argonaut

Crown on top again, thank you drum corps gods. Please let them progress more than anyone else.

Before the two tier system, corps worked this out just fine. I really think that corps should tour what they can handle. Nobody would force any open class to have a full tour. There are currently world class corps that can't really afford a full tour and open class corps that can. This is not a problem that is purely an open class issue. The tour schedule might be harder to work out, but I don't think it is much more difficult that it already is.

Our judging system is our current performance standard. It would probably be determined by your ranking. The top 20 or something like that. After thinking about it, I just think we should do away with world class and make it one big open class.

The standard of systems that follow deterministic laws but appear random and unpredictable. Chaotic standards that are very sensitive to initial conditions. The kind of standard that make small changes in those conditions that can lead to quite different outcomes. On second thought, just get rid of the two tier system and put everyone in one big happy class. Same judging books, everyone is the same. You appear in the reverse order of your last placement. Problem solved.

Around the same time I received my DVD’s last year, received a speeding ticket. I also received a ticket for not having proof of insurance. I have insurance, but forgot to put the card in my car. The insurance company is State Farm. Yes, STATE FARM. I didn’t put two and two together, until now. It appears that State Farm insurance is trying to systematically destroy the quality of life for those whom enjoy drum corps. They eventually dropped the infraction, when I produced my card, but that’s beside the point. They somehow through unknown means, prevented me from remembering to put the card in my car. Now that I completely understand the situation, I will have to rethink my allegiance to this company trying kill my drum corps mojo.

Thank you Hockey dad, you have a great idea, but then you edited it out. Too bad. Something about holding on to moonbeams. We should have a Moonbeam class. It would be a class that anyone could join. All you have to do is dream. It would be a class where everyone wins all the time. It doesn’t matter if you are financially sound or dead broke. The only thing that matters is that the kids get a great moonbeam experience. Rejection is not a part of the moonbeam platform. We take everyone and never say no, except when it comes to judging. Moonbeam Corps International does not judge their corps performances. Everyone receives a perfect score, because all our moonbeam members are perfect little angels.The fans of Moonbeam corps will love all the corps equally and have no favorites. They will enjoy every show concept and never express disappointment. Moonbeam fan will not care what the ticket prizes will be, cause they know that it goes towards providing the groups to catch a hold of their own moonbeam.

is your class half full or half empty. Thanks for the clearing things up.

ok, how so?

If there was no class system, they would compete with everyone as they do in open class. It would all be one big open class blowout.

I guess after reading everyone's arguments, I think that there should be some sort of performance standard, or get rid of the whole class system. It is not working in the best interests of the activity. There should be a financial standard that applies to all corps, but that's another thread. I just don't see this activity growing or maintaining it's numbers in the next couple decades, which would be very sad.

I think this is a problem. You should not have the rug pulled out from under you if you move back to open class. A lot of the corps that would move back are probably having a hard time with their finances already. I wonder if this is the main reason that a corp would cling on to this, fast becoming a, meaningless title. On the field from Greatsville, USA our world class drum corps the Greatsville Regiment Cadets. We would like to welcome them back to the field of compitition after taken a couple years off to regroup. They have 25 horns, 12 in the battery, 3 in the pit and 6 colorguard. Their show, entitled "Tiny Bubbles" a tribute to the late Don Ho, features a full corps bubble blow and a full spectrum trip through the world of hula and carbonated beverages. The average age of the 46 members is 12 years, with one member aging out. The corps director, Willy Swift, is also their drill writer, horn aranger, color guard caption head and tour director. Percussion score is arranged by Pacific Sound Industries, the leader in drum arangements. Greatsville Regiment Cadets, are you ready to take the field in world Class competition?

Is it possible for an open class corps to refuse to move into the world class status? What if a corps dominates open class, makes the top twelve in world class, but refuses to move? They can have the best of both worlds, win open class and be in the finals. Is there a rule in place to prevent that?

I think the two tier system works if it is managed, but their has to be a mechanism to put corps in their correct level. When we have corps competing in world class that are not at a world class level, the two tier system is meaningless.

I’m sorry if you feel that I have slammed your corps. I don’t think that I have. There are a few posts in this thread that are not respectful to the Cascades, but that is the nature of DCP. I have tried to steer the thread back to its original discussion, but once you open up a can of worms, it take a while for them to be digested. I did use the Cascades as an example in my first post, simply because I was at a show they performed and it prompted this very discussion amongst a group of people sitting next to me at the show. These were folks that had never been to a drum corps show before. The Cascades are not performing at a world class level. They are a small corps and do not have the capability to be competitive at the world class level. I don’t know exactly how many members they have, but the small number of members, especially the color guard, they cannot be competitive in the general effect caption with any world class corps. This is not a slam, it is the reality of the situation. They are currently in last place by overall scores and last place in almost every caption. They are currently five points behind their closest competitor. If they were competing in the open class, they would most likely be in 6th or 7th place. The Cascades are world class in name only. This doesn’t mean that they are less of a drum corps, it just means that they are not competing at the level of their current state. The members can still have a world class drum corps experience and I hope that they will, but I don’t think clinging to the world class status will enhance the experience, rather distract for it. I believe that the members would have a much better experience competing in a class that they can be competitive in. I know from my 38 years in drum corps that how you rank is very important to marching members. I marched in a corps that dreamed of being in the top 12. We worked hard at that goal every year. We never made that goal and after about three years of not making the goal, most of us left and went to other corps that was already in the top 12. I had a great drum corps experience, but not obtaining our goal was disappointing every year. When I look back at the situation, I realize that we really never had a chance to make the top 12, due the size of our corps. We were a very good corps with lots of talent, but we were small and there was no way we could compete with the corps in the top 12 that had twice as many horns and twice as many flags. We dominated our region and took home many first place titles, but only made it to associate drum corps. I wish we would have had the class structure they have now, because we would have had much more realistic goals. I understand that there are many reasons for the small size of the Cascades this year. They are the same reasons every corps loses members. The bottom line is that the corps is small, for whatever reason. I don’t think they will benefit by their world class title, if they can’t compete in the world class arena. They would be much better off to compete in open class and work their way back to world class status. I want the Cascades to succeed, but I don’t think that competing at the world class level is the right path at this point in time. I have now been sucked into making this thread about the Cascades. Ok, what would be a the biggest reason for a corps to move from World Class to Open Class? Discuss.

That's the same thing that guy was saying about the Cascades. Not a good sign. thanks a lot spinningsader, you really make me bite my nails.