Dave Borck may enjoy this thread...

What memories does anyone have about interesting interactions with judges on the field? I'll start with two of my favorites (I have LOTS more, but I want others to chime in first).

1975 - Phantom Regiment on the field - drum judge Joe Kolla. It was early in the year, and Phantom had their new uniforms (white long shirt, black pants, black belt and sash, white helmets) - they looked like waiters. Anyway, this was in the day before Velcro was common, and they hadn't had the uniforms very long, so things were falling off all over the field. Joe Kolla, obviously a character, starting putting on the pieces that were falling off as he judged. Because CSJA judges ALSO wore black pants with white shirts, by the middle of Phantom's show it looked like one of their members was judging their own drum line (which might have helped, considering how bad their drum lines were in those days). He had on a belt, a sash, and even a helmet! Priceless...

1980 - Spirit of Atlanta on the field - drum judge Carl Ruocco. There was a part of our show, during "Sweet Georgia Brown", where the snare line had a pretty difficult passage, but the rifle line was spinning right in front of us, so Carl could never get close enough to tell if it was clean or not (it usually WAS, of course). Anyway, one night out East, after judging us several nights in a row, he figured out how to get to us. There was part of the rifle routine where they bowed at the waist, and Carl waited for that moment and HURDLED THE RIFLE LINE to get to us! Of course, he fould PLENTY of dirt that night, as we were laughing hysterically and couldn't concentrate on our drumming!

OK, the rest of you - let's have some fun! Like I said, I have more, but it's YOUR turn now. And if anyone remembers one from Dave Borck's judging years, that would be especially great! And don't worry, Dave - I won't mention the individuals competition in Wisconsin in 1975 (my Dad is STILL mad at him for that).

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73, 78-79

Bob's stories are good.

I judged with Joe Colla many times and agree that he is a card. I can see him doing that!

Cosmo "Gus" Barbero was even better!

Many of MY stories also involve rifles and flags! Drill arrangers liked to use them to "mask" drim lines, since they didn't want you to SEE the line or to get "too close". (What they didn't seem to realize was that it really didn't matter that much, a judge only had to get close a portion of the time. You could still HEAR them from anywhere!)

As a judge, I also had interaction with the drummers as they prepared to enter the field. Sometimes, during their show too ..if something happened.

It would be fun to hear stories about me from those I judged. (Even Bob's individuals contest story ... which is true. Bob's father was really incensed about his placement by me! )

I was robbed...

I can remember judges talking with us on the starting line a few times. In particular, at 1975 DCI finals, when the entire crowd was booing us (the Cavaliers), and the judges all ran out to us to tell us to forget about it and do a great show. We did - moving up three places from prelims to finals.

And Paul Wojtena talked to me all the time in 1980, because I had taught Norwood with him the previous two years.

My own personal interaction with a judge was at 1980 DCI finals, with Rodney Goodheart. We had changed a very small part of the concert number ("Sweet Georgia Brown," again) for prelims and then changed it back for finals. Someone in the line forgot and played the change (both parts actually fit together ok). It caused the SLIGHTEST bit of fuzz, and Rodney looked right at me (I was in the center of the 11 snares), as if to say "did I just hear a tick?" Without thinking, I shook my head "no", and was immediately traumatized that I would DO that, especially in my very last show! But Rodney said "ok", walked away, and didn't tick us! We ended up tying for first in drums that night...

As a side note, Rodney's son-in-law later taught Spirit's drum line for several years, and was a band director in the same county in Georgia that I was.

Keep those judge stories coming!

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73, 78-79

"Robbed"? I don't think so!

You'll NEVER convince me...

Come on, everybody! Where are your stories?

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73, 78-79

OK Bob, I guess that we will have to "agree to disagree"!

Here are more judge stories:

Back in the (stone age) days when they actually made corps members CARRY huge things such as timpani, I was judging a show on the field. As a corps was leaving the field, a tympanist was marching toward the finish line carrying a LARGE drum, when a carrying strap broke! He tried to continue playing and marching with this huge thing SWINGING back and forth!

I grabbed the drum, then told him to STOP playing and simply carry the drum off the field. (He received no penalties from me .. I just wanted to prevent him getting hurt).

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Also: since field judges are ON THE FIELD (duh!) they are often "in the way" of the corps. That is, they can be in the "wrong place" for drill moves. That was way more likely in the days of "up close and personal execution judging".

Often, a corps member would yell at me "MOVE" or "LOOK OUT" when he had to march through an area I was occupying! That saved my neck a few times!

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I spoke earlier about corps drill designers using the color guard to "mask" their drum lines! A MASTER at this was Jim Jones, the founder of the Casper Troopers! Besides being their founder, director and first drum instructor, he was also their drill designer. (He was also a true GENTLEMAN with class!)

He used the drill and especially color guard to keep field drum judges away from his drum line during selected parts of the show. He was very good at this, but he seemed to follow a pattern. A judge, learning this, could "slip inside" his protection and get up close with the line

Of course, this meant that you would be INSIDE the drum line .. just like a marching member! They got to know us REALLY WELL!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer; later - instructor and quartermaster

What years were you a Corps member? 1958 - 1963

So, Dave, did you ever get hit?

There were always two schools of thought on this. Some said go ahead and hit the judge if he's in the way, which was the more fun alternative. Others said to give him one warning to move. I always taught my band students to give them a chance to move, because it just didn't make sense to upset the guy who was going to give them a number at the end of the show!

Here's a Gus Barbaro story (another drum judge in the 70's, and a GREAT guy). Gus, for those of you who remember, was rather large. OK, he was huge! It always scared us when he was judging GE, because we weren't sure the box would hold up, especially when he'd start dancing (THAT was a sight from the field!). However, the funniest was in 1974 in Stillwater, MN. Someone dropped a stick, and Gus was trying to pick it up. He spread his legs, bowed, spread them some more, bowed some more, etc. By the time he retrieved the stick, we were all killing ourselves trying not to laugh! If this sounds cruel, you just didn't know Gus.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73, 78-79

Bob Shreffler wrote:

So, Dave, did you ever get hit?

.........NEVER ACTUALLY WAS "HIT", EXCEPT BY FLAGS/ RIFLES WHEN I TRIED TO GET THROUGH THEM. WAS "PUSHED" A FEW TIMES! :)
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There were always two schools of thought on this. Some said go ahead and hit the judge if he's in the way, which was the more fun alternative. Others said to give him one warning to move. I always taught my band students to give them a chance to move, because it just didn't make sense to upset the guy who was going to give them a number at the end of the show!

.......ALMOST EVERYONE FOLLOWED THE "DON'T HIT THEM" SCHOOL. EVEN IF THE "HIT" JUDGE DIDN'T HOLD A GRUDGE,
HE/SHE MIGHT BE GROGGY ENOUGH TO DO YOU SOME (SCORE) DAMAGE! :)
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Here's a Gus Barbaro story (another drum judge in the 70's, and a GREAT guy). Gus, for those of you who remember, was rather large. OK, he was huge! It always scared us when he was judging GE, because we weren't sure the box would hold up, especially when he'd start dancing (THAT was a sight from the field!). However, the funniest was in 1974 in Stillwater, MN. Someone dropped a stick, and Gus was trying to pick it up. He spread his legs, bowed, spread them some more, bowed some more, etc. By the time he retrieved the stick, we were all killing ourselves trying not to laugh! If this sounds cruel, you just didn't know Gus.

.....YES, GUS WAS HUGE! :) AND HE WAS A GREAT GUY .. AND A GREAT DRUM JUDGE. :) HERE IS ANOTHER GUS STORY:

I JUDGED WITH HIM AT SOME SHOWS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. IT STARTED TO RAIN AT ONE SHOW (WE WERE BOTH ON THE FIELD THAT DAY). HE PUT ON A BRIGHT ORANGE RAIN SLICKER ... AND LOOKED LIKE A HUGE PUMPKIN RUNNING ABOUT THE FIELD. IT WAS HILARIOUS! :)

I had two incidents with judges in my career. In both cases they were in the wrong spot. The first was in 1962 in Indiana. The drum judge was kneeling behind me durign concert and I as I backed up when we started out of concert I almost went down. The second was in 1966. When we came out of concert I did a snap turn and had to lift my horn in the air to avoid hitting Dave Richards (brass judge) in the head with the bell of my horn.

In the second case if I'd executed properly, I'd have hit him pretty hard (he was too close and was out of position as we'd changed the song and number), seriously dented the bell of my horn and maybe messed up my mouth. I think when I lifted my horn I was more concerned about hurting my mouth and horn. Now if it was Corky Frabizio, Gale Royer or Don Angelica I might have gone out of my way to hit them. Richards always seemed like a decent guy like Earl Joyce, Bob Curry or Truman Crawford.

and then there was the time that drum instructor Bill Strauts was so incensed by the drum score his line had received,(and the overall evaluation from the judge), that he tore up the scores sheets and threw them at the judge at the critique!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-1963

That seems out of character for Bill. I have always considered him one of my favorite instructors. I had the privilege of being taught by him (and John Tomascek and Mike Maggio) in 1972, then teaching the line WITH him in 1978. I was very sad to hear when he died.

Another judge story (since nobody else is chiming in):

It was 1979, and we were setting up and warming up before our performance. What would normally happen is that the chief judge (usually doing timing and penalties) would come to me (as DM) to ask if we were ready, so he could signal the announcer. At one show, I suddenly hear this robotic voice behind me asking if the corps is ready - it scared the life out of me! It turned out that the chief judge (don't remember his name, but I'm pretty sure it was CSJA, so Dave might know) had throat cancer and used a mechanical voice box to talk. Nice guy - I just wasn't prepared for it!

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73, 78-79

In 1983, I was on quads. I had the mallets where the felt would pop / fly off the sticks when I played.

We'd hit a rim shot, and the mallet head would just pop right off. Many times the drum judge would chase it down.

i tried using super glue and all kinds of ways to glue them on. It never worked. I couldn't really afford to buy a new pair either. But is was fun to watch the judge chase my felt tips around as they would pop off.

What did you do in the Corps? Cymbals, Bass Drum, Quads

What years were you a Corps member? 1980-1983

Jim:

Your story about mallet heads was great. As a drum judge, I can really relate to that!

But, I would never chase down a mallet head. Sure, I'd try to retrieve a drum stick if needed. (But there were times the drum stick was "gone").

We had better things to do out there than chase down dropped stuff.

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-1963

speaking of dropped drum sticks ... when corps drum lines started carrying bags with various sticks and mallets, they could drop a stick and then use another from their bag! So ... if I would find a stick and go to give it back, nobody needed one!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-1963

Wow! I am glad that nobody has come up with embarrassing stories about me as a judge!

But, I am sure thare are a lot of funny stories out there! Judging drum corps for 27 years was a real hoot for me!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-1963