Capital Regiment

[bluehull]

But did the coach say run into the "band" members, or did the players choose to do that themselves?

The players are not smart enough to make that decision on their own! They have to huddle and have the coaches call the plays after every movement, so you can be sure that the coach gave the order to do such a thing, otherwise they would be wandering aimlessly around the area!

[pbdrum1]

This is an article I found while searching for info on mbands going to china in 08 for the olympics.

The article says it was written in '01, did anyone ever hear about this? And has it ever happened before/since? (and yes, he's an x-football player so he calls them a MB)

http://www.indignantonline.com/sports/sp072001

"Field Rage

Long-time readers know that I love football. It?s my favorite sport bar none. There?s something about football that brings the testosterone flowing through the body. That is the reason that football players get into so much trouble with things like domestic abuse, because their testosterone is given full reign during practice and games, and it is hard to turn the flow off. That is why I?m not at all surprised about this next story. The strength and conditioning coach at Northern Illinois University was fired this week in an incident of field rage. A scheduling conflict caused a visiting marching band, the Capital Regiment Drum Corps, to be on the field when the coach, John Bizkowski and about 20 players came onto the field for a practice. The band was out there and apparently, Bizkowski got the 20 players to run and wade into the band members. One suffered a hairline fracture of the jaw and another member suffered a severely sprained ankle. Two players were also identified in the incident, and one, along with the coach, are facing battery charges. NIU fired the coach and the two players could also face a student judicial board and possible expulsion.

You would have done anything your coach wanted after you graduated.......loser!!!!

Now, there was no excuse for this, but it might be hard to come down on the two players involved (as well as the other 18 or so players involved). As an ex-football player myself, when your coach tells you to do something, you are supposed to do it, no matter what it is. If my old high school coach had told me to run into a wall, I would have. For several years after high school, too."

More here:

http://web.archive.org/web/20020122033511/.../drumcorps.html

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STRENGTH COACH FIRED, OTHER DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS TAKEN FOLLOWING JULY 12 DRUM CORPS INCIDENT AT HUSKIE STADIUM

DE KALB — Head strength and conditioning coach John Binkowski was fired today and two football players have been suspended from the team following an incident last Thursday in which Binkowski ordered members of the NIU football team to run through a visiting drum

corps practicing in Huskie Stadium.

Two members of the Capital Regiment drum corps from Columbus, Ohio were injured, one with a hairline fracture of the jaw and the second with a severely sprained ankle.

Binkowski, a two-year veteran of Huskie athletics, was fired early this morning for what the university called "hostile, unprofessional conduct toward university guests that put student athletes in an unacceptably compromised position." An investigation revealed that Binkowski, angered over a stadium scheduling conflict with the band, ordered a group of about 20 football players to run directly through the practicing regiment.

Two players who caused injuries to the young musicians have been identified by the victims. Anthony Falbo, 20, a junior defensive tackle from River Grove, was arrested at the scene, charged with battery and suspended from the football team. A second player was also identified and NIU police say they expect charges to be filed against him as well. Football officials say the second player will also be suspended once charges are filed. The players face a range of student judicial sanctions in addition to the criminal prosecution.

Other student athletes involved in the incident may receive student judicial sanctions pending further investigation into the nature of their involvement. All of those involved also face disciplinary action from head football coach Joe Novak, who is reviewing the matter with

police and other university staff.

Drum Corps Midwest has held its championship competition at NIU for about 15 years. The popular event draws 25 different regiments from around the Midwest, and thousands of spectators from across the country.

NIU President John Peters is overseeing the investigation and subsequent actions related to the incident. He called the matter "appalling," and pledged that the university would "do everything possible to get to the bottom of this."

"I am deeply disturbed by this incident," Peters said. "I have offered my apologies on behalf of the entire NIU community to the drum corps members and their families, and will continue to ensure that their needs are met.

"I can only say that the actions taken by the coach in question and by the players involved were inexcusable. This is not what this university or this athletic program is about, and I am ashamed of the individuals involved."

In addition to the termination and suspensions, Peters announced that the university has waived all of the costs and charges associated with DCM's use of NIU facilities this year. Officials estimate annual DCM rental revenue at between $14,000 and $19,000.

"It is extremely unfortunate that the poor judgment of a small number of individuals should reflect so badly on our university," Peters said. "I am committed to doing whatever it takes to assure the drum corps community that we value and respect them, are very sorry about

this incident, and are working hard to make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

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[Bob984]

I actually managed to email one of the coaches (no response) who was involved....I indicated he was lucky they picked on a div. 2 corps with 15 year olds at the time (no diss on CR)...I told him that if it would have been certain other corps, some of the members of his football team would have been hauled off in ambulances as well.......GB

[flashofthunder]

I actually managed to email one of the coaches (no response) who was involved....I indicated he was lucky they picked on a div. 2 corps with 15 year olds at the time (no diss on CR)...I told him that if it would have been certain other corps, some of the members of his football team would have been hauled off in ambulances as well.......GB

Can you imagine if the football players had run through, say, BD or Phantom? I can just imagine the headlines then...

[PioSop06]

Can you imagine if the football players had run through, say, BD or Phantom? I can just imagine the headlines then...

This just in; Earlier this afternoon, a football coach at NIU ordered his players to begin running wind sprints through the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps, resulting in many of the football players being hit in the face with fourty pound tubas. The corps was not harmed.

[dcpguy1111]

Can you imagine if the football players had run through, say, BD or Phantom? I can just imagine the headlines then...

This just in; Earlier this afternoon, a football coach at NIU ordered his players to begin running wind sprints through the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps, resulting in many of the football players being hit in the face with fourty pound tubas. The corps was not harmed.

Umm, how old are you two?

[madscout96]

I agree completely with this point.

However, consider this: if visual staff at a corps tells you to do something, do you disobey? Even if it is unreasonable, dangerous, or insane? I have been in corps where people were clearly in danger of injury from activity which went beyond what people would physically could do- as we know, a metronome and a box drill are all it takes to destroy people, if a visual staff wants to. Same is true of rehearsal in Kansas in July- when does it stop being "we are in corps: we are tough guys" and become "that boy just had a heat stroke; maybe we should stop rehearsal"? We can think of at least 1 corps this past season, and many more in the past. And to be honest, if corps staff, for some insane reason, told the corps to run through a gaggle of football players, they almost certainly would do it. Thus, I find it curious that we would find football player behavior inescusable- when a person has complete authority and autonomy in determining your path in something very valuable to you, whether it is your football scholarship, or your dream summer of drum corps, and we are talking about 30 year olds vs 18-21 year olds with no power, how exactly do we expect these things to play out? I can find no fault with the players, only the coach.

To repeat though, I agree: "In my book that makes you just plain stupid."

Well, yeah, generally you're gonna listen to your visual staffer and trust them and do what they say much like a football player might listen to their line coach. But i don't think a drum corps instructor would order their members to do such a thing if someone else was using their field. Not only because of concerns of the members' safety, but because such a move would lack class and dignity, something that is a huge part (back when I marched anyway, I'm sure it still is) of what kids learn in drum corps. The situation should be handled diplomatically. Find out who they are, who said they could use the field, etc... That's what the NIU coach didn't do, he didn't make the effort to find out that CapReg was SUPPOSED to be out there, they had rented the field for that time slot.

The players are not smart enough to make that decision on their own! They have to huddle and have the coaches call the plays after every movement, so you can be sure that the coach gave the order to do such a thing, otherwise they would be wandering aimlessly around the area!

As opposed to drum corps members that have to have instructors and designers tell them every note, step, and movement in their 11.5 minute show?

It's the not football team and coach's intelligence that was in question here, it was their judgement, or lack thereof.

[Rusty]

I think it is important to note that the coach LOST HIS JOB...and as I recall, a couple of the players lost their scholarships. NIU did not just try to sweep this under the rug. The university President was very angry about this.

In response to this disgusting incident:

-the coach was fired

-students were expelled (and faced criminal charges)

-the injured corps members received health care compliments of the university

-the university president apologized

-the university waived all costs and fees to DCM for the event

Good for NIU to really respond aggressively. Frankly, I have a hard time seeing what else the university could have done to rectify the situation.

[liebot]

Well, yeah, generally you're gonna listen to your visual staffer and trust them and do what they say much like a football player might listen to their line coach. But i don't think a drum corps instructor would order their members to do such a thing if someone else was using their field.

Semi-related story... we were rehearsing in Malden last summer and a group of 4 or 5 10-year-olds were heckling us during an ensemble block. The staff yelled at them for about 10 minutes, and finally decided to make us "Run a lap" over to the kids... needless to say, the sight of 100 or so shirtless, sweaty bodies sprinting at them (jumping over fences, etc. on the way) scared the kids off for awhile.

As opposed to drum corps members that have to have instructors and designers tell them every note, step, and movement in their 11.5 minute show?

It's the not football team and coach's intelligence that was in question here, it was their judgement, or lack thereof.

Yeah, but football players beat me up in high school and stole the better looking girls so I feel the need to put them down every opportunity I have.

[madaboutcorps]

I've been away from the forum for a while but found this topic and wanted to chime in. My 14 yr. old son marched for CR during the summer that the NIU football team injured two members. The coach brought his players out on the field and basically told Rick Bays that this was their field and they were going to practice. Words were exchanged and it turned into a heated discussion. At that point, this coach did in fact order the players to run through the corps. The kids that were injured were basically blindsided by grown men that probably outweighed them by 60 pounds. The boy with the broken jaw was out for the summer and the sprained ankle was a young lady. Many of the NIU players, while obeying the coach did try to avoid running into the kids, but these two hoodlums that were finally arrested, intentionally hurt these kids. The police were called and originally a player was arrested that was not responsible for hurting anyone. It was a couple of weeks before the actual two were arrested. The story was on ESPN that night.

NIU officials were very apologetic and forthcoming with Capital Regiment, who went on to have a very successful show on Saturday night and a successful summer as well. They refunded money, gave the kids t-shirts and basically bent over backwards for Capital Regiment. The president of the university apologized publicly prior to the start of the competition on Saturday and Capital Regiment got a very emotional and rousing ovation when they took the field. It gave me chills.

It is also interesting to note that the next morning, the Colts, who were staying at the same school as CR, presented the Corps with a card wishing them well and telling them how sorry they were for the events the night before. It brought the volunteers in the cook truck to tears. I have had the greatest respect for the Colts since that day. It proved that the people involved with drum corps are a big family and really care about the activity and its members.