Oregon Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps

The Oregon Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps is a World Class (formerly Division I) competitive junior drum and bugle corps. Based in Portland, Oregon, the corps is a member of Drum Corps International and was the undefeated Division III champion in 2004 and the undefeated Open Class (formerly Divisions II & III) champion in 2012.^[1]

History

The original Oregon Crusaders junior drum and bugle corps was founded in Oregon City in 1971 by brothers Ron and David Jones, with 15-year-old David as Corps Director and 16-year-old Ron as composer, arranger, and drill designer. The first year corps consisted of a drill team with drum line, and is distinguished for suffering a bus breakdown as its 40 members were en route to the unit's only scheduled performance. The brothers reorganized in 1972, acquiring sponsorship of the Dickinson’s Gourmet Preserves Company (now owned by Smuckers) and fielded as Dickinson’s Oregon Crusaders. In 1973, the corps merged with the Imperial Cadets and marched as the 115 member Imperial Crusaders, but returned as the Oregon Crusaders in 1974 when the two corps split. After the Jones brothers aged out, the corps lapsed into inactivity.^{[2](See Note)}

The Oregon Crusaders, 2008.

In 1999, Rick Wise inaugurated a corps in Medford then known as the Southern Oregon Crusaders, though not affiliated with the original entity. In 2001, a collection of Southern Oregon Crusaders personnel along with a new group of staff members moved to reorganize the unit. Bill Perkins was named executive director, and Portland, Oregon was designated as the corps' new home. The name was also shortened to, "The Oregon Crusaders." From 2001 to 2003, the growing corps performed valiantly throughout the western US garnering the attention of the larger drum corps community despite fledging membership and shoestring budget, which would including borrowed uniforms, horns and percussion equipment. In 2004, the corps traveled throughout the Western United States on its way to the DCI World Championships in Denver, where the corps won the Division III title, to complete an undefeated season. The corps made Finals of Division II/III, and now Open Class, every year thereafter, while marching more than 100 members. Under new rules in 2011, the Oregon Crusaders, after finishing second in Open Class for the second year in a row, also marched in the World Class Preliminaries and finished 22nd, outscoring three World Class corps. In the 2012 season, the Crusaders finished the season as the undefeated DCI Open Class champion in Michigan City, Indiana before advancing to the World Class Preliminareis in Indianapolis, where the corps advanced to semifinals, finishing nineteenth of thirtyfive corps.^[2]

In October 2012, the corps announced its move into DCI's World Class.^[3]

Note: The Jones brothers have established an attachment to the new organization and credit their experience in operating the original Oregon Crusaders for their later success in life. David, having been responsible for the corps' travel, today is vice president of a major, premium travel agency. Ron continued in music and is a successful Emmy- and Grammy-nominated composer of film and television soundtracks, and co-arranged the corps's 2003 program "Mysterious Mountain".^[2]

Sponsorship

The Oregon Crusaders, 2008.

The Oregon Crusaders is a 501 (c)(3) musical organization that has a Board of Directors, Executive Director, and staff assigned to carry out the organization's mission. The Board President is Dr. Philip Marshall, and the Executive Director is Mike Quillen.

The Oregon Crusaders organization also sponsors OC Indoor, which has ensembles that compete during the winter at competitions in the Northwest Marching Band and Winter Guard International circuits. The Oregon Crusaders Independent Percussion Ensemble, organized in 2008, took first place at the 2009 WGI World Championships in the Percussion Independent A (PIA) and finished 3rd in 2010. In the 2011 season, the unit moved into World Class competition and has finished in WGI Independent World Class Finals in 2011, 2013, and 2014.^[2][4] Compass Rose, formerly the Oregon Crusaders Independent Colorguard has been a finalist in WGI Independent Open World Finals in 2014 and 2015.^[5]

Mission statement

"The Oregon Crusaders holds a deep-seated philosophy of Education Through Performance. Our purpose, engrained in the by-laws of our organization, is to provide education through performance in the areas of percussion, brass, dance and visual ensemble artistry.

We believe that through the group’s achievement of artistic and performance excellence, and through the addition of a leadership curriculum that draws upon some of the leading leadership training methodologies used in corporate America, the organization provides the educational, cultural, interpersonal, physical and emotional growth necessary for our young people to become leaders."

Show Summary (2000-2016)

Source:^[6][7]

Gold background indicates DCI Championship; pale blue background indicates DCI Class Finalist; pale green background indicates DCI semifinalist.

Traditions

Corps Symbol

The symbol of the Oregon Crusaders is the OC compass rose.

The Walk

On the final rehearsal evening of the season, the corps members march forward 5 yards for every year they have been in the corps.

Cape Day

On the last full day of rehearsal it has become traditional for the entire corps to wear a cape--- usually a towel. In addition, the soprano bugles/trumpets wear a tie with their cape. Most of the corps calls the day, "Cape Day" while the trumpets refer to it as "Trumpet Cape And Tie Day".

Dave the Tree

At the start of all-days the trumpets buy a Douglas Fur sapling which is then dubbed "Dave" (2016 was Dave the 4th) to nurture over the summer and on semi-finals day the age-outs take him onto the age-out field and afterwards he is then left on the field.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oregon Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps.

• Oregon Crusaders website
• Oregon Crusaders Indoor Percussion Ensemble website
• Drum Corps International website
• Winter Guard International website