Just about everyone has heard about Scott Yuppa, but few of you ever got to know him. We named our Bushwacker of the Year Award after him, so let me tell you a little bit about him.
Scott was a saxophone player who learned bass drumming with our corps. You could ask anyone with knowledge of bass drumming and they will tell you Scott was an awesome bass drummer. He was a fun guy with a great sense of humor. He was also intense.
If we were rehearsing and took a water break that Scott thought was too long, he would start hitting his bass drum and yell at everyone to get back on the field. He would yell at the snares, the quads, the basses, the cymbals and pit. He would yell at the hornline and color guard. He would yell at the instructors and administrators. Scott did not believe in wasting time.
If we were rehearsing and took a water break that Scott thought was too long, he would start hitting his bass drum and yell at everyone to get back on the field. He would yell at the snares, the quads, the basses, the cymbals and pit. He would yell at the hornline and color guard. He would yell at the instructors and administrators. Scott did not believe in wasting time.
Two of Scott’s many gifts to us are: 1) not to waste time in rehearsals and 2) not to waste time in life.
He was in the bass line when the percussion line won all of their titles and when the corps won all of our championships.
One year he had to complete summer courses at his college, the University of Pittsburgh. Rather than miss out on a drum corps season, he joined the Steel City Ambassadors, one of our rivals, and played in their bass line. He taught them Space Invaders, our walk on cadence. In that one year he made a lasting impression on them. Upon his induction to the Bushwacker Hall of Fame, more than a few Steel City Ambassadors made mention of their admiration of Scott and sorrow for his loss. And in all the years he was a Bushwacker he made a lasting impression on all of us. So we celebrate Scott’s memory by inducting him into our Hall of Fame.