From: braithw@cs.uwindsor.ca (BRAITHWAITE GEORGE       )
Newsgroups: alt.drumcorps
Subject: Shafted by THE MAN: BD, Cadets, PR!
Date: 17 Aug 1992 17:01:04 GMT
Organization: University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada


     I AM LOST???  I AM CONFUSED??? I AM SICK AND TIRED???

     I don't understand DCI anymore.  I can't begin to explain my disbelief in the scores announced Saturday night.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IS PROBABLY OUT OF LINE FOR A PERSON WHO HAS ONLY BEEN FOLLOWING DRUMCORPS FOR 6 YEARS.  HOWEVER, I MUST GET THIS OFF MY CHEST.

     IMHO, DCI has a lot of nerve calling their activity a 'musical SPORT'.  The entire concept of the "Summer Music Games" is supposed to reflect an activity in which groups practice and then come together to COMPETE to see who is the best.  Ideally the best corps of the season doesn't win, but the best corps of the last three nights.

     However, in the real world this doesn't happen and a whole series of politics comes into play and a few high ranking officials decide on what is going to happen on Finals night.  Here's my opinion on what "The Man" decided was to occur this year:

1.  For the past few years, the positions and scores on the final night were not much different from those of the quarterfinal round.  Therefore, in order to legitimize the entire event and to make it a little more exciting for the fans; there was going to be a big shakeup in the top eight.

2.  In order to shakeup the top eight.  Obviously, someone would have to get the SHAFT.  Who could it be?:
                         a) Not SCV! It's their anniversary season and Gayle                                                         				Royers' last year.
			 b) Not Madison!  Not in front of their home crowd.
			 c) Not Star! Mr. Cook wouldn't like that and they do have the best show in the country.  However, they did win last year so they don't win again.  It wouldn't be that bad.
			 d) Not the Cavies!  We've shafted them for the past 3 years.  Even though this show isn't as good as '90 and '91, perhaps they should win.  They have the third best show in the country and do have excellent fan support.  A cavies victory would be nice.

	Now this leaves The Cadets, BD, The Crossmen, and PR.

     The Cadets probably performed very well Saturday night.  (I wasn't in Madison but saw finals on TV and had about a dozen of my friends who did go, tell me everything).  As much as "The Man" might have wanted to, ther was no way The Cadets couldn't score lower than they did.  I never liked the Cadets because their shows were never stimulating to me.  I could never knock their excellent marching and great sound, but for some reason their shows never excited me.  (They weren't accessible to quote on of t



he netters)  This year however, they were just as strong but their show really entertained me.  On Saturday night, the Cadets were the best corps.  But it was too little too late and wern't seen as championship contenders by "The Man".  THEY GOT THE SHAFT.

     The Blue Devils were robbed.  There is no way (IMHO) that the Cavies show was bette than theirs.  WRT, GE (It's hard to judge horns and percussion through a television) The Cadets outperformed the BD and therefore with all other aspects being equal the Cadets should and did place higher than BD.  I won't argue with the Cavies getting high percussion (since I wasn't there) over BD but let's just say I have my doubts.   Ultimately, BD GOT THE SHAFT.

     I can't comment on the Crossmen.  I didn't see their show(The top 12 corps should be televised in full again). I believe that they probably did have a good show on Saturday night and this was an excellent way to demonstrate a big SHAKEUP in the top 8 if they get a high score.  In any other year, the Crossmen would have finighed 8th.  No doubt about it!

   So there is only one corps left.  BTW, I am a big Phantom Fan (or is it Phan) and admit to being a little biased.  However, this year they obviously were not going to win.  They had too may individual marching problem to earn those high scores. I liked their show, but it lacked the difficulty and the impact of the top 5 corps this year (except for Madison, but remember 2b).  However, after everthing I mentioned in the five previous paragraphs, Phantom was left out in the cold.  All that people can say n



ow is that they were be best 8th place finish ever.  If you go back 3 years you might also say that Phantom was the best corps not to win the championship when they were shafted in '89 (I'll try not to mention '89 again).

     I talked to my friend Steve yesterday who marched soprano for Regiment this year.  He said that nobody could believe what had happened to them.  He said that I just stood there with his head held high as his heart sank when then announced the score.  Phantom was better than SCV and (probably) better than The Crossmen, they knew it, the judges knew it, the fans knew it and the administration knew it.  The Phantom Regiment has been criticized in this newsgroup for doing 1812 stating that this was not so



mething original for PR.  All I have to say to that is: Blue Devils '86, Madison '88 and SCV '89(oops, there's '89).

     Well I've already talked too much and I appologize for the lenght of this reply.  In closing all I would like to say to "The Man" is that either the "Sport" is legitimate and a REAL competition or it's not and we should merge this newsgroup with alt.pro-wrestling.  I'm going to try to forget about DCI for now and just kick back to some good jazz CD's until next summer.   It's only an opinion... but it's my opinion.

"I like shaftin'... but I don't like getting shafted!" The Rock
"If they are going to F__K us, I hope they're wearing condoms." PR'89, PR'92

George "Screech" Braithwaite
braithw@cs.uwindsor.ca                                                     
Newsgroups: alt.drumcorps