Drum Corps Rivalry Stories; you didn’t like them and they didn’t like you.

[greg_orangecounty]

Spill the tea. I know there was genuine dislike if not down-right hatred. Let’s hear your stories.

Although THEY thought they were our “rival” we just considered them annoying, especially when they shouted “VK ALL THE WAY”!  during the middle of our shows. To retaliate (later) we would sing them a song with alternate lyrics from Westside Story; “There’s a place for usssss, a SECOND place for us....”

I don’t like the Velvet Knights to this day.

[Brian Tuma]

Way to move on after 40 years! 👍🏽

[greg_orangecounty]

27 minutes ago, Brian Tuma said:

Way to move on after 40 years! 👍🏽

Thank you!  I gave you a participation prize.

[JimF-LowBari]

Had bus songs for other corps but nothing said in public or probably would have been kicked out. (When trying to rebuild can’t look like jerks and alienate people).

Joined one of my corps rivals when I did Alumni corps. My mom thought it was hilarious “didn’t you sing dirty songs about them”... At a parade one guy who was in both corps and I sang some of those songs to the “targets” of those songs. They laughed too and I was disappointed that they didn’t have any songs about us.

[greg_orangecounty]

5 minutes ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Had bus songs for other corps but nothing said in public or probably would have been kicked out. (When trying to rebuild can’t look like jerks and alienate people).

Joined one of my corps rivals when I did Alumni corps. My mom thought it was hilarious “didn’t you sing dirty songs about them”... At a parade one guy who was in both corps and I sang some of those songs to the “targets” of those songs. They laughed too and I was disappointed that they didn’t have any songs about us.

Awesome, we had former rivals in our alumni corps too. Never knew back in the day they referred to us as (too filthy to say here).  All in good fun - now!

[JimF-LowBari]

1 minute ago, greg_orangecounty said:

Awesome, we had former rivals in our alumni corps too. Never knew back in the day they referred to us as (too filthy to say here).  All in good fun - now!

Had one guy in the alumni corps talk about something that used to get them psyched before a show. Turned out it was something my corps said but we didn’t realize they found out about it. He didn’t know I was in that corps until I said “you’re welcome” 😉

something about being able to water on and something that floats... 😈

[Ghost]

"To The Members Of THE SAINT KEVIN EMERALD KNIGHTS:

Those of you who marched with us last year remember that at the end of the 1962 season, most felt that 1963 would be a building year, a mediocre season, one that would lead to 1964 and the year we would again have simultaneously a national championshp horn lin, a top drum section, general effect and marching and maneuvering to match, and as a result, the 1964 V.F.W. National Championship corps.

Well, we were wrong on the first count. The year 1963 turned into the most eventful the corps has yet experienced, ex-
cluding 1960. For the first time since 1961, we topped Blessed Sacrament. True, a penalty was involved, but did they not steal the 1960 V.F.W. Championship flag from us on the same basis? For the first time, we finished the season with a winning record (3 wins, 2 losses) against Garfield. The mediocre corps we had expected turned into another champion. With such a combination in 1963, Lord help the other corps in 1964.

We lost few men at the end of 1963. We figure them to be expendable, for the bulk of the hornline remained. Our losses were replaced by several very talented men from Our Lady of Lourdes, and a few others, equally as talented, from other corps. No need to expound, for we all know these facts. These men joined up for the same reason the rest of you did--desire to march under the name of Saint Kevin; love the green, red, and white uniform; a supreme longing to call themselves National Champs.

We have just finished the first phase of 1964, the stanstill season, and sorry to say, we did not prove up to our expectations of ourselves. Out of three contests, we can point to a first place, a second, and a third and say, this is what we did. Out of a total of eleven captions in the three contests, we won exactly two. TWO! And these were in the General Effect categories. Our hornline has yet to place higher than second in execution. Our drum line, although improved, is still waiting for a win. Yet, every time we take a loss, the general feeling has been that we have been subjected to a screw job by this judge and that one. Please, can more than fifteen judges be wrong? Can we do no evil? Please gentlemen, stop playing ostrich and take your head out of the sand. Are you afraid of bare facts? Does one horn rehersal a week make a perfect hornline? Does a frantic effort the week before a contest create a winning drum line? Does a horn sitting in someone else's car from rehersal to rehersal create an able individual. Most of you seem to think that one or two extra rehersals before a contest is all we need. We're great. We're Saint Kevins. We don't really need to work hard. If we don't win, it wasn't our fault, we were screwed. Just let anyone prove themselves to be better.

Well gentlemen, it has been proven. The Boston Crusaders have taken a group of mediocre individuals and have worked them into a winning unit. At the moment, they are a better drum and bugle corps than we are. In two tries they have beaten two national champion corps-- ourselves and Blessed Sacrament. It's on paper, it's part of the record. What we think, what the stands think is inconsequential. The Boston Crusaders, for the time being at least, have shown themselves to be the best corps in New England and possibly the East. It's on paper. The scores are there to look at, and believe me,the whole drum corps world is looking at them. Not only looking, but saying, "What has happened?", "Is Kevins going down?", "Is there going to be a new dynasty?", "Is Sacrament taking a dive?"

Gentlemen, in our last four contests with the Crusaders, they have beaten us three times. We are now officially the underdog. Quite a change from this time last year, wouldn't you say? We have been so busy worrying about Sac, Garfield, and Chicago that we have allowed our own front yard to get a little messy. Remember, we have a reputation to maintain here too.

Our first M&M contest is one month away. At the present rate, that's four M&M practices. Four M&M practices with our primas missing. Four M&M practices with sub-par discipline, moving around at attention, talking when told to shut up. Don't you think this hurst? These are Class B and C tricks. Even the least significant of Class A corps know what the word "attention" means. The Boston Crusaders know what it means. They've shown what discipline can do with a lack of talent. Will you just stop and think what it will do with our abudance of talent? Are you content to be a second and third place corps both locally and nationally?

We lose approximately one half hour from each practice because guys are late, because there's talking in line, because our instructors have to repeat everything twice. In four rehersals, that's two hours down the drain. A complete rehersal vanished. In those two hours, someone might have finally discoverd a mistake he has been making, a squad might have finally clicked and become as one, enough polish might have been added to give us even one more tenth spread in General Effect. Don't you think these small things count? One half of a point would have put us above Garfield at the 1963 Dream, would have won the 1962 Dream, would have put us above Sac at Pittsfield, and would have changed the results of many, many other contests where "we were screwed". Are we so shortsighted that we cannot see the trees for the forest?

Please men, there's only one way we can establish ourselve back on top. No one is going to just hand us a first place, but they're willing to let us prove ourselves again. Remember, we have to become so good, so excellent, that not a single error can be found by any judge, any place. WE have to work so hard that no one can touch us. Remember, there were two parts to the first paragraph. Don't forget our second expectation, our prime hope. Please don't give away something we have worked for so long and with some extra work by everyone, can attain in 1964. The burden of proof has shifted to our shoulders. Let's give the public a corps that will make the Kevins of 1960 look sick.

Fraternally,

A Member"

[OldSnareDrummer]

For some reason, I have little trouble imagining VK being a little annoying.  They were a handful. 

I can go back more than 40 years. 

We had several in Illinois where there were probably close to 30 corps at one time.  Many were friends, but the Belleville Black Knights were the Darth Vaders of their day. When they made DCI finals in '73, they were insufferable, arrogant twits. Yeah, they were a decent corps and them making finals in '73 wasn't a big surprise, but man oh man, did the whole state hear about it. Once we started beating them a couple of years later, their tune changed and they wanted to be our buddies. 

 

 

[greg_orangecounty]

27 minutes ago, OldSnareDrummer said:

For some reason, I have little trouble imagining VK being a little annoying.  They were a handful. 

I can go back more than 40 years. 

We had several in Illinois where there were probably close to 30 corps at one time.  Many were friends, but the Belleville Black Knights were the Darth Vaders of their day. When they made DCI finals in '73, they were insufferable, arrogant twits. Yeah, they were a decent corps and them making finals in '73 wasn't a big surprise, but man oh man, did the whole state hear about it. Once we started beating them a couple of years later, their tune changed and they wanted to be our buddies. 

 

 

The Kingsmen and Velvet Knights came from the same Boy Scout troop, so it was like a big brother vs. little brother thing.  We folded and then they got good in the 80’s. 

I remember the Black Knights. Their uniforms were awesome!! 

[Hook'emCavies]

I have never marched in DCI, but I always talk about my hich school's main rival.... Westfield...... still cringe when ever I say or type that schools name.