LancerFi Posted November 8, 2003 Share Posted November 8, 2003 Thanks John! Just wondering....what some people will do for their corps and kids in general is beyond amazing. Hats off to this man. I was just hoping he got his due. Glad to know he knows he's appreciated!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoContraAlum Posted November 8, 2003 Share Posted November 8, 2003 First off...to all alumni of Suncoast...Thank You!! 83,85,86, are still some of my "go to" performances for my cd player..1987 Suncoast was the first corps I saw live ( Cary, NC ) and will always remember that. However, I did have a couple questions about that specific year. 1) Was there a lot of turnover after 86 season member-wise ( ie. a lot of age outs ) 2) After such a stellar programming year as 86 was..I guess I always wondered why the staff chose "My Fair Lady"? It just doesn't seem to have the follow up strength. I guess I would have loved to have heard some more exploration of Kenton's music.. either way..you guys are missed CM A few more notes about 87....(rookie year) Suncoast Sound was the reason that I learned a brass instrument. My HS director was on Suncoast staff from 85-88. The corps had many, many camps at my HS during the 85 and 86 winter programs. 85 was the summer after my freshman year, in which I played clarinet. I first saw Suncoast live sometime in the spring of 85 and was simply blown away. I would practically live at camps at my school, sitting in front of that hornline with my tape recorder. I knew then that I had to do this... In my sophmore year, a scheduling conflict caused be to drop to beginning band, so I figured now was the time to learn an instrument. I wanted french horn, but the director needed a tuba, so, at 5' 5" and 120 lbs, I picked up the biggest horn there and started working. I went to just as many camps as a spectator in the 86 winter season. That corps was just incredible. Larry Clark, who was one of the DMs in 85 was on staff in 86 and did his internship at my school. He tried to talk me into marching that summer, but I didn't think that I was ready. In my eyes, those guys (Suncoast hornline) were like gods, there was no way I could make it (I thought), but I KNEW that I would be there in 87. That's how I missed out on the best Suncoast year. I went to my first camp in February of 87 and was quite taken aback. There were maybe 40 horns there, and a LOT of them seemed to be rookies. I didn't think that the music was that challenging, and when we started to learn the drill, I didn't find that tough either. Now don't get me wrong, I was no stud, by any means, but I really thought that it would be the hardest thing that I ever did. We did not have a full hornline all winter, in fact we went on tour with several holes. If I recall, we never made it to the planned 60 horns, probably closer to 52. I think that, for a lot of the folks that were there in 86, 87 was very hard. These were folks that were used to competing with BD, Cadets, Cavies and SCV, and we came out of the gates getting beaten by Florida Wave, Bluecoats, Dutch Boy, etc. Now, I am in no way trying to belittle those corps... just not the competition that the vets were used to. We eventually turned things around and were quite competitive, but it was a tough year for me as a rookie, I can't imagine what it would have been like for vets. Now, I don't want to give the impression that it was all bad, just not what I expected. It was still an incredible experience all around, and one I will never forget. 88 and 89 were tough as well, for other reasons. Still some of the best people that I have ever been around. I am really glad that there are so many people that really dug what we did, even in the "twilight" years of 87-89, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancerFi Posted November 8, 2003 Share Posted November 8, 2003 I think I'll have to get the DVD from 86 now! I'm very interested in seeing your show! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calicorpsguy Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 (edited) I wish Suncoast was still around. After really watching their '89 show, wow! Someone has to bring them back. They had such a great sound and some great visual work that rivals, and even topped some of the higher placing corps. Bring Suncoast back along with Star of Indiana and Freelancers, PLEASE :sshh: !!!!!! Edited November 9, 2003 by calicorpsguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 For everyone that likes the '89 show (and you should), find the 85 show and then just close your eyes and listen. I'm not kidding about the close your eyes part either (yikes!). 89 was superior visually, while 85 was far superior musically. If only we could have combined the two years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scout9193 Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 (edited) Hey folks...thanks so much for sharing about 87! I didn't get to the see 88 show live..but I caught 89 at Salem, VA. I really dug that drum feature with all the "Afro/latin" rythms. Wasn't that the last year that any snare line marched with the bongo tenors attached to their drums? ( I remember BD used to do that -- at least in 1980 I think ). I'll have to check at the recaps from finals to see how all the captions came out. CM ps- 88's guard was second or third weren't they? Edited November 9, 2003 by scout9193 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 (edited) I believe they did (maybe Marwan can confirm). In '85 the snare line dropped thier snares and marched with double bongos for the first half of "Midnight in Miami", and with triple-bongos in '86 for the first half of the closer. Edited November 9, 2003 by Kamarag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scout9193 Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 a quick comment about 1985's hornline... My first year in corps ( Crown's inagurual year ) one of our instructors- Joe- who marched Suncoast in 85 told us a story about how Jim Prime had come to a rehersal to check out the hornline. He supposedly said that if that hornline were wearing another corps uniform then they would have been a shoe-in for top horns that year. I remember another time when I was having a tough day..the eupho was kicking my butt. Joe told me a story about how he went through the same thing with his soprano. Evidently an instructor pulled him out of the basics block and pointed to a short female eupho player. Except for a little arm shaking/trembling she was completely locked in and solid and not showing any strain. Joe said from that point he never complained about his soprano again! anyway..just waxing nostalgia cm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Ahhh... 85! Still my favorite all-time show by any corps (with 84 and 86 not too far behind. B)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarContra4-85 Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 I remember one morning in '85 we were in our Florida Tour leg. We were doing visual rehearsal and around 9:15 hearing Suncoast ripping through their closer! They were staying about a half mile away at another school. It was great to have some good music to work to. Some of us walked over to their school at lunchtime. We did music and ensemble in the afternoon and we'd cut off, they'd be playing, they'd cut off, we'd be playing. It was fun for us, but probably drove the people in the neighborhood batty!! We hung out with Suncoast at retreat all that week. They were great kids and had a very solid show that year. Definitely one of the greatly underrated hornlines of all time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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