From the Road - Part VI

During the shows you can see a major difference between the top tier Division I Corps and the next two levels. The Cadets and Phantom Regiment shows are outstanding. Their sound was big, their shows complicated and their technique more refined. The top six Division I Corps finish four out of five years in the top five. Carolina Crown could make a challenge this year to finish in the top five for the first time…their show and skills has that potential. Of all the shows I find Crown’s to be the most entertaining. Word is that the 2006 World Champions, The Cavaliers (and champs for three or four times in the last six years), are at risk in falling outside the top five and being replaced by Crown.

One of the challenges faced by the less experienced Corps like the Crossmen is to receive a disheartening score. After Erie the Crossmen have worked hard at refining their show but the scores did not increase. Consistency from the practice field to the show is not there. Still members are not moving together and keeping their spacing in solid.

While the Crossmen would far outperform high school and college groups, their consistency is not yet there to take them into the final twelve Corps.

Josh noted the sound remains thin in spots because some are having difficulty playing particular bars here or there during some complicated moves. While he can play all his music without difficulty while standing still, but a bar here or there is during the first week to ten days were still giving him difficulty as he worked to maintain his place in the moving lines and to move fluidly.

The results of the Giant Stadium show moved upward even though their shortcoming on the sound was more evident as their sound became lost in the vastness of the stadium. Still the Corps was encouraged by the results. The results of the show in NY or RI were positive.

As the Corps moved into the MD to CT area volunteers became plentiful as they are in the area in which their past base was drawn. While much could work around the chuck wagon could easily be handled by the cook and four volunteers, having eight or nine volunteers around makes the work much lighter.

For the Bristol RI show we stayed with Christian in Norwich CT. He traveled with us to the show in Bristol. Unfortunately we did not have a chance to visit with his wife and children as they left for camp on Monday.

Following is one pic from Westminister and two pics from Bristol. In the formation pic from Westminster, Josh is just in front the base drum and beside the contra-base. In the one pic the Bristol pics he in set position for taking the field. In last the Crossmen are lined up with their sister Corps, the Cadets (who have a top three show and could go all the way this year) to play a post show item “America the Beautiful” which started the fireworks show.

Yes, if you look closely, Josh is now showing a mustache and is growing a little goatee just like his brother.