im not sure why this question was asked sooner(or maybe it was and im bad at searching)

history on the cadets and the right foot? why did they decide to be different? when?

I can't remember if it's 1983 or 1984. At the time it started I remember the consensus was... Why? I also believe at that time very same time I said to myself... there goes tradition...

Shimes...
"this I believe... shut up and play the music"

I think GarfCadet can recall this better, because it started the year he marched Cadets. However, if I remember his story correctly, in 1985 the close was put into weird meter (5/8 or 7/8) and the corps just could not get used to it for the longest time. Finally a staff member came up with starting on the right foot so that one for the next measure gets to be on the left foot and we're fine. Well, come finals night the drum major screws up, and half the corps does not see that he's restarting and made a MASSIVE tick. The corps recovered and finished correctly and still won the title, making it a 80's Dynasty for the Cadets. After the show, the drum judge told the line, "I'm sorry, I wanted to give it to you. However, after that huge tick, I just couldn't." Or something to that effect.

As I said, GarfCadet can explain it better.

WOW... you mean after all this time there is reallly...really a reason for it?... Kewl... 43 and I learn something new every day...

I still think 81-83 were the absolute best Garfield years..imho..
Adventures in Time ... wow

From what I remember in the one YEA! camp I went to many years ago, they pretty much made a case for the right foot being more natural...

Such as in drumset playing, the backbeat rhythm has the right placing notes on the first and third beats, rather than the second and third.

A really good friend of mine is marching Cadet, and I've talked to him about this, since it is obviously one of those questions that come up lol. I'm not saying what Drummer85 said is wrong but every year the Cadets build their corps up, from basics, to finals. Fr instance hours and hours of playing 8's and hours and hours of basic blocks. Starting with the right foot gives the Cadets a fresh chance with everybody who is new to the corps, so it's kind of like they are rebuilding everybody to be what they want exactly, instead of evolving or changing from another corps.

And also what Kevin said about the more natural thing. Thats true too.

Good answer. I totally agree... and Hoppy always wants to be different.

Do other corps copy this? I haven't seen it but step offs aren't what I'm looking at during the performances usually.

At scouts we decided if each step off was right or left foot, the only time we just used left foot off was when traveling in a block. Ususlly it ended up being left, but sometimes we needed a right foot to end up on the correct foot with the rest of the corps later in a production

maybe the question should be why does everyone else start of the left foot?

The lef foot tradition grew out of the military who use a left foot lead when stepping off.

This is what I've always heard as well, just a more natural way. Also since most people are right handed (no offense to the lefties out there) it's more natural to lead with the right foot. Line up a group of "non-marching" people and ask them to take 3 steps forward. The majority will lead off with their right foot. Another point in the "more natural" philosophy; what hand to do most drummers usually start playing with?

That and Cadets have always liked to zag when others will zig.

Lets just say the cadets Lead off with their right just because they are the cadets. lol

Yea they just wanna be different and original

other corps used to stepp of with the right...they just dont do it or dont exist any more (their names escape me tho)