The Other Path Traveled - You in Another Corps?

[MotorCityMusician]

I went to auditions for the corps i marched because my girlfriend at the time was going. I said why not and went even though i had never had interest in this corps. I grew up as a Cub Scout/Boy Scout and have always wanted to march Madison (still do). I ended up making it in said corps and she got cut. Ive actually wondered how it would have went if I went to Madison instead that year.

[jonnyboy]

When in school I had dreams of marching a big name corps, but once I got started I couldn't leave my home corps. I know many other kids feel the same way, but sometimes your home corps doesn't make it. When the Bridgemen went under, we got many of their kids that would have never imagined marching anywhere where else....especially a rival. I also remember getting some Avant Guard kids and some others from the east coast corps going under. When we lost Florida Wave and then Suncoast, a few kids came up from the south to march.

I think the only way I would have ended up marching somewhere else would have been if the Crossmen had folded.

[Andyroo]

Jim,

This is a great topic!

I've read with great interest how people have gone from one corps to another; auditioning here; transferring there, a year here; two years there; and so forth. Very interesting.

Way back when, I was in one corps for twelve years. Aged out from that corps. During that time span we lost one member to another corps - and he was honest about it; he was chasing a national championship (He didn't get one). Nor did we get any members from other corps that were still operating; those few that we did get came from corps that had already folded.

Just a totally different mindset back then....

[72Bach]

I tried out for 2 corps at the same time(alternate camp dates). I got a callback for 1 of them, but the other offered me a spot right away. Even though I had dreamed of marching in the first corps for years, I went the corps that offered me a spot right away and fell in love with corps. I came back the next year for the most unbelievable summer of my life. From that day on, any regret or thought of not marching with my first choice or dream corps disappeared.

[boxingfred]

I've told this story before...

My brother and I both auditioned and made Bridgemen( lead Sop and Bari). After making their baritone line and making every practice I had to miss the May practice to take finals at school. This was 1981 and The Bridgemen had just missed winning the DCI championship by .6 the year before, so I guess missing a practice for anything short of death was prohibited. So, I was cut for missing practice.I was on my way to another corps (Crossmen) until John Dilleo (sp) the corps drill instructor at the time who also taught me in the Oakland Crusaders years earlier gave me a call out of the clear blue. So I changed exits on the New Jersey turnpike. And the rest is history! I think I made the right choice!

[CrunchyTenor]

I went to a lot of shows in SoCal in 1970. I had a friend in my school drum line that was marching tenors in VK. I became a fan of the corps. During the off season a new organization started up in Long Beach, CA. There were people from several local corps who went to check it out, including some VK and Anaheim Kingsmen members. It was a hot ticket for a couple of weeks, then people started going back to their own corps, and several VK people decided to switch to Anaheim.

The new group moved to Huntington Beach, my hometown, and rehearsals were very close to home. But longer standing friendships prevailed and I ended up at VK.

The corps had gone through a crisis during and following AL Nationals in Portland, though, and a lot if people either quit or went to other corps, including Anaheim.

Before the 71 season even started, though, a group of us decided to take a road trip to NorCal to watch our winter guard compete. We had car trouble and had to Greyhound it to Concord. Zig Kanstul came very close to kicking us out, and would have if we hadn't found a ride home and made it to rehearsal the next day. That was my first almost a Kingsmen. (An aside - this was the guard show where a new corps made their first public appearance. They weren't very good. We wondered how long the Blue Devils would last.)

After the 73 season I was rehearsing in the snareline (finally, after making the cut twice before but going back to tenors because the corps needed it), but seeing the corps implode after losing a standstill competition we should have won, I left. Within two weeks I got a call from Donnie Porter offering me a snare spot in the 74 Kingsmen. He knew me from VK, and I had played with a bunch of Kingsmen in the Toy Soldier Band at Disneyland. (7 of them, 1 of me). Because of the heated rivalry, and out of respect for my VK friends, I declined. Almost a Kingsmen again.

Garry in Vegas

Edited October 1, 2011 by CrunchyTenor

[BrassClef]

This 2010 Rook-out had been wanting to march since I went to see Finals in 2005 in Foxboro. Parents not letting me all through high school led me to my rook-out year with two options. Drive down to audition for the Cadets - or take a chance with a local OC group who was re-emerging and be able to work all summer. I lost so much sleep over the decision. But after much back and forth I put that Cadets camp fee towards my first tuition payment. In August I was a 35 pounds lighter- happy camper.

[Cadets98]

Great topic!

I started in Expressions from Hammond, LA in 89. I was pretty much content with being there until I aged out. Marched 90. Skipped 91 to do Mississippi All-State Lions Band. (We went to Australia so...) Then in 92, the corps director was let go by the board and as result a lot of the staff left. My friend went to a camp as said it was terrible. No one came back and the corps ended up folding because of a lack of recruitment. I was heartbroken, but decided to move on with Southwind in 1992.

I was content with staying with Southwind until I aged out. Marched 93 as well. The 92 Southwind show is a cult classic and I'm honored to have marched there. In 93, the show wasn't as good but the staff and the talent took a big upgrade. We added a brass staff guy from Cadets, Gregg Gausline, who became one of my mentors. I also dated a girl from Cadets the next fall. Gregg wanted to play Stormworks by Steve Mellilo for SOUTHWIND in 1994. The staff and the kids were pumped. The corps director decided that Stormworks would be beyond what the crowd would like and wanted to do something more crowd "accessible." (This was a common concern throughout DCI in a kind of knee-jerk reaction to the then unpopular Star 93 show. Oh how time and hindsight change perception). The corps director said "We're doing 'League of Their Own.'" Gregg didn't want to do that and decided to not come back on staff. Many of the other new staff also declined to come back. Another brass guy, one of the guys that had been around Southwind for a while, who we all loved dearly and worked great with Gregg, was the arranger Dave Enloe. Dave asked the corps director for at least some 3 valves so it can be easier to arrange. The corps director said no and Dave Enloe said he wasn't coming back. Current DCI percussion judge, Dave Starnes left Southwind with him. Oh what could have been. :(. Especially when our then rival CAROLINA CROWN, busted into finals with STORMWORKS two years later. Hard to believe at one time Southwind and Carolina Crown duked it out night to night.

So, as was foreshadowed earlier, I and 5 other Southwind folks, upset with all the staff departures, bolted to Cadets in 1994. I aged out a Cadet in 1998 with no regrets.

Could I have marched somewhere else? Maybe? My first live open (now World) class show was Santa Clara Vanguard 1989. Yeah! You heard right. Talk about an impression. I was a Vanguard fan from then on. I also have always been attracted to the more militaristic, tradition filled corps. I was a lead soprano and all but would have never even considered being a Blue Devil. I love Devils now, but I loved to hate em back in the day. So, I might have ended up with the Vanguard had it not been for Gregg and the GF who told me all about the tradition there at the Cadets. And SCV was in a major slump in 1993 and Cadets had just won so that had something to do with it. It might have been something cool to march SCV since the Vanguard totally came out of the doldrums during the years I was at Cadets (94-98). So, that would have been a privilege to be apart of that surge.. I also would have enjoyed being under the instruction of Dean Westman and Gordon Henderson who I admire immensely. But alas, For Holy Name Shall Always Be.

[Pioneersop98]

I always wanted to march with Southwind, my home state corps, and when I got the opportunity to do so in 1996 I did. I got married in 1997 and could have gone back to SW that summer but chose not to because of being newly married and having just moved from Alabama to Florida. Wayne Downey also called me and asked to for me to come audition at BD. My Dad answered the phone when he called and handed it to me. I was about to freak out, talking to Wayne Downey! My Dad was like, Wayne who? It was funny, you had to be there I guess.

My age out year was 1998. I decided that I wanted to march it and my wife said go ahead, so in March I started looking for a corps to go to since SW was taking that year off. I emailed every World class corps and got responses from only two. Crossmen said to come to a camp and that they had two lead soprano spots open. Pioneer said come to a camp we have seven soprano spots open. I knew that I didn't have the range for a lead spot and didn't want to waste a plane ticket to New Jersey, so I flew to Milwaukee, loved it, and signed a contract. The next week someone from Crossmen calls me and says hey, we missed you at camp. We just had six soprano holes open up! Are you interested?

So I could have probably marched with Crossmen in 1998 and made Finals, or with Blue Devils in 1997. Do I regret not going to New Jersey or Concord for those auditions, not really. It just wasn't meant to be I guess. Maybe in an some alternate universes I wound up with BD and Crossmen. :)

I am very happy that I went in this universe to Pioneer!

[MetalTones2012]

In 2010 I was contacted by a staff member of the Glassmen asking to fill a vacant horn spot, but I declined because I was already registered for summer classes and my parents would have never let me fly all the way to Toledo anyway. There is a part of me that wonders what would be different if I took their offer, but I had a fun summer anyway so I don't regret missing out.

This year might be a similar story too, as I've decided to age out with a lower-tier World Class corps instead of auditioning for a G8 member like I've been planning all summer. I don't think I will regret this decision either, though.