Happy Anniversary 1983 Garfield Cadets, DCI Champions!!!

[GEORGE 82]

It was 20 years ago tonight that history was made in Miami, Florida. The
Garfield Cadets became the first East Coast drum corps to win the DCI
Championship.

I would like to begin this thread by asking any former members of that corps
out there if they would share their memories of that night and/or that season.
Also, if anyone else would like to share any memories of being entertained by
the Cadets during that summer your thoughts would be welcomed as well.

I know there are those out there who are all too tempted to flame George
Hopkins and the amplification rule change. This thread is not about that and I
ask that you be respectful and choose some other thread for that. This is
about reflection upon an historic event in the history of our activity. Thank
you.

George Lea

[BOY1230]

Maybe Mr. Hopkins shoul reflect on that night in Miami....and recall the
reaction of the crowd and the love for his "groundbreaking" corps show, and
realize he(they) pushed many envelopes and reached many new heights WITHIN the
confines of drum & bugle corps. There is no reason he and his staff and the
members of the 2004 Cadets can't do that exact thing...WITHOUT the addition of
Amplification and Electronics. They don't enhance the creativity, they destroy
the potential for even greater achievements within todays drum & bugle corps.

~G~

[GEORGE 82]

Post by BOY1230
Maybe Mr. Hopkins shoul reflect on that night in Miami....and recall the
reaction of the crowd and the love for his "groundbreaking" corps show, and
realize he(they) pushed many envelopes and reached many new heights WITHIN the
confines of drum & bugle corps. There is no reason he and his staff and the
members of the 2004 Cadets can't do that exact thing...WITHOUT the addition of
Amplification and Electronics. They don't enhance the creativity, they destroy
the potential for even greater achievements within todays drum & bugle corps.
~G~

Thanks for doing exactly what I asked folks NOT to do. The intent of this
thread is to be a commemoration of a special event. It has nothing to do with
drum corps in its present form. This is not meant to be a platform for
discussion of electronics and amplification in drum corps.

I would appreciate it if we could stick to the subject matter. Thanks again.

George

[Dtashele]

George first let me say, In case you have not noticed some people on this site
don't know or care anything about respect!

The Cadets, What can I say about this corps that hasn't already been said. THEY
ARE THE ULTIMATE. In so many respects. I have been a fan of the corps for many
many years, To me they are still GARFIELD. I spend every minute that can around
them, I have never met nicer people, than those I have come to know, members,
as well as helpers.

To me the kids in the corps are among the best our society has to offer. To
watch these kids and the staff interact is so sweet. The respect that is shown
by both sides is amazing. I love to be at a rehearsal and hear the funniest one
liners from April, and Mark that you will ever hear.

Last year I saw the corps in a parade in Easton. Pa. We followed them through
the parade route, and helped hand out water to them when they stopped. As the
parade started to move after a brief stop, I noticed something that confirmed
to me how special this corps is. Every church the corps passed the entire gaurd
saluted. To see this kind of respect from kids is amazing.

I do have to admitt I would like to see them go back to shows like they did in
the late 80's and 90's, but I will allways support them, and will continue to
be excited when I see that block walking down the 50.

There was a statement made on this site that George is so desperate for a win.
What that person does not understand is that this corps is a winner (in so
many ways) regardless of their placement in a given show.



LOVE THOSE CADETS

P.S. they should have been 2nd at finals


Take Care Donna S.

[Dtashele]

Oooooooops mispelled guard Sorry






Donna S.

[Schdmh]

I realize a whole generation has passed since that event 20 years ago, and it
was a huge event when it happened. DCI had been dominated by the California
Corps since its inception. Just a few years before the 27th Lancers almost
pulled it off, and lets not forget 1980 when 3 of the top 4 corps were Eastern
Corps. The '82 Cadets paved the way for '83 but I can honestly say that when
Garfield came out in '83, the bar was raised like never before. Wayne Downy on
the Brass Roots video remembered the first time he saw Garfield '83 and he
wondered aloud if his Blue Devils could ever beat "that". I remember the
tremendous press that Garfield got for winning DCI. Drum Corps News had a huge
headline and there was a memorable ad in DC World that featured a lot of corps
members with their arms around each other tears streaming down their faces. The
NY City local CBS affiliate sent a crew over to report on Garfield's homecoming
back to Garfield. The Hawthorne Caballeros joined in the celebration by playing
a standstill as the busses rolled in.
This was midweek. North Jersey reclaimed its storied drum corps tradition as
the home of champions as the Cadets and then a year later the Cabs won world
titles in 84 and then in 85. Happy Anniversery Garfield.

[GEORGE 82]

Post by Schdmh
Garfield came out in '83, the bar was raised like never before. Wayne Downy on
the Brass Roots video remembered the first time he saw Garfield '83 and he
wondered aloud if his Blue Devils could ever beat "that".

...a priceless moment!

Post by Schdmh
The
NY City local CBS affiliate sent a crew over to report on Garfield's homecoming
back to Garfield. The Hawthorne Caballeros joined in the celebration by playing
a standstill as the busses rolled in.
This was midweek. North Jersey reclaimed its storied drum corps tradition as
the home of champions as the Cadets and then a year later the Cabs won world
titles in 84 and then in 85. Happy Anniversery Garfield.

That's a night I will never forget. Having aged out from the Cadets in 1982, I
was a member of the Hawthorne Caballeros in 1983. Unable to attend finals that
year, I remember performing with the Caballeros at a NY Giants pre-season game
against the Baltimore Colts at the Meadowlands that night. Following our
performance, my friend and fellow Cadet alum Joe D'Arrigo changed out of our
uni's and headed home to await "the" phone call (ah, the days before the
internet...). I got home and sat right next to the phone. I waited and waited
and waited. Finally around midnight it rang and I picked up before the first
ring could finish. Joe told me that he had the scores....and proceeded to
prolong my misery by reading them IN REVERSE ORDER!!!!

Words cannot describe the joy I felt after receiving the news of the Cadets
acheivment in Miami. It wasn't easy to ageout the year before your corps wins
it's very first DCI championship...especially in the fashion which they did.
We all went through alot in 1981 and 1982. We worked so hard to bring the
Garfield Cadets back to a place of prominence within the activity. The win in
Miami made every drop of sweat and all the hard work worthwhile. I wish I
could do it all over again.

It was truly an honor to play in front of Garfield City Hall that night as a
member of the Caballeros. Through Jim Costello there was a close relationship
between the two corps through the years (Jim served as an instructor for Holy
Name and Garfield for many years in addition to the Caballeros). It was a
priviledge to welcome them home as champions and an honor to join them as such
a year later.

George Lea
Garfield Cadets (1981-1982)
Hawthorne Caballeros (1983-1984, 1992-1993, staff 2000-present)

"....for Holy Name shall always be!"

[CHEZ]

George , it rocked.

I got home and still could not believe it..
Garfield won dci ???. ---us ?????

I was on marching staff that season.. marching -- me .. hahahahaha

THEY GOT UP LATTER THAN THE HORN STAFF..LOL

I was there for all of us.

although you aged out in 82 the making of the modern Garfield was being laid down
in those previous seasons..


you should be very proud of yourself for help making the corps that you see today.



I am sure you are..

THERE IS NO TREE WITHOUT ITS ROOTS >>>

ALAN CHEZ

Post by GEORGE 82

Post by Schdmh
Garfield came out in '83, the bar was raised like never before. Wayne Downy on
the Brass Roots video remembered the first time he saw Garfield '83 and he
wondered aloud if his Blue Devils could ever beat "that".

...a priceless moment!

Post by Schdmh
George Lea

Garfield Cadets (1981-1982)
Hawthorne Caballeros (1983-1984, 1992-1993, staff 2000-present)
"....for Holy Name shall always be!"

[NJThundrRD]

the only reason you were on the horn staff was to show the soloist how to find
the fifty and hangout for awhile.

you did such a bad job of it, that in 1984 zingali learned to drop off and pick
up the soloist in the drill, because he didnt have the heart to fire you!

= )

[CHEZ]

EXCELLENT.. WAIT TILL I SEE YOU AT DINNER......

GOOD ONE..
HAHAHA

ZINGALLI WAS THE MAN !!!

CHEZ

Post by NJThundrRD
the only reason you were on the horn staff was to show the soloist how to find
the fifty and hangout for awhile.
you did such a bad job of it, that in 1984 zingali learned to drop off and pick
up the soloist in the drill, because he didnt have the heart to fire you!
= )

[s***@gmail.com]

This is Baron spencer i was in the corps i was marked as one of the top percussionists in rhe world at rhe citrrus Bowl in florida i was in the pit line in 1999 i also wone tje jamea modioskie aword for most dedicated member i miss it so greatly all mt friends and my instructors i worked with was definitely the best time of my life it tought me great confidence and structure i can play anything u throw at me i wish i could be an instructor to teach my children and others children to give them great things and great structure

[John's ngs]

Their 85-86 publication "A Concept of Excellence" became required reading in
the school band world...sadly, now out of print...anyone want to pester Hal
Leonard to reissue it?

J

[Geoff Jones]

Beast of the East contest, that Mike Colletti won, where rookies had to

find

the ugliest girls at shows and kiss them in front of the vets to score

points.

Why does it not surprise me in the least that Mike Collette was the winner
of this contest?

Geoff

[Jerome Kimbrough]

It was Chris Noble that threw up on Marc. Marc said, "No one can leave the
field unless you throw up on my feet"... Chris chased him about 175 yards
before Marc gave up and Chris yacked all over his bare feet.

BOBO? lol

The other contra player "Wamba" that got his name because I was pissed at him
one night after a standstill and he wanted a name... so I called him "Wamba!"
... He never knew that it was after my best friends smelly shaggy sheep dog
that I couldnt stand either! (Sorry Wamba! ... You grew on me though... the dog

I used to call him Wamsie.Nice guy(He hated that name though)

Rhona Sabach, getting on the mic on the bus after shows telling about every
dirty deed that people did in the corps (who slept with who) in front of
everyone!

Ahh so YOU were Rona .I think Colletti took over after you aged out.


:o)

[C Bailey]

Bob Mayer!
It was Chris Noble that threw up on Marc. Marc said, "No one can leave the
field unless you throw up on my feet"... Chris chased him about 175 yards
before Marc gave up and Chris yacked all over his bare feet.
Having white spray paint on my shoes and hands until November.
I remember Brian Wilkie losin it after prelims when we lost to SCV and the
whole bus was going to kick his ass when he was saying, "We're going to lose...
We're going to lose!"
Phantom... After a few of us "rescued" the Garfield the Cat that was in a noose
on their drum bus at 4am... Then the next night in Huntington, WV PR came of
the field to the base beat, "Boom! Boom! Boom! We want our pussy back!"
Then giving PR a doll that Aunt Nell (God Bless Her!) made a PR CG uni for and
we presented it to them. Little did they know it was a doll we made Mike
Colletti dodge traffic on the NY Thruway to get on the way to practice at the
Ford Motor Plant... We called her "HO-BAG" and parked my car ontop of her, so
the drumline wouldn't get at her.
Beast of the East contest, that Mike Colletti won, where rookies had to find
the ugliest girls at shows and kiss them in front of the vets to score points.
Cow Tipping at death camp and Mike Colletti getting poison ivy on has balls!
Watching Monty Python like 100 times on tour, because it was the only video
(probably beta max too) we had... Now these kids have VCR's on all their
buses...and AC too!
Bus pillow fights when we got to the next school at like 3 or 4am and somebody
always either forgetting or putting their bucks in their pillow and somebody
getting knocked out!
Johnny Sanchez and I "slap fighting" from time to time on tour, where the first
person ever so gently slapped the other in the face, then the next person had
to just outbeat him and then you keep going for like 8 hours til we were just
flat out slapping the hell out of each other laughing our asses off!
Realizing that the contra named "Elmo"... that this was his real name! and
laughing my ass off, until he beat the crap out of me!
Running out of money for food (again!) and doing band clinics (read - let them
watch us rehearse) for food made by the parents!

Wow what a memory! I was just a 16 year old rookie from SC and my take
on that summer was both great and horrific. I was scared sh#tless
everyday of that summer. Donnie V. Doren threaten to replace me with
Dave Zinns everyday. Zingali destroyed me everyday. My section
(contra,except Gary Good) came down on me everyday. i admit, I sucked!
But 90 days of total fear was tough.
But, That summer was also the greatest. Never have i been a part of
anything that awesome. I'm a professional bassoon player with a great
orchestra now and no experience has come close to that one. For 2o
years that show had been flowing in my head.
Some of My most vivid memories of that summer were of Michael
Cisario(sp)'s speech about proper personal Hygiene ie... finding a
FORK IN THE URINAL!

Being kicked out of Columbus for ripping up the turf,

Sylvester's "Amazing Grace"

The Booing of Santa Clara at Finals.

Walking on the field at Prelims in Miami pointing to the GE box.

And last and very least were the freezing showers at Death Camp.

Perhaps the most stunning memory I have of that summer with Garfield
was the night we peaked in Miami. We were doing a runthrough at the
end of a night rehearsal and then everything just clicked into place.
Even as I'm typing this now the hair is standing up on my arms. We
started ROCKIE POINT and after the first 30 seconds we all new
something was happening. Every set was perfect. Everything was so
crystal clear.It was as if we were all in a dream. As soon as we got
finished with the Z-Pull Zingali comes running down from the top of
the stands screaming at the top of his lungs. "Stop God Damn it! You
Are not going to peak on me right now! Get off the field!" Even to
this day nothing has come close that experience .
It was a unforgettable summer for me and everyone who was apart of
it. I marched 3 more summers after that and won 2 more championships
but none of those summers compared to the awesomeness of 83.

Charlie Bailey
Contra 83-85-86-87

[GEORGE 82]

Post by C Bailey
Donnie V. Doren threaten to replace me with
Dave Zinns everyday.

You can hear Dave Zins yell "blow me away" as the corps goes into "Scarlett
O'Hara" in the Rocky Point reprise. He lives out in Wisconsin now...miss that
guy.

George

[Dtashele]

As I have read these post's for the past week It has confirmed for me just why
I love the Cadets. I have also thought how amazing it is after 20 yrs the
emotion and tears flow at the mention of the " 83" corps.

Does it get any more powerful than that??


Love Those Cadets

Donna S

[Jerome Kimbrough]

Post by C Bailey
Wow what a memory! I was just a 16 year old rookie from SC and my take
on that summer was both great and horrific. I was scared sh#tless
everyday of that summer. Donnie V. Doren threaten to replace me with
Dave Zinns everyday. Zingali destroyed me everyday. My section
(contra,except Gary Good) came down on me everyday. i admit, I sucked!
But 90 days of total fear was tough.
But, That summer was also the greatest. Never have i been a part of
anything that awesome. I'm a professional bassoon player with a great
orchestra now and no experience has come close to that one. For 2o
years that show had been flowing in my head.
Some of My most vivid memories of that summer were of Michael
Cisario(sp)'s speech about proper personal Hygiene ie... finding a
FORK IN THE URINAL!
Being kicked out of Columbus for ripping up the turf,
Sylvester's "Amazing Grace"
The Booing of Santa Clara at Finals.
Walking on the field at Prelims in Miami pointing to the GE box.
And last and very least were the freezing showers at Death Camp.
Perhaps the most stunning memory I have of that summer with Garfield
was the night we peaked in Miami. We were doing a runthrough at the
end of a night rehearsal and then everything just clicked into place.
Even as I'm typing this now the hair is standing up on my arms. We
started ROCKIE POINT and after the first 30 seconds we all new
something was happening. Every set was perfect. Everything was so
crystal clear.It was as if we were all in a dream. As soon as we got
finished with the Z-Pull Zingali comes running down from the top of
the stands screaming at the top of his lungs. "Stop God Damn it! You
Are not going to peak on me right now! Get off the field!" Even to
this day nothing has come close that experience .
It was a unforgettable summer for me and everyone who was apart of
it. I marched 3 more summers after that and won 2 more championships
but none of those summers compared to the awesomeness of 83.
Charlie Bailey
Contra 83-85-86-87

Holy S!Charlie Bailey how the heck are ya.Who's next,Fecke?

[Brian Wilkie]

Hey, hey now. Nostalgia is supposed to be nice. And accurate. It was
Neal Senglaub who nearly went postal after prelims in the bus.
Actually, he started in the parking lot and continued back at the
school. Several of the sops almost dragged him under the bus because
folks were starting to watch. You can remember Neal's quiet nature,
right? Remember the bus chanting "Kill the Red Man"? Michael Cesario
had to talk him down back at the school. I was too stunned (and sick)
to freak that night. We're getting old, Eric. Speaking of old...yes,
George Lea is right, my eldest son marched in the corps this year in
the lead trumpet line. And I cried like a baby the first time I saw
him in that uniform playing Rocky Point.

Do you remember Marc riding the Hindenburg with us and starting us
screaming "My name is Elmer f-ing J. f-ing Fudd, f-ing
millionaire...."? I also still keep in touch with Hunter Moss from
Spirit '83. I remember playing his Georgia solo in front of all those
people in Sevierville while we all exchanged shakos. The wall of sound
that came up behind me is still the loudest thing I have ever heard.
You can't script better stuff. Dane Dufour still has the tape....Do
you remember rehearsing in the parking lot of a truckstop in Michigan?
Or when that psycho driver we had hit the back of a truck pulling into
a stop at 5 in the morning? The shower of abuse that guy got from 60
people STILL ASLEEP makes me laugh to this day. How about when at the
end of a rehearsal when Hop did his usual "bring it in" thing, Goober
freaking out on that guy "Fang" in the mellophone line. "STOP F-ING
J*RKING OFF!" in front of the whole corps. It's the only time I've
ever pissed myself from laughing.

And I remember Dane telling me "You were always a Cadet, you just
didn't know it"

Take care...I know I'll see you this fall on some field at some school
in some town...when we are doing what we do for the next generation.
(How sappy is that sh*t? lol)

Brian Wilkie
Townsmen 1976
Royal Brigade 1977-80
Garfield Cadets 1981-84
Garfield Cadets Visual Staff 1985
Jersey Surf Brass Staff 1991-93, 02

Bob Mayer!
It was Chris Noble that threw up on Marc. Marc said, "No one can leave the
field unless you throw up on my feet"... Chris chased him about 175 yards
before Marc gave up and Chris yacked all over his bare feet.
Having white spray paint on my shoes and hands until November.
I remember Brian Wilkie losin it after prelims when we lost to SCV and the
whole bus was going to kick his ass when he was saying, "We're going to lose...
We're going to lose!"
Phantom... After a few of us "rescued" the Garfield the Cat that was in a noose
on their drum bus at 4am... Then the next night in Huntington, WV PR came of
the field to the base beat, "Boom! Boom! Boom! We want our pussy back!"
Then giving PR a doll that Aunt Nell (God Bless Her!) made a PR CG uni for and
we presented it to them. Little did they know it was a doll we made Mike
Colletti dodge traffic on the NY Thruway to get on the way to practice at the
Ford Motor Plant... We called her "HO-BAG" and parked my car ontop of her, so
the drumline wouldn't get at her.
Beast of the East contest, that Mike Colletti won, where rookies had to find
the ugliest girls at shows and kiss them in front of the vets to score points.
Cow Tipping at death camp and Mike Colletti getting poison ivy on has balls!
Watching Monty Python like 100 times on tour, because it was the only video
(probably beta max too) we had... Now these kids have VCR's on all their
buses...and AC too!
Bus pillow fights when we got to the next school at like 3 or 4am and somebody
always either forgetting or putting their bucks in their pillow and somebody
getting knocked out!
Johnny Sanchez and I "slap fighting" from time to time on tour, where the first
person ever so gently slapped the other in the face, then the next person had
to just outbeat him and then you keep going for like 8 hours til we were just
flat out slapping the hell out of each other laughing our asses off!
Realizing that the contra named "Elmo"... that this was his real name! and
laughing my ass off, until he beat the crap out of me!
Running out of money for food (again!) and doing band clinics (read - let them
watch us rehearse) for food made by the parents!
The great friendships we made with Spirit summer of 1983. 20 years later, this
past June, Mary Beth Vono emailed me to remind me of our 20 year friendship
that started that summer.
The dead dog that we all got our pictures taken at the Kingsborough Armory in
The Bronx (is there any other city in the US that starts with "the") because
the armory was locked and we were in the worse neighborhood in the city. Then
we found out Barry Swain lived three blocks away... And that was the day that
we did the "Z Pull" for the first time around the Howitzers that were in our
way all day!
Al Dicroce coming to horn arc before finals and walking up to me during tune
ups and saying, "You will be the first student I started from scratch to win
DCI finals." (remember I was a sax player and a bando when I joined Royal
Brigade?)
Being in full uniform on the bus on the way to the show and smiling and waving
at the bandos as we came into a show saying under our breath "Yuck Foo!" (you
can't curse, kiss, hold hands...run <except on the field>...just about
anything but breathe and drink water in a Cadet uni)
Tying Chris Noble up in his sheet hammock that hung from the luggage rack and
then in the middle of the night cutting it part of the way through with a knife
and waiting for him to hit the floor! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh memories!
John Opedisano (who I just saw at DCI-East and reminded him, like I do every
year) say at Whitewater..."My drum corps just got a 22.?? in brass (or whatever
it was) .. What will you get?... and then we went out and kicked their butts!
"Garfield is your corps ready?" and somebody yelling, "Hey Garfield, where's
Odie?" and the baritone line, almost in unison saying, "Wait right there and
were going to stick Odie in your face!"
Me, sick and dying after catching "Jungle Fever" (a virus, not an attraction to
George Lea) ... and Hopkins calling my house, what seemed liked, every hour for
2 days wondering when I was going to come out of the coma, so I could get back
in my spot. (back then we still were beaten, no water breaks and went like 60
days without laundry or a day off.)
Some kid in the Contra line that got his name Psycho, because he always wore
fatigues (24/7/365) and I woke up in the middle of camp because I dreamt about
him doing a Freddie Kruger in the gym, so I woke him up at 4am to tell him his
new name was Psycho!
The other contra player "Wamba" that got his name because I was pissed at him
one night after a standstill and he wanted a name... so I called him "Wamba!"
... He never knew that it was after my best friends smelly shaggy sheep dog
that I couldnt stand either! (Sorry Wamba! ... You grew on me though... the dog
this is)
Getting caught in the rain at Port Huron during horn arc before the show and
Donnie Van Doren telling us to go "thataway" and I turned around and ripped
open the door to the gym behind us... walked inside in full Cadet uni into the
Blue Devils guard half naked getting changed for the show and saying, "I've
died and gone to Heaven!"... Sorry Garfield girls, we looked at you 18 to 24
hours a day since the previous November! I'm sure we didn't look that good come
July also!
Rhona Sabach, getting on the mic on the bus after shows telling about every
dirty deed that people did in the corps (who slept with who) in front of
everyone!
"The front of the bus sucks! The front of the bus sucks! The front of the bus
sucks.... the back of the bus!"
You (Bob Mayer) crying behind me at retreat in Miami after we were announced
first and me thinking, "What the hell is he crying about?! It's just another
show!"... And turning around to see if you were ok.
Having the best run through of my life at the victory run through! Chants of
"EAST! EAST! EAST!" and people trying to take anything they could off of us
(plumes, glovesa, mouthpieces, patches) when we left through the tunnel!
Coming back into the Orange Bowl and sitting on the center x with a beer and
watching the stadium lights go out with my medal around my neck. Then hearing
all the mechanical doors closing and realizing that I just got locked inside
the Orange Bowl and the buses were gone!
Then, seeing all the other Cadets that did the same thing... So we all hitched
rides back to the school however we could!
FU George Lea! I'm going to now go watch that video, think of what George
Zingali, Thom Hannum and Jim Prime gave us... and probably, 20 years later, cry
like a baby....
Want to call me and ask me if I'm OK?
I guess it wasn't "just another show!" at least 20 years later it still isn't.
I don't know if 1984 had the same shine. Though it was fun when Laurie Lynn
from BD's guard came onto our bus in Atlanta and said, "Let me see the medal I
should have won!" (we beat them by .1 in 1984)
Eric Sabach
Bando 1975 -1981 (I started in the 6th grade and can remember when I was 8yo
leaving my neighborhood on my bike to go to the Teaneck Armory to see the
indoor drum corps shows in 1970. TY Cadets and Muchachos for introducing me to
drum corps and this way of life)
Royal Brigade 1980
Garfield Cadets 81-84
Star of Indiana Visual Staff 85-86
Judge etc etc etc (who cares) 88-present
Crunchy the Frog Spectator 02-03

[CHEZ]

Post by Brian Wilkie
How about when at the
end of a rehearsal when Hop did his usual "bring it in" thing, Goober
freaking out on that guy "Fang" in the mellophone line. "STOP F-ING
J*RKING OFF!" in front of the whole corps. It's the only time I've
ever pissed myself from laughing.

WOW . thats a nane and a memory I have not heard or thought of in a while in a while.....

he just would not stop...hahahahaha

ALAN CHEZ
goober

all good . great post..

one big Cadet family..

Post by Brian Wilkie
And I remember Dane telling me "You were always a Cadet, you just
didn't know it"

great stuff..

[GEORGE 82]

Post by CHEZ

Post by Brian Wilkie
freaking out on that guy "Fang" in the mellophone line. "STOP F-ING
J*RKING OFF!" in front of the whole corps. It's the only time I've
ever pissed myself from laughing.

WOW . thats a nane and a memory I have not heard or thought of in a while in a while.....
he just would not stop...hahahahaha

AAAAAAAA....APRIL!!!!!


Remember the tape Matt Tracy made? We were in a wrestling room at a
Westchester, PA school. Hoppy was pissed because we wouldn't go to sleep. I
remember him coming into the middle of the room while the lights were out and
not being very happy. When the room got quiet, Matt reached over and began
that damn tape "Fang Gets Caught!"

George couldn't help but lose it as we all did.

[NJThundrRD]

whitewater and matt and i using the tape recorder out the dorm window while the
cheerleader clinic was going on outside our window...."the flexibility clinic
will start in 5 mins in room 206 thats 206 room 206!" ... then aunt nell coming
and knocking on our door! lol not only were we surprised to see her, but she
told us if we didnt stop, we werent going to eat that day!

then, later that day, we had two girls in the room...can anybody say,
"one...two...three....SWITCH!" and the horn sgt warren (imagine howdy doodie's
head on arnolds body) rolling green m&ms under our door....

then the girls running through our own little version of tailhook in
whitewater!

[Scott Anderson]

Post by GEORGE 82
It was 20 years ago tonight that history was made in Miami, Florida. The
Garfield Cadets became the first East Coast drum corps to win the DCI
Championship.
I would like to begin this thread by asking any former members of that corps
out there if they would share their memories of that night and/or that season.
Also, if anyone else would like to share any memories of being entertained by
the Cadets during that summer your thoughts would be welcomed as well.
I know there are those out there who are all too tempted to flame George
Hopkins and the amplification rule change. This thread is not about that and I
ask that you be respectful and choose some other thread for that. This is
about reflection upon an historic event in the history of our activity. Thank
you.
George Lea

Being there in the Orange Bowl that night was a one in a lifetime
thing for me. The crowd chanting "East, East,East".... What a spine
tingling moment. Congratulations Cadets...... You made my one and
only trip to the Finals one to remember!!

Scott Anderson
Cranford Patriots Soprano
Many, many, many moons ago

[Patrick]

Post by Scott Anderson

Post by GEORGE 82
It was 20 years ago tonight that history was made in Miami, Florida. The
Garfield Cadets became the first East Coast drum corps to win the DCI
Championship.
I would like to begin this thread by asking any former members of that corps
out there if they would share their memories of that night and/or that season.
Also, if anyone else would like to share any memories of being entertained by
the Cadets during that summer your thoughts would be welcomed as well.
I know there are those out there who are all too tempted to flame George
Hopkins and the amplification rule change. This thread is not about that and I
ask that you be respectful and choose some other thread for that. This is
about reflection upon an historic event in the history of our activity. Thank
you.
George Lea

Being there in the Orange Bowl that night was a one in a lifetime
thing for me. The crowd chanting "East, East,East".... What a spine
tingling moment. Congratulations Cadets...... You made my one and
only trip to the Finals one to remember!!
Scott Anderson
Cranford Patriots Soprano
Many, many, many moons ago

Scott,

You weren't the only Patriot there... I was screaming and falling on
the ground as they announced "in second place, the Blu...(and then it
was just a loud scream). Winning it as a staff member was so great
because you get to be happy for the kids too. Drumming on the wood
bleachers at Memorial field learning "Lord and Master" in Cranford in
1972, I had no idea what would transpire over the coming years. I was
very happy that the Patriots won Garden State in the years after I
left. I was checking fromthepressbox.com to see if I competed against
Cranford while I marched with Garfield. So far, I can only find a
score for 1980 DCI East prelims. I guess Wildwood too.

Patrick Zampetti
Cranford Patriots Percussion '73-'76
Garfield Cadets Snare '77-'80
Garfield Cadets Snare Instructor '81-'84

[Ron Ellis]

Post by GEORGE 82
Also, if anyone else would like to share any memories of being entertained by
the Cadets during that summer your thoughts would be welcomed as well.

'83 was a big year for me. My second year in suncoast and we were
having an amazing year after having finished 13th by a whisker in
Montreal in '82.

We knew '83 would be different at finals in '82. I watched cadets and
remember thinking about 1/2 way through Cuban Overture that this was
just sooooooo different and new. One of our old school staff members,
fresh with some Molsen (gotta love olympic stadium) stood up and
started yelling "That B***Sh** will NEVER win!!"

When they jumped 2 places to 3rd at finals and the crowd went crazy,
we couldn't wait for '83.

"83 - just an amazing year. Tough at the beginning for Suncoast, but
then we started climbing and climbing. We were hearing rumors about
Cadets all first tour and the first time we saw them was at Allentown.
Robert and the staff couldn't stop talking about the standstill
backfield part and the echo in the sopranos that came off the back
wall. I only got a glimpse at finals but thought it was very cool.

We went off on our own little journey - up a down against Spirit, some
tough love from 2-7 in Canada and finally our season became cinderella
at CYO nationals and later solidified at South finals. But all the
while the story was cadets. breaking 90, beating SCV, Devs etc. We
were all pulling for them,not because we didn't like devs or scv, we
worshipped them. But I think mostly we wanted a change and something
new. Devs show was not that good that year (mostly a rehash of '82
with a terrible closer) and SCV was just so-so( on the town was cool
though). It was just soooo obvious that is was new, and different,
and fresh. The arrangements (Jim Prime) were just outstanding. The
horns - warm and emotional. I'll never forget the first time I
watched them rehearse the choral and just was in awe of the
pragramming and design and the determination from the field. Cadets
actually found a way to do a previous years tune one better (Rocky
Point with impact points and Z-pull).

Had Cadets not had the season they had, I think we would have been THE
story that year. No-one could believe the prelims debacle. Us
beating Madison(unheard of) and SCV winning out of nowhere (??????)
whatever. And we all rushed to Cadets after we went on and then ran
like hell back to retreat block. I remember being a little let down
when Madison passed us at finals - but still, 6th felt nice. When
they called Devs and SCV before cadets, I remember looking up at the
crowd (even though it was small) and watching them just go nuts.
Throwing cups and paper and programs and arms all up in the air. The
"East East East" chant was just amazing. I really felt like I was
part of history. We did Greatest love and went out to reflect - we
got done in time to run in and see the victory concert - just great.

I became a huge fan for the next few years. Actually contemplated
marching there in '84, had a spot and everything, but loyalty to
either march Suncoast or nowhere won out (I stayed home and worked
then went back in '85).

"84 cadets is still my favorite show of all time and that run of
championships still stands out as my favorite drumcorps years
('83,84,85,87).

Great memories - great thread

ron
suncoast bari '82,83,85

[wsplrll]

I am sitting here readings these posts about the Cadets and tears are
streaming down my face.

I was crying too.....Chris Noble throwing up on Marc'c feet is a classic.....

now THAT is drum corps!

[LisQS00]

Congrats Garfield....much love
Lisa
Cadets colorguard 01-02

[NJThundrRD]

Remember the crazy "amen" we used to do on the end of the corps song? It used
to bring out all the emotion in the corps right before we went on the field.

Another big memory of mine was in Winter of 1981, when I was the first member
of Royal Brigade to cross the river and go to a Garfield practice. Back then,
we were like fraternities or even gangs... you never changed your colors.
Bayonne, Royal Brigade, Hawthorne, Garfield, Cranford Patriots, and Crossmen
were so close to each other, it was nuts....

So anyway, here I am... My first weekend of camp with Garfield and a bunch of
us go to a winterguard show at Passaic County VoTech and watched Volare, I
think Victorian Vanguard and Conquest (To name a few)...

And at the break I get surround by about 15 people from Royal Brigade wanting
to do physical harm (read kick my ass and make the center line of the gym floor
fresh with blood)....

As I sat there 16 years old and thinking "Ok, so this is how it all ends!"....

About 6 Cadets, including Red and Goober and some drumguys (when youre in the
hornline, you never remember the drum guys names)....Came up and said, "Eric is
a Cadet now! To get to him, you have to come through us!"

They walked away and these guys put their arms around me and we went back to
watching the show.

Life had changed at that moment. This became my home for 5 years and in many
ways, for 23 years!

<wipin a stupid tear from my face>
me

"For Holy Name Shall Always Be!....
AMEN!"

[GEORGE 82]

Post by NJThundrRD
Remember the crazy "amen" we used to do on the end of the corps song? It used
to bring out all the emotion in the corps right before we went on the field.

I most remember singing "Holy Name" in the bowels of Olympic Stadium following
our 1982 finals performance. By that time of the year the harmonies are tight.
Add in the echo from being inside the stadium....I was so choked up and tears
streaming down my face. I had just performed the show of my life and I
realized this would be the last time I would ever sing our song while wearing
my uniform. It all hit me at once like a ton of bricks.

The other great memory I have of our song was at the 1992 DCA Finals. During
retreat on the field, a group of us alumni got together near the back of the
field to take a picture. There we stood....Bushwackers, Caballeros, Empire
Statesmen, Buccaneers. Even though we were wearing different uniforms on that
night, we didn't forget our common bond. We had all worn the maroon jacket.
As we squeezed in close to take the photo, we instinctively broke into "Holy
Name" as someone just began singing "Ohhhhhhh......". That was really cool.

George Lea
Garfield Cadets (1981-1982)
Hawthorne Caballeros (1983-1984, 1992-1993, staff 2000-present)

[Jerome Kimbrough]

Post by GEORGE 82
The other great memory I have of our song was at the 1992 DCA Finals. During
retreat on the field, a group of us alumni got together near the back of the
field to take a picture. There we stood....Bushwackers, Caballeros, Empire
Statesmen, Buccaneers. Even though we were wearing different uniforms on that
night, we didn't forget our common bond. We had all worn the maroon jacket.
As we squeezed in close to take the photo, we instinctively broke into "Holy
Name" as someone just began singing "Ohhhhhhh......". That was really cool.

I still have that picture.;o)

[CHEZ]

I may give you crap , but you were worth it..

ALAN CHEZ
goober

Post by NJThundrRD
Remember the crazy "amen" we used to do on the end of the corps song? It used
to bring out all the emotion in the corps right before we went on the field.
Another big memory of mine was in Winter of 1981, when I was the first member
of Royal Brigade to cross the river and go to a Garfield practice. Back then,
we were like fraternities or even gangs... you never changed your colors.
Bayonne, Royal Brigade, Hawthorne, Garfield, Cranford Patriots, and Crossmen
were so close to each other, it was nuts....
So anyway, here I am... My first weekend of camp with Garfield and a bunch of
us go to a winterguard show at Passaic County VoTech and watched Volare, I
think Victorian Vanguard and Conquest (To name a few)...
And at the break I get surround by about 15 people from Royal Brigade wanting
to do physical harm (read kick my ass and make the center line of the gym floor
fresh with blood)....
As I sat there 16 years old and thinking "Ok, so this is how it all ends!"....
About 6 Cadets, including Red and Goober and some drumguys (when youre in the
hornline, you never remember the drum guys names)....Came up and said, "Eric is
a Cadet now! To get to him, you have to come through us!"
They walked away and these guys put their arms around me and we went back to
watching the show.
Life had changed at that moment. This became my home for 5 years and in many
ways, for 23 years!
<wipin a stupid tear from my face>
me
"For Holy Name Shall Always Be!....
AMEN!"

[GEORGE 82]

I remember Brian Wilkie losin it after prelims when we lost to SCV and the
whole bus was going to kick his ass when he was saying, "We're going to
lose...
We're going to lose!"

Typical Brian. You know, the guy became a young father but why the hell did
his oldest son have to be marching in the lead trumpet line this year??? What
is he trying to do, make us feel old???

Gotta love 2nd generation Cadets!!!

Beast of the East contest, that Mike Colletti won, where rookies had to find
the ugliest girls at shows and kiss them in front of the vets to score
points.

What HASN'T Mike Colletti won???

Some kid in the Contra line that got his name Psycho, because he always wore
fatigues (24/7/365) and I woke up in the middle of camp because I dreamt
about
him doing a Freddie Kruger in the gym, so I woke him up at 4am to tell him
his
new name was Psycho!

His name is Jim Drass and he's been a member of the United States Marines D&B
Corps for the past 18 years. One heck of a guy and I look forward to seeing
him every time we appear at the same show. He did wear the shit out of those
fatigues though...lol.

FU George Lea! I'm going to now go watch that video, think of what George
Zingali, Thom Hannum and Jim Prime gave us... and probably, 20 years later,
cry
like a baby....

Yuck Foo Eric Sabach! I watched the video yesterday also. I cried too...a
little <wink>. We were all fortunate to be a part of something really special
during those formative years which culminated in one of the greatest runs in
DCI history.

George Lea
Garfield Cadets (1981-1982)
Masquerade (staff 1989-1990)
Raiders (staff 1991-1992, 1994-1996)
Sunrisers (staff 1997-1999)
Hawthorne Caballeros (1983-1984, 1992-1993, staff 2000-present)

[Jerome Kimbrough]

Post by GEORGE 82

I remember Brian Wilkie losin it after prelims when we lost to SCV and the
whole bus was going to kick his ass when he was saying, "We're going to
lose...
We're going to lose!"

Typical Brian. You know, the guy became a young father but why the hell did
his oldest son have to be marching in the lead trumpet line this year??? What
is he trying to do, make us feel old???
Gotta love 2nd generation Cadets!!!

Beast of the East contest, that Mike Colletti won, where rookies had to find
the ugliest girls at shows and kiss them in front of the vets to score
points.

What HASN'T Mike Colletti won???

Im pretty sure he hasnt won DBI's yet.lol
;o)

[NJThundrRD]

collette? he placed 9 through 12th in 84 for that incident with the
farm....well never mind!

[Terri Dittrich]

When I think of the 1983 Cadets, there is alot of I think of ........I loved
"Mass" but I'll always remember Barbara Maroney playing the mellophone solo
in "Simple Song".

That was just heavenly.

-Terri

[GEORGE 82]

Post by Terri Dittrich
When I think of the 1983 Cadets, there is alot of I think of ........I loved
"Mass" but I'll always remember Barbara Maroney playing the mellophone solo
in "Simple Song".

She had such a dark, rich, full sound...awesome. Her "I Have A Love" solo in
'84 was equally if not more incredible.


I was remembering earlier today about how in 1982 we finished 3rd at Midwest
prelims and 5th at finals. Then we finished 5th in prelims at Montreal prior
to finishing 3rd in finals. I remember how excited we were after our prelims
performance and we were taking the corps picture. The staff was approaching
very slowly because they knew our score (which we weren't very happy about).
Once we got back to our housing site, alot of people were upset and were
voicing their displeasure about the judges, etc. That was the first time Hoppy
sat us down and gave us the "it isn't about winning" speech. Then someone
began spreading a rumor amongst the corps that the Anaheim Kingsmen had
finished 5th at the very first DCI preliminary contest only to go on to win in
finals. We had found these little strips of sky blue fabric (very similar to
Anaheim's colors) that we promptly began wearing. Many of us wore that fabric
around our wrists under our uniforms during our finals performance trying to
envoke some of the Anaheim magic. As Cadets, we don't leave shoes or any
uniform parts on the field during finals retreat however on that night there
was a slew of little strips of sky blue fabric left behind in block formation.

George Lea

[bill turner]

Post by GEORGE 82
Then someone
began spreading a rumor amongst the corps that the Anaheim Kingsmen had
finished 5th at the very first DCI preliminary contest only to go on to win in
finals.

Course, it was only a rumor.

[VKGARRY73]

Post by bill turner

Post by GEORGE 82
Then someone
began spreading a rumor amongst the corps that the Anaheim Kingsmen had
finished 5th at the very first DCI preliminary contest only to go on to win

in

Post by GEORGE 82
finals.

Course, it was only a rumor.

Yup. The truth is that they finished 3rd in prelims, then swapped places with
SCV, while Blue Stars (yeah, THOSE Blue Stars) stayed in second.

VKG


Make my life easier. Buy some souvies...http://www.cafepress.com/SCDream

Post by bill turner
<((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>¸.

·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>

[Terri Dittrich]

She is a wonderful player. Since I've been playing mello the last two
years, I have tried to emulate her tone quality. I love that dark, full
richness she has that you speak of. I spent alot of time choosing a
mouthpiece trying to achieve her sound. You'll never ever see me play a
mello with a trumpet MP. I picked the deepest cup mello piece I could find.

It's funny how much people influence you. And she set the watermark for me.

Post by GEORGE 82

Post by Terri Dittrich
When I think of the 1983 Cadets, there is alot of I think of ........I loved
"Mass" but I'll always remember Barbara Maroney playing the mellophone solo
in "Simple Song".

She had such a dark, rich, full sound...awesome. Her "I Have A Love" solo in
'84 was equally if not more incredible.
<snip>> George Lea

[Igad digad]

Patti and I were just thinking about what you said about it being twenty years!
Those were some of the best times of our lives to date. Here's hoping all of
you are well. We miss you guys and wish nothing but the best for you all
always.

Love,
Tony & Patti Aleman

[BARNES69]

I believe I might be a second, third or fourth generation Cadet. I marched
91-93 and taught 97-98. I love sitting here and reading all of these stories. I
think one of the most amazing things about being a Cadet was listening to
stories when the alumni would come around. I still get choked up when I hear
the corps song. What an amazing feeling it is to be a part of that.

Brad Barnes

"...for Holy Name shall always be!!!"

[Mike D.]

Post by BARNES69
I believe I might be a second, third or fourth generation Cadet. I marched
91-93 and taught 97-98. I love sitting here and reading all of these stories. I
think one of the most amazing things about being a Cadet was listening to
stories when the alumni would come around. I still get choked up when I hear
the corps song. What an amazing feeling it is to be a part of that.
Brad Barnes
"...for Holy Name shall always be!!!"

Totally agree, from one who marched 70-72.

"...for Holy Name shall always be!!!"

Mike

[CPhilhower]

Wow George!!! Great idea to start this thread. It's really brought back some
great, great memories. They are the times that we will definitely never
forget.

Thanks for the memories.

Cheryl Gillick (Philhower)
Garfield Cadets
1978-1985

[Patrick]

Hi youse guys,

Nice to hear from both of you. You know those Drum Corps
relationships never work out, just ask Lorrie (front ensemble) and me
and our four kids. We are celebrating 17 years of marraige this year
and we owe our getting together to the Cadets.

Tony, I still get a real charge out of watching you and Manny in the
'80 show together. That was my last show and I want to thank you for
rising to the occasion. Remember, I know where you were just a few
years earlier.
You kept us close to the right tempos even though we were all pumped
and wanted to push and you did a great job of energizing the crowd. I
did a little cheerleading myself right before the final push in Elks
Parade (check the tape for the 21 year old snare in the center of the
line letting out a yell and pumping his fist in the air).

The Cadets owe a lot to the contributions of you and your brothers. I
realized early on how valuable you were to the corps which is why I
drove like a maniac to make sure you all got to rehersal.

Patti, give him a big hug from me,

Patrick Zampetti

[James Crawford]

Post by GEORGE 82
It was 20 years ago tonight that history was made in Miami, Florida. The
Garfield Cadets became the first East Coast drum corps to win the DCI
Championship.
I would like to begin this thread by asking any former members of that corps
out there if they would share their memories of that night and/or that season.
Also, if anyone else would like to share any memories of being entertained by
the Cadets during that summer your thoughts would be welcomed as well.
I know there are those out there who are all too tempted to flame George
Hopkins and the amplification rule change. This thread is not about that and I
ask that you be respectful and choose some other thread for that. This is
about reflection upon an historic event in the history of our activity. Thank
you.
George Lea

George - I talked to the Cadet's tympanist this year. He said he was
1 year old when the Cadets did Rocky Point in 83. I said I thought
the 83 version was much better than the 03 version. Imagine saying in
1983, "I wish you did the 1963 version. . .that tune kicked ass!"

I'll never forget that 1983 show. Such an influence on the Activity.
Cadets will always be my favorite top twelve corps.

Jim Crawford
Avant Garde 77 - 85

[Bryan Jenner]

I remember crying and bauling my eyes out when I heard the Garfield Cadets had
won the 1983 DCI Championship. I went thru the entire winter with the corps
playing baritone, learning the Z pull in the Kingsbridge Armory. Attending the
banquet and hanging with Kelly "Trooper" (since she was from Casper, WY). At
the first show of the year in Bayonne, I told George Hopkins that my father was
hurt at work and I couldn't go on tour. It was the most painful thing I had to
do in drum corps. To this date, George and I are friends and he has been a
valuable resource to me and the bands and corps I have been involved with to
this date. Thanks Garfield for having me as part of the family, even if it was
only for a short period of time. My corps jacket still hangs proudly in my
closet.

Respectfully,
Bryan Jenner

"For Holy Name shall always be!"

[Mike D.]

Personally..
I'd like an explanation.
If anyone can explain why I had a kid beg me for my shorts ....

Well, Sharon, if you need THAT explained.... :-)

Mike

[VKGARRY73]

Ahhhh....this is so much better than Cadet bashing.

Thanks for all of these posts. THIS is the kind of stuff we need more of in
this newsgroup.

Heck, if I hadn't been running around with VK, I might think I'd been there!

Keep this thread alive!

VKG


Make my life easier. Buy some souvies...http://www.cafepress.com/SCDream

Post by bill turner
<((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>¸.

·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>

[Patrick]

Hi George,

I can see that a lot of emotion is still there and that is a great
thing. I really don't think '83 would have been possible without the
maturation process the members and staff went through in '82. The '82
corps deserves its "props". We also introduced the rest of DCI to
something very different with that show and stunned a few people in
the process. The '82 corps also experienced the first East beats West
thing when SCV left the retreat before us in (was it Severeville or
Huntsville?) that year. You may also recall that the entire judging
slate piled into their 15 seat van back to the hotel immediately after
the show to avoid any form of judges meeting.

Living with Jimmer, Zingy, and Hoppy in the staff house in Teaneck has
given me a unique perspective on these people who, along with Thom,
brought a fresh wave of creative energy to the bang and blow. I can
tell you that Jimmer was central to it all in that everything found
its center in the music. This is why I believe that the coordination
level of the audio/visual was so high. I also think that without the
professional respect that the creative staff had for each other, the
show would not have been nearly as good. I also credit George for the
inspiration of bringing this creative staff together and the
intelligence to let them do their jobs without too much interference
from him. George did have a way of seeing the big picture, even then.
You need to remember that Thom and George were only 4 years removed
from kneeling on the grass together (along with Chris Thompson of
Madison fame) playing the ride section in "Something" with the
Crossmen.

My opinion is that each member of the creative staff had decided that
there was a right way to approach their respective area and that they
were determined not to compromise what was right because of drum corps
convention. That lesson still has a lot of value for me as I develop
my business. Having marched with Garfield for four years prior to '81
(my first year on the staff), I was so happy to see the rapid
improvement. I really appreciated the chance to work with Thom,
Grant, Mark H., Steve K. and the other members of the percussion
staff. We were blessed with some talented hard-working kids. Merle
R. is now a Broadway star (Les Mis and the upcomming Frankenstein),
Mike S.is a member of Ethos percussion ensemble and has a number of
CD's and Broadway shows to his credit, and Tom Aungst has gone on to
become one of the best percussion caption heads in the history of DCI
with many high drum trophies to prove it. Pete, who marched in the
'82 line, went on to win I&E snare in '84 with Bayonne. The bottom
line is that the creative energy was there along with the talent (who
can forget Barbara and her amazing playing), the support of the
Director and a lot of hard work by the rest of the staff.

I wonder if the Cavaliers feel a similar sense of creative
accomplishment with their success over the past few years. I hope
that their DC experience is as rewarding to them as mine has been to
me.

Thanks for listening,

Patrick Zampetti

[GEORGE 82]

Post by Patrick
Hi George,

Hey Pat! So good to hear from you!

Post by Patrick
I can see that a lot of emotion is still there and that is a great
thing. I really don't think '83 would have been possible without the
maturation process the members and staff went through in '82. The '82
corps deserves its "props". We also introduced the rest of DCI to
something very different with that show and stunned a few people in
the process.

Most definitely. I can remember us going out to the midwest on our initial
tour and getting our heads handed to us by Madison & Phantom. I can also
remember sitting on the buses waiting and waiting for the staff because they
were spending alot of time in critique explaining to the judges what it is we
were trying to do. I refer back to a review in Drum Corps World of the show in
Columbus, OH on July 1st (my 21st b'day). The writer took an interesting view
by recording the reactions of a companion who was attending his first
competition ever. There was an exchange of dialogue throughout the performance
of each drum corps in the show. During our performance, total silence.

Post by Patrick
The '82 corps also experienced the first East beats West
thing when SCV left the retreat before us in (was it Severeville or
Huntsville?) that year.

It was at Drums Along The Tri-State in Huntington, West Virginia. Can't forget
Bayonne playing "Shaft" on retreat...lol.

Post by Patrick
We were blessed with some talented hard-working kids. Merle
R. is now a Broadway star (Les Mis and the upcomming Frankenstein),
Mike S.is a member of Ethos percussion ensemble and has a number of
CD's and Broadway shows to his credit, and Tom Aungst has gone on to
become one of the best percussion caption heads in the history of DCI
with many high drum trophies to prove it. Pete, who marched in the
'82 line, went on to win I&E snare in '84 with Bayonne. The bottom
line is that the creative energy was there along with the talent (who
can forget Barbara and her amazing playing),

We truly were blessed with some great people in that corps. Don't foget
"Goober" (Al Chez) who is the trumpet player in the CBS Late Show Orchestra and
brass staff member of Crossmen, Johnny Sanchez who is the drill designer for
Phantom Regiment, Eric Sabach who is the visual caption head for DCA, Tim
Bartholomew (Shorty), Carl Boos, Scott Slutter and Rick Wygant who are among
the creative forces behind Jersey Surf. There are alot of us still out there
and making a positive impact on the activity.

Post by Patrick
Thanks for listening,

Pat Zampetti, thank YOU. Thank you for all the work and effort you put in.
Thank you for hanging in during the leanest of times for the Garfield Cadets
(We Will Never Die!!!). It's because of people like you that the Cadets are
still here today and are able to acheive consistently at a high level.

George Lea
"...for Holy Name shall always be!"

[CHEZ]

I also remember the building process.

Hop and Jim Paradise went down to Mississippi to get kids with about 3 weeks
before the 1st show in 1980.
we had around 14 horns at rehearsals..

they put a vet with a rookie on either side of you so you could grab them easier.
hahahaha

I had Joe Derriggo on one side and Pat from MIssissippi on the other.( sorry Joe )
you turned out ok...you the man..

we were terrible beginning of the season , but worked hard as ever before and got
Cadets back into finals finishing 10th.

1st show -=====51.05
dci prelims====81.45

cadets have been in finals ever since...

finishing 7th in 1982

finishing 3rd in 1982

winning the title in 1983 , 1984 , 1985

not bad run from having a 51.05 and 14 brass players..


great work all.

be proud.

ALAN CHEZ

[Patrick]

Al

I remember sitting at my kitchen table in 1980 in Cranford, NJ. My
mom asked me why I had packed some clothes in a duffle bag. I told
her I was leaving in a few minutes. She asked where I was going and
to her surprise I said Mississippi. I went up to the grass hill in
Cranford that leads to the Garden State Parkway and waited for the
vans (2 15-seater vans) to pick me up since I had volunteered to be a
driver. I think we did 22 hours straight through changing drivers "on
the fly" and arrived at a High School parking lot in Biloxi, MS. Jim
Paradise (where is he now?)did most of the up front work to save the
Garfield Cadets by contacting band directors and other contacts down
south. I do remember Mike Williams accidently driving into Florida on
one leg of the trip. When we got back with 30 plus people, mostly
horns, we drove right to a rehearsal (I think) and the Corps welcomed
the new members. That night, most of the new people were paired up to
live at the homes of some of the existing members except for a few
kids. These kids, I would not believe it unless I saw it myself, were
locked in the equipment room at School 1 in Garfield for the night.
George had run out of places for the kids to stay and he justified the
lock in as a safety precaution. We did find places for all the kids
eventually. If any of you guys are out there...thank you 23 years
later for putting up with all of that and thank you to all of our
southern Cadets who really did save the corps from extinction.

'77, my first year, was great...'83 and '84 were phenominal, ...'78
changed my life (I started dating my future wife then), but '80 was a
test to see how dedicated we all were to the legacy of Holy Name. I
did just about all I could (drum sergeant, arranged some percussion
parts, taught the line, marched center snare, drove the equipment
truck, drove kids from South Jersey up to practice, worked 2 jobs, put
1000 miles per week on my car, finished my 4th year in college, etc.)
We have all been there, living the "hyper life" as we used to call it.
I would not have changed a thing.

Patrick Zampetti, 1980 Cadet of the Year

[Blimphouse]

***@att.net (Patrick) wrote in message news:<***@posting.google.com>...


Pat,
Your influence upon those years is much underplayed (as I'm sure you
would prefer), among other things I want to thank you for making my
last year(1980) as memorable
as it was and how great the last roll of the last Push was in
Birmingham....
the middle of the snare line was a great place to be that year!......
but I know we're writing about 1983. Your contributions on the
creative side were far beyond Percussion as Jimmer's went far beyond
Brass and I may have had the greatest seat of all that '83 season just
being around to watch the culmination of what was allowed to grow, and
appreciate witnessing all the years and thousands of Holy Namers that
were before "our time". As you stated,
no one had any real limits imposed as long as the music was understood
and treated as being the special living, breathing show it was all by
itself.
The evolution of that show was so special that just the material that
was scrapped/re-written would be treasures on their own. I remember
Thom agonizing
for days over 4 counts in Sanctus, Zingali pulling every eyebrow out
over Jungle Beat transition into Tara's theme#2 and Jimmer arguing
over the "amen".

Of course, the staff house in Teaneck holds many a story that would
best live a tacet life. All the rest is told through the videos and
cd's, and by the members that made the rest actually happen. I hope
this thread finds them all.

Dane

Post by Patrick
Hi George,
I can see that a lot of emotion is still there and that is a great
thing. I really don't think '83 would have been possible without the
maturation process the members and staff went through in '82. The '82
corps deserves its "props". We also introduced the rest of DCI to
something very different with that show and stunned a few people in
the process. The '82 corps also experienced the first East beats West
thing when SCV left the retreat before us in (was it Severeville or
Huntsville?) that year. You may also recall that the entire judging
slate piled into their 15 seat van back to the hotel immediately after
the show to avoid any form of judges meeting.
Living with Jimmer, Zingy, and Hoppy in the staff house in Teaneck has
given me a unique perspective on these people who, along with Thom,
brought a fresh wave of creative energy to the bang and blow. I can
tell you that Jimmer was central to it all in that everything found
its center in the music. This is why I believe that the coordination
level of the audio/visual was so high. I also think that without the
professional respect that the creative staff had for each other, the
show would not have been nearly as good. I also credit George for the
inspiration of bringing this creative staff together and the
intelligence to let them do their jobs without too much interference
from him. George did have a way of seeing the big picture, even then.
You need to remember that Thom and George were only 4 years removed
from kneeling on the grass together (along with Chris Thompson of
Madison fame) playing the ride section in "Something" with the
Crossmen.
My opinion is that each member of the creative staff had decided that
there was a right way to approach their respective area and that they
were determined not to compromise what was right because of drum corps
convention. That lesson still has a lot of value for me as I develop
my business. Having marched with Garfield for four years prior to '81
(my first year on the staff), I was so happy to see the rapid
improvement. I really appreciated the chance to work with Thom,
Grant, Mark H., Steve K. and the other members of the percussion
staff. We were blessed with some talented hard-working kids. Merle
R. is now a Broadway star (Les Mis and the upcomming Frankenstein),
Mike S.is a member of Ethos percussion ensemble and has a number of
CD's and Broadway shows to his credit, and Tom Aungst has gone on to
become one of the best percussion caption heads in the history of DCI
with many high drum trophies to prove it. Pete, who marched in the
'82 line, went on to win I&E snare in '84 with Bayonne. The bottom
line is that the creative energy was there along with the talent (who
can forget Barbara and her amazing playing), the support of the
Director and a lot of hard work by the rest of the staff.
I wonder if the Cavaliers feel a similar sense of creative
accomplishment with their success over the past few years. I hope
that their DC experience is as rewarding to them as mine has been to
me.
Thanks for listening,
Patrick Zampetti