In 1982 and 1983, the Sunrisers returned to championship form, winning the corps' third and fourth DCA titles. In 1982, the corps overcame a slow start, eventually passing the front-running Westshoremen and winning DCA Finals by nearly two points. Sun's percussion section once again won top honors.

In 1983, the corps lost only its first show, capping a great summer with a fourth title. Sun swept to victory that season with a balanced corps, winning trophies for horns, drums, general effect and color guard at DCA Finals. This meant that the corps' dominating percussion section had finished as the best in DCA for six of the previous seven seasons. The 1983 percussion section very well might have been the best of all those great Sunriser lines. At DCA Finals that year, the corps' snare line accomplished something that was nearly impossible to do: it turned in a "tick-less" performance.

However, 1983 also marked the end of an era for the Sunrisers. Brass coordinator Dewey had left the corps after 1983; when the 1983 summer ended, percussion coordinator DeLucia and brass arranger/instructor Arietano moved, joining the staff of the Caballeros. The corps retained a nucleus of veteran members, but it was not enough to put the Sunrisers in the title hunt for 1984 and the corps finished fourth at DCA Finals.

One again, the Sunrisers decided to stir the pot a bit. The corps unveiled a cutting-edge show in 1985 featuring a fast-paced visual program and also moved to New Jersey after many years on Long Island. The corps wowed the crowd at the 1985 DCA Championships en route to a third-place finish. In 1986, the corps' "Fiddler on the Roof" show took a while to jell and Sun ended up in sixth place. But again the groundwork was being laid for future success.

The 1987 season will be remembered as the "rainout year" at DCA. Rain fell all day during the preliminary competition and by the time the Sunrisers took the field the grass surface more closely resembled a mud pit. That didn't stop Sun from putting on one of the most amazing performances in the corps' history, marching and playing as if the field was completely dry. Sun won prelims by nearly two points. That result netted the corps another DCA title, since the finals show was canceled due to field conditions.

The Sunrisers were strong in 1988. Now under the direction of long time member Gary Williams, Sun drew standing ovations all season long with a crowd-appealing show. But the Bushwackers from Harrison, NJ, closed the gap on Sun and the two corps made history at DCA Finals by tying for the top spot, the sixth DCA title for the Sunrisers.

The 1989 season started out as a great one and ended in disappointment. The corps was hot all summer, dazzling audiences with a full-throttle George Zingali visual show and entertaining repertoire. At DCA Finals, Sun delivered a terrific performance, but again ended up in a tie with the Bushwackers. However, under a new DCA tie-breaker system, Bush was awarded the championship by one-tenth (0.10) over the Sunrisers.

After coming oh-so-close in 1989, the Sunrisers faced a tough road. Many members from the 1989 corps moved on. In 1990, the corps fell to ninth place at DCA Finals, but they gave a determined effort. Drum Major Tony Cateneo summed it up best at the beginning of the performance when he turned to the audience and shouted, "We may be down, but we're not out… Watch this!"

Sun hung on for the 1991 and 1992 seasons. For the first time the corps missed DCA Finals in 1991, finishing 11th in prelims. Sun was back in the finals in 1991 in an expanded 12-corps field, in 12th place.

All the struggles of the past few years had taken a toll and the Sunrisers made a tough decision; they would go inactive for the 1993 season. However, several members and some Sun alumni formed a "mini-corps" (20 members or less) to compete at the individual and ensemble show during DCA weekend. The mini-corps was warmly received by the audience, which was happy to see that the "Sun" hadn't set after all.

The Sunrisers now had hope for the future, but the 1993-1994 period also was a time of sadness. The Sunriser family was shaken by the untimely death of longtime drum major Cateneo. His sister Rose, a veteran member of Sun's color guard, took his place on the drum majors' podium when the corps returned to action in 1994.

Thanks to the determination of Williams and a nucleus of members, the Sunrisers clawed their way back onto the competition field in 1994 with a 12th-place finish at DCA Prelims and an exhibition performance at finals. The never-say-die Sunrisers once again set out to climb the DCA ladder. In 1995, the corps regained its finalist position with a ninth-place finish. In 1996, the corps won the fans' hearts with their "Les Miserables" show and the color guard took top honors at DCA Finals. The corps finished sixth that night.

The show the Sunrisers put on at the 1997 DCA Finals ranked up their with the best performances in their history. Sun powered to a fourth-place finish with a sophisticated, hard-driving program of David Holsinger tunes, highlighted by another great performance from the corps' color guard.

Sun fielded a smaller but determined corps in 1998, finishing the season in sixth place with an audience-friendly show of Russian music. In 1999, some of that old Sunriser magic was present at DCA finals. The corps put on an emotionally charged performance in a driving rainstorm and finished in eighth place, once again led by a magnificent color guard which captured the "Best Color Guard" trophy that night.

In 2000, Sun once again made the difficult decision to not field a corps and remained inactive in 2001 and 2002. The corps plans to return in 2003.

The Sunrisers' name brings memories of one of the most unique, refreshing, innovative and successful corps in drum corps history. Here's hoping the "Sun" shines brightly for years to come.

About the authors …

Frank Dorritie is a performer, producer and arranger. His credits include work with Cal Tjader, Wynton Marsalis, Laurindo Almeida, Art Blakey and Dave Brubeck, among others. Nine of his recordings have received Grammy nominations; two won Grammys.

His drum corps performance began at Xavier High School in New York City and included St. Catherine's Queensmen (1961-1962) and the Sunrisers (1963-1973). He has instructed and/or arranged for the Garfield Cadets, Santa Clara Vanguard, Blue Devils, Bridgemen, Madison Scouts, Cavaliers, Bluecoats, Freelancers, Hurricanes, Westshoremen and a host of others as well as marching and stage bands.

Dorritie chairs the recording arts department at Los Medanos College and has authored two books, "Essentials of Music for Audio Professionals" and "The Handbook of Field Recording." His trumpet playing is featured on Patrick Palomo's CD, "Conversations and Monologues."

Fran Haring has been involved with drum corps in one way or another since the late 1960s. He marched from 1971-1976 with the junior Sacred Heart Crusaders from Manville, NJ, and from 1977-1982 with the senior Long Island Sunrisers.

Since 1983, he has been an announcer at a variety of senior and junior shows on the East Coast, including the DCA Championships every year. He also is a writer for Drum Corps World.

Haring has been married to Barbara, a former member of the Westshoremen, since 1991. The two met at DCA in 1988.

A native of New Jersey now living in Baltimore, Haring has worked as a radio newscaster and public affairs director, as well as a section editor for USA TODAY's online newspaper. He is currently pursuing freelance media opportunities. (Frank Dorritie, Fran Haring and John Hodge, A History of Drum & Bugle Corps, Vol. 2, p. 402-405.)

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