boston. Saw 'em a couple of times that summer... they absolutely kicked ###!!!!

Fran

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