cadet93 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 As someone who was drawn to march in the Cadets in the early 90s because their show designs were cutting edge, and pushing the boundries of the activity, it is hard to say this, but as I watched the live stream last night I really felt like they have been left behind in some key areas of the activity. Like it or not, body movement and staging are the current trend in the activity. I struggle to distinguish if it is just the uniform that makes the Cadets seem outdated at this point, or if it really is the show design. It kind of reminds me of where Blue Devils were in the late 80s early 90s. They became stale, always started the season at or near the top, and inevitably ended up in 4th place at finals. In '94 they finally made Scott Chandler their program coordinator, hired Ryan from Star and revamped their visual. This was really the beginning of the modern Blue Devils, and while the current iteration really started in '08 the "modernization" occurred back then. I read the comments about Cadets being....boring....same old same old....and not cool, and it is really hard to see, but I understand why. Anyone else have opinions on what they could do to be more "modern"? Do they have to ditch the uniform or corps colors, incorporate more staging instead of drill? etc.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000Cadet Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 As someone who was drawn to march in the Cadets in the early 90s because their show designs were cutting edge, and pushing the boundries of the activity, it is hard to say this, but as I watched the live stream last night I really felt like they have been left behind in some key areas of the activity. Like it or not, body movement and staging are the current trend in the activity. I struggle to distinguish if it is just the uniform that makes the Cadets seem outdated at this point, or if it really is the show design. It kind of reminds me of where Blue Devils were in the late 80s early 90s. They became stale, always started the season at or near the top, and inevitably ended up in 4th place at finals. In '94 they finally made Scott Chandler their program coordinator, hired Ryan from Star and revamped their visual. This was really the beginning of the modern Blue Devils, and while the current iteration really started in '08 the "modernization" occurred back then. I read the comments about Cadets being....boring....same old same old....and not cool, and it is really hard to see, but I understand why. Anyone else have opinions on what they could do to be more "modern"? Do they have to ditch the uniform or corps colors, incorporate more staging instead of drill? etc.... How quickly we forget. When Cadets try to be "modern", i.e., electronics, narration, etc., people b#tch and complain that their shows are cheesy. Yet, when other corps do the same thing, people are foaming at the mouth, as what I noticed last night from the show thread. In case you haven't noticed, there WERE people who stated how much they actually liked Cadets show as well. If you're unwilling to consider the positive aspects of what some people have said as well as the negatives, you're falling into their trap. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaddyt Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 The Cadets need to update their uniform. The look is too restrictive for the current design trends. I'm not talking a wholesale revamp, but it definitely needs to be modernized. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Interesting topic. Personally, I've always advocated for Cadets to change their uniform but I quickly get destroyed by all the Cadets' supports/alumni on here. It simply does not match the style of today's corps anymore and looks odd. I can see why older fans would want them to keep it though. I think looking at the bigger picture though, the Cadets seem to have stuck to their philosophy from the 90s, but have stuck to it so well that now that the times of changed, they seem to be the ones not innovating while everyone else is. As a result, although I feel like their style hasn't changed one bit, they've gone from innovative to "traditional." I personally don't see anything wrong with that. It gives us drum corps fans lots of variety and I wouldn't mind if Cadets stuck to giving us traditional shows. Like you said, until Cadets change their design philosophy, they're going to continue being looked at as the "less cool" corps compared to the likes of Bluecoats, BD, and Crown. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. They're still attracting top notch talent regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Lancer Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 New busses. That's what's needed. Actually, I like the blend of the updated classic 220+ bpm book and drill with the more modern waltze section and French Horn feature. There is room for hybrids like this, and it could actually win, let's not forget. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exitmusic Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 How quickly we forget. When Cadets try to be "modern", i.e., electronics, narration, etc., people b#tch and complain that their shows are cheesy. Because they have never really used any of these concepts very well. 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014 are absolutely cringeworthy to me. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lumbargleeful Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 The ultimate irony being the person that's hated as trying to modernize the activity, having the most dated looking/sounding top 4 corps. Interesting, to me, as well, that Gino is still getting rewarded for that type of ped. To say that is a crass, old school approach, would be an understatement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughesmr Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 I personally think Cadets have just about the best uniform in the activity with regard to cleanliness and a color palette that contrasts well on turf. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000Cadet Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Because they have never really used any of these concepts very well. 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014 are absolutely cringeworthy to me. Exactly my point. So there's really no point in trying to "innovate" because there will always be people who find it "cringeworthy" to use your words, especially when it comes to Cadets. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
82ryder Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 I know it's just one night of scores... And analyzing score is NOT my strong suit... But I took a quick glance at the Foxboro breakdown and the Cadets GE-Rep #'s were both ahead of BD. The VA-Comp score is right there with BD as well. Can someone help a severely "numbers analysis challenged" individual such as myself understand how those scores are indicative of a 'boring' and 'same old' show...? In all honesty, I'm trying to understand what I'm missing here... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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