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What's Your Best Memory of Drum Corps?


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Let me clarify my statement. I thought sburstall meant after winning a contest,

not including finals. You know like back in the "old days" when the winning corps would play their show in the parking lot for all their competitors.

I didn't mean they practised after finals.

In earlier threads there have been instructors saying that they want to leave early from the shows so they can get that extra hour of practise time in the next day.

Whatever!!

'82 BD performed their championship show, music and drill, after retreat. Awesome!!! ^OO^

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With everyone trying to remember names and dates on DCP recently, what was your best memory of an event during your drum corps career.

I'm looking for things like winning your first championship or whatever!!!!

Just spill you guts and do the best you can.

For me..

Beating the Madison Scouts. North Star did that. My brother (HUGE Madison Scout fan) didn't talk to me for a week. :blink:

Another... and I know that Jeff Ream (and perhaps others) won't appreciate it but the RI Matadors 1986 Colorguard. Our colorguard kicked everyone's butt! :)

One other for colorguards.. 1981 WGI. The Cavaliers won open class. :rolleyes::worthy::blink: And MY winterguard won class A.

Sharon

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  • 6 years later...

I can't imagine what it would be like to have been or to be in DCI finals so it's nice to read what some of you have experienced.

I have a few memories of AAG, one is B section 1975 my first year marching. After some lousy shows we did the PNE Parade in Vancouver BC Canada and came up with two trophies.

Another from 1975 B section (or it could have been 1976 A Section, not sure) we were very late getting to a block party in Prince George, BC. When we finally arrived there was no time to put our uniforms on so we did the show in street clothes. It was probably the best show we did that summer!

The third from Bonn Germany in 1977. We did a show in a little square in the city. Cobblestone street, the works. I remember distinctly that I felt the ground vibrate from the basses, tymps and baritones during our disco version of A Fifth of Beethoven, and during Send in the Clowns. It was an amazing feeling. I later learned that this little square we were in was down the street from where Beethoven was born. I've forgotten many things, but not those, and I hope I never forget them.

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Well.........my first time in an airplane was when the Corp. chartered planes to fly to the A.L. Nationals...........we flew both in 1964 to Dallas and to Portland in '65. While other corps struggled with 5 or 7 day Bus trips, we flew in 4-engine(prop) Lockheed Constellations(the one with 3 vertical stabilizers).....and when we left from Newark, members of Blessed Sacrament showed up and wished us well(that was a huge shock as we weren't exactly 'Best Buds').

We won in '64 but weren't on the field for scores since we had to make the flight back to NJ(I don't think there was even a retreat). The '65 flight wasn't exactly great as we developed an engine problem and had to spend a whole night sleeping in Chicago's O'Hare Airport while waiting for a part to be installed. Then on the way to Portland we flew into one nasty thunderstorm.........a lot of bags were filled on that flight.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Several:

- going to Championships for the first time (as a spectator) in '74: It was the first time I had ever seen SCV and they've been my favorite ever since. The electric feeling in the stands the night of finals -- especially during Muchachos, Kingsmen, Madison and SCV -- the crowd seemed to feed off itself...

- After CYO or World Open (can't remember which) in '75: We got lost and were parked along the side of the highway when some neighborhood kids thought it would be a good idea to throw rocks at our buses. Half the horn and drum lines piled out and took off after them...

- Walking into Franklin Field for Finals in '75: Seeing that wall of people...

- 1982: The first time I played "Danny Boy". Putting my 2-7 uniform on for the first time. The last time I played "Danny Boy" -- the retreat lineup on the field had us next to (I believe) SCV close to the center of the field and BD was on the other side of them. For whatever reason (noise ordinance after a certain time...) the corps were not allowed to play themselves off the field. The crowd (obviously) wasn't happy about it and neither were the corps; I seem to remember at least one other finalist just left the field. We were delayed in marching off b/c of our place on the field when our drum major came back to us saying "They're going to let us play!" When we started to play "Danny Boy" the crowd was thrilled! We wailed on it as we trooped in front of SCV and BD.

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  • After a few years marching in a small local organization, I joined Two-Seven and marched in the 1970 Shriners International at CNE Stadium in Toronto. We received FOUR standing ovations from the huge crowd. This was a first for me, three days after graduating from high school.
  • Marching at Roosevelt Stadium in the legendary National Dream competition. I felt like I'd made the majors, just being part of The Dream.
  • In 1970, the Mission Drums at Boston College was rained out Saturday night and rescheduled for Sunday afternoon, but two corps (Syracuse Brigs & Reading Bucks) pulled out for other engagements. So, organizers asked 27th Lancers and Boston Crusaders to fill-in to have a full slate of 7 corps. The crowd loved our performance. After retreat (and before we were dismissed from ranks), several senior corps legends stopped by to compliment us, including Joe Gennaro, Harvey Olderman, Pepe Nataro, and Ralph Silverbrand. Holy crap! that was like Babe Ruth or Joe DiMaggio telling a kid he "played a good ball game!"
  • ...... and we "won" that 1970 Mission Drums - (1.) 27th Lancers: 74.95 (2.) Conn. Hurricanes: 74.65 (3.) Boston Crusaders: 73.30 (4.) NY Skyliners: 72.75 (5.) Sunrisers: 71.65 (6.) Hawthorne Caballeros: 66.70 (7.) Rochester Crusaders 64.85
Edited by Navillus WP
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1978 was a real up and down year for us. At the Boise show, about a week before finals, we really put it together, and I distinctly remember how great it felt playing to a big crowd with a really high GE box at Broncos Stadium (good thing they didn't have the smurf turf then or we would have been invisible).

I also remember it well because I had cut my foot on a broken bottle in the Boise River that day and I wasn't sure I'd be able to march that night. Funny how a little pain can really add to pleasure.

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The Bridgemen always looked older to me, perhaps because I saw them somewhat frequently at shows in new England where they competed with corps that did have members as young as 13 and 14 which included 27th, Garfield, Boston Crusaders, and North Star. When I watch the DVD’s, they still look a lot older, probably due to the long hair and facial hair. Now if I directed a corps that was disqualified for an over age violation, I’d probably make all the guys shave twice a day, whether needed or not, just to be on the safe side.

Yes - there sure was a "philosophical" difference between east - midwest - and west coast styles. SCV had "long hair" for years - but generally well kept and neat. East coast and midwest tended to be closer cut - little facial hair with the huge exception of the Bridgemen.

Then there were the Blue Devils, who in my era of the 1970's looked more like Bikers for ####'s Angles than a drum corps. I quickly remembered the phrase NEVER judge a book by its cover. These kids may have been laid back in the California style, but put them in a BD uniform, and they were as aggressive as ####'s Angels.

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1972....although I had been in corps for 2 years and had seen Mighty St. Joe's, Kilties, 27th and Boston. We went to the US Open and I saw EVERYONE it seemed. I sat through prelims and then finals (it even rained, go figure!)

1976...Winning the "A" Class Championship of the NT Open by beating Krescendos and Simplex Minutemen.

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