Jump to content

This is what I love about Drum Corps: Helping the Competition


Recommended Posts

Kudos to the Sacramento Mandarins who helped the FREE Players Drum Corps move their equipment onto the field for their performance at DCI East in Allentown. Despite tight scores/rankings, highly competive seasons, and face-paced schedules, drum corps' MMs and staff continually go out of their way to help and support other drum corps organizations.

What stories do you remember about being there for other corps or other corps being there for you?

https://www.facebook.com/drumcorpsinternational/posts/10153524081974172

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kudos to the Sacramento Mandarins who helped the FREE Players Drum Corps move their equipment onto the field for their performance at DCI East in Allentown. Despite tight scores/rankings, highly competive seasons, and face-paced schedules, drum corps' MMs and staff continually go out of their way to help and support other drum corps organizations.

What stories do you remember about being there for other corps or other corps being there for you?

https://www.facebook.com/drumcorpsinternational/posts/10153524081974172

A relatively new, but emerging North Star Drum Corps ( Ma. ) back in the mid 70's in their early years, were getting very encouraging scores in their trip out midwest. They were all excited to be returning back home where the World Open Championships would be taking place right near their home base ( Lynn , Ma). On the travel back, they had an equipment truck fire and most of their uniforms, brass instruments went up in flames. The staff, and MM's were naturally devastated. When their buses arrived at the World Open Stadium parking lot, they all got off the buses and proceeded to go to the stands to watch the Prelims in a show they would be forced to watch from the stands. However, when the word filtered thru the stands on what had occured and other Corps heard about the plight of this Corps, a few Corps Directors of Corps that had already competed in the Prelims approached the North Star Corps Director and offered to use parts of their uniforms, and their instruments. The North Star Director gathered his Corps together, and the Corps agreed to use the other Corps parts of uniforms, and their instruments in their prelims performance. When the North Star Corps went out onto the field, they looked like holyhell, etc in, different shakos, different guard colors, different tops of blouses from different Corps, different sashes, different plumes, and so forth. But under the circumstances it did not matter. The North Star MM's put on a thoroughly " on " performance. The show was an entertaining one to begin with, and the crowd responded to both the show performance as well as the circumstances with a long and loud standing O. It really was an emotional and unusual performance. I had never seen anything like it. The North Star made the Finals with that inspired Prelims Performance too. And the following season, they got replacement uniforms and made the DCI World Class Division's Top 12 for their first time. But it was at that World Open Championships the year before, that we saw the very best of what this fine activity represents. When the North Star went out onto that field in competition, the other Corps ( many of whom would not make the Finals in that Prelims show as it turned out ) went out there onto that field with them. It was an unforgettable moment, and it did the activity very proud, imo.

Edited by BRASSO
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

BRASSO, that is an awesome story! I loved North Star and marched and roomed with a former North Star MM. Truly inspirational and a tribute to the class of people that keep drum corps going and growing. And I also remember the World Open Championships (1980s). Back then it was word of mouth that spread the news... today, social media. As DCI continues to change and grow in competitiveness, I'm glad that one thing has remained unchanged... the spirit of helping one another in dire circumstances.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And the following season, they got replacement uniforms and made the DCI World Class Division's Top 12 for their first time.

Brasso, it doesn't take anything away from what was an incredible event for North Star, but it was 2 years after the World Open incident (1976) that North Star first made DCI top 12 (1978). They were exciting enough in '77, but there were just too many corps ahead of them (18th place).

The Connecticut Classics junior corps went through the stands at World Open and collected over $2,500 cash for North Star.

More money was given two nights later at CYO Nationals.

Edited by Northern Thunder
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still a good story from Brasso. I'll bet that if Disney Studios were to tell the '76 North Star story, the corps would have made finals the next year. Maybe even won... year after year after year.

But like I said, I like the North Star story and they did rise from adversity to make it into the finals realm soon enough.

Edited by zerosixthirty
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still a good story from Brasso. I'll bet that if Disney Studios were to tell the '76 North Star story, the corps would have made finals the next year. Maybe even won... year after year after year.

I saw North Star at 77 DCI prelims, and they were nothing short of THRILLING! The crowd would have put them in the finals that year.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brasso, it was 2 years after the World Open incident (1976) that North Star first made DCI top 12 (1978). They were exciting enough in '77, but there were just too many corps ahead of them (18th place).

The Connecticut Classics junior corps went through the stands at World Open and collected over $2,500 cash for North Star.

More money was given two nights later at CYO Nationals.

Thats probably true that North Star made DCI World Class Div. Finals 2 years after this memorable World Open Prelims performance ( instead of 1 year, that I mentioned above ). I can't be sure on the timeline.. so you could be right on this. I was in attendance at these World Open Prelims, so I distinctly recall the North Star Corps going out in a mishmash of uniforms that day ( one can't forget something as unusual as this ), and making the WO Finals there off their Prelims Performance, and performing later at this WO Finals. I do recall hearing later that the Classics Drum Corps from Connecticut went out and collected monies too, now that you mention this additional detail to this, Northern Thunder.

Edited by BRASSO
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yay! The Connecticut Classics...that's how I got started in drum corps. Good people in that organization too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thats probably true that North Star made DCI World Class Div. Finals 2 years after this memorable World Open Prelims performance ( instead of 1 year, that I mentioned above ). I can't be sure on the timeline.. so you could be right on this. I was in attendance at these World Open Prelims, so I distinctly recall the North Star Corps going out in a mishmash of uniforms that day ( one can't forget something as unusual as this ), and making the WO Finals there off their Prelims Performance, and performing later at this WO Finals. I do recall hearing later that the Classics Drum Corps from Connecticut went out and collected monies too, now that you mention this additional detail to this, Northern Thunder.

According to the North Star chapter in volume 2 of the Drum Corps World history book, more than 12 other corps contributed things (instruments, guard equipment, etc.) necessary for North Star to compete at World Open

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I checked the record archives for the World Open Prelims for 1976 just now and it looks like 25 Corps were in the Prelims, and 10 were to go to the Finals. North Star made that last spot ( 10th) as a result of both their efforts in the Prelims, and the emergency generosity of their competing Corps colleagues. ( Blue Devils won this '76 WO finals that year.)

Edited by BRASSO
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...