NR_Ohiobando Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 This is a good example of where off the field events can and do effect the scores and placements. Just about everyone knew on the '86 summer tour that the 27th Lancers were tapped out financially and would be done by the end of the summer. The judges don't judge from an isolation booth. They ALL knew the 27th Lancers were a Dead Man Walking Corps by '86. The Lancers were in the mix with 3, 4 Corps for a Finals spot. So come Finals, why reward a Corps with a Finals position that had zero chance of returning for the following year ? So the judges didn't. And so that was that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Bleu Raeders in 1972 would be on my "surprise finalist" list. Guardsmen and Freelancers in 1976, too. I thought the Garfield Cadets that year were a stone-cold lock for a finalist spot (that would have knocked out one of these two corps)... and it didn't happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriTroop Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Kind of weird based on your post, but for me and everyone around me at semis, it was 1986 Troopers. Nobody believed that 27th had not made finals, with most figuring them to be either 9th or 10th at semis. When they were announced in 13th, there was a stunned silence in the crowd in Madison. When theie members came through the stands with their banner announcing the folding of the corps the next night at finals, there were a lot of tears in the stands too. I will say it was very, very hard to be a Trooper at that point. There were some pretty angry people around who said things like "the Troopers killed 2-7." Yes, someone did say that to my face. It was not fun. I had no idea what to say. I didn't know what had happened other than we got tapped for finals and then 2-7 announced they had folded. I was sad, too. I loved that corps and still miss them. I'm so glad someone else in the thread (Brasso) gave some context to the history of that event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrangerx Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 The biggest surprise for me was when the 1993 Colts were announced as finalists. . . the corps had never beaten the Velvet Knights since 1982. . . and there were so many former finalists like Sky Ryders, Dutch Boy, Freelancers. . . so to make it that year after being 20th the year before. . . big surprise! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlooContraGuy Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Vanguard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplattSCV Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 For me personally it was Sky Ryders in 1988. We were decent, but we had not beaten Crossmen or Freelancers once all summer and Dutch Boy had been beating both of them in other shows. I figured for sure that we would end up 15th. I have newspaper clippings that were in the Hutchinson, KS newspaper of a group of us in the parking lot listening to the stadium PA on semi's night when they announced Dutch Boy in the 13 place. Its a great photo of some elated people. That was uber cool for us. For a Dutch Boy friend of mine who later because my DM at Vangaurd in 1992...not so cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankBeMe Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 The biggest surprise for me was when the 1993 Colts were announced as finalists. . . the corps had never beaten the Velvet Knights since 1982. . . and there were so many former finalists like Sky Ryders, Dutch Boy, Freelancers. . . so to make it that year after being 20th the year before. . . big surprise! :-) I thought it was because of all the good press I gave you guys in DCW that year! You all deserved to be in. During the season, I stopped by your rehearsal in Sun Prairie. Gregg told me to come with him...he said he wanted me to hear something. So we went over to the horn line circle and plopped ourselves down and listened to one of your warm up things that just got louder and louder and louder. Gregg had the biggest grin on his face and told me something to the effect that we (Colts, not me) built that! It was great!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Knob Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Bleu Raeders in 1972 would be on my "surprise finalist" list. Guardsmen and Freelancers in 1976, too. I thought the Garfield Cadets that year were a stone-cold lock for a finalist spot (that would have knocked out one of these two corps)... and it didn't happen. We are all pretty surprised too.We marched prelims, found out we were in Finals, and turned around and did the show again, 1 and a 1/2 hours later! Why there are no prelims on the day of finals anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommytimp Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I would imagine Guardsmen in 1980 surprised a lot of people, whether or not you believed in the Curse of the 7. They were pretty dirty from an execution standpoint all year in M&M and drums. The DCW reporter at Birmingham called it when he said they gave probably their best marching performance of the year, which allowed their horn spread to get them in. But for me it's Sky Ryders 1983. Sounds like sour grapes because The Knights didn't make it, but that show had a good low brass section. That's it. 83 was a pretty weak year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Knob Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Everybody who marched in 79 and 80 had a patch that said Guardsmen, with a broken number 7 in the middle. 1980 Guardsmen were the first corps since DCI started to finish 7th one year and make finals the following year. Like I said in response to Michael Boo's article on 80 SCV, I wish the corps had been better in 80, but it was a very tough year. 12th was still a huge accomplishment back then as there were over 100 corps in prelims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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