finished in fifteenth place at DCI in Whitewater. Over the next four years, 1974–77, The Cavaliers seemed to have rebounded somewhat from the down year of '73. Two years in eighth place were followed by two years in seventh place at DCI. They also won two more VFW National Championships in 1974 and '76. But there was dissension among the members and alumni, with some glorying in the Green Machine's past success; some wanting to just to do anything as long as they were doing something; and others who were among the new breed of "corpies', who would move from one corps to another in search of competitive success. There was also an unacknowledged drug problem that came to a head in 1977 when several members almost died while returning from a show. The rift between factions widened as accusations of fault were bandied back and forth. Don Warren and the corps management met with members, parents, and boosters to get everything out in the open. Some members were expelled, some given cover. The hangover from the incident carried over into 1978, as the corps, with many new staff members, largely alumni, managed only a sixteenth place finish at DCI. Although it was not immediately apparent, the foundation had been laid for future success with the naming of Adolph DeGrauwe as corps director. The Cavaliers ended the 1970s by winning the 1980 VFW crown, their tenth. During the decade, they had made DCI Finals seven times in nine years. Rise to the top During the early 1980s, the judges were looking for "cutting edge" performances, but The Cavaliers were not performing at that level. However, The Cavaliers' winter guard was, under the leadership of Steve Brubaker, winning the Winter Guard International championship in 1981–83. In 1982, Brubaker, who had also been working with the Cavalier Cadets corps since '78, was named head drill designer for The Cavaliers. That change brought about a change in the corps' attitude and this, along with the music selections becoming more and more classically oriented, helped The Cavaliers rise to the top half of DCI Finalists, though not without tests. 1982's Pines of Rome started the season with near-disastrous results, and the corps felt that it was luck as much as talent that earned the corps an eleventh-place finish at DCI in Montreal. But 1982 saw The Cavaliers forge a solid association with the Village