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WOW....thanks Dan!!! Listen folks. I was disappointed with the outcome, not going to lie. We had a great show at finals. So did the Bucs. I left the field, madder than hell. Didn't even stay around to hang with any of my friends, and anyone who came up to me immediately after retreat would not have been able to talk to me. BUT, if you think for one second the Bucs would just lay down and NOT give their best performance of the year on Finals Night, then you do NOT know the true meaning of competition. The Bucs brought their A game that night, as did we, but man.....they had a great show that night. I watched it multiple times on the fan network a couple of days later and could not believe that was the same corps we beat the day before. They were good....REALLY good! And I congratulate each and every member of the Bucs for the way they won. I do not believe they expected to win, but they did. Kudos to them. I can honestly say that I left the field knowing I just gave one the best performances of my life, and I felt really good about it. The crowd loved it too, and THAT is what I do it for. If I happen to win, then great...winning is a Bonus, and I hope everyone understands that.

Well, did you expect him to write a championship-level program for a borderline finalist corps? What a complete disaster that would have been, and an irresponsible one at that. What he did write for Spirit allowed them to be successful. many people around here fail to consider that a really good designer designs for what he was, not what he wishes (or someone else wishes) he had.

agreed. Jamey wasn't given the greatest of concepts the last few years to work with, and often made chicken salad out of chicken ####

I have to say this had really made my morning. I work for a mid-size ($40 million annual) 501©(6) that has a related 501©(3) and we have a few nutjobs like this guy who make it their mission in life to complain that we sould lose our not-for-profit status because we bring in too much revenue. Garfield has summed it up very well - the IRS won't even look at this. I've yet to comment in the 990 threads (again - great analysis Garfield) but my reaction is that Acheson does a good job for the organization and if anything he is under compensated vs industry standards. A little more reserves would be nice ... but I digress. Let us assume for a moment that there is a judging conspiracy. And let us assume for a moment that Cesario has some conflict of interest. Neither of which I beleive, btw. Still ... the IRS won't care. This would be a matter for the DCI Board of Directors to handle according to their bylaws. Paying industry insiders to procide work for the organization is not only common - it is expected. They are called 'subject matter experts' and the organization has a fiduciary duty to spend their money using the best resources in the industry. I've worked in the non-profit industry for 18 years and 990 complaints happen to just about every organization. All (nearly) all of them are as dumb as this one.

How many times did this scenario take place through the years? It is documented that 1972, 1981, 1996 were top stories in this regard....but there were many more. In the late 80's and early 90's there were shows that whomever produced that night better than the other 2 or 3 corps in the same pack would win the show. That is when it was difficult to judge. Look at the battles between Sun and Bush, Sun and Hurcs, Cru and Empire, Steel City and Westshoremen, Empire and Bush, Empire and Brigs, Empire and Cabs, Cabs and Sky, Westshore and Cabs and all of the above on any given year. You walk out of the stadium with no thoughts of talking to anyone from the corps that beat you that wasn't expected, but it doesn't last long. These are competitors. DA Side note...I competed in mini corps this year with a product that was very good. We got beat by a product that was even better. Disappointed? maybe a little. Mad? not at all. My team did the best they could! That is what you are supposed to do at DCA. The best you can do. If you did that, and you had fun, you did DCA correctly!

Not only is it imperative that Kilties decide exactly what they want to be but also decide on what will be the criteria for success. I think that bar has been lowering each year since 2008. And frankly I think its time for new blood from top to bottom. If the intention is competitiveness in DCA Open Class then that goal is not being reached, not for some time. Doing the same thing with the same people is not going to improve that.

AND YOU'D BE WRONG ABOUT THAT! :P

They say the proof is in the pudding so I guess we'll know next summer. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt until I see what they do. (Not that my opinion matters anyway, LOL.)

First off, I loved marching in the three corps I marched with starting at age 10 1/2 in 1964, ending with Garfield in 72, followed by teaching and judging in the GSC mid/late 70's. That being said...no, I abslolutely disagree with the title of the thread. The 70's are when drum corps changed a lot...as society itself changed. I recall pushing one of our busses up a hill in Georgia on the way to Miami in 1971 to play a Dolphin/49'er ex football halftime, before going over to Dallas for VFW Nats.We would pull into a fast food area that had multiple fast food joints for our meals mushc of the time. Liabilty insurance? Not that I ever knew of. Yes, I loved it...but if I had the opportunity to be a Cadet today...I'd do it in a minute. Or a MM of Crown, or BK, or...the members today are having an incredible experience, IMO, as are the members of the audience who get to see the incredible shows performed by amazing young people.

And there's the quixotic, but endearing, nature of art: that one person can hate it while the next loves it. For I disagree with most of what the prior post says about the 2014 show (except the point that the speed of marching and playing might have been detrimental at times). Vive la différence!!

Winning is the bonus...well said Frank.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Like all of your fans and my fellow alumni, I fully expected to enjoy watching you in this year's DCA Finals. When that did not materialize, I was disappointed, just like you. But there is something you must understand. There was a time when all the great drum corps were in the same position: The Buccaneers, Cabs, Blue Devils, Santa Clara, Cadets...all of them. The ones who eventually became champions all have something in common. Like prize fighters who are knocked down, they get up off the canvas and back into the ring. No one ever succeeded by giving up. It's called paying dues. The judges are not incompetent, nor are they dishonest or unfair. All of them are experts of whose resumes you should be in awe. They have marched in and taught National Champions. Nor is the management of DCA arranged against any corps. They want you to succeed. You had the best corps in years and performed well. It was close, but a couple of your competitors edged ahead that afternoon. The professional response is to tip your hat to them and say, “Congratulations. We'll see you next year.” No one ever succeeded by quitting. (If Winston Churchill had done so in WWII, this letter would be written in German, and all drum corps would be carrying flags with swastikas on them.) If you really want to be worthy to carry on the tradition of the Orange and Blue, you must double down on your determination and return with enthusiasm this coming season. That is what we did back in the day when these things happened. That is why there is a Sunrisers corps for you to belong to now. That's where the DCA and National Championships came from. Your staff is replete with Hall of Fame members and champions (not everyone can say that). If you make a commitment, they will take you higher. You have made real progress. Seize that opportunity and take the next step. Fond regards, Frank Dorritie Sunrisers 1963-73 Instructor/Arranger: Sunrisers Garfield Cadets Blue Devils Santa Clara Vanguard Cavaliers Madison Scouts Bluecoats...etc Member: Sunrisers Hall of Fame Buglers Hall of Fame World Drum Corps Hall of Fame 8- time DCA I&E Champion

I'm with Ray and Mike here. The 70s were a great era for drum corps... but IMO... and for many of the reasons that have been stated... it's better, overall, now. That includes the general care, feeding, and well-being of the members. For one thing... today, there are few "McDonald's stops" for a full-course meal. LOL.

Oh GOODY! Playmates! (And No, not that kind of Playmates, darn it.)

well anyone with a brain knows Ringo wasn;t a great drummer

gladly. One of his lapdogs is trying to fight his fight for him

WOW! You admitted I'm right. No wonder the rest of my Saturday sucked LOL

I'm not sure where you have seen this "bullying," and it's possible that it is I who have missed it. However, I've seen nothing but good-luck wishes extended to Eleran and his son -- certainly nothing which I would term as "bullying." If it is indeed I who has missed the boat, then you have my apologies.

Or you could just criticize them right away and have new DCP members appear to criticize someone who has been there for years - both through high placement and lower placement years.

And crank call from DCP or anyone else would probably qualify as harrassment more than a FB page.....

No, the 70s were not the last great decade. You are free to feel that it was. Don't be surprised when people, including a 63 year old that started in 1960 and participated in the 70s in DCI doesn't agree.

Doing "Cats" well brings the "putting lipstick on a pig" analogy to mind for me.

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that the people who are the most vociferous and adamant about collusion, score tampering, conspiracy theory, judge incompetency, etc. etc. are never the people that are actually directly involved (members) with the organizations in question? At the same time, the people who ARE directly involved, while being the most competitive, hard core, driven people, with so much seemingly to loose, are the first to extend a hand of congratulations to the organizations that were the source of "controversy" to others. If you haven't already seen it, check out the post that Frank Ponzo (soloist with Cabs) sent Andrea Gwyn (drum major for Bucs) on facebook. Class acts, both of them. Perhaps those participants have a somewhat different perspective? Things that make you go hmmmmm.... Just sayin' Dan

Typically, It's the staff members who can be most effective, in recruiting talent to the program. Casting a wide net is not the solution. Any attempt to turn a program around must follow a well thought out and coordinated plan, that starts with the top of the organization.

I hope they weren't suppose to be locking legs, because I remember commenting at one point how I was happy they got away from that...

Because nothing says visual excellence like Spirit in the last 10 years.

John Blair is the same one who was claiming the Judges Academy was a scam and was posting all over facebook that they were stealing money from people, completely unsubstantiated. To call him a troll would be an understatement.

Yeah, it doesn't matter, corps, band, whatever. It's all just kids getting better, right? And you're right, those band shows are great these days. Those shows... What is the term for those shows again ... oh yeah ... Corps Style! CORPS STYLE! Ha! Eat that, Bandos!!!! Er, I'm ah, sorry, I don't know what came over me, um. sorry...

One of the oldest tenured staff members (Dan Farrell) has a very close friendship with one of the young men that marched a long time with the corps and became a caption head (Josh Scott). Tenured staff member puts a lot of stock in the young man and his decision making and personal/professional friendships with others in the activity. The staff is slowly becoming all of that young man's friends, no matter what point they are in in their professional careers. Basically, one Texas BOA band director is ruining the organization, enabled by someone who wants him to succeed because he is an alumnus of the corps. The old man is blind to the fact that this allegiance is slowly killing the corps competitively and it means that people not well suited for roles are coming on board in droves, because they are his "friends". To compound the issue, the young caption head himself has bigger fish to fry with how the group marches. They march with locked legs, through the hips. Have horrible inconsistency from performer to performer, foot phasing, and a visual vocabulary that is laughable in the activity.

Quite frankly, any of this stuff can happen to any team. Check out USC this week versus Boston College after beating Standford. Let's see how Boston College does down the line... South Carolina Beat Georgia, but Lost Against A&M. Georgia spanked Clemson, let's see how things go with Clemson against South Carolina at the end of the Season.... College football scores aren't cut and dry based on rankings. That's why they play the games. Ohio State is trying to adjust to losing their Heisman Candidate Quarterback for the season by using a freshman quarterback. But have fun with the jeering!

Inept administration? I don't think that is hard to figure out with any business. Problems can almost always be traced to the top.

Sometimes it is not just about others giving you crap but all to do with just the age thing. Remember a kid of 14 is or can be in a very different world from a 16 or 17 year old. At least in their own minds. There are many winter programs ( mostly world class ), no matter the talent, that won't take anyone under 18 for many many reason. I'm sure your son will look at what is comfortable . Yep , back on topic

Don't open that box, Pandora.

A few "Surf grandparents" stayed at the same hotel I did in Indy a couple of years back. They claimed that older kids looking out for younger ones was a priority for marching members, and this is what I've observed when watching them, albeit in a very limited manner. Also looking out for the best interest of others is very "Bob Jacobs" so Surf is a great option, though BAC has young members too (not as many young members as Surf) and I know BAC provides an excellent atmosphere for members.

People like me? I spelled a name wrong. Stop the presses. Meanwhile we have you who feel so self righteous as to write a whole paragraph over a misspelling? Classic. And Sad.

not true that Pioneer has more talent in the brass line. Maybe percussion, Jeff, but the Kilts brass line is very talented. That being said, I think I could help the Kilties. DA

The nature of his allegations is very clear in the wording he used in his filing. Applying snap validity is potentially equally as damaging as applying snap conclusions.

Who is this John T Blair guy anyway? Mr. Acheson doesn't owe him any answers whatsoever. Sounds like a true D-bag with a chip on his shoulder. He should officially get a life. Edited to please Brasso who knows all. LOL! I spelled a name wrong - geesh.

Cesario was secretly instructing visual judges to reward corps whose drill regularly moved back and to the left.

well there you have it. it's all a conspiracy.

Someone didn't a get bath in chocolate???

Punching myself in the balls with a handful of scorpions is funnier than the drum corps memes page

While I'm sure it was a very nice presentation, it could have been enjoyed by many more fans if it had even been MENTIONED over the PA, at least even once, at the stadium. Throughout prelims, Alumni Spectacular, and Finals, there was absolutely NOTHING about it, what it was or where it was by either the announcers, a poster or two in the souvie area, or on the stadium screen. To be honest, I had completely forgotten about it but at least the mention of it and where it was, would have probably motivated me to visit.

Bill, as Executive Director, do you have any comment/enlightenment/corrections on what I wrote above? Any official statement on 2014 or the historical aspects of what I said?

Love this post.

I did too - but there is definitely something of the "Romulan Admiralty" about them

'95 Madison should have at least placed higher than they did. That show was on FIRE!

My kid is busy memorizing his book for HS marching band, which for him starts Thursday. But in between, he's still noodling over his list of where to audition in November/December, re-watching prior years' shows, etc. Ah, the energy of youth!!!

Absolutely meant in fun, "on any given night...", etc.

Nah, I'm just tired of seeing the same old stuff.