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Famous, or infamous, corps stories, myths, legends


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Not sure if there's linkage between these two stories, but Frank Petric, (corps nickname - "Frank Perdue") a trumpet player in Bayonne Bridgemen during the early 80s was actually struck by lightning and killed at a NY Skyliner rehearsal in 1985.

His wake may be the single saddest night I ever remember. Just a great kid. Hard to picture that these stories have anything in common, but the lightning and the years seem to coincide.

i remember this

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Not sure if there's linkage between these two stories, but Frank Petric, (corps nickname - "Frank Perdue") a trumpet player in Bayonne Bridgemen during the early 80s was actually struck by lightning and killed at a NY Skyliner rehearsal in 1985.

His wake may be the single saddest night I ever remember. Just a great kid. Hard to picture that these stories have anything in common, but the lightning and the years seem to coincide.

Couldn't remember that happened in 1985 but Sky did a standstill at the Hershey show that year. If you looked close as they were leaving you could tell a few members were still limping from the strike.

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66 Am. Legion-Wash. DC Five juniors and five seniors competed in finals. During the night afterwards, one senior corps, still upset about the results, supposedly tossed room furniture into the pool.

At that same finals, while walking with several of my corps mates in the upper deck, a trooper yelled up from the lower level, hey Boston, how do you get to the top? One guy yelled down "practice"!

Edited by Ghost
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Hello to all!

Haven't had a chance to read this entire thread so if this has been mentioned I apologize. I remember hearing "somewhere" that in 1988 the Sky Ryders (a corps and a particular show I really enjoy) -specificially the drumline- was getting trashed pretty good by the judges. As you may recall (and if not I'm sure there is a video) during the drum solo the snare line was bouncing a rubber ball off their drum heads while playing. I was told at one show they had gotten so ticked off they had actually thrown/hurled the rubber balls at the field drum judge after they were done with that segment! I have no idea if true but pretty entertaining regardless.

**update- here is a link to the drum solo I found on youtube. the part discussed is around the 45 second mark: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPPNj_oO_iI

if someone can clarify or confirm would be great...

CM

Not sure about the veracity or not of this story, but I do know a somewhat similar story of a Massachusetts Corps ( no not Boston, nor 27th ) that were not happy all season long with their Music scores from 2 or 3 particular circuit judges( before DCI ). In those days, judges were usually still present after scores and present at retreat on the field at this circuit's finals. Corps would march by the judges in this Circuit and the judges would be standing at attention, and the judges would salute the Colors in the Guard as the Corps would march by playing one of their songs.Well, this particular Corps had a lot of ageouts that season and the Corps financial resources were depleted to the point that the Corps knew they were done as a Corps. So they said what the heck, might as well go out guns ablazzin' , so they marched by the judges standing at attention saluting and in a preplaned manner the Corps marched by playing the song " Three Blind Mice ".

Edited by BRASSO
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Possibly was mentioned over on the hysterical site, but at a few contests in my years, we had the breakdowns before retreat. Ed Denon would walk amongst the mm and give us the caption results. At a few retreats, if the drum line was upset, several pairs of sticks were tossed at the feet of the drum judge(s) as we marched off. If it was the horn line that felt po'd, out came several pairs of white gloves towards the horn judge(s).

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A member of Southwind in '97 managed to steal one of Phantom's helmets and hide it on a bus. The helmet WAS discovered, though, and that member had to deliver the helmet and apologize in person to drum major Christy Spears and the Phantom member it was taken from.

I am thinking that this may have been the reason he stole the thing in the first place!!! :augen51:

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83 Freelancers: one of the sops used his personal bugle at prelims, one of the tune-any-note variety. As we're marching off the field, a staff person comes over the the player and says "faint into my arms" and they go away. About a minute later a judge calls over the entire soprano line and circles us up, more like a horse shoe shape. He starts counting us-1,2,3.. While his back is turned, the first sop counted jumps to the other side, and he judge continues... 18,19,20. Then he proceeded to inspect all the horns.

I remember hearing about this story from staff when I marched. Pretty quick on the spot thinking

Another bit of Freelancer trivia, dealing with the red cadet.

For those that marched Freelancers they knew that every part of the Red Cadet, Open White Flap, and Chrome Buckle all had special meaning.

From when the Freelancers got that cadet in 1980, they only altered it twice.......once in 1985 by getting the color changing tops, and once in 1994 by closing the flap and getting rid of the buckle.

Well after the uniform change in 1985, the corps went inactive in 1986.......the corps came back with the red cadet in 1987.........uniform change in 1994, the corps went inactive in 1995.

Not saying the uniform change caused it.......but it is a bit ironic that when something that meant so much to the corps was changed that the corps went inactive afterwards

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Possibly was mentioned over on the hysterical site,

I thought this was the hysterical site. Well... sometimes it is anyway, isn't it ?

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that was nothing compared to the St. Lucy's Corps from Newark. N.J. charging the Cavaliers Corps after retreat at Championships one year in Miami and then a full brawl ensued between the 2 Corps with cops and ambulances arriving on the scene later to separate the combatants and attend to the wounded ( sort of like a typical Friday nite at Dada's Club Voltaire, in Zurich BITD )..... but nobody thankfully was seriously injured in the 2 Corps melee. That trash talking and fighting stuff was not uncommon between Corps back before DCI. To the marchers credit today, they are much more respectful and civil toward one another, and I do genuinely commend them for this. This aspect is WAY better than BITD before DCI.

Problem with this story is that St. Lucy's and Cavaliers were never in Miami at the same time.

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I have not heard that one. IIRC there was an individual in the late 70's or early 80s that tripped and fell through a plate-glass window while on tour and almost bled out. Returned to the corps some weeks later I believe.

That would have been 1981 SCV, while housed at Oakland Middle School in Minnesota.

He was a lead soprano (and would be drum major the next 2 seasons). He sliced a major artery, lost over half his blood and spent 5 hours in surgery.

Edited by Northern Thunder
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