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Bob984

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Everything posted by Bob984

  1. Not exactly.............Cadets had bad office spaces in North Jersey at high leasing prices......they got an incredible deal on a long term lease in Allentown with a large building with plenty of space. The Crossmen were put "up for sale" by YEA, as it became too much for the organization to run two world class corps, both fiscally and otherwise. There was no real intent to shut down the Crossmen. Also, what many do not know is this. There was a group of folks that would have taken over the Crossmen and kept the corps in Pa.. and made an offer to do so. However, that group did not really have the funds, and the Texas group did. Still, I do think had the Texas deal fell through, something would have been worked out and the Pa. group would likely have taken over the corps.
  2. I had a similar experience......1968.....I was almost 11 years old...........I was going with my father somewhere.....He backs out of the driveway, and starts down the street...."Hey Dad, why is Mr. W.... lying down in his front lawn?"....My Dad backed up to see him lying face down, and the lawn mower was still running.....very hot August day, and he wass elderly......I began to help my dad administer CPR, then he continued while I ran into the man's house (which was awkward, because his wife was sitting there, and I didn't want her to know what was going on outside.....I did manage to make the quick call, but it seemed to take forever for the ambulance arrive. I also ran to get a man who lived next door to come over, which helped big time, because at that moment his wife came out, saw him, and was understandably hysterical. We kept trying until the ambulance folks arrived. Sadly, Mr. W didn't make it (frankly, I think he was gone by the time we discovered him, as he had no pulse and was not breathing), but I can look back and say that my Dad and I tried as hard as we could to save him....it was tough on my Dad, and tough on me as a 10 year old. At least 35 years later I performed the heimlich manuever on a 12 year old student who was choking at the start of a class (hard candy...that he wasn't supposed to have....went down the wrong way and was stuck in his windpipe), and thank God I was successful..........So glad that you jumped in there and SUCCEEDED!!!! God Bless you............
  3. I'm not 100% sure on this, but someone told me that one time, instead of holding practice, he put his team on a bus and took them to a Star of Indiana practice, and had his players sit and watch........then told them afterwards "if you practice half as hard as they do, we'll win it all"
  4. Sorry to hear of this......Southwind went through many battles over a long period, and I was hoping that they would eventually flourish. I took a look at their 2000 show, where they finished in 13th, two tenths behind Bluecoats, and yet all 9 judges had them 12th or above, and 6 of 9 had them over the Bluecoats.....not to take anything away from Bluecoats (who had been 13th the year before), but I felt Southwind was stronger. It would have been interesting to see what the future of Southwind would have been if they had made finals. Also, after that re-entry into finals in 2000, Bluecoats never finished lower than 8th from 2001 until today...........
  5. That "sickens me". I have been asthmatic since I was 2 years old. I never "advertised it" to folks, but my director knew....and I marched in 1977 and 1978. I can say that he was incredibly supportive/understsanding......ironically, I also really struggled in Denver, and sometimes waited to go outside with the corps, and nobody gave me any problems when the word got out. It's sad that leadership in 1977-78, at least in my case, did things the right way, and now it's 2023, and there are a..holes in both leadership/staff and also members who don't have a clue......in contrast, I remember one night in Denver.....I woke up with an asthma attack at 3AM....the director found me in the men's room, sitting on a counter and struggling, as I had just taken my medicine.....he offered to stay there with me, and I said, "no, I'll be alright". He came back an hour later to check up on me, and I told him I was getting better, and I went back to my sleeping bag about 15 min. later. The next morning, I was in my sleeping bag (and had already decided I needed rest more than breakfast, so I was sleeping to the last minute). Somebody started to yell at me to "get moving", the director saw him, and sternly told the member, "hey.....leave him ALONE"....and he came over and quietly asked how I was doing. A few minutes later I got up, took a quick shower and brushed my teeth, and I was on the practice field right on time.
  6. I am fairly certain that hornlines use 440 as their reference tuning.......mainly because with any other tuning, they would be "off" with the pit........with synthetic bars, the pitch of the pit keyboards should be quite stable (which is 440) and only the synths/timpani can adjust, the rest are stable. That said, hornlines do "fluctuate" due to temperatures/etc.......they can go significantly off/sharp in cases of extreme heat, and also extreme temperature changes........I remember one year in particular where it was well over 100 in the parking lot in San Antonio, and they warmed up and then came into adome.....I don't know exactly when they "tuned", but things were way, way off with the pit..........ironically, it didn't show up in the score......lol......I do think that staffs have gotten better in recent years in figuring it out, though......
  7. 1972 was DCI's first championship. It is well known that one goal that DCI had was to have a championship with every major competitor in attendance. Prior to 1972, there were many big shows, and VFW Nationals and AL Nationals were probably the two biggest. That said, not everyone went, and location and travel expenses, along with the actual date, were all big factors. There were 39 corps at DCI's first championship prelims. Whereas there were still many corps at that time, and thus many who did not go to DCI, there were some strong national competitors who chose not to go to the first DCI Championship in Whitewater. They were; Blessed Sacrament, Blue Rock, Saint Rita's Brassmen, Toronto Optimists, Boston Crusaders, Racine Scouts. There was a good chance that two or even more of these corps would have made finals. Was the issue strictly cost/money? Just curious. Some did go to DCI in subsequent years, but did not fare out well competitively. In fact, only Toronto Optimists (who. through a merger, became the Seneca Optimists) would make finals......Boston eventually did, but it took 27 years.
  8. Does anyone know if this was also true with Spirit and Cascades, as Spirit was out in 2022 and Cascades as well.....what else is weird is this............back in the day, if you made finals 3 years or more in a row, you remained a full member for the following year regardless of competitive placement. Example....the Kilts were in finals for the first 4 years of DCI, then fell to 28th, but were still a full member for the 1977 season (and they did get back into finals as well). Personally, I think that it is a bit harsh on a corps that was in every final from 1972 through 2022, then is off in 2023 to get their fiscal house in order, to have to literally start over with the organization (DCI).
  9. I was mainly referring to the prior champions' ability to remain among the top 12 finalists in the world, and they have done that quite well. In 2017, 7 of the top 9 corps were past champions, and all 8 remaining past champions were in finals.....yeah, it's 6 years ago, but one season since then did not happen due to COVID, and one was an exhibition. I think your "bar/definition" for a "down cycle' is much more miniscule.............you mention BD, but the combination of two things keep them rocking year after year.......(1) more veterans from other finalists as well as other top 20 corps go to the Blue Devils than to any other corps. (2) They have a competent veteran staff that they have been able to maintain If Madison rebounds back into finals, it then becomes very likely that all 8 prior champions are in finals.....quite dominant as a group........
  10. Many have spoken about the Blue Devils competitive dominance, taking their 21st DCI title this past season. What is also interesting, however, is what the other former champions have done as well. Ten Corps have won one or more DCI (World Class) Championships: Blue Devils, Cadets, SCV, Cavaliers, Phantom, Madison, Anaheim Kingsmen, Star of Indiana, Bluecoats, Carolina Crown. Eight of these corps as still competing (I am including SCV's announced return). Anaheim is the only corps that officially "folded"....after winning the first championship, and being competitve the next two seasons, they termporarily went inactive....they tried coming back and finished as high as 13th (1977) but packed it in after the 1986 season. Star, although stopping their competitive ventures after finishing 2nd in 1993, went "pro", first with Brass Theater, and then eventually morphing again into "BLAST" (and also a spinoff show "Shockwave".) They were still active as of 2019 and then COVID hit the world. I have not seen any info regarding a return, or if it is over for good with them. What has been amazing is the overall success of the remaining 8 Champions competing. As late as 2017, all 8 of the champions made finals. Although Madison has fallen out of finals in recent years, there is a substantial possibility that they return, and it is not unreasonable to say that it may be difficult to knock any of the remaining former champions out of finals. Seven of the eight made finals in 2022, and 6 did in 2023, with SCV not knocked out of finals, but taking a year off to clear up financial woes. Ouf of the 10 former champions, only Madison and Anaheim ever had non-finalist seasons after being crowned champion. It remains to be seen if the competitive endurance of the past champions remains strong. I would bet that it does.....at least for quite a bit longer................
  11. A great arranger, educator, and person. RIP Robert
  12. sad news.........drum corps loses one of the great ones, but will fondly remember all his fine work/contributions.......a great arranger, educator, and person. RIP Our dear husband, father and teacher Robert W. Smith passed away today due to complications from cardiac surgery in Montgomery, Alabama. Arrangements for a Celebration of Life will be communicated when they have been determined. Thank you for keeping our family in your hearts.
  13. I never "defended" SCV's position, and yeah, I would be upset if I attended, paid money, and find out that they were not coming out. Some have said refunds or partial refunds were issued, and they did connect with those folks.....I do not know. My only point was that something was provided for the camp fee....ie food, housing, instruction.....if they had cancelled the camp and did not return funds, then the students would have paid money for absolutely nothing...........the matter is over....they held the camp.....went inactive the following week.....breeched "trust".......I do not know anyone on their board, and what has or hasn't been done over this last year to remedy their problems. I can tell you that many here think that they are going to "do it again". I can tell you that if they did, that would likely be the end of SCV.
  14. Not disagreeing with many of your overall sentiments......however, there were other corps (including BD, Crown) who did not participate in the "post-Covid tour" of 2021 (and those groups produced videos, too)...no biggie, but there were good reasons that they (SCV) and some others chose not to participate in the 2021 tour.............
  15. I am not at all defending SCV's actions last year involving the audition camp held and then the corps declaring no season the following week. I simply pointed out that the returning of funds was/is a grey area from a legal outlook. Auditions did happen, feedback was given, instruction happened, the kids were housed, they were fed. However, I also agree that there certainly would be an argument that kids were deceived, because they were paying to audition to be a part of a touring competitive drum corps, and the corps did not follow through with that at all. (not justifying it, but there have been many a corps that was practicing even well into the Spring, who then decided to not come out....ALWAYS a bad scene). I agree that the corps should've made every effort to try to reimburse kids (or offer the audition free of charge this year as an elective alternative). Also agreed that they had better get their fiscal house (and all process involving that) in order, and be transparent from here out.
  16. DCI has always had many "long winded" policies........what you post is from open to world.......right, wrong, or indifferent....DCI isn't going to treat a corps that was in finals from 1972 - 2021 as a "new world class corps"....... Yes, DCI DOES look at corps making the move from open to world in detail.......they want the corps to succeed and not be in over their head.........however, DCI doesn't have the manpower/resources to do financial analysis of all of their members........the fiscal health of each corps is each corps' responsibility......also, it would become unfair if one corps was precluded from competition/touring because of fiscal health, yet others with the same or worse problems are allowed to "slide"......many competitors would disappear if hard ball was played here.......... That said, there have been DCI World Class corps hit the field at the start of the year still $300,000+ in debt.....with no investigation/inquiries by DCI........even in the 1980's there were corps who hit the field with this level of debt....imagine what that would be in 2023 dollars......... If anything good came out of SCV's case, it is for all corps to take a serious look at their fiscal house, and that it is probably not a good idea to spend more money than you take in..............
  17. I won't pretend to know the ins and outs of California non-profit tax laws/governance........if the Vanguard doesn't get that monkey off of their back, they will be finished............I would hope that they know that, and have done/are doing what is necessary............
  18. If you are right about the shape that they are in after already a year off, then they just made a big mistake. It would be better to take another year (though that will also greatly impact/hinder their future competitiveness) of the situation is that dire.........what you mention did happen with both Suncoast Sound and Magic...as examples..........
  19. Third party audits are not going to happen......who is going to pay for those??? Yes, they will have to answer to any governmental issues they may have.....to the government........everyone in the world can speculate where they stand there, but it is between the Vanguard and the agencies involved............DCI doesn't own or run any drum corps.........it is true that they may ask to review the corps to see if they are considered fiscally ok enough to tour and have done it in the past, but they are not looking to micromanage....if they did, we would be down to well under 10 world class corps....... Yes, the Vanguard messed up in managing their fiscal house, and things blew up on them in a hurry. However, I am not interested in seeing them (or ANY corps) thrown under the microscope in that regard.....I want them to survive........ Having hope is never a bad thing, even in the face of adversity.
  20. Agreed that whatever "no-no's" were commited regarding taxes/filings/etc., they would/will have to get their house in order (and they have had a bit of time to sort through that).....forget DCI; if the govt./law come down on you, that's that......one can only hope that they have been getting their s..t together...........
  21. The reason there were DCI "decisions" involving Cadets, Pioneer, Spirit were because the corps were inder probation for things that happened......Cadets and Spirit had to satisfy requirements by DCI in terms of "remedies". SCV, on the other hand, ran out of $$$, were in debt, and decided not to come out.....not the first time in drum corps that this has happened.......Seattle didn't come out, and they were out for awhile, but came out this year. There have been finalists who have hit the field in a new year with hundreds of thousands in debt from prior seasons....DCI doesn't like that, but if being in the black was a requirement heading into a season, there would be many corps not out there.
  22. "Many students are owed money"....are you basing that strictly on those that attended camp last year? Were those kids not housed, fed, and provided instruction"? Granted, you could argue that they just decided to go ahead with the camp, knowing they are not coming out.....likely, but not proven. Now, if a kid paid money toward dues, that is different....though that early, doubtful, and if so, minimal overall. it would perhaps be arguable that perspective members were deceived and thus auditioned for a corps that wasn't going to happen.....however, in the past, there have been corps that were practicing in May that did not come out, and a few that didn't even finish the season or even "stuck on tour"........far, far worse than what happened here.............
  23. They will definitely be fine in percussion, with the Rennicks and the "UNT connection", they likely will not skip a beat there....how well they do overall will depend on brass/guard recruiting. However, it's not like their legacy is forgotten after one year off....
  24. If they would do this again.....announce they are on the field competing in 2024....have camps, auditions, etc.....then not field........they would not get a chance to do it a third time........
  25. You seem to have "board level" knowledge on their up to the minute status......stating their current "predicament". Also, if you announce your entire 2024 staff (and I highly doubt that they are working for free), that is a bit beyond "fancy marketing". (Also, they can't just post names without securing a deal with each person) "A decade of blunders behind the scenes" could be a description of the vast majority of the top 25 corps....how those blunders are handled and put behind is the important part. If they are in as dire shape as you imply, and do not follow through after this so-called "fancy marketing", that would likely be the end of the corps. My guess is not only will they be on the field in 2024, but competitive, and especially competitive in percussion.
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