Cadets confirm no return to West Point-style uniform ever

[Jeff Ream]

6 hours ago, Bob984 said:

"more modern costumes that MEMBERS CAN MOVE IN".................I guess some of the champion Cadets corps in the past were not "able to move".....could have fooled me, as it looked as though they moved as good or better than anyone that I saw last year.............more accurate is the word "costumes"............go to Allentown and ask many fans how much they like them, as opposed to uniforms.....I dare you.................I am cool with guards wearing whatever they want, but some of the garb/costumes that the musicians have wore in recent years I would prefer pajamas to....................ridiculous...................ok, maybe I am old, but I don't hear, "wow, what a great look" from too many folks......................when they had a uniformed Cadet at the souvenir stand a few years ago, that was the sharpest look I saw all night...................DCI continues to move toward "WGI OUTDOOR".................where you can come in 4th in music and still win a championship...............or win music and not even medal...................the Cadet uniform the last few years has been a joke..............(a bad one)

body today isn't drill of yesterday

[hughesmr]

7 hours ago, jwillis35 said:

My suggestion to the Cadets would be to consider a slight name change. If the West Point-style uni is out for field competition purposes, perhaps consider another name. The Cadets sort of reflects a military nature. It could be as simple as adding a name in front of Cadets (like Garfield, but I know they are not moving back to New Jersey at this point), or it could be they come up with something completely new. They obviously do not have to do this. 

How about "The Erstwhile Cadets"?

[N.E. Brigand]

It's quite liketly that people think is cool today will later seem like a ridiculous fad.

We'll see, maybe.

[GUARDLING]

34 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

It's quite liketly that people think is cool today will later seem like a ridiculous fad.

We'll see, maybe.

Its true...whats cool today won't be tomorrow. its why for sure kids of today or tomorrow will never think what we did was cool. Although it was to us then. Well some of it..lol

Maybe one day the kids of the times will want to go back to white bucks, wooly uniforms, squad turns, black riding boots and pleated skirts.....NAWWWW!....lol

Edited August 1, 2020 by GUARDLING

[rysa4]

As was said before, lets see if and when drum corps gets back on the field or if DCI even exists in three years after significant inactivity. The Cadets can keep the same type of look and just change the material to something far lighter in weight and more comfortable. At the end of the day, alumni money will decide the issue.

[George Dixon]

14 hours ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Depending on how one treats 2011, this is the tally, right?

9.5 - Cadets championships using traditional uniform

0.5 - Cadets championships not using traditional uniform

2011, 2005 were both alterations of the traditional look

[cixelsyd]

I do not mind the evolution to lighter materials for ease of movement (and laundering).  You can still create effective uniforms that are practical for the performers of today.  And if we must have a cottage industry of costumers supplying a fresh set of uniforms every season, we can do that too.

But I see nothing wrong with uniforms being "uniform".  This recent fad of having each performer in a slightly different outfit does not work for me.  Uniformity is still an impressive effect worth pursuing, IMO - in both performance and costuming.

And honestly, too many of these costume designs (not Cadets, but many other corps) are ridiculo-ugly.  If the only defense is "but it really pops up at the press box!", your costume designer could "do better".  

[craiga]

Speaking as a 60 year old dinosaur, I have no problems with the concept of the costumes of today.  Having spent the last 42 years of my life following/marching with/teaching/following BAC I will say I have always loved the classic red white and black look.  And who could forget those rifle unis of the 70s with the black pants and boots and the white Waldos?  But times change.  The only risk with the program centric costumes is that they can be hit or miss.  I liked the Wicked Games look (which was really a hybrid of the traditional and the thematic).  I was not a huge fan of the SOS costumes ( a thought shared by many of the members) but I loved the GOLIATH costumes.

Ultimately, they need to be work for the members.  And no, we had nothing like the level of body movement responsibility back in the day like the kids have now.

One last thing....somebody delicately hinted that "most" boys aged 17-21 would not want to be seen in the spandex type costumes.  You are wrong. These kids would be horrified if you asked them to wear what we wore.  At one point in Boston's history, they wore YELLOW satin tops with red shakos and BLUE plumes.  Taste and preferences have lot to do with timing, wouldn't you say?

At this point of uncertainly, I just hope there is a 2021 season to look forward to.  What the corps including Cadets wear or how they accessorize is the least of my concerns.  I truly hope and pray we never ever hear each other saying something like "Remember when we used to go to drum corps shows?"

[Cappybara]

15 hours ago, Bob984 said:

"more modern costumes that MEMBERS CAN MOVE IN".................I guess some of the champion Cadets corps in the past were not "able to move".....could have fooled me, as it looked as though they moved as good or better than anyone that I saw last year.............more accurate is the word "costumes"............go to Allentown and ask many fans how much they like them, as opposed to uniforms.....I dare you.................I am cool with guards wearing whatever they want, but some of the garb/costumes that the musicians have wore in recent years I would prefer pajamas to....................ridiculous...................ok, maybe I am old, but I don't hear, "wow, what a great look" from too many folks......................when they had a uniformed Cadet at the souvenir stand a few years ago, that was the sharpest look I saw all night...................DCI continues to move toward "WGI OUTDOOR".................where you can come in 4th in music and still win a championship...............or win music and not even medal...................the Cadet uniform the last few years has been a joke..............(a bad one)

You dropped an ellipsis. Or a couple hundred. 

[Cappybara]

11 hours ago, seen-it-all said:

I was watching a clip of the scores being announced from finals last year and I had to laugh that the one corps that could even remotely be recognized on just the quickest glance was the Blue Devils. They always seem to have that Blue Devils BLUE that just pops to the eye, as well as bits of recognizable shapes and design elements that are distinctly identifiable to them, and only them. A visual identity. It's a valuable thing that shouldn't be so easily discarded IMO. It certainly hasn't prevented them from being innovators in show design. 

 

Edit: (Looking at the clip again, the Cavaliers still look like the Cavaliers as well.)

BD and Cavies are the only top 12 corps  who have done a good job of balancing new with old. 
 

Everyone else is pretty much unrecognizable.