Statement of Purpose

I have decided to create a retro-blog. This blog will be written as if it were the summer of 1982. During that summer, I kept a journal of my experiences as a member of the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps from Delaware County, Pa. I share those Journal entries now to offer a trip down memory lane for my old Crossmen friends and to remind myself of the most special summer of my life. Obviously, each member had their own experiences. But hopefully, this blog will reinforce just how special it is for all of us to be a part of the Crossmen family. So drop to the bottom of the blog and read up to get the whole story.

August 21 - Montreal, Que

DCI World Championship
Finals

Well, it's all over. It really did not end the way I'd hoped. We dropped to 7th behind 27th Lancers. Can you believe it? We beat them all season along. Drums got dumped too. 5th place. I'm pretty bummed.  Blue Devils finished their season undefeated and Bridgemen won their third drum title in a row.  I guess I need to give special mention to a few people who were an important part of the adventure. Thom Hannum, Chris Thompson and Fred Sanford for writing some cool notes. Mark Thurston, & Robbie Robinson for being such an inspiration. Jim Dwyer for keeping me laughing (mostly at my own expense). Frank McVeigh for sharing the long drives almost every weekend. Randy Norris for being such a cool seat-mate (sorry about that little fire with the car battery under the seat). And finally Big Robbie and Charlotte Robinson for taking care of us as if we were their own kids. This has definitely been the greatest summer of my life. I finally got to live the dream. Pretty amazing.

Corps

Position	Corps	Score
1	Blue Devils	95.250
2	Santa Clara Vanguard	93.550
3	Garfield Cadets	92.250
4	Phantom Regiment	92.150
5	Madison Scouts	90.750
6	27th Lancers	88.650
7	Crossmen	88.050
8	Bridgemen	86.150
9	Freelancers	85.800
10	Sky Ryders	83.100
11	Cavaliers	81.950
12	Spirit of Atlanta	81.650

Drums

Position	Drumline	Score
1	Bridgemen	19.10
2	Santa Clara Vanguard	18.80
3	Blue Devils	18.60
4	27th Lancers	18.10
5	Crossmen	18.00
6	Garfield Cadets	17.90
7	Phantom Regiment	17.80
8	Madison Scouts	17.20
9	Cavaliers	17.10
10	Freelancers	16.90
11	Spirit of Atlanta	15.50
12	Sky Ryders	14.70

August 20 - Montreal, Que

DCI World Championship
Prelims

Prelims today. We went on after Phantom and before Blue Devils. It was a pretty good show. 6th place overall. We got dumped on in drums. 6th place behind Phantom. What a joke!

They turned us loose in Old Montreal tonight. That was interesting.

Position	Corps	Score
1	Blue Devils	94.950
2	Santa Clara Vanguard	93.500
3	Phantom Regiment	93.100
4	Madison Scouts	91.950
5	Garfield Cadets	90.950
6	Crossmen	87.700
7	27th Lancers	87.450
8	Freelancers	85.900
9	Bridgemen	85.550
10	Sky Ryders	85.050
11	Spirit of Atlanta	84.400
12	Cavaliers	83.100
13	Suncoast Sound	81.100
14	Troopers	77.600
15	Geneseo Knights	76.250
16	North Star	74.600
17	Alliance (MA)	73.350
18	Valley Fever	72.600
19	Memphis Blues	72.500
20	Defenders	72.050
21	Velvet Knights	70.200
22	Les Eclipses	69.050
23	San Jose Raiders	67.350
24	Colts	67.200
25	Seattle Imperials	66.050
26	Boston Crusaders	65.300
27	Avant Garde	65.150
28	Kingsmen	64.150
29	Pride of Cincinnati	63.700
30	Saginaires	63.250
31	St. Croix Rivermen	62.100
32	Guardsmen	57.750
33	Bluecoats	56.250
34	Glassmen	55.500
35	Imperial Guard	54.350
36	Southwind	53.800
37	Blue Stars	53.100
38	Renegades	52.100
39	Fantasia III	47.550
40	CMCC Warriors	47.000
41	Night Hawks	46.600
42	Southernairs	45.800
43	Patriots	45.000
44	Emerald Knights	43.150
45	Buckeye State Caballaros	40.650
46	PAL Cadets (PA)	38.350
47	1st Canadian Regiment	34.350
48	Connecticut Classics	29.750

August 19 - Montreal, Que

We had a really good practice today. We also did a full dress run of the show. There must have been 1000 people there to see us and Madison do our last run throughs before Prelims. We were SO HOT!!!! I swear if we had been judged, we would have been 5th place. We completely blew Madison away. They knew it too.

 

The Maltese Cross in "Artistry"

August 18 - Montreal, Que

Practiced at U. of Montreal again. Madison Scouts showed up this afternoon. They wil be sharing the practice facility with us. It was really warm yesterday, but got cold and rainy today. Luckily it rained during Madison's practice time and not ours.

 

Madison's drum line during the rain 

 

Mark Jones & Kelly Fonner goofing around

August 17 - Montreal Que

We were going to stay at University of Montreal, but supposedly they upped the price. So we are staying at some place called Queens College (I think) ?? It's in a pretty rough part of town. Instead of having individual dorm rooms, we have 10 guys to a room. I think it's actually a classroom. - Oh well,  it's drum corps.

We practiced at University of Montreal this evening. It's a really nice astro-turf field. You can even see Olympic Stadium from there.

August 16 - Pittsfield, MA

On the way to Pittsfield, we lost Bus 2 - What's New?

The show was in a baseball stadium with the field marked off way out in Center Field. We were probably 50 yards away from the stands. Talk about weird. We drummed a 3 ticker tonight. We were absolutely sure we had won drums. But Bridgemen only had 1 tic (what a joke). They set a record for the highst drum score ever.

That was the last show before Finals - On to Montreal.

Corps
1. Garfield Cadets  92.30
2. Crossmen  89.05
3. Brisgemen  86.50
4. Cavaliers  85.30
5. Defenders  72.95
6. Memphis Blues  72.50
7. Alliance  70.95
8. Velvet Knights  66.75
9. Les Eclipses  63.50
10. Pioneer  52.05

Drums
1. Bridgemen  19.8
2. Crossmen  18.9
3. Garfield  18.6

August 15 - Boston, MA

CYO Nationals

This was a very strange day. We got up early and did some laundry.  We did a complete head change and then went right out and practiced. We never did warm up.

The show was at Boston College and on the way, bus 2 caught fire. We stopped in the middle of some ritzy neighborhood, put the fire out, and kept on to the show. We had a super show, but dropped 2 points from last night. If ever we performed a 90, it was tonight. I do not understand these judges.

Corps
1. Blue Devils  93.25
2. Garfield Cadets  90.30
3. Phantom Regiment  89.60
4. Bridgemen  87.10
5. Crossmen  86.85
6. 27th Lancers  85.60

Drums
1. Bridgemen  19.2
2. Blue Devils  18.2
3. Crossmen  18.0

August 14 - Boston, MA

We got to Chestnut Hill very early in the morning. We are staying at Catholic Memorial HS and practiced here all day. The show is the Lancer Invitational II in Lynn, MA at the Manning Bowl.

We had a great show!  11.4 in Execution!  The Bridgemen beat us in drums but we are right there with them. I got to see the Blue Devils from the front for the first time. They are unreal! If the don't break 95 at Finals, they are getting screwed. We were only .85 behind Phantom!

Corps
1. Blue Devils  93.70
2. Garfield Cadets  90.80
3. Phantom Regiment  89.60
4. Crossmen  88.75
5. Bridgemen  85.55
6. 27th Lancers  85.45
7. Cavaliers  84.60

Drums
1. Bridgemen  19.1
2. Crossmen  18.7

August 13 - Lansdale, PA

No show tonight. We practiced all day at North Penn HS. Fred was supposed to fly out today, but we talked him into staying and working with us for one more day. It's about 10:00pm and we are getting ready to leave for Boston.

August 12 - Lansdale, PA

Fred Sanford came in to work with us today. It was great to see him again. We all love to see Fred. The guy is a percussion genius. We made a little drill change to the drum solo so Frank now stands next to me during "El Salvador".  I got to have lunch at McDonalds with Cole.

Had a really hot show tonight. 11.3 in Execution and a 7.3 in P.A.  Cole said Phantom did a much worse show than last night but still had a 91. That's DCI for you.  Fred was hyping us to the judges after the show. He told them that either us or Blue Devils should win high drums.

Corps
1. Phantom Regiment  91.00
2. Crossmen  86.30
3. 27th Lancers  83.30
4. Cavaliers  82.50
5. Sky Ryders  81.70
6. North Star  74.35
7. Memphis Blues  69.90
8. Black Knights  49.45

Drums
1. Crossmen 18.5
2. Phantom  18.0
3. 27th   17.8

Augut 11 - West Chester, PA

We practiced this morning in Hanover. It was another dreary day. We then went on to West Chester. Cole and Mary Candler were at the show. It was raining so some of the corps went on in street clothes. Phantom went on in uniform so Vinnie had us wear ours too. Luckily it stopped raining before we went on.

We played a good show. Dave Lorenzi was on Execution and he gave us an 11. Our P.A. score was pretty respectible too (7.1). We beat Phantom by .2 in drums. Staying up in Lansdale tonight.

I just heard a bad rumor that Garfield beat SCV??!!??


Corps
1. Phantom Regiment  89.70
2. Crossmen  86.55
3. Cavaliers  84.35
4. Sky Ryders  83.75
5. Defenders  72.10
6. North Star  71.30
7. Memphis Blues  68.20

Drums
1 Crossmen  18.1
2. Phantom  17.9

August 10 - Hanover, PA

We got here real early in the morning. It was a dreary day. Overcast and rainy (of course).

A crazy thing happened on the way to the stadium:  We had warmed up way down the street in some park. We were marching back to the stadium, and Thom Hannum was stopping traffing so we could cross. Well this big Cadillac comes flying down the street, slams on brakes and almost hits Hannum. The dude got out and starts giving Thom a bunch of flak about being in the middle of the street. Really going off. So we broke formation and surrounded the guy. Had he made one wrong move towards Hannum, it was ON! Hannum calmly suggested he rethink his position and leave. Wisely, the guy did. Unreal moment.

We won the show, beating Sky Ryders

Corps
1. Crossmen  84.80
2. Sky Ryders  81.55

Drums
1. Crossmen  17.4
2. Sky  15.4 

August 9 - Columbus, OH

U.S. Open
Finals

After Prelims we went back to the school and crashed. While we were there, we learned that Chris Richards' father had a heart attack and died at his hotel. He had come just to see Chris play. Everyone is really bummed out.

The show tonight was in County Stadium where the Columbus Clippers play baseball - Drum Corps in a baseball stadium??? We played a pretty good show, but Phantom beat us in drums and 27th tied us for 2nd.

Still thinking about Chris and his family. 

Corps
1. Phantom Regiment  88.25
2. Crossmen  84.30
3. 27th Lancers  82.05
4. Sky Ryders  81.90
5. Freelancers 81.40
6. Spirit of Atlanta  76.45
7. Defenders  71.95
8. North Star  71.55
9. Memphis Blues  65.05
10. Alliance  64.65

Drums
1. Phantom 17.5
2. Crossmen  17.4
   27th

August 9 - Marion, OH

U.S. Open
Prelims

We drove all night to get here - arriving at about 8:00am. We ate, warmed up and went on. We had a good show. We had an 11.4 in execustion going into "Russian" but threw away a couple of tics. Still won drums by .2 over Phantom. Second in overall corps. 27th was right behind us.

Corps
1. Phantom Regiment  88.25
2. Crossmen  84.30
3. 27th Lancers  82.05
4. Sky Ryders  81.90
5. Freelancers  81.40
6. Spirit of Atlanta  76.45
7. Defenders  71.95
8. North Star 71.55
9. Memphis Blues  65.05
10. Alliance  64.65

Drums
1. Crossmen  17.6
2. Phantom  17.4 

August 8 - Michigan City, IN

I can't believe these judges! They are so fill of sh*t! Jim Campbell dumped us in P.A. tonight. We won execution 10.9 to 10.6 but got blown out in P.A. 7.7 to 6.5.  Rodney Goodhart was on Execution and wanted to give us an 11, but we threw away a couple of tics in the Russian Christmas "Push" section.

As we were getting ready to step off, he came up to the snares and said "Make my last show a good one". I'm not sure what he means by that, but I sure hope we will see him in Montreal.

Corps
1. Santa Clara Vanguard  88.40
2. Crossmen  82.00
3. 27th Lancers  79.80
4. Cavaliers  76.95
5. Sky Ryders  76.65
6. Spirit of Atlanta  76.70
7. North Star  70.45
8. Defenders  68.05
9. Troopers  66.50
10. Boston Crusaders  53.60
11. Guardsmen  47.90

Drums
1. SCV  18.3
2. Crossmen  17.4
3. 27th  ??

August 7 - Whitewater, WI

DCI Midwest
Finals

After Prelims, we went back to the dorms and ate and played a little. It rained HARD! (Here comes the rain again). Finally it stopped so we dressed for Finals and played a little with the horns. The mosquitos here are the size of BIRDS!

We had a pretty good show tonight. The overall scores were a lot more realistic. Garfield was put back in their place - 5th only 3 points ahead of us. In drums, the execution guy let a lot of stuff slide for the Blue Devils. They won Ex with a 10.5. We were 3rd in Ex with a 10.2 - 4th overall drums.

Corps
1. Blue Devils  91.15
2. Santa Clara Vanguard  89.00
3. Phantom Regiment  87.40
4. Madison Scouts  86.20
5. Garfield Cadets  84.75
6. Crossmen  81.00
7. Bridgemen  80.00
8. 27th Lancers  78.85
9. Cavaliers  77.45
10. Sky Ryders  77.40
11. Freelancers  73.80
12. Suncoast Sound  68.25

Drums
1. Bridgemen  17.7
2. Blue Devils  17.6
3. Phantom  17.2
4. Crossmen  17.0
5. SCV  16.7

August 7 - Whitewater, WI

DCI Midwest
Prelims

Woke up early and practiced in Rockford. We did a complete head change and had a little talk. We have decided that it really does not matter what the judges think. If they give us the scores, fine. If not...F them!

We got to Whitewater, warmed up, and went on. It was a pretty good show but the scores were a little messed up. We dropped a point from last night. We won Percussion Execution and were Second in overall drums (only .3 behind Bridgemen and .1 ahead of SCV).

Garfield third????? No way. Madison ahead of Phantom??? Also Spirit got SCREWED! They got a 72 and missed Finals.

Corps
1. Blue Devils  88.60
2. Santa Clara Vanguard 87.20
3. Garfield Cadets   86.45
4. Madison Scouts 86.25
5. Phantom Regiment  85.40
6. Crossmen  81.50
7. Bridgemen  80.35
8. 27th Lancers  80.20
9. Cavaliers  78.75
10. Sky Ryders 77.40
11. Freelancers  77.20
12. Suncoast Sound  74.55
13. Spirit of Atlanta  72.50
14. Alliance  69.10
15. North Star 66.75

Drums
1. Bridgemen  17.7
2. Crossmen  17.4
3. SCV  17.3
4. Blue Devils  17.0
    Madison

August 6 - Rockford, IL

While the rest of the corps went on to Rockford, the drum line took a detour. We went to Chicago where Fred Sanford gave us a tour of the Ludwig Drum Factory. That was awesome! We got to see how the drums are made from beginning to end. Afterwards we got to play a standstill performance for the Ludwig employees so they could see what people are doing with their product. They seemed to really enjoy it. Maybe they were just glad to get an extra 30 minute break.

By the time we got to Rockford, we were running late so we did not get a full warm-up. Because of the, we did not play a particularly good show. We tied with SCV and Bridgemen in Execution and got shafted in P.A. again (6.1 to 7.6 for Bridgemen). Got screwed in Brass too (7th). I think we should have beaten Madison but instead, ended up 5th behind Bridgemen.

Corps
1. Santa Cara Vanguard  87.15
2. Phantom Regiment  86.30
3. Madison Scouts  84.45
4. Bridgemen  82.80
5. Crossmen  82.10
6. 27th Lancers  79.75
7. Spirit of Atlanta  77.75

Drums
1. Bridgemen  18.0
2. SCV  17.8
3. Phantom  16.5
4. Crossmen  16.4
5. 27th  15.9
6. Madison  15.7
7. Spirit 14.0

August 5 - Indianapolis, IN

What a crazy night! Everyone was so pissed off after the show there was bound to be trouble. All of the guys who are entering Individuals were out practicing in the parking lot late tonight. Apparently the neighbors did not appreciate that too much and called the cops. Everyone was freaking out. Big Robbie was trying to get everyone quiet. Chris Richards (Marimba) was just inside the front door of the school so he did not get word to stop playing. When Dave Oechle came in and saw him playing he completely went off on Chris. As I hear it, he even threw a punch when Chris tried to explain that he had never been told to stop playing. There are also people saying that Jim Dwyer has been kicked out of the corps and all he was doing was trying to calm everyone down. Just another day in drum corps I guess...jeez!

August 5 - Indianapolis, IN

What a way to start Second Tour - a 15 hour bus ride. We had a good practice today but the show was a joke! Garfiled beat us by 5 points! They went from .6 ahead to 5 Points ahead in 5 days. That's bullsh*t! I hope things get better fast. Tomorrow we see Santa Clara, Phantom, Madison &  Bridgemen.

Corps
1. Garfield  88.45
2. Crossmen 79.45
3. Spirit  78.40
4. Defenders  65.15
5. Memphis Blues  64.80
6. Avant Garde  62.30
7. Guardsmen  40.20

Drums
1. Crossmen  16.7
2. Garfield  16.3

July 31 - Lynn, MA

DCE Finals

After Prelims we went back to Melrose. Randall and I went into town and got a pizza. After dinner we practiced a little and we were hot again. When we got to the show, we had the hottest warmup ever! We were blowing people away. The Execution judge from Prelims even came by to see us warm up. He knows who's hot!

We had another great show. Jim Mallen was on Execution. What a spineless jellyfish! He tied us with the Bridgemen. There were no snare, bass or tenor tics through the first two numbers. Tenors were tic-less for the show. Screwed in P.A. again 7.0 to 7.6

*27th changed almost their whole drill since we saw them last.

Corps
1. Garfiled Cadets 83.35
2. Crossmen 82.70
3. Bridgemen 80.85
4. 27th Lancers 77.80
5. North Star 72.90
6. Defenders 71.25
7. Alliance 68.00
8. Avant Garde 63.50
9. Les Eclipses 60.45
10. Boston Crusaders 58.75

Drums
1. Bridgemen 18.5
2. Crossmen 17.8

July 31 - Lynn, MA

DCE Prelims

We are staying at some armory in Melrose, MA. We got here about 7:00am. They let us sleep for a couple of hours. We got up, warmed up, and did a few run-throughs in the park across from the armory. It was a really good rehearsal. At Prelims, we SMOKED! We drummed our first 11 in Execution. However, McCarty screwed us in P.A. He gave us a 6.7. This is the same guy that gave us a 7.0 just a few days ago at The Dream. How can our P.A. score drop in just a week? I smell politics. Bridgemen only had 8 snares today. I guess that is how they drummed an 11.2 in Ex. Garfield got a gift in horns (23.4). Man I hate Massachusetts.

Corps
1. Garfield Cadets 83.40
2. Crossmen 82.75
3. Bridgemen 81.35
4. 27th Lancers 79.25
5. North Star 71.00
6. Defenders 69.65
7. Alliance 68.65
8. Avant Garde 63.70
9. Les Eclipses 60.20
10. Boston Crusaders 59.50
11. Valley-Airs 51.45
12. Arbella 49.05
13. Bluecoats 47.60
14. Fantasia III 46.15
15.Buckeye State Caballeros 44.25
16. Les Aventuriers 43.55
17. Fusion 42.70
18. Black Watch 41.25
18. Renegades 41.25

Drums
1. Bridgemen 18.4
2. Crossmen 17.7

July 25 - New Brunswick, NJ

It was a fast paced day. We got to Rutgers University at about 11:00am. Warmed up, did a run through, and then played the show. Rod Goodhart was on Execution and he did us right. We blew the Bridgemen's line out of New Jersey. Unfortunately, we lost the show to Garfield because of a big spread in horns (1.4)

Corps
1. Garfield Cadets 81.50
2. Crossmen 80.70
3. Bridgemen 77.60
4. Fantasia III 50.10
5. Black Watch 40.30

Drums
1. Crossmen 17.3
2. Bridgemen 16.4
3. Garfield  15.8

July 24 - Hershey, PA

Practiced at Milton Hershey school. Practice was good - gnats were bad. We played a great show! We got back on top in the east by beating Garfield by 2 points and Bridgemen by 3 points!! We tied in drums on the field but won GE so we win drums!

Corps
1. Crossmen 81.10
2. Garfield Cadets 79.30
3. Bridgemen 78.80
4. Fantasia III 49.30
5. Fusion 36.70

Drums
1. Crossmen 17.3
2. Bridgemen 17.3

July 18 - Bayonne, NJ

We left for Bayonne about 11:30am. Practiced in Bayonne Park. It was a great practice and a good show. However, we were killed in M&M and ended up 3rd overall. I think it's a little suspect that Bridgemen won their home show. Some Garfield kids thought we should have won.

Only two lines in DCI have broken 17 - Us and Bridgemen.

Corps
1. Bridgemen 80.50
2. Garfield Cadets 78.50
3. Crossmen 78.20
4. Les Eclipse 58.30
5. Fantasia III  43.55

Drums
1. Bridgemen 17.80
2. Crossmen 17.30
3. Garfield 14.70

July 17 - Carlisle, PA

Frank and I overslept and missed the bus to Norwood for a parade. Frank drove and we were able to make the parade on time.

After the parade we went to Carlisle and practiced all day. We put a new end on "Artistry". Tonight we played an exhibition at the DCA show. It was not very good. Everyone is a little pissed off. I also think we are feeling the pressure of being one of the top lines in DCI.

July 16 - Philadelphia, PA

Well, it's back to the grind. We marched a long parade in Center City followed by a standstill in front of Independence Hall - that was pretty cool. C. Brown had a party tonight.

July 10 - Allentown, PA

DCI East Finals

After dinner we relaxed, then warmed up. Everybody was psyched up for finals. We had a super drum show. We tied Bridgemen in Execution but lost P.A. by .7 We were dumped in Brass and Percussion GE. That cost us the show. I'm very depressed. Cole and his sister are here and so Frank & I are going back to Lynchburg with them for a few days off. I need it.

1. Garfield Cadets 80.50
2. Crossmen 79.50
3. Bridgemen 77.35
4. Cavaliers 76.20
5. 27th Lancers 75.05
6. Spirit 71.00

Drums
1. Bridgemen 17.70
2. Crossmen 17.00

July 10 - Allentown, PA

DCI EAST Prelims

We limped into Allentown with three buses early this morning. We went to some school and started practicing. But the lady across the street called the police on us because we were too loud. Archie almost got arrested again because we didn't ask to use this place either.

It was really hot at Prelims. Had a great show. 1st in GE and 2nd in everything else. Won by 1.4 over Garfield.

1. Crossmen 79.75
2. Garfield Cadets 78.35
3. Bridgemen 77.55
4. 27th Lancers 74.70
5. Cavaliers 73.70
6. Spirit of Atlanta 72.65
7. North Star 64.40
8. Suncoast Sound 60.40

Drums
1. Bridgemen 17.0
2. Crossmen 16.7
3. Garfield / Spirit 15.6
5. Cavaliers 15.5
6. 27th 15.4

July 9 - Westminster, MD

Boy did we have a bad day! Thumper (Bus #4) died about 4:00am. So all of the staff piled on the other three buses. Then we were just outside of Harrisonburg, VA when Herbie (my bus) died. Luckily, Memphis Blues came along. They took some of us and the rest spread out on the remaining two Crossmen busses. We ended up at a Highs Ice Cream Store somewhere in West Virginia. We were going to practice on the parking lot next door, but the guy who owned the place came along and said if we didn't leave he was going to arrest Archie for trespassing (Robbie is is back with bus #4).

We made it to some rest stop on I-70 where Spirit's buses came and got us so we could make the show. We won #7. The horns were HOT! They broke 20 for the first time. Drums did not do so well. On to Allentown. We got Thumper back.

1. Crossmen 77.85
2. Spirit of Atlanta 74.65
3. North Star 63.65
4. Defenders 60.10
5. Alliance 51.90
6. Avant Garde 48.90
7. Southwind 41.20

Drums
1. Crossmen 15.8
2. Spirit 14.3

July 9 - Cullowhee, NC

Housing site was Western Carolina University. We were in an auxiliary gym. Suncoast stayed in the gym right below us. We had a really nice practice field and of course, it rained again. I think it's following us. The show was on campus in the big stadium. Beautiful Astroturf field. We got win #6. I guess 27th is tired of us beating them. They had a few choice words for us at retreat. Then stood at the gate and booed us as we played our encore. We were ready for a rumble when we left the field, but they had packed up and left pretty quick. On the way to Westminster, MD.

1. Crossmen 76.95
2. 27th Lancers 74.80
3. Suncoast Sound 66.35
4. Memphis Blues 56.25
5. Pride of Cincinnati 42.95
6. Southernaires 31.15

Drums
1. Crossmen 16.2
2. 27th 15.7

July 7 - Sevierville, TN

Housing site was Sevierville Middle School. We marched around the parking lot playing the "check" exercise A LOT! Rained hard just as we were doing the last run. Won the show again - that's #5. In 1976 the Crossmen were disqualified here for having over age members. That was avenged when Robbie dug up a piece of the turf.

1. Crossmen 74.80
2 27th Lancers 73.30
3. Suncoast 65.25
4. North Star 61.50
5. Memphis Blues 57.95
6. Pride of Cincinnati 40.70
7. Southernaires 29.85

July 6 - Huntsville, AL

We stayed at Lee HS. The grass on the practice field was two feet high. Won our 4th show in a row. We did not have a very good drum show. Lame crowd, bad city, bad night. I still don't feel 100% but I'm getting better.

1. Crossmen 76.30
2 27th Lancers 73.65
3. Suncoast Sound 65.40
4. North Star 63.15
5. Memphis Blues 56.90
6. Southernaires 30.75

Drums
1. Crossmen 16.0
2 27th 15.5

July 5 - Montgomery, AL

We left Atlanta about 4:00am. This morning we came upon the North Star's equipment truck on I-20 west of Atlanta. It had wrecked and flipped off the road. Luckily, no one was hurt bad. When we were practicing, the bank sign across the street showed 108 degrees. It was so HOT! But so were we - we won our third show in a row!

1. Crossmen 75.90
2. 27th Lancers 73.20
3. Spirit 69.95
4. Memphis Blues 58.90
5. Pride of Cincinnati 40.70

Drums
1. Crossmen 16.5
2. 27th 16.3

July 4 - Atlanta, GA

We had a parade this afternoon and then got the rest of the day off. Most of the corps went to Stone Mountain. I'm still feeling lame so I'm at Aunt Donnie's washing clothes and relaxing. Braves just beat the Reds 4-1. We leave for Montgomery, AL tonight.

July 3 - Atlanta, GA

Arrived at Lilburn Middle School really early. I have been real sick all day. Mom came down for the show and stopped by to see us in the morning. We practiced on the parking lot of some nearby high school. Man it was hot! Did a roll stroll for 1.25 miles.

The show was at Grant Field and I loved the stadium. We won again - two in a row! Blair was on Execution again and hit us hard. Mom, Jennie, Donnie & Page were at the show. But I really feel like crap.

Corps
1. Crossmen 73.35
2. Bridgemen 72.05
3. 27th Lancers 70.30
4. Spirit 68.35
5. North Star 54.60
6. Defenders 51.05
7. Avant Garde 40.80

Drums
1. Bridgemen 17.0
2. Crossmen 16.0
3. 27th 15.6

July 2 - Columbia, SC

Housing site is North Highlands HS. Eric Smith (Gomer) went to school here. There is some virus going around the corps and I think I've got it. Woke up sick this morning. No fun!

The show was at Irmo HS and we won! This was our first win on tour. Rod Goodhart was on Execution. We won Ex but lost PA - Lost overall drums by .3

Corps
1. Crossmen 73.50
2. Bridgemen 72.30
3. 27th Lancers 70.30
4. Spirit of Atlanta 68.30
5. North Star 53.40

Drums
1. Brisgemen 16.3
2. Crossmen 16.0
3. 27th Lancers 15.0

July 1 - Charlotte, NC

We stayed at some middle school here in Charlotte. Boy was it HOT! The practice field was really nice. I think Chris was on speed - seriously hyper! We had a super run-through at the end of practice. Had a good show too. but ended up 3rd after getting dumped in brass. One guy had us 1st, the other had us 6th???? John Blair on Execution and he beat us up again.

Corps
1. 27th Lancers 71.00
2. Bridgemen 70.75
3. Crossmen 68.15
4. Spirit of Atlanta 67.15
5 North Star 55.05

Drums
1 Bridgemen 15.6
2. 27th Lancers 15.3
3. Crossmen 15.1

June 30 - Cary, NC

Practiced at West Cary all day. Leaving for Charlotte soon.

June 29 - Raleigh, NC

Arrived at Meredith College about 1:00am - Very nice digs. Randy and I shared a dorm room. Real Beds!!!! Rehearsed at West Cary Jr. High all day. The show tonight was at Carter-Finley Stadium where NC State plays football. Granny & Papa Thompson came down from Lynchburg for the show. So did Cole and Steve. John Blair was on Percussion Execution and he killed us.

Corps
1. Bridgemen 70.45
2. 27th Lancers 69.70
3. Crossmen 69.20
4. Spirit of Atlanta 64.60
5. North Star 56.55
6. Avant Garde 40.00

Drums
1. Bridgemen 15.8
2. 27th Lancers 15.2
3. Crossmen 15.1

June 28 - Burke, VA

We practiced here at Lake Braddock all day. We changed a big part of "Russian". Leaving for Raleigh, NC soon.

June 27 - Burke, VA

We practiced this morning on the asphalt field at Lake Braddock HS. The show began at 3:00pm. Smokin' drum show. We beat Bridgemen in drums! That stopped a 42 show win streak. Solid show overall but corps was 3rd behind 27th and Bridgemen.

Corps
1. Bridgemen - 70.95
2. 27th Lancers - 70.70
3. Crossmen - 70.60
4. North STar - 59.75
5. Black Watch - 32.80

Drums
1. Crossmen 16.6
2. Bridgemen 15.2

June 26 - Fairfax, VA

Interesting day today. We played for the Grand Opening of Wild World Amusement Park in Bowie, MD. We did a standstill performance of the show at the front gates, then marched through the park. It was torture standing there in those black uniforms watching all of the kiddies splashing around in the water park.

We practiced at Lake Braddock HS most of the afternoon. Then afterwards, we had some neighborhood invite us to a cookout. We played a standstill and then got to hit the pool. I'm not sure they really knew what they were getting themselves into by letting a bunch of drum corps kids loose in the pool. I swear it looked like the Caddy Day scene from the movie Caddyshack. Complete mayhem.

Housing site is the Fairfax County Police Association.

June 20 - Ramsey, NJ

Day show in Ramsey NJ. As I was getting my drum off of the equipment truck, I severely gashed my knee on the metal shelving. Mrs. Whitaker looked at it and suggested I go to the hospital for stitches. No way I was going to miss the show. So I had her bandage me up and I marched the show. Not a bad show but we were behind Garfield and Bridgemen. Funniest moment was having Black Watch play the other corps onto the field for retreat. Bad...not good.

Corps
1. Garfield Cadets - 71.5
2. Bridgemen - 69.4
3. Crossmen - 65.9
4. Fantasia III - 34.8
5. Black Watch - 25.7

Drums
1. Bridgemen 16.4
2. Crossmen 14.8
3. Garfield Cadets 14.0

June 19 - Hershey, PA

Exhibition at a Senior Corps show in Hershey. We rehearsed at Milton Hershey School on a hill overlooking Hershey Park. The gnats here are UNBELIEVABLE! We had a very good show!

June 13 - Troy, NY

Parade in Troy, NY today. It rained all day so we did the parade in street clothes with trash bags covering the drums. Not fun at all. And to top off the day, bus 4 broke down on the way home.

June 12 - Saratoga Springs, NY

My first "official" show as a member of the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps. There was a lot of trash talking from Alliance in the lot. They seriously thought they were going to beat us. After retreat as they left the field, they were so mad that we won, they stopped in front of us and played their entire show. Hey Alliance...how'd that whole thing work out for you?

1. Crossmen - 62.0
2. Alliance - 59.8
3. Les Eclipse - 50.0
4. Fantasia III - 38.3
5. Volunteers - 36.4
6. Fusion - 32.4

June 6 - Westminster, MD

Just as we were about to go on, it began to rain so we had to do another exhibition. The drum line was HOT!!! Rumor has it that the judges say we would have beaten Bridgemen's line had we been scored.

June 5 - Bayonne, NJ

It rained all day. We practiced in Bayonne Park. Had to do the show tonight in street clothes because the field was so muddy. Just so they could select a winner, we were judged by the G.E. judges.

1. Garfield Cadets
2. 27th Lancers
3. Crossmen

June 4 - Prelude

I came to the Crossmen in a strange way. I had been a drum corps fan ever since I was introduced to it by the Drum Captain of my high school drumline, Frank McCarthy, back in 1977. I was an impressionable lad and worshiped the ground Frank walked on. So when he suggested the drum line watch the 1977 DCI Finals broadcast on PBS together, I was all about it. From the first moment of the broadcast, I was hooked. I don't remember a lot about the 1977 Finals, except that the Bridgemen were disqualified for over-age members and the Blue Devils won. But from that moment on, drum corps was in my blood.

In 1978, I saw my first live corps. The Bridgemen gave a clinic in Chesapeake, Va. I was awestruck. To this day, the '78 Bridgemen remain one of my all-time favorte drum corps shows. At the show that night, I was introduced to a brand new corps from Atlanta, Ga. The Spirit of Atlanta. Their cool southern style, incredibly loud horn line and smokin' drum line totally appealed to me. They quickly became my favorite. Later that summer, a bunch of us Band-o's again watched the DCI Finals broadcast. One of the coolest moments that night was when the Crossmen drumline painted their faces. Little did I know, that this corps would play such a big part of my life just a few years later.

By 1979, I was a full fledged drum corps nut. I listened to it in my car constantly. It was all I could think of. Going into my Senior marching band season, I was made Drum Captain and I think for the first time, I really started considering the possibility of marching with a drum corps. But my parents were dead set against it. I told my mom that I wanted to march with Spirit of Atlanta and was told in no uncertain terms that it would not happen. I remember sitting in my car with '79 Spirit blasting on the stereo, crying like a baby because I would not get to march. But that only served to strengthen my resolve to someway, somehow make it happen.

In August of 1980, a bunch of us went to Allentown, PA to see DCI East. By then I knew I wanted to march with Spirit but I really did not know how to go about it. While there at Allentown Prelims, we struck up a conversation with some folks sitting near us that seemed to know an awful lot about joining a drum corps. When I mentioned that I wanted to audition for Spirit, they pointed out that Tom Float (Spirit's Percussion Caption Head) expected his drummers to move to Atlanta in January. Now, I have no idea if that is true or not. But it sure threw cold water on my plans because I was going to be in college and would not be able to move in until May. It was suggested that I look into the Crossmen since they were not quite as strict about when members had to move in. I had always liked the Crossmen ever since I saw them with the painted faces on the 1978 DCI Finals telecast. They had a cool jazz sound, a really good drum line and a certain "swagger" that I found appealing. So there in Allentown in 1980, I took a closer look.

It did not hurt at all that the 1980 Crossmen had such a great show that year. It is still one of my all-time favorites. And the Soprano feature in Jack Miraculous is, in my opinion, one of the greatest drum corps moments of all time. So the decision was made there in Allentown, that I would attempt to audition for the 1981 Crossmen.

Thanksgiving weekend, 1980 found me, Frank McVeigh, Frankie Jones, Steve Canard, Jeff Bernas and Cole Candler at Indian Lane Elementary School in Media PA. Things went extremely well and it looked like we would all make the corps. But pretty quickly, Steve, Cole Frankie and Jeff called it quits. Frank and I hung around for a few more camps. But the big hangup, was that all but me were still in high school. It was their Senior year and I think they felt like it would be tough to do that and corps. I think I even recall Frank saying that he could not miss graduation for corps. Now I don't know if anyone even bothered to ask the corps if it would be a problem. I think we all assumed that it was a zero tolerance situation and we HAD to be there. I kinda wished we had looked into it, because knowing what I know now, makes me think it could have worked out. But we didn't and one by one, we all dropped out. I stayed the longest, making it all the way to the March camp. But my situation was really hampered by the fact that I did not have anyone to make the 6 hour trip to Philly with me. Also, my parents were still dead set against it and were not willing to help me financially. So even I had to bail out eventually. Seeing the Crossmen on tour that summer just killed me. Knowing I was so close to realizing my dream but having it not work out was really tough. But again, it just served to strengthen my resolve.

Thanksgiving weekend 1981 saw Frank and I back to audition again. It has been clear from the start that 1982 is going to be a very big year for the Crossmen. There are a TON of vets returning to the drum line and there is a real focus on trying to win high drums. Winter camps have gone quickly, it's a great show, and I can't wait to get this thing rolling. It should be a lot of fun.