Lincoln Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Well, this exact same topic has appeared several times on here before. It is very old news, not much point to rehash it. I don't read every post on here. In fact, there are some that I purposely avoid. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric24 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 You think that is crazy, listen to this one. My girlfriend hurd this story about this kid who failed the 7th grade and needed to repeat that grade. This kid wanted to hang with all his just promoted 8th grade friends. On the first day of school, this kid refuse to repeat the 7th grade so someway he put a 8th grade scheduled together and showed up in every 8th grade class on this bootleg schedule, the entire year.......yes he got away with it and the school administration did nothing about it. The kid even past the 8th grade with all his friends. Yes, it's hard to believe something like this could happen but this is a true story. This has nothing to do with drum corps but just like that guy who ran on the field with the base drum after getting kicked out of the corps, this kids decided he was going to the next grade level regardless, of what his reportcard showed. To days youth........... are something else!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Looking at the calendar.... January 2012? This horse was jerky a long time ago. mmmmmm....jerky 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 If the staff wanted to take a stand, there was plenty of time to do it. They could've sent him home, or they could've kicked him off the field finals night. "Too close to the start of the show and in the hunt for the championship" is BS. If it's the right thing to do, it's the right thing whether or not you are in 1st or 12th. Obviously they were willing to compromise somewhat. And it worked, didn't it? BD got a ring that year, and that's what BD strives for. There is no reason to feel sorry for Gibbs or anyone else on the staff. I'm also pretty confident that the rest of the drum line, or at least the basses, were in on this plan. As someone else said, they were a team since December, busted their ##### all year, and they wanted to be their together for the last show. From the folks I talked to that marched there over the years, "reefer madness" is still a big part of the Blue Devils' "bad boy" image and culture; they even seem pretty proud of it. I don't think this is a secret. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 (edited) I just kind of checked out that Ram thread. It sounds like the guys in the line were happy that he snuck onto the field after warmups. Now I am looking at this from the perspective of a former staff member, as a volunteer, and as a parent. As a marching member, or former marching member, would you rather march with the hole, or would you have been happy that your friend ended up on the field for finals performance? Edited January 5, 2012 by Tim K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Most kids I know have a strong sense of justice and a strong sense of sympathy. My guess is that when the incident was mentioned, most would not want him to march on principle, but would later have a change of heart when it came to missing finals. I suppose it’s an example of the letter of the law v. the spirit of the law, and my guess is that at 18-21, I would have been angry that he did something that could jeopardize the corps but would have felt sorry he missed finals and would have relented, perhaps even thanked him for being a part of the show. That being said, drum corps has always hyped its members as being leaders, dedicated, role models, hardworking, motivated, and other notable adjectives, and most of the kids I knew who marched back in the day and those who march today live up to these words. Some may have incredible talent but don’t live up to the accolades. It’s the same in any organization that has young people involved. That being said, as an adult I’m not sure that the kid should have marched, and I’m sure he could have been pulled before the show began. It would have been very hard, but it would have been for his good and the good of those in the corps, even if it was the most difficult thing to do. Sometimes we learn a great deal from disappointments and mistakes. While I have no way of knowing if the person involved became an addict, I’ve worked with enough addicted personalities to know that very often getting away with something makes an addict feel invincible. Getting to march meant he got away with it. This only makes matters worse down the road. I suppose I see it as what’s more important, the finals show or the true well-being of the kids involved? At 18, I’m sure my answer would have been different than it is now at 49. Also, for those who could rightfully point out that since I never marched in DCI, I cannot understand the pressures, a little history might help. If the kid was in BD, BD only beat the Cavaliers once that season and never beat Cadets, so the hole probably would not have cost them a title they may not have won anyway and the confusion of learning new show with four bass drums and having a fifth show up may have made the difference between third and first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistolpete Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 With all the cameras in the stadium that night, there are no photos of this drummer running onto the field well after the rest of the corps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dash Fieldpaint Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I have nothing to add to this except: I was there too. I saw the guy run out onto the field right at the start of the show, and I saw him escorted off by a lot of the staff directly after. We were all fairly confused by seeing a bass drummer showing up so late and rushing onto the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 For what it's worth, I'm not some sadist out to enforce the rules just to demean and to dehumanize the unfortunate kids who commit the occasional misdemeanor. Nor am I insensitive to the sympathy some have shown. What's torqued me off is the fundamental unfairness of the situation. One member got to write his own chart. He got to smoke his weed even though it was against the rules. He got to march even though he'd been banned. We can argue until forever – and we probably will – about whether marijuana should be illegal, but that's beside the point. Smoking weed wasn't allowed on tour just as making your own travel arrangements weren't allowed. Maybe he could handle a joint now and then. Maybe he could outplay the whole line. Doesn't matter; he still has to follow the charts. That's how we play. What lesson did the youngest, most impressionable Blue Devil learn from this? Perhaps that if you break the rules close to finals, you'll still get to play the big show? Gibbs can make a fuss, but your corpsmates will turn a blind eye so you can do what you please? Please. No harm? No foul? Suppose it had turned out differently. Suppose Gibbs had noticed in time, dashed across the field and sent one drummer packing. Can you imagine how that would have played in the stands? There would have been a lot of questions. There would have been some misplaced sympathy on the part of those who thought maybe the kid was injured. There might well have been some bad publicity – maybe even some back at the school where BD stayed with all the potential harm that implies. What if some other member of the corps, one who wasn't in on the plot, noticed and confronted the now non-member fearing that this bass drummer sought revenge rather than vindication? What if he tried to hustle the bass drummer off the field only to be yanked in another direction altogether by another member who knew the plan? How ugly would that have looked on the field? What if this bass drummer had accidentally tripped during the show and taken a rank out with him? He didn't mean it. But who would believe that from someone who wasn't supposed to be there at all? We spend a summer teaching – learning – discipline and sacrifice. If discipline and sacrifice were the right thing all summer, they were still right on finals night. The problem is one undisciplined drummer asked his corpsmates to sacrifice not for the unit, just for him – not just to play their parts but to play his too. Wrong. HH :worthy: :worthy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I have nothing to add to this except: I was there too. I saw the guy run out onto the field right at the start of the show, and I saw him escorted off by a lot of the staff directly after. We were all fairly confused by seeing a bass drummer showing up so late and rushing onto the field. I figured a busted head, a drum snafu, maybe a health issue.... then when they were done, the buzz filled the stands. took a while to reach row 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.