Rivalries in DCI.

[Tansea]

Your question, "Do rivalries between corps still exist" has an entirely different meaning today then compared to the era in which I marched and especially for those that preceded me. Back in the 70's and maybe even the early 80's, the concept of "rivalry" was often times something much more personal then today's meaning. At times, it meant down right hostility and personal retribution. Sometimes, if things weren't cleared up on the field, issues were dealt with off the field. Back in the time when drum corps and shows were predominately local, there was no love lost between us (Madison) and the Cavies, Kilties, PR and Blue Star with a close second being Santa Clara and maybe the Bridgemen. I personally recall several situations that resulted in off field extra curricular activities....a little rumble anyone? One of the most memorable occasions was when a group of guys from Santa Clara and the Blue Devils decided to collectively join forces and do something about us stealing their girlfriends away from them while on tour. Their attempted "smack down" occurred after one of the Drums Along the Rockies shows somewhere in Colorado (something ____Hot Springs???). All I can say is, BIG MISTAKE! It was ugly and fast. Lets just say that after that evening, we seemed to have an abundance of California girls gracing our Madison confines. But this was nothing compared to the stories I've heard from "old timers" that marched in the 50's and 60's. I've listened to first hand accounts of those particularly from East Coast corps that would regularly "take it to the streets"! Yes, the good old days of a friendly rivalry!

Someone had to take 'em....

[Tansea]

No seriously, almost every post has been prefaced with, "I think."

Let's take this discussion back a few years...

For the record, regardless of the facade, there has always been a huge rivalry between Blue Devils and The Santa Clara Vanguard. Seriously. We all talk pretty when the lights go down, but underneath it all...yea. Look at the evolutions of the two corps. I will go to war for some of the BD shows and have, but I will also talk the longest poo about them too. I think the words, "Park and Bark" and "Smoke and Mirrors (2010 excluded)", play heavily in my verbage. I marched with some of those guys in college, suprising how limited their vocabularies are for college kids, and while we rocked it in band, on the Summer field, it was war.

Now I know that if you go wake up some dinasours, the guys/girls who actually marched, you'll find that there was a corps called Blessed Sac that wasn't very fond of BAC (Boston Crusaders) and the Kilties needed police escorts into and out of the country of Canada.

Homework is called for here.

[Fran Haring]

I agree with this one. I was touched when I heard that Cavies made a gigantic cake for HNC.

And it was delicious!

Heh... back in the day, if a corps made a cake for another corps, the recipient might use food tasters to make sure the thing wasn't poisoned.

[DreaminMello]

Back in the 70's and 80's many more corps existed, so DCI associate corps as well had their rivalries..... I remember Cadets of Greece and Squires was a pretty good one. Not a top 12 corps, but interstate rivalry, especially for NYS Champ.

[oldschooldbc]

I recall distinctly that BD and SCV really disliked Garfield, when they first came to prominence. They really viewed Garfield as muscling in on their monopoly, in the early 1980's. I think that the Garfield folks - and much of the East Coast marching establishment - really disliked BD and SCV back then. I think this was as much a regional as a competitive rivalry.

I recall the "East is Best" and "West is Best" chants from 1983 Finals, at the old Orange Bowl in Miami. (I think the BD and SCV folks were in the north endzone, leading their part of the chant, and the East Coast folks were in the south endzone, leading their part of the chant. Garfield won that night, of course, and the course of this activity was changed forever.)

Go to the Site That Must Not Be Named, and see the archival footage, of Garfield's return home to New Jersey in 1983. One of the local news stations in NJ covered their return home. The MMs on the bus were still singing that chant on the way home. Hey, go watch the video, if you don't believe me.

This, of course, is extremely ironic now, that the leaders of BD and Cadets are in cahoots, to form the G7. Of course, a lot can happen in 27 years.....

[soccerguy315]

No seriously, almost every post has been prefaced with, "I think."

Let's take this discussion back a few years...

For the record, regardless of the facade, there has always been a huge rivalry between Blue Devils and The Santa Clara Vanguard. Seriously. We all talk pretty when the lights go down, but underneath it all...yea. Look at the evolutions of the two corps. I will go to war for some of the BD shows and have, but I will also talk the longest poo about them too. I think the words, "Park and Bark" and "Smoke and Mirrors (2010 excluded)", play heavily in my verbage. I marched with some of those guys in college, suprising how limited their vocabularies are for college kids, and while we rocked it in band, on the Summer field, it was war.

Now I know that if you go wake up some dinasours, the guys/girls who actually marched, you'll find that there was a corps called Blessed Sac that wasn't very fond of BAC (Boston Crusaders) and the Kilties needed police escorts into and out of the country of Canada.

Homework is called for here.

must be some war where you can't even influence what the guys you are fighting with do, unless you are referencing parking lot antics

Edited November 14, 2010 by soccerguy315

[Jerseyboy]

And I can debunk the Colts/Troopers one, Fan of Night. In 2009, we fought for the last Finals slot together. When the Troopers took it, we sent them our congratulations for returning to the Finals field. Were there disgruntled members? Sure. It was a close fight. But a rivalry? I wouldn't call it that.

rivalries do NOT have to be mean and unfriendly.

Spirit and Crossmen have a great relationship ( probably the best between two corps in DCI ) WHEN ONE MAKES TOP 12 AND THE OTHER DOES NOT they make the other corps symbol on retreat with horns , drums , whatever.

But dont think they dont want to beat each other on the field.

just because its a competitive rivalries that does not mean it has to be nasty and mean spirited.

Cavies -Cadets is another one of respect but that rivalry goes way way back.

Real rivalries have a lot of respect involved.

[Noname]

Not sure there's much love lost between PR & BD esp. after 2008......

Ironically, the brass caption head from PR in '08 (at least I think he was the caption head) went to Blue Devils as a trumpet tech this year.

I'm sure everyone was rivals with Blue Devils show this year though, just because Blue Devils got sensitive about their mirrors when other people looked at them and because a lot of people probably thought they shouldn't be winning. But that's not the topic here.

I'm sure there are rivalries, but I hear of a lot less incidents between corps nowadays. I don't think it's as personal anymore, but I could be wrong.

[TrumpetVinny]

Well I already said that I heard of Phantom vs Cavies. This is all just from a Phantom alum though. He implied both corps hated each other equally to the extent that he would never say green. He said the rivalry was longstanding.

[newterak]

I seem to remember a pretty epic pillow fight with Scv and Phantom during Tour of Champions. Thats gotta count for some kind of a rivalry.