DCA

DCA Recognizes the Passing of Mr. Royalaire, Stan Biggs

Mr. Royalaire,Stanley Biggs passed away peacefully, Thursday, July 15 at
Guelph General Hospital in his 91st year. Stan will be greatly missed by his
beloved wife of 68 years, Lil, son Dave and spouse Judy. Stan was the founder of the Royalaires and was very active in the formulative years of DCA. Stan was elected to the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 1980. This true drum corps pioneer will be missed by all.

Categories: Drum Corps News

Bucs Roll in Wayne, NJ and Empire Tops Hornell, NY

Bucs overcame the threatening weather and posted a strong win over Caballeros tonight in Cabs home show. A huge number and big spread made it clear who the victor was in Wayne, NJ. In upstate NY the "OZ" show rolled as Empire met not Dorothy's tornado but rather a Hurricane. In this instance, the tornado won out with several points to spare and high visual and brass awards to boot. Color Guard and percussion went to CT's Hurricanes. A solid third place went to Atlanta's CorpsVets who proved to all that they are knocking on that coveted top 5 door... Strong color guard and battery and a very difficult program proved their long journey was well worth it. Click on scores to see all results. Next week the elite meet in Lewisburg, PA at Bucknell University. A special thanks to Mayor Sean Hogan and his Hornell crew - it was great to have the dca corps back in this picturesque village before a packed house.

Categories: Drum Corps News

The Wicked Witch Melts in Rochester

Tonight, Empire Statesmen brought their production of OZ to the field to the delight of a large audience at St. John Fisher College in Rochester.  Empire posted a strong win and an entertaining program with no weaknesses. This touch of Broadway was mindful of their "Miss Saigon" production a decade ago. Kingston's Grenadiers rode a strong percussion line to a second place finish and a number that will cause people to take notice in Class A. After them was the debut of Dansville White Sabers who presented different variations of Cirque Du Soleil again this year. Next week, the DCA schedule ramps up with strong shows in both Hornell, NY and Caballero's Grand Prix in Wayne, NJ. Click on Scores for results.

Categories: Drum Corps News

Bucs Ride Tornado Into Bridgeport

It takes more than a tornado to stop the "Champions on Parade" in Bridgeport, CT held this past Saturday! The Barnum Festival, Mayor Bill Fitch and Police Chief Gaudett welcomed the eager spectators to Kennedy Stadium for an electrifying evening of drum & bugle corps.

The season has just begun, however these corps presented shows with a polish that is usually seen in mid July. The Reading Buccaneers continue to lead of the pack, defeating the Hawthorne Caballeros by posting a winning score of 82.613. The Hurricanes came in a solid 3rd place position as they entered the field of competition for the first time this season. The Bushwackers settled into 4th place position with a score of 71.55. Fusion Core, donned in new uniforms, placed 5th. A very entertaining Carolina Gold placed 6th.

Next week in Rochester, New York - The Vince Bruni Preview of Champions. Click on schedule for details and scores to see the complete results. Recap will be available soon.

Categories: Drum Corps News

Championship Competitors Confirmed

DCA Business Manager and Championship Chairman, Dick Eschenmann, has confirmed 23 corps entered in the 2010 DCA World Championship Labor Day Weekend in Rochester, NY. The following corps, by class, have declared their intention to attend and where necessary, have passed appropriate evaluations:

Open Class
Buccaneers - Reading, PA
Minnesota Brass - St. Paul, MN
Empire Statesmen - Rochester, NY
Caballeros - Hawthorne, NJ
Hurricanes - Seymour, CT
Bushwackers - West Windsor, NJ
Renegades - San Francisco, CA
CorpsVets - Atlanta, GA
Alliance - Atlanta, GA
Kilties - Racine, WI
Kidsgrove Scouts - Kidsgrove, UK

Class A
Fusion Core - Morris County, NJ
Grenadiers - Kingston, ONT
Govenaires - St. Peter, MN
White Sabers - Dansville, NY
Carolina Gold - North Carolina
Vigilantes - Richardson, TX
Shenendoah Sound - Manassas Park, VA
Sun Devils - North Port, FL
Excelsior - Capital District of NY
SoCal Dream - Fountain Valley, CA
High Country Brass - Denver, CO
Cincinnati Tradition - Cincinnati, OH

Categories: Drum Corps News

2010 Season Under Way!

DCA got off to a fantastic start for the 2010 season as the Caballero's hosted the first show of the year - "Cabs at the Beach" in popular Wildwood, NJ. Strong performances and shows that were near mid season form elicited great audience response and solid beginning scores. DCA powerhouse and defending champion Reading Buccaneers defeated the host Caballeros by a solid margin and broke 80 in the first show - something that has not been done since the 1970's. Bushwackers also put up a high first show score in a strong 3rd place finish. Not to be outdone, NJ's new kid on the block, Fusion Core, started the evening with a strong performance and a high score to set the standard for the evening. Next week, the corps move on to historic Bridgeport, CT and the famed Barnum Festival. Click on scores to see the results. Recap will be available soon.

Categories: Drum Corps News

Scranton tickets available online

Tickets for the Parade of Champions in Scranton PA on August 21, can be purchased by credit card online just by clicking here . This is one of our most popular contests of the year, so get your reserved seats now!

Categories: Drum Corps News

DCA Scores Released

Over the next few weeks, we'll be releasing the entire archive of DCA scores going back to our inaugural season of 1964! All the scores from all of the contests!

Just visit the scores page to see scores from 1964 through 1969. And keep checking back as we release more and more years!

Categories: Drum Corps News

The True Fan and What He Meant to Drum Corps

From DCA Secretary, Glen Johnson

This is a rare speech from Glen Johnson, so indulge me for a minute please!

I think too often we get all torqued up over this drum corps bubble we live inside of. We tend to lose sight of the fact that this is really just a hobby, and we're really here to entertain other people, and have fun doing it. Really, I'm writing this in honor of my brother, and I don't want people to forget about people like him. There are many more of him than there are of us.

My brother Grant died suddenly yesterday afternoon. He was my big brother and my only sibling. He got me in to this hobby. He took me to my first drum corps show ever, which was the 1972 Dream Contest in Jersey City, NJ. Don't ask me for any details, I was 11 Very few people here on DCP knew him. But he was a drum corps FAN for 40 years. Just a fan. He didn't know Hy Dreitzer from a can of paint. He wouldn't know Gail Royer or Jim Costello or any other person we consider to be legendary in this realm if he tripped over them. He was a ticket buying fan. Period. He went to DCA shows and DCI shows. Drum corps was his primary form of entertainment. He's the guy that would be sitting on a seat cushion with a thermos of coffee at the crack of dawn for DCI prelims years ago, and sit through the entire thing. He'd sit through small circuit contests with corps scoring in the 30s. He used to plan his family vacation around where DCI was being held that year and drive to it. He may have missed the Caballeros' Grand Prix maybe 3 or 4 times over four decades. He spent many many thousands of dollars over the years on tickets, t-shirts, bumper stickers, buttons, all kinds of stuff. He needs to have his picture in the dictionary next to "drum corps fan" . He would strike up conversations with complete strangers at shows, usually to ask where they got their t-shirt. He had t-shirts of dozens of different corps - junior, senior and alumni.

I could go on for pages but I won't. All I want to say is, without people like my brother, we don't exist. When you design your show, don't lose the people in the stands. When you perform, don't mail it in - there are lots of people in the stands that think you're just the greatest thing and they don't want to be disappointed. In DCA, we don't have the luxury of packing the stands with Moms and Dads who are there to see little Johnny play no matter what, like the band shows. We have people there who would rather sit there in the rain or the blazing heat and watch you perform than go to the movies. Its all about THEM. There are more Grant Johnsons sitting in those bleachers than you could imagine. Now there's one less. And if you remember why we're HERE, there'll be many more to fill his seat for years to come.

Glen

Categories: Drum Corps News

MUSIC CITY LEGEND WILL NOT COMPETE IN 2010

Music City Legend, Nashville’s first and only all-age drum corps, will not compete in either the Drum Corps Associates or Drum Corps International circuits this summer, according to MCL Executive Director Scott Rhodes.

Legend’s Board of Directors decided that, based upon the corps’ current financial and organizational situation, it was best for the corps to take a year off and use the time to recruit, fundraise, and establish a more cohesive business plan before re-taking the field in 2011. A key part of Music City Legend’s new business plan will be a concerted effort to strengthen its ties to the Mid-South performing arts community. However, Rhodes stresses that one thing that will not change for next year is the corps’ commitment to bringing a fun and entertaining program to the field for the audience and the corps’ members.

The corps will maintain public visibility in 2010 through parade appearances and concerts. Legend will also host Tennessee’s only all-age drum corps competition, Music City Metal IV, on

Saturday, August 7, at Antioch High School, 1900 Hobson Road, in Antioch, Tennessee. Corps from Georgia, Florida, and Virginia are expected to attend. Ticket information will be available soon on the corps’ website and telephone information line (615.691.1918).

Music City Legend encourages all who wish to support the corps through this process and/or be a part of Legend in 2011 to join them now. More information can be found at http://www.musiccitylegend.org or by e-mail to recruiting@musiccitylegend.org.

Categories: Drum Corps News