The Battle Begins!

After the corps finished their performances at DCI Ft. Wayne on Tuesday, July 8, and the night drew to a close, the Bluecoats and Jersey Surf faced off in the first DrumLine Battle of the summer. This kickoff battle between these two corps is the first in a series of more than 15 that will take place in conjunction with the 2014 Drum Corps International Tour. "It was really cool to be a part of the first DrumLine Battle, kicking things off for the rest of the season," said Jersey Surf snare drummer Chris Lanzarone. "It was definitely a hype moment, and we had fun getting things started tonight here with the Bluecoats." On Tuesday, a crowd of screaming fans and corps members gathered around the two lines, eager to watch the battle unfold. Jersey Surf won a coin toss and chose to go first. Looking to baffle their opponent right from the start, instead of drum sticks, Jersey Surf members whipped out hand chimes to get the battle underway. Bluecoats followed with their brand new warmup called "Vortex," a piece they just finished working on the week before. Since it was introduced last year, DrumLine Battle has been providing percussion lines around the world with a new opportunity for competitive performance. The activity allows ensembles of any age, size and makeup to face off with a 90-120 second performance in a confined "battleground" environment. "I think it's a great to relax and perform without the pressure of being judged," said Bluecoats tenor drummer Reuel Camacho. "Obviously there is still pressure involved when competing against other talented drum lines, but it's a different type of pressure that pumps us up, and that's really fun." If you missed last night's DrumLine Battle, you can catch any of these other live events coming up this summer. In addition to featuring some of Drum Corps International's best percussion sections, a number of high school, college and other independent drum lines will get in on the action. July 14, Lebanon, IL Colts vs. Jersey Surf July 15, Bentonville, AR Blue Stars vs. Crossmen July 15, Wichita, KS The Academy vs. Mandarins July 17, Denton, TX Bluecoats vs. Oregon Crusaders July 17, Round Rock, TX Crossmen vs. Colts July 18, Houston, TX Bluecoats vs. Blue Knights July 19, Manchester, NH Defenders vs. Muchachos July 19, San Antonio, TX Bluecoats vs. Crossmen July 23, Hattiesburg, MS Jersey Surf vs. Colts July 23, Little Rock, AR The Academy vs. Oregon Crusaders July 25, Huntsville, AL The Academy vs. TBA and Crossmen vs. Blue Knights July 26, Atlanta, GA Mandarins vs. TBA July 29, Erie, PA Mandarins vs. Oregon Crusaders August 3, Pittsburgh, PA Colts vs. Blue Stars August 4, Centerville, OH Blue Stars vs. Blue Knights This summer series of events will conclude at the 2014 DCI World Championships in Indianapolis, with the second annual DrumLine Battle on Georgia Street on Saturday, Aug. 9. The biggest DrumLine Battle of the year, the event will feature an extensive lineup of DCI, scholastic and international drum lines from as far away as Thailand and South America.

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