Tad_MMA Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 (edited) Vanguard had won the big DCI Midwest regional over everybody. Two weeks later they were a distant 4th in semifinals (a full FOUR points out of 1st). In Finals, they jumped 3.9 and were only 0.6 away from winning. I recall reading that they were delayed or something at semis. Rain maybe? Was their semifinal show that bad? What happened? Edited June 21, 2013 by Tad_MMA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Thunder Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 I don't know the particulars, but SCV went from 8th in field visual at semis to 1st at finals. Also jumped total percussion from 6th at semis to 3rd at finals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 It was pretty rainy the day of prelims. BD had cover (the brass line warmed up next to the basketball arena, and we had a nice large overhang), but SCV only had a large tree to huddle under, as I recall. They ended up being late to the gate because of it...probably lost some focus on the dash over when they would normally be getting into their performance mindset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRacer Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 (edited) A painful subject for me, as I thought '84 was a MUCH better year than '85 (my age out year). At that time 1984 was the youngest corps SCV had every fielded (average age just over 17) and that all the "SCV heavies" had taken '84 off to do the 1984 Summer Olympic Band in LA. Our staff dropped the ball and kept us under the trees under cover from the rain, and we were late to the gate. I will never forget the walkie-talkie going off with GR's voice ("Where ARE YOU???"), the look of panic on the staff's face, topped off with two '82 vets behind me who said almost in stereo, "Oh sh---, it's like prelims in Montreal all over again..." (For those that were there, remember SCV running down the ramp to the field for their prelims performance at McGill Stadium in '82?) We took off at really fast walk/jog in uniform all the way to the gate and with the guard in their skirts and equipment in tow, struggling to keep up. Drums were...somewhere. "...you may begin your one minute warm up..." and the guard is still lining up... What followed was a disaster and we never recovered. We gave away the championship in the first 60 seconds of opener and stunk up the joint. I have a VHS tape of prelims, and I've only been able to watch it twice since that summer as to me it's that bad. GR was incensed beyond all comprehension (I saw GR get so angry, I always wondered how he DIDN'T have a coronary) and I believe that if that gaffe had happened earlier on heads would have rolled. The MMs were incensed at the staff FUBAR as well and it was DEAD SILENT all the way back from the stadium, hardly anyone ate, and the collective anger in the gym was palpable. I don't know if he volunteered or drew the short straw, but after lights out in the gym there was a "creeeeaakk" as the 2nd floor entry door opened to the gym, and.... Tim Salzmann was standing in the entryway, with the light behind him streraming in, but the front of him still in darkness in perfect sillouette. On a scale of 10 he scored a 15 in the "Dramatic Entry" caption; it was that kind of visual. Tim went on to deliver one of the most motivational speeches I've ever heard, completely off the cuff. And, he delivered it using just a slightly louder a normal voice. He began with, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Santa Clara Vanguard..." and went on to apologize on behalf of the staff for the day's events. He continued: "We also want to apologize because we utterly underestimated you. You all know this is the youngest corps we've had. We underwrote your show, thinking we would have to get you up, put your diapers on, and HOPE you'd perhaps take 5th at Nationals. "Then you all did something unexpected: you started to win. You showed us we were wrong to even think the way we did, and that we could have challenged you more from the start. For that we apologize. One other thing: no drum corps in DCI history has ever jumped from 4th to 1st to win Nationals....tonight, ladies and gentlemen, as I stand here, I know I am looking out at the first corps in history that is going to do so. Goodnight." And he stepped back and shut the door, pluging us into darkness again. A stunned silence for 20 seconds followed, then a primal scream came out of everybody in the dark ("GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!") I don't think anyone slept for more than an hour, we rehearsed like insane rabid animals starting at 0700, and we had our secret weapon: The Slammin' (white) Pants that, when worn, we were undeafeated in, plus we were going "all white" on the tunic (no green stripe). As inspired as our Finals performance was, some parents told me later we were even better at the last through. First in Field Visual (9.9) and 1st in Field Brass (9.9), and we were on 4th from last...I'll take it. Edited June 24, 2013 by TRacer 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tad_MMA Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 (edited) Now THAT... Ladies and Gentlemen...is how a question is answered!!!!! Edited June 25, 2013 by Tad_MMA 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanguard87 Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Yup. Pretty much as TRacer described it, although coming off the field after prelims I honestly had no idea anything had gone awry. In my five years in SCV, that was the only show we placed lower than third, and the only time a corps other than Garfield or BD beat us. That horn line had 47 rookies, 12 nothings, and five vets. It's true that we barely knew right from left over the winter (i.e., when the show was being designed), but ironically enough, the light switch went on at the Memorial Day weekend camp, and we came out of the gate stronger than we had in a number of years, and beat BD much more often in the early going than either corps was accustomed to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 and beat BD much more often in the early going than either corps was accustomed to. Oh, believe me, after taking 3rd at Whitewater, a fire was lit under OUR butts! You beat us 5 times out of 16 meetings...all prior to and including Whitewater (because we didn't even SEE you guys again until nats) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tad_MMA Posted June 26, 2013 Author Share Posted June 26, 2013 That horn line had 47 rookies, 12 nothings, and five vets. "12 Nothings?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDale Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 "12 Nothings?" 2nd years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 2nd years How'd THAT term come about top be applied to them instead of vets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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