wayne6 Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 I remember back in the 70's when there was plenty of corps around the scene. Especially, locally throughout certain neighborhoods and across town. I remember being in a corps, in Wash DC, back in the 70's. There were many to chose from, but I recall one summer in early June, when drum corps season started much earlier. The Eastern States circult was hugh back then for the smaller corps. In June, we had about 38h,19p,17g, big back then. By mid July we had half that size. Every year this would happen to certain corps thoughout the entire city. The main reason for this was due to neighboring corps stealing members all the time. This one corps name the VIP's where known for it. They were a pretty good corps but they would recuit members behind our corps director's back. Since most corps directors were all good friends but they all were cut throats except our director's who didn't believe in stealing members from other corps. We dislike this corps so much that we would hate to seeing this corps at any shows. We would just about get into fights with the corps. Corps now a days, root for there rival's, back then, we wanted this corps to brake up. There was a corps in virginia, who were very good, and the VIP's went inactive one year, the next summer they competed and stole so many members, from that corps, they had to go inactive and never fully recovered. I don't know about corps today, back then CUT THROATING WAS A WAY OF LIFE for some corps. I know a lot of you could tell many, many, war stories about drum corps life back then.....even in the 80's. Share some.....sorry a had to mention that corps but its the truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
octavia9299 Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 DCI has rules against corpsjumping now. Kids sign contracts and corps are on an honor system not to accept corpsjumpers or kids that owe other corps money. I'm not saying it doesn't happen once in a while, but nothing anymore like what you're talking about...though I do remember some of that going on in the early 90s... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrunchyTenor Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 I know that in the old Southern California circuit, you had to get a release from your current corps before you could march in another as far back as 1970...probably longer. Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 We had something similar in Ontario, Canada, you were granted a release from your present corps after all of the corps functions were complete for that current year. You could only jump from corps to corps if the other corps was 60 miles away from your current corps. (I belive that's how it went) Scooping kids from other corps in the city happened from time to time, but only in October. I never jumped ship so I think this is the way it went, I could be wrong.( I'm sure if I am someone will correct me) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malibu Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Back in the early '80s we had a guy join our corps only to find out he owed Bridgemen $$......needless to say he was booted out! Now in 1979 while on tour down in FL....Suncoast Sounds DM and another hornplayer quit just before going on the field. He ran to our director and told him he wanted in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffernbus3 Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 (edited) Yes, SoCal was rife with "corps-hoppers" through the 60s as well. Sometimes entire corps would hop! And so there were lots of corps to hop to! And it would only be natural for the more talented kids to march in the best corps they could find.....I did it and so did lots of us. I had no problem with releasing a couple of my 71 Lynwood Diplomats to tour with Anaheim Kingsmen. It was a situational ethics call: one of my stronger leads was getting ready to age out and when he approached me about leaving it was just the right thing to do to release him. He was talented and a good kid and deserved the Kingsmen experience as his last jr. corps hurrah! And it wasn't like The Diplomats were trading wins by tenths with The Kingsmen, we were farther down the local pecking order somewhere down from Anaheim and The Velvet Knights, which is not to disrespect my Diplomats kids in the slightest. That 71 Diplomats corps still remains one of the most unique corps in SoCal drum corps history and I am more than proud to have been associated with them. RON HOUSLEY Edited June 17, 2004 by ffernbus3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elphaba01 Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 "Back In the Day-1960s": "Releases": Most of the East Coast, New England, CYO & Mid Atlantic drum corps circuits had a "release" rule which stipulated that a Circuit corps could accept a member from another Circuit unit only via a written release. Since most of the competition in those days was "Local" ("Touring" was a trip to one or the other of the Veterans Championships) and in "Circuits" the 'release' rule was easy to 'enforce'. In the main, almost all the junior corps memberships of that era was "local", and "Loyalty" to the "Parent Unit" was pretty intense. A certain amount of "Changing Sides" did ocour, usually from one of the "smaller" units to one of the "Contenders", but not at all like the frequency of 'corps jumping' that is present in the era of DCI. Elphaba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle z Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Now in 1979 while on tour down in FL....Suncoast Sounds DM and another hornplayer quit just before going on the field. He ran to our director and told him he wanted in! Seems to me I remember Suncoast Sound in 1979 featuring a baton twirler!! <**> I woulda jumped ship, too!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russellrks Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Actually, the baton twirler was a featured part of Suncoast's concert number in 1983. I forget the guys name but he was like a state champion at one time and had some awesome skills. I had organized a talent contest at one of our camps (a tradition started by Tom Float when I was with Spirit of Atlanta) and this guy from the rifle line comes out with batons and swords and blows everybody away. We (the staff) decided that we had to find a way to use this guy's talent somewhere in the show. This was yet another of Suncoast's unique contibutions to Drum Corps, (or maybe the first step toward blurring the line between Drum Corps and marching band). I never saw Suncoast's show in 1979 so if there was indeed a baton twirler in that show.... Nevermind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malibu Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 and this guy from the rifle line comes out with batons and swords and blows everybody away. This was yet another of Suncoast's unique contibutions to Drum Corps, (or maybe the first step toward blurring the line between Drum Corps and marching band). Not putting down Majorettes or those who have mastered the Baton, as I have many friends who are "masters" of this trade, BUT, there is a fine line between those who are in guard and those who are baton twirlers......the two just do not mix in drum corps. Sure, MAYBE some marching bands still have them, and I think that's where they should stay........not drum corps! Glad no one else picked up on Suncoast's "first of first." <**> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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