candymancan Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 So, his kid was the only member of the guard staff that was retained? I suppose being a Hopkins gives you a free pass to continue on. No, actually 4 of last years staff is returning, including his daughter, in hopes of keeping vets I'm sure (who are probably not happy about Bruno and the other staff being let go). Plus it seems like several people that have been with Kristy Templin for years. I certainly hope that they have the expertise for this level. This isn't high school. Reading the bios, I'm not so sure. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tad_MMA Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Yeah, nepotism is the easy scapegoat here. Their website lists KH as part of "movement." The obvious (to us non-guardies) flaws were in handling equipment rather than stiff necks. I'm sure movement and equipment are symbiotic, but their former caption head once said (on TV), "Manipulating a piece of equipment is the easiest thing I can teach." Boy, does the corps need that right about now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000Cadet Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Sorry to see both Patrick Duncan and Bruno Zuccala won't be returning. Classy guys each, they provided example, leadership and insight for a great corps looking to field for its 82nd year. No, actually 4 of last years staff is returning, including his daughter, in hopes of keeping vets I'm sure (who are probably not happy about Bruno and the other staff being let go). Plus it seems like several people that have been with Kristy Templin for years. I certainly hope that they have the expertise for this level. This isn't high school. Reading the bios, I'm not so sure. Last year when I heard that Bruno Zuccala was being added to the staff, I was pretty excited based on what he did for the Cavies when he was there. I was disappointed with the way the Cadets guard was ripped apart so obviously this change was coming. Let's hope this a better Cadets guard make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandandl Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 (edited) Last year when I heard that Bruno Zuccala was being added to the staff, I was pretty excited based on what he did for the Cavies when he was there. I was disappointed with the way the Cadets guard was ripped apart so obviously this change was coming. Let's hope this a better Cadets guard make. Bruno picked up the guard job mid season when Eric Babula stepped out for academic reasons. Bruno has been travelling with Cadets for 5 seasons, not just last year. My sense from MMs, faculty (who will remain anonymous for obvious reasons), volunteers, etc. is that the Bruno loss is felt two ways: to the brassline and percussion, they feel he was a great defender of corps members going to bat for them in the face of George. They liked the way he ran the corps when Hopkins was jetsetting. For many he was a type of father figure, something Hopkins would like to be but wasn't; many wondered if Hopkins could even match their name and face without looking at a cheat sheet or financial page. to the guard folk, all of the above plus. They feel he is getting the unfair blame for the lack of development in the guard which also hinged on show design, uniform selections and changes, and working with a staff that someone else chose before he picked up the slack. Now granted, how one works with a coed guard outdoors is different from how one is effective with an all male guard (just think of dance and movement particularly since Cavies try to present themselves as macho and not ballet artists.) Few express feelings that no changes were needed but few inside feel he is to blame. All this coming (and viz staff announcements as hinted by Tobias as well) before auditions and first camp, it seems that vet retention will be a key factor in maintaining greatness of last few seasons' brass and drums in addition to what show design might be. Edited September 30, 2015 by xandandl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000Cadet Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Bruno picked up the guard job mid season when Eric Babula stepped out for academic reasons. Bruno has been travelling with Cadets for 5 seasons, not just last year. My sense from MMs, faculty (who will remain anonymous for obvious reasons), volunteers, etc. is that the Bruno loss is felt two ways: to the brassline and percussion, they feel he was a great defender of corps members going to bat for them in the face of George. They liked the way he ran the corps when Hopkins was jetsetting. For many he was a type of father figure, something Hopkins would like to be but wasn't; many wondered if Hopkins could even match their name and face without looking at a cheat sheet or financial page. to the guard folk, all of the above plus. They feel he is getting the unfair blame for the lack of development in the guard which also hinged on show design, uniform selections and changes, and working with a staff that someone else chose before he picked up the slack. Now granted, how one works with a coed guard outdoors is different from how one is effective with an all male guard (just think of dance and movement particularly since Cavies try to present themselves as macho and not ballet artists.) Few express feelings that no changes were needed but few inside feel he is to blame. All this coming (and viz staff announcements as hinted by Tobias as well) before auditions and first camp, it seems that vet retention will be a key factor in maintaining greatness of last few seasons' brass and drums in addition to what show design might be. I didn't realize Bruno had been with Cadets for that long. I also didn't realize he played a bigger role with the corps as you described. I would imagine that this is a big loss given your description. I do not recall how many age-outs Cadets had this past season, but I am hoping a lot of vets return and I am hoping for a show that keeps rising up the ranks instead of getting "stale" I guess I would say. I haven't been on facebook in a couple months so I do not know what GH or anyone else involved with the Cadets have been posting as of late, but eventually I will get back on specifically to follow what's going on throughout the year. So this forum is my only source of information at this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 The saving grace here is this is happening in September. Last year, guard caption head relinquished his post fairly late in game and Bruno jumped in without the luxury of picking a team etc. Visual has been Cadets Achilles heal for awhile now. Ultimately, kids that want to March in that wonderful brass or percussion line will line up at auditions to do so as long as Colin, Gino and Jay are in place. As far as guard and visual in general, GH will need to fill some pretty big shoes when all the dust settles but this was the area that needed a change anyway so time will tell. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tesmusic Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Sounds to me like the Cadets organization, or maybe it's alumni need to help change the balance of power if it is as bad as some are making it. Back in 2000, the Madison BoD fired Scott Stewart which was not taken well by many alums and others. A successful attempt to vote the board out was made and Scott was reinstated. I'm not suggesting something like that, as it was very ugly and created a lot of bad things for quite some time, but if things are as strained as some are suggesting, is it maybe time to take some power from GH? Is it even possible with the way the organization is set-up? Just some thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillis35 Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 I wouldn't get carried away with rumors, etc. I'm sure people have heard all kinds of things, but I'm also sure there is more to the story than what gets reported. Despite the constant rumors of GH being a rather feisty guy, and quite picky about certain things, the Cadets have been very well run for decades. Amidst disagreements and arguments and occasional staff changes, the corps survives and continues to perform brilliantly. Change is bound to happen, even when it's not a pretty change. I've always said that competitive drum corps can be a volatile activity where opinions and methods get tested and ruffled over the course of a season. Instructors have egos. Caption heads have egos. Techs have egos. Directors have egos. Fans and alumni have egos. Imagine trying to keep all of that together, happy, and in the pursuit of excellence every year, no matter the score or placement? Not to mention all the fund raising and admin work that needs to be done. This is why many directors have left corps, or been let go. It's why some corps have folded or lost key staff and alumni. There is nothing easy about running a modern American drum & bugle corps. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tesmusic Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 I wouldn't get carried away with rumors, etc. I'm sure people have heard all kinds of things, but I'm also sure there is more to the story than what gets reported. Despite the constant rumors of GH being a rather feisty guy, and quite picky about certain things, the Cadets have been very well run for decades. Amidst disagreements and arguments and occasional staff changes, the corps survives and continues to perform brilliantly. Change is bound to happen, even when it's not a pretty change. I've always said that competitive drum corps can be a volatile activity where opinions and methods get tested and ruffled over the course of a season. Instructors have egos. Caption heads have egos. Techs have egos. Directors have egos. Fans and alumni have egos. Imagine trying to keep all of that together, happy, and in the pursuit of excellence every year, no matter the score or placement? Not to mention all the fund raising and admin work that needs to be done. This is why many directors have left corps, or been let go. It's why some corps have folded or lost key staff and alumni. There is nothing easy about running a modern American drum & bugle corps. I'm not suggesting that GH hasn't done positive things for the corps, I'm merely suggesting that if people are this upset and that GH has too much control over all aspects of operations and design, then people should look for options to change things. Also, many "rumors" do in fact have much truth to them and are not simply DCP rumor mills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 (edited) So, his kid was the only member of the guard staff that was retained? I suppose being a Hopkins gives you a free pass to continue on.I grew up as "the boss' son." My father was a pharmacist and owned his own store. If a kid threw up, a common thing in a drug store, my father believed no employee should have to clean it up, so one of his kids had the honor, often me. He felt the same way about cleaning the bathrooms. It was the job of a family member, not an employee. For me, being the boss' child sometimes means vomit and toilet bowls. Well, not exactly. Some of my fondest memories with my Dad were in that drugstore, but before we cry nepotism, bring the director's daughter may not be all it's cracked up to be. Edited September 30, 2015 by Tim K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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