Fran Haring Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Great crew at Surf. Like Mike Davis said earlier... Bob Jacobs is a wonderful man and knows his stuff. And the corps members certainly seem to enjoy what they are doing. I don't see the problem here. If DCI is comfortable with them being in World Class... and the corps itself is comfortable with that... then great. End of story. It really is up to those two entities to determine what a "World Class experience" is for the Surf membership, I would think. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 1 hour ago, cixelsyd said: As far as I know, Jersey Surf holds auditions open to people from anywhere in the world, and makes audition selections based on who they believe will be the best performers. They seek to better the competitive aspects of their corps by hiring/retaining the best staff they can hire/retain, providing the best equipment, scheduling the best balance of contests and rehearsal time, and building their financial resources to support all those pursuits. They seek to move as many rungs up the competitive ladder as they possibly can. And so does every other world class corps. So by your definition, they all offer a world class experience. Again, I do love Surf so please do not think I am ragging on them. They are not the Glassmen who put making WC top twelve over finical responsibility then went under; and for that I commend Bob Jacobs. But while any youth of age can audition with Surf, one of the main philosophies of Mr. Jacobs is to ‘target’ local high school aged youth; not for competitive reasons but for local altruistic reasons. Surf even accommodates their move-in rehearsal schedule around the high school academic year. That, in the right context, is also extremely commendable. However, most youth who perform in DCI either have, or develop, the desire to better themselves as performers via competing head-to-head with the best of the best. For that reason it is no wonder many will perform with Surf for one year then audition for a WC corps which ‘targets’ the best of the best university aged youth from around the globe. The Surf philosophy of targeting does make for a great Open Class corps situation; but a World Class corps it does not make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 1 hour ago, cixelsyd said: And Academy is a prime example of how these judgments are in the eye of the beholder. From their inception all the way until 2016, there were naysayers claiming that they were not fully deserving of World Class status for one reason or another. Membership was too local, or too young. Staff were not good enough. When better staff were hired, then they were criticized for lacking staff stability/longevity. They only toured for seven weeks instead of eight. They only spent $800,000 instead of $900,000. They only placed as high as 13th instead of 12th or 11th. Now that they are a DCI finalist, I no longer hear claims that they are not trying hard enough. I, for one, have been extremely impressed with the Academy since their inception. While I was leery about how quickly they made the jump into the WC, my fear was one of possible financial over-reach, Mark Richardson has shown to be a very wise director. The balance they have had between revenue stream and competitive growth has been impressive. Yes the year they trimmed tour for financial responsibility likely prevented them from punching into the top twelve that year; but they have stayed in the financial black and were able to wisely put together a corps which has continued to be top twelve capable finally punching into a Saturday performance. They also seek out the best of the best in the world, both in staff and performers, while keeping an eye on staying in the financial black. And that is a World Class philosophy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trudy Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 20 hours ago, aLittleBird said: If I had to pick the most obvious example-- Surf doesn't start their spring training until several weeks after most other corps because they're primarily geared towards high school students. They intentionally scoop up younger members, start later than everyone else, and have a slightly more relaxed schedule to allow for their kids to experience the places that they go etc etc... It's not designed to be a competitive program, at least not in the sense that the top corps are. It's just a way for high schoolers to get to say they were in DCI World Class, and they do what they do well considering these factors. This almost exactly hits the nail on the head. Surf specifically strives to provide the opportunity to allow members to march a "World Class" corps who wouldn't be able to otherwise march a top 12 corps, whether financially or time commitment wise. Having been connected with the organization for several years I can tell you there are some things they do wonderfully, and some things they struggle with, but the thing they do the best is educate. The staff there are by far some of the best educators in the activity and it is a wonderful place to start off in the drum corps activity. I would bet almost every one of the top 12 corps has former Surf member. So to answer "Why does Surf do so bad?" They don't. They do really well at what they set out to do. By judging them by placement, you're just judging them like judging a fish by how well it can climb a tree. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 (edited) Not sure why Jersey Surf was singled out for this thread, as we could ask these very same OP questions ( if so inclined ) of over 40 other DCI Corps as well. The fact is that the primary mission of the Blue Devils A Corps, is not the primary mission of the Blue Devils B Corps, and neither the Blue Devils A or B Corps missions are the same primary mission as that for the Blue Devils C Corps. We could ask " why is the Blue Devils C Corps so " bad ". ? Its a silly question, and its insulting as well, for those marchers and many staffers who are enriched in all these Corps with their tenures there. Edited March 23, 2017 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 20 minutes ago, trudy said: This almost exactly hits the nail on the head. Surf specifically strives to provide the opportunity to allow members to march a "World Class" corps who wouldn't be able to otherwise march a top 12 corps, whether financially or time commitment wise. If it is as you state, that it is the World Class experience Surf wants to provide to members, the members are not marching with a corps with a WC philosophy that will ever have a chance to provide for the WC experience portion of what you posted in which I highlighted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 26 minutes ago, trudy said: The staff there are by far some of the best educators in the activity and it is a wonderful place to start off in the drum corps activity. I would bet almost every one of the top 12 corps has former Surf member. And this is perfect and wonderful... for an Open Class corps; but not a World Class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Stu said: And this is perfect and wonderful... for an Open Class corps; but not a World Class. That's YOUR opinion ( you're entitled too )... but the Jersey Surf Corps Director, their BOD, their staffers, their volunteers, and their marchers do not agree with you,... nor does even DCI itself agree with you. Edited March 23, 2017 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 31 minutes ago, trudy said: By judging them by placement, you're just judging them like judging a fish by how well it can climb a tree. If the highest division in all the world demands that all are judged on climbing trees, is it wise then for a fish to compete? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 1 minute ago, BRASSO said: That's YOUR opinion ( you're entitled too )... but the Corps staffers, marchers do not agree with you, nor does DCI itself agree with you. I already stated that it is DCI's call. And of course this is my opinion. But please also remember that all that you post is merely your opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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