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Cadets 2018


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15 hours ago, FTNK said:

My mom read Hop’s blog (remember that?) when I marched, and was totally disillusioned with his ego, self-righteousness, and inane stream of consciousness posts by the end of the summer. I did not but so much in his FB- from random musings to veiled attacks and rambling, meandering, often bitter Live videos reflects poorly on the organization.

I laughed out loud here at work when you asked if folks remember Hop's blog, it isn't updated very often so I may be the only one who still reads it!    Just three days ago he posted: "$500 K more a year and I get to breath for the first time in 30 years"...

https://yeaguy.wordpress.com/

Hey, you gotta give the guy credit, at least it sounds like he has a plan!  This being said, I don't know that I would have published goal #4 in the "What's in it for me" section, but that is just me.

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4 minutes ago, mkelley said:

I laughed out loud here at work when you asked if folks remember Hop's blog, it isn't updated very often so I may be the only one who still reads it!    Just three days ago he posted: "$500 K more a year and I get to breath for the first time in 30 years"...

https://yeaguy.wordpress.com/

Hey, you gotta give the guy credit, at least it sounds like he has a plan!  This being said, I don't know that I would have published goal #4 in the "What's in it for me" section, but that is just me.

Heh... this line about US Bands:  "And there is mire here. Much more here."

Intentional use of that word... or Freudian-slip typo?   :tongue:

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9 hours ago, FTNK said:

Hmm. Raising half a million a year more than currently in 2 years seems a bit ambitious to say the least.

band income is only going to grow so much at their prices. especially if he keeps creating super events at higher registration fees

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10 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

band income is only going to grow so much at their prices. especially if he keeps creating super events at higher registration fees

I think they will have to continue expanding outside of their current geographical hubs, if they want to grow much more. MD  thru Mass, their original core area, and Texas are quite active. They have isolated shows in other areas,  which I would guess are their baby-steps to expand geographically.

Edited by MikeD
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On 10/5/2017 at 11:49 AM, HockeyDad said:

I'm sure everyone who works at YEA is super impressed to read poor George the martyr wax on about how unappreciated he is and how hard he works for just for the kids. Maybe if he could look beyond his ego and see there are others with actual good ideas more than eager to help, and showed a teeny bit of gratitude, things could be so different in a good way. 

Totally agree. There was a time where I really liked him although I didn't know him personally or professionally.  I just liked the Cadets and because he was the Director I transferred that to him as well.  BUT after the last 5 or 6 years of the Cadets heading in the wrong direction competitively, seeing his posts on FB and hearing stories about how difficult he is to work with (1 person I know well so he is trustworthy), I have lost total respect for him and it's time for him to step down before he runs the organization into the ground.  He has lost touch with how to be competitive in today's drum corps world and he can't keep good staff.  That is a big problem.  No other corps' Directors post on FB in such an unprofessional way. A lot of times you're looking up his nose! LOL

Any way, I really don't care what happens to the Cadets any more. I feel like they are going to go through a rough patch until someone else takes the reins.  Sorry, Cadets.  I am stepping off the band wagon after many years of loving how innovative and strong you were.  I'm glad George took them there but something has happened along the way and I don't believe it's reversible while he's in charge.

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1 hour ago, MikeD said:

I think they will have to continue expanding outside of their current geographical hubs, if they want to grow much more. MD  thru Mass, their original core area, and Texas are quite active. They have isolated shows in other areas,  which I would guess are their baby-steps to expand geographically.

I have some understanding of how YEA bands is necessary to fund Cadets and some understanding of the dwindling adolescent demographics in the Mid-Atlantic and New England States except in immigrant communities who are dealing with larger issues than Friday night American football and Saturday marching bands. That being said, there seems to be a growing sense among Cadets alums that the corps is becoming less and less a priority for the Allentown initiative which comes off as empire building kingdoms with expansions of USbands and C2.

While some may properly speak of the numbers of C2 members moving into The Cadets, the competitive placement of The Cadets has also slipped during those same years. This is not due to the C2 gradutates alone, for certainly they filled out the line when better talent and even vets went elsewhere; their parents have become the volunteer replacements for those the admin burnt out or turned off. But the verve of the administration seems more energized into closer to home part-time ventures like C2-and-drum corps of old without the current pressures of contemporary DCI.

Besides the retirement of fossilized members of the corps administration, an impotent BoD being replaced with a wider, broader and more poignant membership similar to BAC, SCV, BD, and Crown, - will the administration and office of The Cadets have to be separated in fact (although perhaps not yet in checkbook) from the administration of YEA and C2 in order for the Cadets to return to a better competitive stance?  Trying to be all things to all may in fact water everything down to a least common denominator rather than continue to produce the excellence the corps has known in its nearing 90 year history. As DCI World Class competition now sparks more corps who are competitively successful and candidates for medal play, might it be better to focus energies on doing one thing well rather than trying to do everything half well?

I know so much of the answers and good discussion of these questions are tied into one person's dominant personality in the equation, but I believe these questions would still need to be addressed even if that one person died suddenly tonight. Expanded empire building which the poster suggests may not be the best solution for all these questions.

Edited by xandandl
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It's so funny how people are ALWAYS complaining about his posts, complaining about Cadets, yet you're FOLLOWING him as well as Cadets on Facebook and then coming here to complain about it. Don't like it? DON'T FOLLOW HIM and stop whining on this thread about Cadets. Life will go on with you. 

Now that THAT'S out of the way, I don't know what will happen with Cadets in the future but I'll always wish them luck. I may not be as big of a cheerleader as I was in the past, but I always have the best hopes for them. 

 

Edited by 2000Cadet
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6 hours ago, 2000Cadet said:

It's so funny how people are ALWAYS complaining about his posts, complaining about Cadets, yet you're FOLLOWING him as well as Cadets on Facebook and then coming here to complain about it. Don't like it? DON'T FOLLOW HIM and stop whining on this thread about Cadets. Life will go on with you. 

Now that THAT'S out of the way, I don't know what will happen with Cadets in the future but I'll always wish them luck. I may not be as big of a cheerleader as I was in the past, but I always have the best hopes for them. 

 

Don't worry; I will.  I just came to this conclusion recently after this summer.  Just wanted to put it in writing.  I know it doesn't really matter but had to speak my peace. I've been pretty silent about it for a while and just felt like it was time to say something.  That's all.

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