the uniform
our most visible tradition. there is only one way to wear the uniform correctly.

uniform components:

gloves:
White cotton gloves are worn for every performance. Dirty gloves, and gloves worn inside-out are unacceptable. The gloves that the corps sells are washable, but you will probably get no more than 3 shows [and thats if you are lucky, and don't wear them during rehearsal] out of a pair before they start to get holes in them or turn green. They are $2 a pair. It will do you good to buy several pairs at once...you never know when the corps will run out, and it sucks being without gloves that are clean.

shoes [aka 'dinkles' or 'bucks']: The footgear worn by the corps. Shoes will be cleaned before each performance. Soap and water are generally effective, but sometimes products like Soft Scrub are handy. White spray paint MAY NOT be used on shoes. Cleaning products may not be used on the bus when uniforms are present. Anything that might stain the uniform is not allowed on the bus at the same time as the uniforms. [more on this later] It is a good idea to write your name inside your shoes with a marker- they all look alike, and you would be surprised what kind of shoe trauma can occur on the bus.

undergarmets:
Clothes worn underneath the uniform.

-All will wear white cotton tube socks. Short or miscolored socks are unacceptable.
-All will wear white spandex biker shorts. These are provided by the corps. Plain white briefs may be worn under the spandex, but that's up to you.
-All will wear white cotton CREW NECK tshirts that are cut off just above the navel. Half t-shirts prevent bunching. Full t-shirts that are tucked into the spandex, and any t-shirt that is not crew neck are unacceptable. Ladies will wear white, or light colored sports bras underneath the half t.
-No Jewelry may be worn, except for a small religious pendant around your neck- provided it is invisible to the public.

shako/plume:
The shako is the headgear worn by the corps. It is not a �band hat�, �helmet�, �hat� or anything else. It will ONLY be referred to as a �shako.� The shako is ALWAYS carried in the left hand, with the three center fingers on the brim, and the thumb and pinky �behind the eagle.� The chinstrap is folded down, and your arm goes through it. Anytime a shako is placed on the ground, it is in line with other shakos. The chinstrap is folded behind the back of the shako. Any other placement is unacceptable.
The ONLY time a shako is worn is on the field for performance and retreat. You WILL be told when to wear your shako. [There are NO other acceptable times to wear the shako in public- not for pictures with mom, etc.] It should be pulled down so that two fingers or less can fit between your nose and the bottom of the brim. [For retreat, you may want to pull the brim down as far as possible, since you really don�t need to see anything except the feet in front of you, and it is more or less customary for us to maintain a high level of anonymity.] The chinstrap is NOT worn under your chin. It should come in contact with the front of your chin, just below your bottom lip. No higher, no lower. Anything else is unacceptable.
The plume is a large feather that is inserted into the top of the shako. At each show, you will be given a plume, and told when to insert it into the shako. It is recommended that you fluff your plume a little before inserting it- this makes you look bigger. [we will get into this later.] Also, make sure the plume is straight up-and-down.

uniform jacket:
The upper [maroon] part of the uniform. In one of three places at all times: on your hanger, on your body, or in line on the ground. In the latter case, the jackets will all be folded the same way [this will be explained in spring training- for now, just know that it is similar to how they fold sweaters at the Gap],and placed ON TOP of shakos that are lined up. Uniform jackets NEVER touch the ground anywhere except performance. When we are in half uniform, we are carrying our jackets and our shakos- the folded jacket on the bottom, shako on top. See �shako� for details on carrying a shako.

cummerbund/drop sash:
the center [gold] part of the uniform; pinned to the jacket. You don�t really need to worry about these too much, as once they are pinned, you pretty much leave them. One detail: the tassel on the drop sash should be even with the maroon stripe on the left leg. Also, the pleats in the cummerbund should be pointed DOWN- yes, this is opposite of the way a normal cummerbund is worn.

uniform pants:
The lower half of the uniform. They are in one of two places at all times: on your body, or on a hanger. Wrinkled pants are unacceptable. If your pants are wrinkled, it is in fact your problem. During spring training, someone will teach you how to fold and store the pants. there are pieces of elastic in the bottom on each pant leg that act as stirrups. you should make sure thye go under your feet, so that your pants do not ride up.

Now that you are familiar with the uniform, here are some details about how to correctly wear it:

facial hair:
Gentlemen shall be completely clean shaven. No sideburns, no goatees, no facial hair- period. Members who do not meet this standard will be sent back to the bus to fix it. Shaving in uniform is unacceptable. It is alright to use an electric razor on the bus, provided you are VERY careful.

hygiene:
before you put on the uniform, you will take a shower. there are very rare occasions where showers are not available. otherwise- being clean is part of being in uniform.

hair style:
Gentlemen will have their hair cut fairly short. Dreadlocks, shoulder length hair, or anything scraggly looking is unacceptable. The corps uniform was created in the style of the US Military Academy in West Point. Think about that when getting your hair cut for tour. Over the summer, some members will give haircuts during free time. you can color your hair, provided it: [1] is permanent dye, and won't bleed on to the uniform, and [2] looks natural. we are going for the all-american boys here, not anything else. dying of hair is NOT recommended, but is allowed.
Gentlemen: At shows, most of the time we spend in public is without our shakos on. As far as styling, the uniform should be treated as formal wear. How would you want your hair to look if you were wearing a tux? Using gel, etc. is allowed, and probably even recommended. Looking sloppy, disheveled, or dirty is unacceptable.
Ladies: Your hair should be worn up in a bun. You will be taught how to correctly do your hair in spring training. The premise here is that in full uniform no one should be able to tell the gender of a Cadet.

half uniform:
This is how each hornline and drumline member is expected to be dressed when the bus arrives at a showsite. DO NOT wait until the corps arrives to start getting dressed.
In half uniform, the member is wearing nothing but his uniform pants, shoes, and undergarmets. Hair is styled correctly, males are clean shaven. Gloves should be worn if handling a horn, otherwise they go under the left shoulder of the uniform pants.

full uniform:
Performance ready. Half uniform, plus jacket, gloves, shako. When in full uniform it is imperitive that NO MAROON IS SHOWING BELOW THE CUMMERBUND. It is your responsibility to make sure it does not fall out at any point. You may elect to have someone pin up the excess maroon in the front and back if it is a problem for you.

uniform ettiquette:
when wearing the cadet uniform, you represent 68 years of cadets before you. your behavior in the uniform is the way that some people will judge ALL 68 versions of the cadets.

running:
nope. never. [except in performance.] under no circumstances will anyone wearing a cadet uniform ever do anything except for WALK. never look dissheveled. chances are, you will not ever be at a point where you need to hurry, anyway. the days of people and their twos jazz running back to the bus after a show are over. it looks horrible, and five extra minutes will not kill you.

sitting:
nope. never. [except on the bus and performance.] there is really no reason for you to ever sit down in uniform. it is just not done.

swearing:
nope. never. not on the bus, not on the field if you fall down, not in the parking lot, not anywhere. cursing in uniform is the one thing that does have consequences. keep in mind that in this sense, 'swearing' means a multitude of things: curse words, anything that might be construed as a curse word, anything negative about anyone. this includes a good amount of our commonly used lingo. BE CAREFUL. its very easy to let one slip. if you have any question if a specific word is considered 'swearing,'just don't say it.

twos:
ANYTIME you need to go somewhere in full or half uniform without the rest of the corps, you need another person. the pair of you is now a 'two.' you should walk in step, and may have a conversation if you wish. do NOT let anyone go between the two of you. if people try, just stop, and go around them. never go anywhere by yourself when you are in uniform. you will find that the vast majority of the people will move just because they can 'feel' you coming.

two general uniform rules:

1 if you are the only person doing something, you are probably wrong.

2 if you have any question as to whether or not you should do something, just don't do it.