1962 VFW - MINNEAPOLIS, MN

Major scores:
Prelims were held at a field at the University of Minnesota; Finals were held at Parade Stadium, Minneapolis
Junior Prelims (34 corps competed):
1. Cavaliers 89.05
2. Royal Airs 88.525
3. Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights 87.775
4. Garfield Cadets 87.350
5. Norwood Park Imperials 85.725
6. Madison Scouts 84.80
7. St. Kevin’s Emerald Knights 84.70
8. Kilties 84.050
9. Cambridge Caballeros 84.00
10. Belleville Black Knights 83.55
Note: Phantom Regiment was 14th, Skokie Vanguard was 17th, St. Josephs (NY) was 18th, Troopers were 25th!

Junior Finals (12 corps):
1. Cavaliers 88.20
2. Royal Airs 87.20
3. Garfield Cadets 85.95
4. Blessed Sacrament 83.30
5. St’ Kevin’s 82.50
6. Madison 81.25
7. Imperials 80.95
8. Cambridge Caballeros 78.80
9. Black Knights 77.30
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From David Borck:
Bus trip to Minneapolis. Stayed at the University of Minnesota dorms again. Many corps stayed there and we shared fields with many. Saw a lot of corps. We placed 5th in prelims, beating St. Kevin’s Emerald Knights, who used a practice field next to us later that day. I remember them watching us a little more carefully as we marched past them to the practice field! 

Our Color Guard won the National Title, with a good show! The Corps placed 7th in Finals however. It seems that “The Queen of Sheba” was our undoing!

The Royal Airs thought this would be their big year (“Big Blue in ‘62” was their cry) and they did well, but the Cavaliers (ugh) won again, beating the RA by about 1 ½ points. Garfield and BS followed.
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From John Anderson:

I think I enjoyed the 1962 VFW Nationals trip more than many of the others. Probably because there were some people in management who for some reason feared that we wouldn't make finals. Fifth place in prelims wasn't expected.

Also, it was a nice setting. Minneapolis/St Paul wasn't as congested a city as say New York or Chicago, the University of Minnesota accomodations were great, and it was also my first Nationals. It was the first time I saw Blessed Sacrament and St Kevins up close. The photos I'd seen of St Kevin's didn't do justice to the green, red and white uniforms.

I also remember standing on the starting line and watching Madison's entire show. Usually we came to the line when the other corps was about half way through their show. But in Minneapolis they had the next corps move to the starting line right after the previous corps entered the field. Except for Cleveland in 1964 where we watched the VFW finals from the stands, that was maybe the only other time I saw another corps' complete performance from a decent vantage point.

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What did you do in the Corps? percussion

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

1962 MUSIC:

Flying Dutchmen * Queen Of Sheba * God Bless America (from This Is the Army) * S'Wonderful * Moonlight Serenade * String Of Pearls * The Song of the Volga Boatmen * Helena Polka * Row Row Row * Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye * Sleep And Day Dream

What did you do in the Corps? percussion

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

We were going to play Queen of Sheba in 1973 - not sure what happened, but I remember rehearsing it at the Skokie American Legion Post that winter.

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

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

Queen of Sheba was probably the reason we dropped from 5th to 7th. It wasn't clean.

I lived in Minneapolis from 1979 to 1981 and Parade Stadium was still used for a DCI contest each year. At that time they'd have a contest in Stillwater and the next night in Minneapolis. I think the park has been renovated and the stadium no longer exists.

What did you do in the Corps? Baritone

What years were you a Corps member? 1959-1961 Cadets 1962-1966 Imperials

I agree with John about the "Queen of Sheba" march being the reason for our drop to 7th place in 1962 finals. (Of course, you could also say that NOT playing it in prelims got us to 5th place!)

It was an arrangement much too difficult for us at that time .. both in brass and drums.
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What did you do in the Corps? percussion

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

There is a recent post about the Cavaliers in the early 60s designing shows and playing music that wasn't difficult so they could win. If Norwood used that approach with Queen of Sheba in 1962 and Harlem Nocturne in 1963 the corps might have done better.

I recollect talking to a baritone player from the Kilties in 1965. They simplified their music during the season. Early in the season they'd place lower but by Nationals they'd modified their arrangements to decrease their exposure/difficulty. The Royal Airs did that in 1966 when they changed their concert (What kind of fool goes to Paris in April) to essentially a soprano solo by VFW and AL Nationals.

Just looked at the 1962 VFW Nationals summary. I remember that we did well in the prelims .. beating St. Kevin's and Madison.

So, after prelims we were marching to a practice field near the University dorms and passed the St. Kevin's corps who were also practicing. I remember that they all looked up and watched as we passed ... wondering who we were, I guess.
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What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63