Bellaires Continue Win Streak

Drum Corps News Sept. 12, 1962 issue

On a very cool evening in Wilmington, Delaware the "Bellaires" of Bellmaur, N.J. continued their hot winning streak which began last May. The occasion was the Annual Drum and Bugle Corps Competition held by the Diamond State Cadets of Wilmington at Baynard Stadium.

Seven corps competed in the Round Robin Circuit contest of the National Association of Jr. Drum and Bugle Corps.

The Diamond State Cadets began the evenings proceedings with an exhibition that showed much improvement since their initial performance last spring.

The first corps on the line was a brand new entry in the circuit, the Starliters of Westminister, Md. The fine solo work and good selection of music gave all a fine show. The M&M seemed to put a large dent in their final scoring.

Following the Starliters came the Zorro Rangers from Rosedale, Md. The kickoff was taken from the Hawthorne program but was performed well. The movements and antics of Miss Suzie Pollack always bring flash to the Zorro's show and on this night brought her the trophy for the "Best Majorette".

The Hurricane Girls of Baltimore, Md. need a good deal of improving on drums and M&M although their horn line could be quite good with more practice. This all-girl corps will be heard from next year --- you can be sure.

The Rising Sun Cadets of Philadelphia have improved 100% over last year and can be proud of their performance on this night. The M&M and G.E. of this corps seems to need good hard work. The horn line has improved steadily all season and was exceptionally good on this occasion.

The Media Fawns, who have the largest corps in the circuit, followed the Rising Sun Cadets. Media always presents a crowd pleasing show with music familiar to everyone. Miss Roe Oppendecker, Drum Majorette, does a remarkable job directing this unit in that many in the horn line are quite young and inexperienced girls. The M&M and G.E. following the concert is real nice to watch. This show is truly enjoyable.

Another new corps in the circuit this year is the Shadettes of Maple Shade, N.J. A new outlook on the musical selections will benefit this corps next year. As we find in all new corps, inexperience is the greatest hurt. The Shadettes should be proud of themselves and their director for continuous improvement shown.

The final corps on the field was the Bellaires of Bellmaur, N.J. Under the direction of Jerry Ann Simon, who is one of the best Drum Majorettes I've ever seen, the Bellaires performed exceptionally well. Their performance earned them first place and the Round Robin trophy which they have not had to surrender since they won it at the first circuit contest last spring.

I do not believe the horn and drum lines ever played so well as they did on this occasion. Musical selections such as the Theme from "Irene", "When Day Is Done", and "Music Makers" highlighted the drill.

The Scores:
Bellaires ......................... 80.66
Zorro ............................... 76.90
Media Fawns ................. 71.01
Rising Sun ..................... 68.96
Hurricane Girls .............. 64.03
Starliters ........................ 62.56
Shadettes ...................... 54.88