2010 Finals Begins

We are here in Delphi, IN for the 2010 finals. The Delphi Community High School is very interesting indeed. It is complete with a koi pond, flower boutique, and a gravel stream running thru the media center area.

THe vehicle mileage is over 10,00 miles now and my pedometer has rolled over 100 miles walked.

The corps members had a "prom" tonite with a table full of finger foods and cold drinks.

Tommorow is Quarter Finals so will be a busy day but everyone is in high spirits for a good show.

Stay tuned

Season Finale in Buffalo, NY

Well..the season is over for 2010--only championships remain. The corps scored well last night as they did in Allentown and Lawrence so they are feeling strong going into finals. The Buffalo show is really excellent. Great venue (Bills Stadium) and the hosts really do a fine job. Our housing site for the last several years is Matt Winans' High School in Medina, NY. Medina is a small town with lots of rural New York attributes and is a perfect practice site.

We leave tonight for a layover day in Warsaw, OH and then on to our Finals housing in Delphi, IN. Zac is back on the field as a sideline conductor as of last night, and is able to finally get around without the crutches.

A few last minute clean-ups and equipment tweaks and we are into the quarter finals. If you haven't had the opportunity to see a quarter-final show at a local theater, they are really high quality and well produced. This year, they will cover the top 17 corps onThursday night starting at about 6 or 6:30PM. The top 12 will be simulcast in entirety so get a ticket and enjoy the madness at home!

I'll have a few more pictures up in the next few days including the removal of my beard--yes the Sasquatch-on-a-pit-gator-look is going away. I pledged that if the corps broke 90 score or finished 6th or above at finals, I would go clean-face. Film at eleven.....

The Road Not Taken

We departed Poteet, TX at 2:30 in the afternoon with the equipment as the buses left for a 4 hour mall stop afternoon off for the kids. After stopping for an Outback steak, we finished up the 11 hour trip in Monroe, LA. We are camped out at the basketball arena at ULM--next door to the massive football stadium. Using lights, the corps was able to practice in the cool of the evening with a final run through at 9:40 in the evening.

Today we are getting what looks to be the left overs of the tropical storm with frequent heavy rain and overcast. Was able to get the oil changed on the U3 and all small equipment maintained today.

Tonite we are off to Anniston, AL--another 8+ hour trip. Friday is Murfreesboro for the "Elite 8", then over to Atlanta for the regional.

The show keeps looking and scoring better as the changes get incorporated and practiced.

Enjoy the pix and see you all in Atlanta!

Curt

(Still A-) Live, from Poteet, TX

Hey... Its is 104 in the shade today in Poteet, TX. Nice Texas day. We are in a VERY rural area west of San Antonio--same housing as last year. While it appears hostile and desolate, the hospitality is among the best of the best we have received. The local support parents and band teacher hosted a fruit lunch on the field yesterday and the sleeping rooms were clean, numerous, and COLD!! :)

Two new picture albums by BAC supporters Phil and Larry. Enjoy these--they have many shots I have no opportunity to get due to my other responsibilities on the field and driving related.


Speaking of driving, the picture below is a typical tight squeeze with the pit trailer and gator at a show. The event organizers often get overly ambitious at squeezing the buses and trucks into a lot forgetting that pit equipment must move to and from the gate in between. The first half of the season was particularly bad with many small venue lots to deal with.

Managed a few minor repairs yesterday and today and we are ready for the regional show in San Antonio.

A couple of more no-show days coming up in Monroe, LA so should be able to write a bit more about the Texas loop.

GO BAC...

From Pittsburg, Kansas

Hello All:

Well, the best laid plans they say....a multitude of obstacles have kept me from posting as often as I have in the past. I have continued taking pictures however and will post all of them as I can. Our last two day stay in Albany, WI was a black hole for cell service. Our data card was so slow it took 20 minutes to check eMail...so uploading pictures was a non-event.

We had incredibly severe weather for our visit to Minneapolis. First the buses were stopped on a main street before we got into the parking lot at the stadium and all the corps members were told to evacuate and move to the tornado shelter. An hour later, we unpacked and got warmed up. As we entered the tunnel to move into our staging position on the field, the show was delayed again and all corps and spectators were evacuated again to the lower tunnel area. SCV, Phantom, Boston, BD, Blue Stars and perhaps a couple of more, were ALL in a single large area--everyone--including guard, staff, etc. We stayed there for an hour with the doors all closed while the storm raged outside. Finally, the show was called off as the forecast was for continued wild weather and the field was under water. After another hour waiting to get the area clear enough to turn the gator around, we were able to get back to the trucks and get packed up as we watched the lightning move away for a while.

The drive that night was a battle as we again caught and drove through the frontal system. 3 hours of very severe, plains lightning storm and 50-70MPH cross winds whipped the rain into swirling sheets across the road. Driving the vehicles was more like driving a boat than a truck. We all made it safe and sound without incident though--so just another story of life on tour!

It was a big let down for the corps tho....they worked very hard getting changes in for the regional and then didn't get to perform. The next show in Des Moines was a solid run but the time off showed a bit and we left some performance on the practice field.

In West Des Moines, a long-time Crusader supporter brought the corps 50 pizzas and breadsticks for lunch! It was like a feeding frenzy! I'm sure the order made the Godfather's Pizza shop's day.

In Pittsburg, at Pitt State University, the corps was treated to a another pizza dinner after the day yesterday. If you are ever in Pittsburg, KS, check out Wheat State Pizza and the shaved ice shack right behind it...folks here are super friendly and the food is great.

I was going to report that everyone was getting back to being fit and healthy--then I got the call that Zac had taken another fall. Severe sprained ankle--now on crutches for while. I asked him if he knew what they did with thoroughbred racehorses when they got injured----"out to stud" he said. That's my kid!

So enjoy the pictures---I still have more to post.

Until later, GO BAC

Curt

Quick Note from Van Buren, OH

Hello All:

Just a quick note from Ohio. We've been having alot of internet access issues that appear to be mainly resolved. It has kept me from posting here as I share the Waldo system of the staff while on the road. Had to replace a radiator and fan assembly in the chase car. (100 degrees, 99% humitity, parking lot). Enjoy the pix and I will try to catch up in the next few days.

Curt

From Portsmouth, RI

Greetings from Portsmouth, RI. We are practicing today at Portsmouth, RI HS just a few hundred yards from where the first settlement was built in Portsmouth in 1638. The windmill marks the spot on the highest point at the north end of Aquidneck Island. The entire island was occupied by the British for a portion of the revolution so history is everywhere!

The corps had free day in downtown Boston yesterday and the equipment was moved down to our current site. The Bristo, RIl show and fireworks is tonite. Again meeting Phantom Regiment, Bluecoats, and tonite also Crown I think..

So far the shows have been very productive as you have all seen by the scores but we are still leaving alot on the practice field--so I am expecting great things as the corps learns to deliver their best on the show field.

The weather went from mid-90's to 50 as we moved North into New York. It has remained very dry and cool for the last couple of days although it is going to get hot again for the 4th.

We will watch a nice fireworks display tonite after the Bristol show, then it is off to Lynn, MA for housing and the New Bedford, MA parade tommorrow.

Enjoy the pix.

PS: Thanks to Michelle B. for the GREAT chocolate chip cookies. All the volunteers are enjoying them as a special treat.

Curt

On the Road at Last!

Greetings from Bladensburg, MD. The corps is housed here at the large high school. We were here last year also for the Naval Academy show.

I normally get to move-in on the first day but this year, I was finishing up the throne project--didn't post about it because we wanted it to be a surprise for the season. I finally arrived in New Hampton at 03:30 on the Friday of move-out and Spring Fling having missed the first three weeks of practice.




Spring Fling was a treat as always and the interaction between Sr and Jr corps is a great family tradition now. During our stay in Quincy, MA, the Boston Crusader senior corps treated us to cook-outs, and great hospitality. It is a real treat for the volunteers to be able to relax a little bit before the real tour begins. The very first full runs of the show happen during the Quincy week also, with the first uniform runs always generating alot of excitement. This season was no exception and the large crowd gathered for the cook-out and preview were not disappointed. Nothing but great buzz from the first hornline re-warm to the last show stinger, everyone has great
expectaions for the season.




Upon leaving Quincy, we drove the 250 miles to Elizabeth, NJ for a practice day and then drove 200 miles to our site in Bladensburg, MD for the Arlington, VA show last nite. We have had a few mechanical issues to sort out but all is working again at this point. The members are in an air conditioned gym and we are all glad as the temperatures are going into the 90's now.


The show in Arlington was very good for Boston--at 75, it is the best out-of-gate, first show score in many years. It was perhaps a good thing that the parking lot situation was so cramped and chaotic last nite--it put some pressure on the corps to optimize their loading and unloading of the equipment.

As a bit of trivia, I have decided to wear a pedometer for the summer--just to see how far I walk. I put it on when we got to Quincy, MA and so far, it is showing 58,000 steps.

I am also running an amateur radio-based, GPS tracking system in the U3 vehicle I am driving. When moving, it broadcasts the current GPS position and information every 2 minutes as long as a network link is within range (pretty much 100% across the US now). I have a link to the mapping site and will embed a google plot below so you can follow along on a map. For more information you might Google "APRS" to find out more information on how it works.

For now, I will leave you with these pictures and should be able to update this site as in seasons past. Depending on the work-load and internet access, every couple of days is the target.

Thanks for following along and I hope you enjoy the pictures of where we are and your sons and daughters--they are a remarkable group of young men and women.

See you on the road.

For now,

Curt

2009 DCI Finals Activities and Pictures

Well, here it is spring time of 2010 and the new season of Drum Corps is rapidly approaching. Thought it was time to finally post my last batch of pictures from finals week. Along with the regular daily rehearsals, there were the Individual and Ensemble performance competitions, the annual awards dinner, and of course the infamous Final Run-Through.

Then, after the quarter and semi-finals, the Big Show on Saturday night. What an awesome performance by an amazing group of young people. The world is in good hands my friends.

The parking lot goodbyes are both heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time. Needless to say, if you haven't managed to make it to a finals, you are missing one of lifes most rewarding experiences.

The difficult good-byes aren't just among the members either. Staff and volunteers alike forge friendships and bonds during the summer that will endure for a lifetime.

I feel honored and privileged to have been a small part of this season, and delighted to have been able to share some of its moments with all who arrive at this site.

Hope to see you all again this summer!

2010 postings with camp pictures and commentary will begin in a few days.