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Your First Show


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Hershey, PA 6/16/73

Pittsburgh Rockets

1. Buccaneers 83.40

2. Yankee Rebels 83.15

3. Rochester Crusaders 78.45

4. Hamburg Kingsmen 70.45

5. Pittsburgh Rockets 65.65

After watching my dad and older brothers march with the corps for the past 6 years, I got my chance. Was nervous as all get out (being only 15). Thought the show went great, but what do I know?

Turns out, this was probably the highlight of a season that rapidly deteriorated into their worst (and last) season ever.

Edited by Rocketman
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Crossmen

1984

Huntington W. VA

I remember Mr. Robinson and a couple of staff members were looking over the corps. They started pointing at me. They came over and asked how old I was. I always looked older than I was but I didn't have ID. My mom had to fax it. 1984! Cost around $20. She was not happy!

We came in dead last with a 56.

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Dam, you are old since I was 10 when I joined the Braintree Braves in 57.

Yes. I am old. The Warriors were not stellar in those days. We improved greatly from 1958 through 1960, largely because of the influx of kids from the Braves, who were a #### good corps at that time.

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  • 1 month later...

Imperial Knights - Midland Park, NJ.



World Open Class B Prelims - July 29, 1977.



43.85 - 25th place



Not only was this my first show, it was the first field show that the corps had done since the early '60s. Prior to my jointing IK in 1976, the corps had been an all-girl drum & bell corps that primarily did parades & standstill (not sure when they started admitting guys, not sure when they added brass - shame on me for not better knowing my first corps' history!)



I was only 10 at the time, so I was too young & dopey to truly understand the magnitude of the situation, but the one thing I do remember (I related a bit of this on the Old Corps Photos thread a few days ago) was walking into the Manning Bowl for the first time as a 10-year old little boy with a bugle in his hands, and feeling like I had just walked into the middle of the Roman Colosseum!! A pretty cool first experience, and a big reason for why I stayed for the next 30 years!



Something that dawned on me many years later about that first World Open experience...



The World Open was famous for doing the Short Show at prelims (kids, ask your parents). We didn't even KNOW our concert yet! What if we were actually good enough to have made finals.....? My 2 brothers and sister were also marching with me that season, and I remember having a conversation with my brother about that very point. Being 6 years older, he had a much better perspective on things back then. He said, "We knew it wasn't going to be an issue. The only goal that the staff had for us was to not finish dead last." I was 10 - what did I know?



The good news? We didn't finish last - we were 25th out of 26!



77WorldOpen1_zpsf3ea35e5.jpg



I'm the shortie in the far left flank (1 of only 2 wearing pants - we didn't have all members of the musical ensemble wear pants until the next year. All girls in skirts...clinging to the traditions of our corps' all-girl roots!)


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If there was discussion, I was never a part of it. I started marching with IK when I was 9, so the likelihood would've been to steer me away from it. To be honest, I never even knew that a former member had been murdered. That's certainly not something you ever want to hear.

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I remember the story of the guard member. She was supposedly strangled with her own shoulder harness (to hold the flag pole back in the day) on her way home from practice. Very sad story.

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