Skyliners

The New York Skyliners are an Open Class Senior Drum Corps participating in Drum Corps Associates, based out of New York City, New York.

## History

The **New York Skyliners**, chartered in 1945, have won every major title available to a senior drum and bugle corps, including the DCA Championships, and the New York State and American Legion National Championships. The New York Skyliners were the 1963 World Open Champions, 1966, 1971 and 1975 DCA Champions, and most recently were the 1999 and 2002 Drum Corps Associates' Class A World Champions.

Members of this corps were originally drawn from two New York City American Legion junior corps: The Phoebe Apperson Hearst Post #1197 and the Grand Street Boys from Post #1025. The new post, known as the Raymond A. Garbarina Memorial Post #1523, was named after Raymond A. "Gabby" Garbarina, a young man who played with both the Grand Street Boys and the Hearst Post corps, who had lost his life in the war. The corps itself was also known as the Raymond A. Garbarina Memorial Corps, and later, the Garbarina Skyliners.

The corps' first appearance was an exhibition at a New York Giants football game at the Polo Grounds. They began competing the following season in 1947, winning the New York State American Legion title that year. During the period from 1949 to 1951, Garbarina Skyliners competed in 41 contests and won 38 of them.

The corps later became known as the New York Skyliners. In 1951, corps member John F. Mazarakos passed away. His name was added to the post charter, becoming the Garbarina-Mazarakos American Legion Post 1523, and it still survives to this day.

## Traditions

### Musical Style

The corps is best known for it's ability to play a strong, loud, emotional show. The corps has had several signature pieces over the years including Elk's Parade, Little Old New York, And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going, Alabama Jubilee, and New York, New York. The corps' signature closing number is I'll Take Manhattan.

### Uniform

The Skyliners uniform consists of a red cadet style jacket with black and gold piping and a white citation cord as well as an American Legion and New York City patch on the left arm, black pants (tuxedo pants were later replaced by bibbers) with a red and gold stripe, and a red and white shako. Uniform accessories have changed colors throughout the years. The cross sash has always been white with the exception of gold in the early '80s, the cummerbund has been black, white, and gold depending on the year, there has been either a black and red, white, and gold drop sash when one was used, and shoe color has been both black and white. Plumes have been different styles and colors.
The current uniform consists of black shoes, white drop sash, cummerbund and cross sash, and white plume.

* Note: The uniform was changed briefly in 2000-2001 to a full black uniform with a red front jacket with gold sash due to financial issues affording a new set of cadet jackets to replace worn out ones.

### Corps Song

"Garbarina" is the corps' official song sung to the tune of Oklahoma

### Ring Members

Members that have marched and paid dues in full for 5 consecutive seasons are considered 'ring members.' They are permitted to purchase a corps ring that is gold with a black onyx stone with gold inlay that reads 'Skyliners.' After 10 consecutive seasons a member is considered a 'Diamond Member' and they are permitted to have a small diamond put into the onyx stone.

## Trivia

* The Skyliners are undefeated in Class A Performance

* The Skyliners were the first corps to recieve DCA medals for winning Class A. The Chieftains won the title in 1997 and Heat Wave won in 1998 but Sky bought their own medals for their 1999 win resulting in DCA providing medals for every year after.