DCA Stories Pre 1990

[84BDsop]

K'...1987 was the year Finals got rained out and Prelims WAS finals.

It's been raining more or less steadily all day...MBI performs their closer "Come in From the Rain" as it's coming down in buckets. Empire arrives at the gate ready to go, and I can;t see a damnned thing thorugh the water on my glasses. The field is a mud hole by this time (oh yeah...white pants!) When we hit the field my vision sudden;y clears and I can see!

Show highlights...no one fell down...we had one black girl in the guard who's legs were the exact same shade as the mud, and when she lost a shoe in the muck, we couldn;t telkl where her legs ended and the mud began!...part of the show was a medley of Armed Forces tunes (the 4 service songs) leading into America the Beautiful. When each service song was played a girl in the guard would pop out dressed in some semblance of that branch's uniform. The order was Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force. The Marine one was wearing an actual Marine NCO drfess blues jacket with (I think) Gunnery Sgt stripes. I'd found an Airf Force officer's flight cap a week or so earlier on the grounds of Griffis AFB where I was stationed. There was NO WAY I was gonna let the Marines outrank MY branch,so I went out and bought some Captain's insignia for the cap and a pair of shoulder epaulets for the girl doing the Air Force Song bit. Heh....

On the4 downside...my worst ever note in any show...blew it about 1/4 step flat!

Edited May 26, 2004 by 84BDsop

[goalieguy]

OK you'se guys!

I don't have any pre 77 stories except for a couple of horror stories from the 72 Legion nationals in Chitown, but since I noticed Fran was looking in, here's one to jog HIS memories.

MBI went out to Allentown in 77 for its 1st real shot at DCA. On Sunday morning, we moved en masse to an area about 1/2 mile down the street from ASD (J. Birney Crum) Stadium to get one last run through before Prelims. As we were marching back to the lot where the busses were, we started hearing a lot of yelling. As we came around the busses, we saw Hawthorne in one spot, the Sunrisers in another, and in the middle agitating everybody were the Skyliners.

to make a long story short, amongst a cloud of dust, the 3 corps got into it, hands , sticks, flag pikes and rifles were flying everywhere, not to mention the f- bombs. We all sat on our busses in shock. I felt bad for Sun. They were the only one of the 3 corps who had women, since Sky and Hawthorne were still all male. I can't imagine how some of the injured went on for both prelims and Finals that day, but I did see people with black eyes and swollen lips going out for Finals.

That was one of the best shows I remember seeing, as Hawthorne made a big run at Finals, only to fall .05 short.. Sunrisers had a great show too, but what a way to remember my first DCA show.

Pat

[Paul Milano]

I remember having a great time with the new Chicago Connection Sr. Corps in prelims of 1977 - and bringing down the house with our spirited performance.

I also seem to recall that we didn't know if there were going to be 10 or 12 corps in Finals, and feeling like our 11th place finish had caused DCA to decide to limit it to 10 that year (though I doubt, in retrospect, if that was true).

Either way, it was a lot of fun.

[goalieguy]

I remember having a great time with the new Chicago Connection Sr. Corps in prelims of 1977 - and bringing down the house with our spirited performance.

I also seem to recall that we didn't know if there were going to be 10 or 12 corps in Finals, and feeling like our 11th place finish had caused DCA to decide to limit it to 10 that year (though I doubt, in retrospect, if that was true). 

Either way, it was a lot of fun.

Hey Paul -

I always wondered how the Connection pulled off the 'comeback' of the year.

Having been given a 5 point spead in scores the week before DCA in Racine, how is it that you guys were able to beat us in Allentown? Most of us still wonder how that happened...

Best part of the show was when Corky Whitlock told our sop line to take out the 2 valve horns we had used all season for Finals, since it wasn't being judged. I thought that was great, a lot of those guys were ###### that we got to use them..

When I saw the Prelim Horn Ex sheets, the comment that was written on one of them will linger in MBI history forever. After our 2nd tune, 'Walk on the Wild Side', one of the judges wrote the following comment..." Heavy horns - tight as a duck's A**. Go for it!" It was signed with one word...PEPE

I rest my case. Major dilemma, having the 5th place hornline, and the last place drumline...Only took 20+ years to change that.

We beat a lot of hornlines in that show..now, if only we could march better...Who knows?

Pat

[Kay]

As we were marching back to the lot where the busses were, we started hearing a lot of yelling. As we came around the busses, we saw Hawthorne in one spot, the Sunrisers in another, and in the middle agitating everybody were the Skyliners.

to make a long story short, amongst a cloud of dust, the 3 corps got into it, hands , sticks, flag pikes and rifles were flying everywhere, not to mention the f- bombs. We all sat on our busses in shock. I felt bad for Sun. They were the only one of the 3 corps who had women, since Sky and Hawthorne were still all male. I can't imagine how some of the injured went on for both prelims and Finals that day, but I did see people with black eyes and swollen lips going out for Finals.

That was one of the best shows I remember seeing, as Hawthorne made a big run at Finals, only to fall .05 short.. Sunrisers had a great show too, but what a way to remember my first DCA show.

Pat

That is my one of my favorite stories to hear at Post 199 - however, its not quite told that same way, and thats ALL I want to say about it now! ^0^

[JimF-LowBari]

This might have been the year of the "Skyliner Hat Dance". Retreat was Olympic style and I was standing way in the back of the line. Sky was 2 or 3 corps over from us and when we got close to the gate we saw Skys horns were marching a little "strange" when they got to a certain point on the track. When I got by I saw there was an Aussie style hat just totally mangled. Couldn't even tell which corps it was from. The "strange" marching was from the people stomping the hat as they went by.

[Ray Priester]

OK you'se guys!

I don't have any pre 77 stories except for a couple of horror stories from the 72 Legion nationals in Chitown, but since I noticed Fran was looking in, here's one to jog HIS memories.

MBI went out to Allentown in 77 for its 1st real shot at DCA. On Sunday morning, we moved en masse to an area about 1/2 mile down the street from ASD (J. Birney Crum) Stadium to get one last run through before Prelims. As we were marching back to the lot where the busses were, we started hearing a lot of yelling. As we came around the busses, we saw Hawthorne in one spot, the Sunrisers in another, and in the middle agitating everybody were the Skyliners.

to make a long story short, amongst a cloud of dust, the 3 corps got into it, hands , sticks, flag pikes and rifles were flying everywhere, not to mention the f- bombs. We all sat on our busses in shock. I felt bad for Sun. They were the only one of the 3 corps who had women, since Sky and Hawthorne were still all male. I can't imagine how some of the injured went on for both prelims and Finals that day, but I did see people with black eyes and swollen lips going out for Finals.

That was one of the best shows I remember seeing, as Hawthorne made a big run at Finals, only to fall .05 short.. Sunrisers had a great show too, but what a way to remember my first DCA show.

Pat

That ain't quite the way I heard it. 3 guys from Sky (Butch Anderson, Wes Myers and one other) were jumped by members of Sun swinging horns and fists and connecting! Cos saw what was going on and turned the Cabs loose to assist 3 very out-numbered Skyliners. That's the version that was told to me, by Cabs and Sky alike. Again, I wasn't there, but that's what I was told. I have no idea what or who instigated the ensuing melee.

Ray

[TerriDitt57]

I went to my first DCA in 1983. I'd never been and on a whim, we got in the car and drove to Allentown. I can't remember a whole lot about it except I thought the crowd was pretty rowdy, at least to this midwesterner. I'd been around junior corps my entire life. But it was fun and some of those people were hilarious.

I bought a Sky baseball jersey. My corps of choice that weekend.

I didn't go to DCA again until 1999. Now I've went every year except 2000.

[tmignemi02]

That is my one of my favorite stories to hear at Post 199 - however, its not quite told that same way, and thats ALL I want to say about it now! ^0^

That'd probably be best, dear!

[Sean1]

OK you'se guys!

I don't have any pre 77 stories except for a couple of horror stories from the 72 Legion  nationals in Chitown, but since I noticed Fran was looking in, here's one to jog HIS memories.

MBI went out to Allentown in 77 for its 1st real shot at DCA.  On Sunday morning, we moved en masse to an area about 1/2 mile down the street from ASD (J. Birney Crum) Stadium to get one last run through before Prelims.  As we were marching back to the lot where the busses were, we started hearing a lot of yelling.  As we came around the busses, we saw Hawthorne in one spot, the Sunrisers in another, and in the middle agitating everybody were the Skyliners.

to make a long story short, amongst a cloud of dust, the 3 corps got into it, hands , sticks, flag pikes and rifles were flying everywhere, not to mention the f- bombs.  We all sat on our busses in shock.  I felt bad for Sun. They were the only one of the 3 corps who had women, since Sky and Hawthorne were still all male.  I can't imagine how some of the injured went on for both prelims and Finals that day, but I did see people with black eyes and swollen lips going out for Finals.

That was one of the best shows I remember seeing, as Hawthorne made a big run at Finals, only to fall .05 short.. Sunrisers had a great show too, but what a way to remember my first DCA show. 

Pat

That ain't quite the way I heard it. 3 guys from Sky (Butch Anderson, Wes Myers and one other) were jumped by members of Sun swinging horns and fists and connecting! Cos saw what was going on and turned the Cabs loose to assist 3 very out-numbered Skyliners. That's the version that was told to me, by Cabs and Sky alike. Again, I wasn't there, but that's what I was told. I have no idea what or who instigated the ensuing melee.

Ray

very correct ray