Heres what will happen...
Members take up residence in Boston in mid May for several weeks of intensive daily rehearsal. Then in early July the Crusaders, their staff, instructors and volunteers, four buses, an equipment truck and numerous support vehicles leave Boston on tour. Throughout the summer the corps will be scheduled to perform almost daily. The tour will last about six weeks, culminating in mid-August at Drum Corps International World Championships in Orlando, FL.

Members of the Boston Crusaders follow a demanding daily rehearsal schedule and give the performances of their lives on football fields throughout the nation. They will sweat and laugh and cry. But most importantly, they will learn a little about life. They will learn, and never forget, what it means to be a part of the Crusaders family.

The Chris Deleon Bio
Chris attends Florida International University on a Jazz Music Scholarship. Chris has been playing since he was 12 years old, and attended Braddock Senior High School where he was Band Captain in his senior year, and was the first in his school to win both the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award and the National John Phillip Sousa Band Award.



Since High School, Chris has been heavily involved in teaching music at the high school level throughout South Florida. Currently he is the Director for the Cooper City High School Jazz Band in Cooper City, Florida. At FIU, Chris is a member of the top Big Band and the top Jazz Combo in the School of Music.



Chris started marching with the Boston Crusaders in 2000, playing soprano and mellophone. Chris recalls going to his first Drum Corp show, in Orlando, FL in 1996 with his high school. Since that day Chris told himself that, One day, I was going to do this no matter what it took. In 1999 a few of his schoolmates marched the Boston Crusaders and had a great year. They persuaded Chris to try out. The rest -- as they say -- is history.



Chris says, I have learned more than I could have anywhere else about life, friendship, failure and success. Ive made friends and had experiences that I would have never had if not for the Boston Crusaders. Being a Crusader showed me that no matter how far away that star is, or how impossible it seems to ever touch it, you can never stop trying, not for anything in the world. I owe everything that I have become to the Boston Crusader members, staff, volunteers ... the ones we like to call our family.

feo41813@aol.com

The Mike Benz Bio
In 2000 he was the second youngest person in the Corps, and while playing soprano he has been an integral part of BACs' recent success. Mike will serve as In-Line Drum Major for the 2003 season. Mike is currently a senior at Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, MA.



Mike began his marching career with the King Phillip High School Marching Band, winning the 1999 USSBA Open Class 3 Championship at Giant Stadium, New York. Mike has been selected as a Massachusetts Southeast District performer for 3 out of 4 of his high school years, and achieved All-State status in his Senior Year. He is involved in various musical programs including jazz band, concert band, percussion ensemble, and orchestra. He is the President of the Feehan Chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, as well as a member of the National, Spanish, and Science Honor Societies and a member of the Feehan Debate Team. Mike will study Chemical Engineering next year.



Mike joined the Boston Crusaders not knowing much about the Corps. I was first attracted to Boston out of curiosity. I had heard little about drum corps before actually marching. I knew right off the bat that this was the place for me, though. The Crusaders are really a close family. I have formed many relationships that I know will last me a lifetime.

benzy384@yahoo.com