seen-it-all Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, Stu said: DCI, as in the voting member corps, have recently been attempting to keep this type of thing from happening via better oversight. But how far can, or should, a governing body go into snooping into the books and inner workings of an individual corps? That is the sticky question. Well that's a whole other ball of wax, isn't it? I've always felt that the governing body should be independently operated. The inherent conflicts of interest in regards to how DCI is structured from an organizational and operational standpoint have long been an issue in a variety of ways. This is just another aspect of that which creates those "sticky" situations you so rightly speak of. But that's an entirely different thread. I'll say no more about it and get back to the topic at hand....... Having been part of a corps (as touring staff) who had to fold while on the road due to circumstances similar to what's being described here, I believe you are absolutely right. Most of the items on that list are things that any responsible adult in charge would have clearly seen to be an enormous problem BEFORE going out on the road. At the very least, they would have seen them as enormous red flags that required preparation and readiness for disaster. The old drum corps way of "just duct tape it together, it'll hold" mentality just doesn't cut it anymore. You basically KNOW what your vehicles are capable of before you leave for tour (that goes for kitchen equipment as well!). That doesn't mean the occasional breakdown won't occur, but everything I heard in that video plea leads me to the same conclusions you've reached. This was all avoidable and is far more likely to have been an example of the very spirited attitude of "doing it for the kids" ...no matter how noble a concept that may be... than anything else. Like you, it angers me, probably because I've lived through it a couple times. Nobody wins in these situations. Even if the kids get to finish the tour*, the well has been poisoned IMO. * Having seen the locations of their remaining contests, I have pretty grave concerns Edited July 21, 2017 by seen-it-all 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 Just now, JKT90 said: I agree with you, and your others posts here, was curious if this was coming off tour or going out of business. Gar has whacked me for speculating, but I bet my left n** that it is likely horrible business practice that likely could spell the demise of the corps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 4 hours ago, jwillis35 said: No money, no tour. It's as simple as that. It's unfair for a corps to complete half a season (or more) and then expect the fans to kick in the remainder of the money in an emergency. If this keeps happening it encourages bad financial practices. Suppose that, as I suggested earlier, Legends had done this back in February, that they'd put out a call at that time saying, "We need $100,000 to have a full season." Would you have donated then? As someone else said, would they have fewer dues-paying members now because of that message? Would they be in worse financial shape for having done the "right thing" that way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 2 minutes ago, seen-it-all said: ....The old drum corps way of "just duct tape it together, it'll hold" mentality just doesn't cut it anymore..... The thing is it never even cut it back in the day. There were thousands of corps going in and out of existence every week. Go to the corpsreps website, click on corps names, and see just how many of these thousands of junior corps tried it the duct-tape way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 4 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said: Suppose that, as I suggested earlier, Legends had done this back in February, that they'd put out a call at that time saying, "We need $100,000 to have a full season." Would you have donated then? As someone else said, would they have fewer dues-paying members now because of that message? Would they be in worse financial shape for having done the "right thing" that way? They would likely have been in better financial shape to make all of their decisions based on sound business principles, as opposed to 'we gotta do a tour for the sake of the kids'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 4 hours ago, dcikon2 said: I wonder if the organization has reached out to Kellogg's? Their corporate office is in Battle Creek, which is nearby. There are a few other industries in the area that I feel could be a fit for them. Since the director posted the message on Facebook, I bet all of the parents are aware of the problem. This could impact their membership next year. Agreed on both counts. (1) Legends needs to be seeking lots of support from Michigan corporations and foundations. That's a lot of work though. Someone has to write those grant proposals, so you either need to find a volunteer with those skills or pay someone. Also, corporations and foundations prefer to give to organizations that are already financially stable. Or they will attach strings: Legends might have to give a certain number of scholarships, for example, or specifically recruit in underprivileged communites. (2) This plea is indeed likely to hurt their recruiting. I expect next year, if they're still around, they will scale back their tour and not score as well. Apparently they felt that was a risk worth taking in order to better serve the members now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkippyBiff Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 Curious what a Legend MM pays per season. As a BAC parent, I paid about $3,500 this season and last, plus other expenses I.e. Their trips to, as they say, Wally World (Walmart). It is a financial hardship for many corps members. Of course assistance is available. All that to say, would be a shame to end season early for those MM's with that much financial outlay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 2 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said: Suppose that, as I suggested earlier, Legends had done this back in February, that they'd put out a call at that time saying, "We need $100,000 to have a full season." Would you have donated then? As someone else said, would they have fewer dues-paying members now because of that message? Would they be in worse financial shape for having done the "right thing" that way? None of that matters, when a know-it-all has the opportunity to dance on the grave... no, the ER bed of a corps whose life may be at stake. Tuesday Stu, who was all about "facts" and "truth", and "took time to do some research prior to making any comments" in a thread, has been replaced by Friday Stu, who is so eager to have his I-told-you-so moment that he is actively trying to dissuade people from donating to the corps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 2 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said: Agreed on both counts. (1) Legends needs to be seeking lots of support from Michigan corporations and foundations. That's a lot of work though. Someone has to write those grant proposals, so you either need to find a volunteer with those skills or pay someone. Also, corporations and foundations prefer to give to organizations that are already financially stable. Or they will attach strings: Legends might have to give a certain number of scholarships, for example, or specifically recruit in underprivileged communites. (2) This plea is indeed likely to hurt their recruiting. I expect next year, if they're still around, they will scale back their tour and not score as well. Apparently they felt that was a risk worth taking in order to better serve the members now. (1) Legends needs to immediately cease all operations and make sure the youth get home safely. (2) ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 (edited) 4 minutes ago, cixelsyd said: None of that matters, when a know-it-all has the opportunity to dance on the grave... no, the ER bed of a corps whose life may be at stake. Tuesday Stu, who was all about "facts" and "truth", and "took time to do some research prior to making any comments" in a thread, has been replaced by Friday Stu, who is so eager to have his I-told-you-so moment that he is actively trying to dissuade people from donating to the corps. Tuesday Stu and Friday Stu are one in the same. If facts cannot be garnered during an immediate situation in which kids, or adults for that matter, well-being is at stake, Stu looks out for the immediate well-being of the kids then let the facts sort things out later. Edited July 21, 2017 by Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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