BostonRocks Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 I love Canada. Although the winters are a little too cold for me. But have any of you spent a weekend in Montreal? Wow, fabulous. Everything you ever want or desire is there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh161 Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 i know the ventures are not dead, they still act as a winter guard, but i would guess financially could not keep up wiht the financial burden of a drum corps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guardguy89 Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 I love Canada. Although the winters are a little too cold for me.But have any of you spent a weekend in Montreal? Wow, fabulous. Everything you ever want or desire is there. Yeah - I live in downtown Montreal - it is the coolest city on earth later, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman1084 Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 Everything you ... desire is there. Funny you should use that word to describe the original Sin City. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 I love Canada. Although the winters are a little too cold for me.But have any of you spent a weekend in Montreal? Wow, fabulous. Everything you ever want or desire is there. Both years I marched drum corps we had free days/nights in Montreal: * rookie year we spent from late afternoon to late at night during Montreal's jazz fest. INCREDIBLE night! * age-out year my corps threw me a bachelor party in Montreal (I got married the December after aging out, and was planning the wedding during tour on the bus and during free time). Needless to say, both nights were awesome and memorable, and I totally agree that Montreal is a great city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 i know the ventures are not dead, they still act as a winter guard, but i would guess financially could not keep up wiht the financial burden of a drum corps Ventures ending up merging with Kiwanis Kavaliers in the mid-90's, when Kiwanis was making their run to win Div. 2/go World Class. I would say their membership contribution was VERY helpful in Kiwanis' more competitive years (1995-1998). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 In Ontario, it was the demise of three corps.....Seneca Optimists, Oakland Crusaders and Dutchboy. Lets face it all three were flash in the pans. Oakland tried to hang on but just couldn't. The Dutchboy that made to the top 12 once was finished after that. I know....Dutchboy is still going however they aren't at the top anymore and haven't been for a long time. In Quebec....Les Eclipse almost did it, Les Etoile, Acadamie Musicale, etc. All nice corps but nothing behind them once they got to a certain place. Lets not forget Offensive Lions, between them and Les Eclipse they were the hope of Canada in their time.I have to say that money plays a big factor in all this as well as good management. If you plan a trip from Ohio to Germany and your pilot can only get you to Greenland, your trip wasn't a success was it? Agreed, and I'd have to add Kiwanis Kavaliers to that list. I think they were the last Canadian corps to challenge for a Finalist spot (in 1997, and arguably in 1996). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slow Adam Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 Both years I marched drum corps we had free days/nights in Montreal:* rookie year we spent from late afternoon to late at night during Montreal's jazz fest. INCREDIBLE night! * age-out year my corps threw me a bachelor party in Montreal (I got married the December after aging out, and was planning the wedding during tour on the bus and during free time). Needless to say, both nights were awesome and memorable, and I totally agree that Montreal is a great city. For those who don't know, the legal drinking age in the Province of Quebec is 18 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 There used to be a major show every year in Montreal at Centre Claude Robillard. A lot of top corps attended along with some of the most innovative Quebec corps imagineable. I once brought a musician friend of mine who was blown away by the Quebec corps the most AND that was in 1991 when Phantom came to Montreal with their operatic show. Unfortunately after 911 the event died. Few American corps were venturing into Canada after that. It's too bad. It was a extremely well organized show that attracted a ton of people. It was hard to get good tickets if you didn't order them early. I remember attending the Canadian championships in Jonquiere, Quebec in 1980 and being blow away by L'offensive de Jonquiere. I was in a silly Canadian marching band attending the championship staying at a hotel in Jonquiere. The locals were very friendly as were the competing groups. The drive through Quebec was absolutely breathtaking (forests for miles). What a great event! I will never forget the way L'offensive left the field. They had an addictive vocal/percussion exit that was out of this world! In 1981 friends of mine and I followed SCV from Ypsilanti, MI through to Hamilton, Ontario. SCV used to video tape their shows back then with a camera crew called SCVTV (this was when SCTV was big in Canada). I remember specifically at prelims in Hamilton when one of the picollo bugles fell off the tether attached to the pants of one of their members during their performance. Mike Zapanta the DM was completely cool about it and just simply picked it up when he wasn't on the podium and placed it on the sideline. We were in awe at how cool Mike was. We bought the '80 Vanguard yearbook and while SCV was warming up, we'd pick a name and yell out a cheer to that person - not even knowing if they were still in the corps. Then in 1982 we attended DCI in Montreal. You have never seen so many people interested in Drum Corps as you saw at DCI 1982. I remember Les Chatelaines with their chairs as well as Garfield with their "new style" show. I remember being completely ###### that Garfield beat Phantom. If you want people to be interested in supporting an activity, you have to show them what it is about and what the possibilities are. The fact that so many shows no longer exist hurts that tremendously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarnia sam Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Whether or not you're kidding, you are more than partially correct. The country is so highly taxed. Even without a real military, their health care system sucks away any possible market system. Considering the US political climate today, if anyone could invade Canada, now would be the time. Not sure where you get your info, but here in Ontario our total tax load (all levels of government) is actually less than the total tax load in many states, and considerably when you throw in health care premiums south of the border. I researched this a couple years ago and can't put my hands on the data right now or I'd bury you with it. I'll take our health care over any day. My son is alive today and very healthy and I would never have been able to afford a bone marrow transplant for him and I'm sure there isn't a health insurer in the world that would have covered him with a rare condition. My other son is deaf and his care has been excellent - he even competed in individuals on Wednesday. So trash away, but try and do it with some facts. I'd also be careful about an invasion. Gotta remember who burned down the White House after invading us last time On topic. I think the alumni of all the corps shoulder some responsibility for the demise of drum corps in Canada. We can morn all we want, but then who is doing anything about it? Regards, John PS Sue is most right about the International in DCI. It had everything to do with De la Salle Oaklands being a founding member. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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