The Reading (Pa.) Buccaneers dominated the Drum Corps Associates (DCA) World Championships, winning its fifth championship in a row and receiving a record score of 99.025 at the Labor Day weekend event in Rochester, N.Y.
The Buccaneers also broke or tied four other DCA records including most consecutive victories (47), most consecutive world championships (5), most world championships (9, tied with the Hawthorne Caballeros) and most consecutive undefeated seasons (5). “This is a very special drum corps,” says director James Gruber on the corps website. “It was an incredible pair of performances under very difficult circumstances.”
The morning of the preliminary round, the Buccaneers learned of the sudden death of Geoff Silver, 28, an assistant high school band director from Richmond, Va., and a third-year trumpet player. The Buccaneers and several other groups performed with black ribbons on their uniforms in his honor. His trumpet and uniform top were placed on the front sideline for both performances.
“Geoff was a blessing to all of us,” Gruber says. “He was always at rehearsal with a smile on his face and made others around him better. We love him and will miss him very much. The corps performed for Geoff this weekend, so it’s no surprise that they delivered the two best performances of the year. Geoff wouldn’t have it any other way.”