DCI.org asked fans tell us what they're excited for in 2006. The response was huge, and here's just a little bit of what they had to say. Gary D. Midland, Texas: Drum Corps events are more than events to me. There is so much "bad news" in our minds these days, that DCI events (including the one we host) provide a look into the good things that are a part of today's world. It is the time of year to check scores, programs, tour schedules and volunteer lists. It is a time to lose myself in an activity that stands for friendship, artistry, competition, memories, team work, and fun. What an awesome thing to look forward to and to be involved with! Bring it on!
Bryce H. Columbus, Neb.: I am most excited to see corps that would have competed with the Troopers had they marched this season. As a 2005 member of the Troopers front ensemble, I am also very excited to watch my fellow corpsmates who decided to march elsewhere. A majority of the 2005 members who are marching in 2006 have made very good corps such as Boston Crusaders, Santa Clara Vanguard, Blue Stars, Blue Knights and Pacific Crest. I am proud to say I am a Trooper and the Troopers wearing different uniforms for this season are my heros. Elizabeth R. Madison, Tenn.: I am most excited about the Masters of the Summer Music Games, usually held in Murfreesboro, Tenn., but this year in Cookeville, Tenn. on July 28. I am even more pumped about it this year because Tennessee Tech is my alma mater and I couldn't be more excited that DCI is visiting a place so special to me. I've been a fan of DCI since 1998 when my high school band director introduced me to the events. He took my high school marching band to Orlando to see the World Championships that year. Subsequently, several of my friends marched in drum corps, and I have been to at least one event every summer. It's one of my favorite! Chuck B. Atlanta, Ga.: I am thrilled about the huge lineup at this year's show here in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome! I am literally counting the days down! July 29, Atlanta heats up! Chuck W. Brooklyn Park, Minn.: I am excited about seeing Camp Randall Stadium for the first time. I moved to the Twin Cities area back in 2002 just before the DCI Championships were held in Madison, but due to moving I wasn't able to go. This will be the first DCI championship that my daughter will be attending. She is just as excited as I am. I am also hoping to see a new friend from my hometown of Billerica, Mass. She volunteers for the Madison Scouts. I found out about her on the DCI Web site about volunteer month for the corps. Good luck to all the corps for a fantastic season. I always look forward to the new season to see spectacular drill and music, but at the same time to bring back fond memories that will last a lifetime. Steven B. Concord, Mich.: I am most excited that the 2006 Summer Music Games are coming period! You see, the band director and drum majors of the high school marching band awarded me the "I Love Band, Band is My Life ..." Award. So basically I am a huge band geek and therefore I am a huge fan of Drum Corps International. Whenever a DCI event rolls into Michigan I let my inner band geek out and cheer for my favorite drum corps (The Cavaliers from Rosemont, Ill.). I love DCI and always look forward to the next season of awesome musical presentations from some of the best musicians in the country! DCI forever! Roxanne S. Broussard, La.: What am I excited for this season? Sounds! The sounds that make your skin crawl. The sounds that enter your soul. The sounds that remain in your head. Gak, Gak ... GakGakGakGak Jajoom, Jajoom, Jajoom, Jajoom. They wake you up in the night after you have returned home from the summer night show. The exciting sounds of musical perfection. Creative, energetic, dedicated young musicians. Nomads from all over the country and the world. Young renegades who sacrifice their summers for the ultimate show. The hollow knocking sounds of the gock blocks, and the whipping china silk in the wind. An occasional "umph" when someone misses her count. The drumlines warming up. The equipment rolling by as you approach the stadium. The brass tuning in the arc. Marimba, timpani and xylophones ripping through their scales. The warm humming of the buses and semis waiting patiently for their ghostly ride through the night. The sounds of reunited friends seeing each other for the first time this summer. The sound of the corps marching to the field, reverent, focused and ready. They march by and your skin crawls. These are the exciting sounds of summer. And now you may take the field for competition! Jane A. Las Vegas, Nev.: After hearing that the Bridgemen reunion corps will be performing at Allentown this year, that was the one show I had been looking forward to travelling to. I was in Foxboro when the 27th Lancers reunion corps took the field, and that was an incredible experience. I'm sure the Bridgemen will have the same effect. Unfortunately with airline prices rising so sharply over the past year, I probably will not be able to attend. I am sure that it will be taped though, and I will most certainly buy the DVD. Joyce H. Chelmsford, Channel Islands: I'm excited about coming to to America and seeing all of the wonderful corps, and reliving the time when my children who marched with Basdildon Blue Eagles and Dagenham Crusaders came to the home of drums corps and marched in 1988. My husband Rick and I came to America to see them march and have been coming ever since. We really can't wait for August. Our friend John who is from Buffalo spoke to us at a bus stop in Kansas and we got talking. He sent me some photographs and we have corresponded ever since. The following year, after Kansas the Finals were held in Buffalo and he kindly asked us if we would like to go and stay with him. We did and have been going to visit him, combining it with a visit to the championship finals. John supports the Cadets, but I have always loved Madison Scouts because when they won, they played "You'll Never Walk Alone," which is football supporters song of West Ham United Football Club, which is the team our family has always supported. Travis B. Norwalk, Calif.: Being a five-year vet of the Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps, I know a thing or two about drum corps. Since my playing will be taking me to Australia right in the heart of the drum corps season, I am unable to march. I am most excited to be able to go out, watch my best friends tough out the heat and harsh conditions of the 2006 summer and relish in my experiences with them in the past. I will miss marching and playing with them every day for the two-month period, but now that I cannot march this season, I understand now how important drum corps is to me. Drum corps is my life and my friends are my second family, and I can't wait to get back on the field with them next season until I age out in 2008! I wish all the people marching this year the best of luck. Aaron R. Greenacres, Wash.: I'm excited about watching the corps I march with (Spokane Thunder) grow to a new competitive level. I am excited just to go and participate in the 2006 Division II & III Finals. I'm also ecited to see all the Division I corps play in the parking lot before their finals competition. Josh B. Marysville, Wash.: I am excited for the first show of the season. Standing there in opening set being announced and hearing the roar of the crowd while the adrenaline kicks in and the drum major counts us off.
Catch the drum corps excitement in 2006. Find a drum corps event in your area!