Joe Flynn Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 "This year of 'xx could and should be the turning point for drum and bugle corps wherever they may be found. And really, this should not come as a surprise to anyone who knows that we constantly live in an era of great change. In our own way, we have protested the norm of many years. For those who made those annual treks to Nationals, it was a reality that the costs were becoming prohibitive and, by in large, the majority of the competitors went home empty handed. For many corps, a trip to the Nationals was the culmination of a season --- long schedule of local shows --- it became a vacation to distant areas of our nation, and for the playing membership, it was a time of great excitement, anticipation and in general, one heck of a great time. Alas, progress and professionalism enter our very special world of beat and blast. Our hobby takes on a new look. What used to be "for the kids," now takes the form of big business. More instruments are added to increasing inventories of each corps and the cost of success is plainly spelled out for one and all ... $$$$$$$$$$. Slowly but surely, the upper stratosphere of competition builds closely around a relatively small group of super-corps. This inner circle of some twenty to thirty corps (junior and senior), becoes the focal point of national acclaim, newstype and a major revolution of unrest. It is to these elite organizations that go admiration, envy and great amounts of jealousy from their peers. No winning corps can stay popular for too long ... it goes without saying that we are a society who continue to root for the underdog, regardless of the records of achievement attained by said winning corps. To enter this charmed circle of tough competition requires many hours of exhausting practice and, the real nitty-gritty of it all, a management whose staff must contain the wizardry of a Leonard Bernstein, the patience of a school teacher, the tough skin of a baseball umpire and the financial genius of a Wall Street broker. Without these qualities, a corps, any corps, is destined to hit rocky times ahead. National contenders are not born overnight. They are carefully charted and are brought along year by year in a constant state of hard work and polishing. When they are ready to enter the Grand Arena, you can bet your shako that they've paid their dues to get there. What we are searching for today my friends is unification. Not in purpose alone, but in the rule-making bodies as well. Let us give it to the judge, a set of score sheets that will finally reward the efforts of today! For it is today for many of our fine corps. We can no longer judge with yesterday's standards, and the sooner everyone realizes it, the sooner we can grow more rapidly into a successfully mature organization. Is it still too much to ask for?" Drum Corps World - Editorial - April 26, 1972 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScribeToo Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 Drum Corps World - Editorial -April 26, 1972 Whos was the actual author? Stef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 Not surprising seeing which DC paper ran this. Few years later it seemed if you wanted info on the Juniors you read Drum Corps World. If you wanted Senior side stuff it was Drum Corps News. DCN would have some articles of Junior corps mainly in the northeast (DCN was published in Revere. MA). Some DCW issues didn't even mention Senior corps. Wonder if the same thing went on in 1972. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiamiSun76 Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 Not surprising seeing which DC paper ran this. Few years later it seemed if you wanted info on the Juniors you read Drum Corps World. If you wanted Senior side stuff it was Drum Corps News. DCN would have some articles of Junior corps mainly in the northeast (DCN was published in Revere. MA). Some DCW issues didn't even mention Senior corps. Wonder if the same thing went on in 1972. Don't forget Bob Belarosa's "Eastern Review". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Flynn Posted September 29, 2006 Author Share Posted September 29, 2006 Whos was the actual author?Stef #### Blake He was originally the editor for DCN but then moved to DCW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Thunder Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 Blake was only at DCW for another few months after this appeared. Jack Russalisi ran the paper out of Casper, WY at the end of '72. In the summer of '73 Steve Vickers took over.....and the rest is history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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