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Is it a mistake?


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Maybe this has already been discussed, but is it a mistake for DCI not to post/release recap or caption numbers? I realize that social media makes for a rough life for judges now-a-days, but there are other ways to fix this.

The panels as I understand it will not be released ahead of time, which I think helps. Ultimately though if the drum corps experience is for the fans and to inspire future membership, is this for the best?

I am just curious- it's going to be hard to imagine in this current technological age that you can't see brass/Colorguard/Percussion scores etc. I'm thinking BK could compete for top 3 in drums, but how will we know. Disappointing and sad that it's come to this. Thoughts?

Wes Perkins

Edited by wesleyrp
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I appreciate the sincerity in your question, but I'm going to challenge your premise:

"[T]he drum corps experience is for the fans"

Actually, the experience is for the members. The activity exists for them.

Yes, fans buy the tickets. And some of ticket revenue ultimately makes its way to the corps. But the rationale for the entire activity starts with the performers. The "demand" for this product comes from the young people who want to march. Unlike, say, MLB, which exists to satisfy consumer demand for baseball, not to provide a field, umpires and salaries to ballplayers.

That being the case, the change in the release of recaps needs to be evaluated through the lens of how it affects the paying marching members, who hire their corps and DCI to provide an experience they can't get anywhere else. How will this new recap system improve their experience and, as you say, entice more young people to participate in it?

Also, I'm not aware there was any safety-of-the-judges component to all of this. What's that all about?

Edited by 2muchcoffeeman
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You think it's for judge safety they're doing this? I missed that, if that's the reason. I thought it was to try to get judges thinking independently and really scoring the performance and not the expectation based on recent shows. EDIT: Also to build some suspense.

If the latter two ideas are the real reasons, I think it's worth a try. I remember though that they tried not announcing scores one year at championships in Kansas City until the end of finals, and the corps directors couldn't stand it LOL. They deep-sixed that one for the following year.

Edited by Peel Paint
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. Disappointing and sad that it's come to this for safety concerns of judges. Thoughts?

Wes Perkins

The implementation for this had to do with " the safety concern fo the judges " ? I had never heard of this reason given for this, Wes, What judges are under threats for their safety ? I was under the impression that today's fans and staff were far more civil and respectful toward judges, other MM's in Corps, other fans, than Back in the Day fans, MM's, staffs were.

I believe the impetus for the implementation by DCI for this had to do with eliminating any potential for judge bias in their scoring. Judges , under this new policy, would theoretically at least, not be aware of what scores other judges had recently given to these Corps in the caption the judge would be assigned on this new show. I don't think todays judges are under any new unprecedented threats for their safety with todays newer fanbase, Wes. I don't think this new policy of blackouts on the recaps was a judges originating proposal either. This proposal was implemented to curb any current judge bias, or the potential for it to occur. Is this blackout a good thing fans ? Hell, no. I don't think so, anyway. Most fans in my assessment anyway, enjoyed for years the ability to look at the captions, subcaptions and discuss it, .... so much so that DCP, and other sites set up subsection websites devoted to it. Michael Boo gave analysis on it on the DCI front pages too, TV announcers discussed it... and so forth. it was a very big deal to many fans. Now... its gone. In a flash too.

Edited by BRASSO
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maybe not unsafe, but as I was told at the very least a nusance. I'll edit the safety portion, but we all know certain judges get claims of certain bias. I would think that's what's meant in terms of hostilities?

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Wait...did DCI really decide that they will no longer release recaps? I hope I am just misunderstanding this. If not, this is yet another bad decision by a lousy leadership and management team at DCI.

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maybe not unsafe, but as I was told at the very least a nusance. I'll edit the safety portion, but we all know certain judges get claims of certain bias. I would think that's what's meant in terms of hostilities?

I do think that its undeniable that DCI believed there was a problem with judge bias, or at the very least, the environment for potential judge bias was present. This new DCI policy was not enacted based upon fan behavior, Wes. It was enacted based upon judge behavior. We know this how ? DCI told us in their press release this past winter. That said, it surely impacts the fun the fans used to have reading the recaps. My guess, knowing human nature's natural curiousity, the notion that judges won't have access to what their colleagues scored in the subcaptions in a recent show, is a real stretch, imo.' Guess we'll have to see how this plays out.

Also, when real, verifiable data is removed from the public, invariably, what fills the void is..... rumor. As such, I would anticipate all sorts of rumors to begin circulating this summer on here and elsewhere about what Corps scored in the captions, and the placements in the subcaptions. Much of the rumors will be like most rumors..... false. Every action naturally has a reaction. And sometimes when a well intentioned, well meaning policy is implemented, it actually fails to improve what it intended to improve, and just makes things worse. But who knows here. Time will tell.

Edited by BRASSO
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I appreciate the sincerity in your question, but I'm going to challenge your premise:

"[T]he drum corps experience is for the fans"

Actually, the experience is for the members. The activity exists for them.

Yes, fans buy the tickets. And some of ticket revenue ultimately makes its way to the corps. But the rationale for the entire activity, starts with the performers. The "demand" for this product comes from the young people who want to march. Unlike, say, MLB, which exists to satisfy consumer demand for baseball, not to provide a field, umpires and salaries to ballplayers......

In 2015 the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox actually played a regular season MLB game to a completely empty stadium. At a sports convention later on I was able to speak to some of the players who were on the field that day as well as someone from the front office. All the players told me that while it was quite eerie, and they felt bad for the fans, it really did not impact them during the game because they actually play for the love of baseball (then one of them added the humorous caveat, oh yeah, and the paycheck). However, the person from the front office was very disturbed because it impacted not only the fan base but the bottom line. Thus to the players (it is about the performance of the game) whereas to the executive (it is all about consumer demand), And if DCI is is a situation where both the performers and the executives are all for the youngins', and the administration does not endeavor to produce shows for the fans, well that sure explains why Lucas Oil Stadium during Finals is always 4/5 empty!!!

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Wait...did DCI really decide that they will no longer release recaps? I hope I am just misunderstanding this. If not, this is yet another bad decision by a lousy leadership and management team at DCI.

They won't release recap numbers this year. It was proposed by and voted on by the member corps this past winter, not a decision by DCI's management team.

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