silvertrombone Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Hey, for the benefit of all us Texas SkyRyders folks, how's about a little history lesson? Tradition around Sky after Hutch was pretty abysmal. The one time we sang Rainbow before a show we got all emotional, had a terrible performance, and got scolded for doing so. Hmph. BTW, who adopted "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as the corps song first? Cavaliers or SkyRyders??? Anybody else use it? We only had one vet in 92 who had marched in Hutch--Crystal Cherry, horn captain. Would have aged-out together in 95. She already had like 5 years with the corps in 92. DM in 93 if memory serves me correctly. Went home mid-tour sick??? Love to hear a little bit more about my first corps. Maybe some of you from defunct corps can do the same for yours in other threads. Especially Xmen--I may come down for history night if you guys will accept non-alum Texans! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossmenAlumni Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Especially Xmen--I may come down for history night if you guys will accept non-alum Texans! If you're in the area, everybody is welcome to stop by and visit for History Night on June 9th. Should be lots of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertrombone Posted June 1, 2007 Author Share Posted June 1, 2007 If you're in the area, everybody is welcome to stop by and visit for History Night on June 9th. Should be lots of fun. Thanks, Gary! Not in the area, but thinking about coming down and seeing the corps for a couple days, visiting relatives, and becoming more familiar with the new kids on the block... You ever hear from Beaker? 92 Contra player. Only person I met in the corps. Red hair, tall and skinny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubamann Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Thanks, Gary! Not in the area, but thinking about coming down and seeing the corps for a couple days, visiting relatives, and becoming more familiar with the new kids on the block...You ever hear from Beaker? 92 Contra player. Only person I met in the corps. Red hair, tall and skinny. Brian Walsh. Worked for YEA! several years after his marching days. Last I heard he was out in California..though that has been several years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84skyrydr Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 As far as I can remember, the Rainbow was a Cavie thing first, but Sky hit it on the head with that song. Pre tour party was a tradition, as was bus wars. My bus had a little Mr. T doll as the mascot and his name was Puba or Little Puba T. The guard had a pink lawn flamingo and we took him and had him handcuffed to one of the horn members wrist for quite a while. When I marched we had a rivalry with Troopers, Bridgemen and Freelancers, not to mention the judges that took us down by around 7 points OVERNIGHT. We performed in the semi finals instead of quarters and that really hurt us. Judges preconcieved notions or slotting { that never occurs LOLOLOL} took us from 15th to 17th. Our 9 man snare line was compared to a 3 member line in Les Eclipses. They were cleaner???? Well duh Colorguard was one of the corps STRONGEST assetts year in and year out. If you are looking for actuall overall history, like they started as a Legion corps, blah blah blah, then check with others. There are a lot of Sky alumn on here. Good luck and check into the Sky Ryders Hutchinson show and reunion week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
year1buick Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I'm not sure when the tradition of singing Rainbow started (86 would be my guess), but Brian Hildreth told me he wrote the vocal arrangement that we sung. I'm surprised to hear that you only sang it once all summer-- we sang it all the time. (I remember playing the retreat arrangement at the end of one of our all day rehearsals in Monterey CA, at sunset, facing the ocean. Very cool.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmanv Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 (edited) I'm not sure when the tradition of singing Rainbow started (86 would be my guess), but Brian Hildreth told me he wrote the vocal arrangement that we sung. I'm surprised to hear that you only sang it once all summer-- we sang it all the time. (I remember playing the retreat arrangement at the end of one of our all day rehearsals in Monterey CA, at sunset, facing the ocean. Very cool.) that would have been 89. when he was on staff for us. to the op...i can try to answer anything about when i was in. Edited June 2, 2007 by kmanv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyRyder_FMM Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Here is some general info on the corps: Sky Ryders Drum and Bugle Corps is currently inactive since the last season of 1993 but come from a long tradition of marching. They were formed in 1955 under the sponsorship of Lyle Rischel American Legion Post #68 in Hutchinson, Kansas. The competitions were associated with the Great Plains Drum and Bugle Corps circuit where Sky Ryders placed first in the Kansas State American Legion Championships in 1959, '60, '61, '62 and '64. The corps finished top ten in the American Legion National Championships in 1959, '60, '61 and '62. Sky Ryders tied first place in Houston during the American Legion contest in 1979 with the Long Island Kingsman scoring 76.80. Sky Ryders entered the world field with Drum Corps International's first competition in 1972 placing twentieth. They reached DCI top twelve in 1982 and finished finals that year in tenth place, marking the first time of making top twelve. The corps finished top twelve in another five years: 1983, 12th; 1986, 9th; 1987, 12th; 1988, 12th; and 1991, 12th. Sky Ryders Drum and Bugle Corps moved to Texas in 1990 and was the last corps in the state to place top twelve in DCI (1991). 1993 marked the last time Sky Ryders competed on the field finishing twentieth in DCI Quarter Finals. Several Drum Corps Hall-of-Famers have emerged from Sky Ryders Alumni including the late George Tuthill, John Simpson and Steve Vickers. Many of our alumni knew them and they were all well very talented and well-liked. George Tuthill was a Sky Ryders Drum Corps Alumni and elected into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 2000. George began his drumming career with the St. Anne's Cadets in 1957 as a snare drummer along with the Fairlawn Police Cadets and the Hawthorne Caballeros. George became the assistant drum major with the Hawthorne Caballeros and served from 1972 until 1978. Mr. Tuthill was percussion arranger and drum instructor for numerous corps including Sky Ryders, Garfield Cadets, Blessed Sacrement, Cavaliers, Hawthorne Caballeros and Long Island Sunrisers. George judged with the Mid-Atlantic, All-State and DCI Judges Association. George Tuthill served as Executive Director for Hutchinson, KS Sky Ryders Drum Corps, Kansas City Sky Ryders Drum Corps and the Argonauts. He will be sadly missed. John Simpson was a Sky Ryders Alumni who taught school from 1969 until his retirement in 1999 and elected into the Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 2000. John Simpson played with Sky Ryders Drum Corps in 1954 as well with the United States Air Force Drum Corps and the Skyliners Drum Corps. John instructed Sky Ryders, Bridgemen, Star of Indiana, Troopers, North Star and Yankee Rebels drum corps. Mr. Simpson also served as a brass consultant for the Hawthorne Caballeros. Last but definitely not least is Steve Vickers. Steve has always been actively involved in drum corps. Steve is a Sky Ryders Alumni and was inducted into the Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 1994. Steve Vickers has produced and owned Drum Corps World since the 1970s. Steve still publishes Drum Corps World and remains one of Sky Ryders Drum and Bugle Corps' most distinguished alumni. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 We only had one vet in 92 who had marched in Hutch--Crystal Cherry, horn captain. Would have aged-out together in 95. She already had like 5 years with the corps in 92. DM in 93 if memory serves me correctly. Went home mid-tour sick??? Nope--we had a rookie DM in '93. Crystal came in midseason on the mellophone line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84skyrydr Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 CORPSREP.com has a lot of info, like repetoire, scores, placements and history of every corps. I read the Sky Ryder one and found out that in 1984 we released live pidgeons at the end of Rainbow to boost the ge, but it was behind me, so I guess I never knew. It never worked though. When we played our third note it downpoured untill after we left the field. I guess that means we got hosed. Anyway, I still don't remember any pidgeons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.