Anybody out there like drum corps competition? Heck, I didn’t even know what it was until several years ago. But now Earl and I attend the international championships annually, which is why we spent the weekend in Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana, with 30,000 other noisy fans.
It was one in the morning when we returned to our hotel from the finals. Twelve elite world class corps competed, and at the end of the night all twelve marched onto the football field to learn their standings in the competition. Three thousand students, none over 21 years of age, filled the field end to end with energy, excitement, and emotion.
The group we were rooting for, The Cavaliers of Rosemont, Illinois, came in third. Personally, I think they were robbed, and I don’t say this because I am biased. Their performance was stellar. As Earl commented, “They left everything they had on the field.” He should know, since he marched with The Cavaliers as a teenager himself.
The Blue Devils came in second, and all the former Cavaliers in the stands rose to their feet because we’d though they come in first and they hadn’t. It was a small victory, but somewhat satisfying to know our nemesis and current champions beat us in the scoring, but somebody else beat them. What’s that old saying about the enemy of my enemy is my friend?
So who was first? Phantom Regiment from Rockford, Illinois, which is just down the road a bit from Rosemont, took home the honors. I don’t know if this was the corps first international championship. I do know that since The Cavaliers and Phantom Regiment belong to the same region, the competition next year will be fierce. Planning for it begins now . . .
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