Following are the Troopers' scores since July 13. Included are date, place, show name, Troopers' place and score, followed in parentheses by the winning score and corps. This will enable fans to follow along all season. Watch for Troopers Tuesday each Tuesday in the Star-Tribune.

July 13: Hutchinson, Kan., "Drums Across Kansas Presents Starlite Drum-O-Rama," sixth, 76.75; Blue Devils (89.30)

July 14: Broken Arrow, Okla., " Drums of Summer," fifth, 77.25; Blue Devils (89.85)

July 15: Edmond, Okla., "DCI Central Oklahoma," second, 78.80; Van Guard (86.7)

July 16: Dallas, "DCI Dallas presented by North Texas Festival of Drums and Bugles," seventh, 77.45; Blue Devils (90.70)

July 17: Houston, "DCI Houston presented by The ExSIGHtment of Sound," seventh, 78.20; Blue Devils (91.70)

July 18: San Antonio, "DCI Southwestern Championship," 12th, 79.60; Blue Devils (91.40)

July 19: Denton, Texas, "Red River Thunder," fourth, 79.80; Cavaliers (90.85)

Up Next:

July 23: Murfreesboro, Tenn., "Pearl Presents The Masters of the Summer Music Games"

July 24: Gadsden, Ala., "DCI Gadsden Presented by Alabama Battle of the Brass"

July 25: Atlanta, "DCI Southeastern Championship"

July 27: Charleston, W.Va., "Drums Across the Tri-State"

What were you doing in the summer of 1986?

That summer, the Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps finished 12th in a DCI regional competition. Doing that well and placing that high hadn't happened again until Saturday, when they finished 12th out of 21 corps at the DCI Southwestern Championship in San Antonio's Alamodome.

Their highest score of the season, however, was recorded a night later, in Denton, Texas, on Sunday, when they scored 79.80 and finished fourth out of seven corps.

After seven competitions in seven days, the Troopers are having three days "off" from competition, but still rehearsing all day to tweak and improve the show.

Last week was a big one for the corps. Buoyed by a huge home-crowd following at Drums Along the Rockies in Denver, the corps headed to the scorching Southern Plains for shows in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Along the way, director Fred Morris and drum major Corey Moore were featured in an audio on the Drum Corps International Web site, dci.org. Give a listen if you get the chance - http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=ad2a06a3-1d7c-40c0-94cc-679e6b5d2101.

A large home-crowd contingent also greeted the Troopers on Wednesday in Edmond, Okla., where they finished second to the Santa Clara Van Guard with a score of 78.80.

One fan told his mom in Casper that the crowd was so receptive to the Troopers, it seemed as though the show was in Casper.

The Troopers could not exist on the road without their wonderful and ever-changing group of volunteers. No one expects that the volunteers, primarily parents and alumni, are able to stay out on the road all summer, so they rotate in and out.

Dee Black of Houston, mom of first-year Adam Black, a junior at Northwestern State University of Louisiana, volunteered from Denver to Houston.

"I have definitely been bitten by the drum corps bug. It is contagious, it is addictive, it is awesome. If you ever have the chance to volunteer for a week, come prepared to work as never before; but just as they tell the kids, you will not leave as you came," she wrote.

And so the push toward Indianapolis and Drum Corps International's World Championships Aug. 6-8 continues.

Alum Terri Everett of Austin, Texas, also traveled with the Troopers recently and witnessed their performance in San Antonio.

"This game is not won on show night. This game is won and lost at 2 p.m. at 102 degrees on a field in the middle of nowhere. These kids are serious, they love to rehearse and they are ready to take up the challenge."

Community News editor Sally Ann Shurmur can be reached at (307) 266-0520 or sallyann.shurmur@trib.com. Read Sal's blog at tribtown.trib.com/Sal/blog