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Does anyone else remember last year at this time when Boston was being as stoic as they are now...and some dcpers were nevertheless insisting that BAC couldn't possibly live up to "all the hype"? (And all they had done was announce staff...) Yes, BAC might finish a place or two higher, etc etc etc. Can't wait to get to Vermont next month......

I voted no, for a few reasons that have a lot to do with having hindsight as 20/20 after my kid marched 7 seasons. For many reasons, when he was still marching, this was the ONE corps that was a no from us parents for him to march at, particularly while he was underage, due to many things we'd heard from verifiable sources (staff, kids who marched there) that were for sure just not a good fit for my kiddo. Not every corps is for every kid. There were other personal reasons as well that yes, did have to do with the leadership of that corps. I won't go into that here, but it seems that my intuition was right. If I had it to do over and this had happened AND my kiddo were an adult, then no, I don't suppose there'd be anything I could do to stop them from marching there if it were his heart's desire - nor would I want to. As a parent of a minor though, I'd have some concerns over this season for sure, and I think that's fair under the circumstances. I wish nothing but the very best for the staff and MMs of the Cadets organization and hope they can recover from this swiftly.

That's certainly reasonable. That's complete BULL. It's perfectly fine for him to come on here and insult those who have had anything to do with Cadets but we have no right to call him on what he is portraying? Screw that. He has no right to imply that those of us who have had any connection with Cadets are complicit to that behavior, and anyone who believes that he is right with that opinion is misguided. If you think it's fine to comment on his "substance", then you should also agree that he should STICK to a substantive argument and not hurl insults either.

Actually i get it far more than you will ever understand, or take the time to actually bother to understand. you can check here and RAMD....there has never been a day where I have supported George Hopkins. I have always felt he was slime. Trust me, when my corps was dying, and someone reached out to him for a simple answer to a question, he immediately tried to angle it to get invited to come and "guide us through the rough times".....aka take over, like he did to Sunrisers, which led them to several years of inactivity. I can name names of kids he played his mental games on. I know former employees he treated like absolute dog ####.and I am far from a borg, as i've had dozens of battles on here with them. what I didn't know was that he was a rapist. at least that we have heard so far, he hasn't done anything to underage women since the early 80's. Wouldn't be surprised now if he did, but we don't have confirmed proof of that. But yet, even if some days kids skipped showers, or missed a meal, thats not abuse. Bad leadership? Sure as hell is, and IMO, ground for termination. But the word abuse in how the kids were treated day to day on tour is way over reaching, even for you. because no offense, I know of worse stories in terms of food, sleep etc from other corps you kiss their ##### on here. but befre you over reach, or assign labels to people, know a little more before you type. you'll look less foolish and your message may be better received.

That GH was terrible to work for is the worst kept secret in DCI. I don't think anyone who knows anyone who ever worked for him was under any illusions otherwise. The board didn't give a #### though so there wasn't much that could be done. What should have been done differently by your average DCPer?

it was moved up because many college move ins were the week after DCI finals....which is a weekend proposed in the original post. Please don't take me saying this that i'm opposed to moving off of Labor Day, I'm not if it makes sense. Just stating that DCi moved for a reason that runs into one of the ideas here. shortening shows IMO isn't a fix that will help. Corps being prepared sooner is the key and not trying to be DCI lite visually on a weekend schedule.

I completely disagree with this assertion. Cowtown has been posting over and over using language that is absolutely intended to get a rise out of Cadet alums. Like bear-bating, IMO. He is using vitriolic language to inflame the passions of those who have marched with the Cadets, and then accuses them of being "Borg" and other connotations when they fight back to defend their own personal history. He is writing that the Cadet culture and history enabled Hopkins to do what he did, a ludicrous assertion IMO. Many Cadet alums, part of the culture and history, actually have despised Hopkins for years and years. I can't think of one alum who would condone the awful things Hopkins did to those poor women in secret.

raping a woman in a hotel or a private residence is absolutely criminal. However, with the actual corps itself, it does not create a culture of abuse.An organization cant patrol the directors home at night, or a hotel. Do I wish these women had come forward sooner? Yes, I am sure we all do. But it wasn't a culture. it was one person abusing females.To call it a culture is an insult to the thousands of kids, possibly hundreds of staff and volunteers of with the corps that had no idea he was a rapist. A$$hole? Miserable boss? yes. rapist no.

We are currently sitting at around 46-52 brass for the season. I expect that we'll end up around 48 for the summer. A big improvement from 28 from last year. Thank you all for the support. Our students appreciate it!!!

I'm not reinventing the wheel here folks, just throwing out some things I've seen elsewhere. With the loss of Minnesota Brass for the upcoming season, and with Kilties, Alliance and Exelsior not performing, to name a few, DCA, while still more stable as far as number of corps compared to say 20 years, will see less folks on the field this year. There were 13 open class corps last year, of which Minnesota Brass and Kidsgrove won't be returning. If any of the other 11 were to say, drop to A Class, or god forbid not make the competition field, Finals in Open would be set at 10 corps. The complaints of many organizations are valid. Indoor programs have become bigger and go later which hampers recruiting and attendance for DCA corps. The struggle of attendance for Labor Day weekend is a tough one as college and high school organizations are becoming less cooperative with allowing their members to miss, which forces kids to make tough decisions. So, the discusson I am trying to start has a few moving parts I've read elsewhere, but will try to lump together. Putting together a quality early season product is becoming harder and harder, so here are some talking points to consider for DCA. The two main ideas are: 1. Shorten the DCA show itself. Instead of a 10 minute minimum-12 minute maximum, lower to an 8 minute minimum, 10 minute maximum. The opportunity to polish things sooner would be a positive here. 2. Shorten the DCA season. Move Championships to the third weekend of August, or the week after DCI. This would allow students with school conflicts the week before and of Labor Day to have that flexibility. Discuss.

Cincinnati Tradition (CT) does back ground checks on members, staff and volunteers. The Director is a retired Cincinnati police officer. As a donor and advisor to CT, I assure you that a policy of no tolerance is in place.

This makes more than a little sense, but MBI made DCA finals for 29 straight years. A lot of corps would love to be that "untenable".

No, I am not comparing Cadet behavior to that. I am saying that is what he is doing, just to get some sort of rise out of people. True, nobody has to respond to him, but if he is attacking something they hold dear, the desire to respond is there. Human nature. i am not adding to his case at all. Alumni of any corps with a long and storied history might respond when attacked in such a manner. Look at some of the Scouts threads, for example. We will agree to disagree on the last portion of your post. Society in general has given predators the ability to do what Hopkins, Weinstein, Cosby, etc, have done over time...and gotten away with forever. Just look at "casting couch'" stories going back a century...some of the biggest names in film, for instance. Hopefully that behavior can become a thing of the past, as a bright light shines on these monsters.

FYI, the 2018 DCI schedule is now available within the app (corps repertoire data is not available yet but will be ready in time for the season). We will be releasing an update to the app in the coming weeks with some further improvements for the 2018 season.

I'm liking the music choices this year! I think it's going to be good year

Cincinnati Tradition (CT) absolutely has a policy in place.

What about pretty uniforms ?

For sure! Very disappointed by how one of the groups has/hasn't handled this.....that was the point of my post. I think you took it the wrong way.

I've shared my thoughts on this elsewhere.... in my perfect world, DCA/all-age corps would focus more on staging and music support, and and less on sheer physical demand/high-speed visuals. The touring DCI corps have much more time to rehearse, and clean, those high-demand visual programs. I would leave that stuff to them. But, on the other hand, as Big W has said... the Buccaneers have managed to pull off a well-staged and physically demanding visual program for a while now. Whether more DCA corps can handle that, on a sustainable basis... I don't know for sure. Then again, In recent years I've noticed that a number of DCI corps seem to be changing their emphasis from "run and gun" visuals to better staging, use of body movement, and so forth. So... bottom line, I don't know.

Look harder cause I know I’ve made them

I was caught off guard too— that was an amazing improvement for just one year’s time. (It gives me hope that Regiment could turn things around as well.) It’d be pretty cool to see them bust into the top three this year. I’m really itching for some shakeups at the top but those corps aren’t going to make it easy for anyone to knock them off the pedestals.

That's an interesting thought. In DCI, the minimum time for Open Class is shorter than the minimum time for World Class.

I have no beef with the shorter program. But... as Jeff intimated, will it mean designers try and pack 20 pounds of potatoes into a 5 pound sack? There may have to be some re-thoughts on what DCA looks for in design. That being said, some manage to get things done, others do not. Go to three classes... one having less visual challenge? Don't know. Shortening the A class minimum time, I think would be good.They seem to operate on a more restricted rehearsal schedule than do the big Opens.

If I had said that I knew a YEA employee that GH sexually harassed before this all hit, and I indeed do, a lot of people would have came down on me like a ton of bricks. There would have been a lot of: "You're just saying that to discredit and slander GH! Name your sources! You're making this up! You rotten Cadet H8ter! You have an agenda!" The mods would also have had words with me, I'm certain. So I sat on it. And yes, several of us tried to say to people seeking employment there that GH's treatment of employees at YEA was less than stellar- (the sexual issues were unknown, that wasn't why we spoke up), that everyone we knew lasted less than a year- something wasn't right there. It's been mentioned on several others posts and related threads the common thread of just about everyone who took a job there who was warned- '...opportunity of a lifetime'. 'I'll make a difference'. 'It won't happen to me'. A lot of very sincere enthusiasm for the YEA mission that was really misplaced and not their fault, now those that tried to warn them, either. My first full time teaching job was inner-city. I thought I too would make a difference and survive. I was one of 6 directors in 5 years. I at least made it through the year, then left. The replacement for me lasted 2 weeks and ran out the door when he got another offer. And, it left me pretty bitter. It wasn't the kids, it was because of an utterly inept, idiotic (I could go on with it but will not) administration who placed other priorities instead of education ahead of it. So, I know what happened with these people and feel for them.

Well gosh, you reckon it's 'cause reasonable, fair minded people are less likely to pass judgement on things they haven't actually witnessed?

He’s banished.

Breaking it down, phrase by phrase: Never said his posts are perfectly fine. No. As I said, you have every right to respond, and options on how/when to do it. I am only giving a suggestion on how to choose. Actually, he has a "right" to imply anything that stays within DCP guidelines. He has the right to be wrong, ultimately. ... if/when you think there is something substantive to comment on... otherwise, why bother? That is what I have been telling him in my posts. Agreed.

IF this was to ever happen (this has been discussed several times over the last several years), DCA corps and DCI Open Class should at least be the same. A plus would be to combine schedules and have a lot more shows. DCA shows could be combined with some Open Class touring shows. If the DCA corps want to tour, they can with the Open Class Tour. This year there are some Open Class shows with only 4 corps competing. DCA could keep their championships but offer more performance possibilities to their members. Just a thought.

"I am the captain now!"

many band circuits allow students in the same district to be in the band of a different high school in the district if their home school doesn't have one.

band doesnt bring in money. football does. and state tests dont count band towards he results that get tax dollars

Teal Sound needs to look in the mirror and see what took them down. Not just a big bus bill. they need to examine the books....what they spent, what they had in the bank, what kind f capital programs they had, what kind of revenues they had. They need to have their financial #### in serious order before even calling Indy and asking to be evaluated.

Fantastic news...It would be great to see and hear a larger brass line from Pioneer this summer. Best of summer's success to your Corps.

Maybe. I still think the growth in the numbers of groups, participants will be found in WGI over the next 25 years, not with wholly non scholastic DCI Corps that compete in outdoor football stadiums in the summer months. I really don't envision too many additions to the large and expensive groups that compete in World Class Division of DCI anyway. The trend line there is mostly flat lined for growth the last decade. Add one new Corps to that Division, but lose another Corps to the wayside. WGI, by contrast, is adding new groups, ( both scholastic and otherwise ) new divisions, new participants, new instrumentations, new lighting, new sound, new technologies, new fans etc by leaps and bounds the last decade. 'Don't see anything about to stop that accelerating upward growth on the horizon either. Things change. Do they ever.

I voted "No" for the short term. There were definitely people within the organization that knew what was going on and they looked the other way. Until everything is sorted out and all the bad weeds removed, I would not allow, well, "pay" for my kid to march with the organization. That trust would have to be earned again.

Nah, he's a troll. He uses the DCP approved list of personal insults that won't get him banned to get a rise out of people and then acts surprised when people aren't respectful to him. Even if he is a true believer in the things he says for all intents and purposes he's just a troll.

He's many things. He's not a troll, however.

You just sound like someone who was probably cut by Cadets and now you're holding a grudge and calling names to every and anyone who has either marched, supported or been a fan of Cadets. Stop being mad at the world. "It's just marching band, right?"

I know two directors of OC corps and both are aware that some marching members want what Open Class offers: a solid drum corps experience that is less costly and not as intensive (tour, time commitment , etc) as WC, and others are marching hoping to get experience so they can march in a WC corps. Departures for the “bigger stage” are expected. I’ve been told the biggest recruitment challenges some OC corps face is a belief it’s “drum corps lite” and when the kids realize the work involved, they bolt. Also, the OC corps that have moved up to WC have planned on it. What I hope we see is that when one OC corps moves up, another is ready to take its place.

risk taking is the fools way. You do what BD or Boston have done....you build up a solid support system and infrastructure. You find ways and ensembles to help make the organization money. Too many drum corps ran on risk, and where are they now? this isn't Wall Street where risk can be parlayed and losses made up fast.

Roman’s latest Facebook post made me feel all warm and fuzzy. He posted three additional contact numbers because of the expected high volume of attendees at camp this weekend.

Possibly successful in some ways. The micromanaging and running everything with apparently no delegation or backup people is not sign of good management

well i think many have suspicions about the what the guy may have done with the finances

I completely agree that this will likely be a very closely monitored corps and possibly one of the safest for awhile. Having a currently eligible marching member and knowing some who are currently in the Cadets, I can tell you they are commonly called to a corps for reasons much bigger than one person. It's about their own personal mission and how that corps fits in to that mission. It's about a feeling, a dream, a goal, an experience, etc. Some are Cadets because that is what they've always wanted to be - call it their dream corps. Those I've spoken with haven't changed their dream corps, even with all this going on. Quite the opposite actually. They are terrified they may have to walk away and want nothing more than to have a successful season. On the flip side, others are simply not drawn to particular corps, for whatever reason. My particular member had no interest in being a Cadet - it just didn't call to him. He tried a couple different corps and was blessed to be able to choose the one he felt best fit him. It's such a personal experience and I truly hope the current members can continue to push forward and rebuild the true meaning of being a Cadet!

Ohio State was punished far more by both the NCAA and the B1G for tattoos for trinkets. Look it up. PSU had their scholarships restored while Ohio State scholarships were still under suspension. Now they have a full time tattoo person and put them in the Woody Hayes [Athletic Center]. Either way both schools recovered just fine, hopefully so will Cadets. https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2011-12-21/chronology-ohio-state-scandal https://www.newsday.com/sports/college/college-football/ohio-state-gets-bowl-ban-loss-of-scholarships-1.3401982

Many more than you'd imagine. More importantly....the snowball effect this will cause. How many more young men and women will come out...not only from the Cadets organization, but from other organizations. I mean, let's not act like we didn't know this type of behavior went on in this activity.

Was just reading the article, not wanting to be the one who dropped the bomb here on DCP. Shocked, disheartened, sickened.... Doesn't begin to cover it. The ramifications of this....? Jesus.

I love armchair quarterbacks. Maybe you should sign up to help?

Thank you for sharing your opinion. You have to understand that we're in a difficult position as a corps when it comes to hype vs. no hype. We have taken a low key approach in some years on DCP and other outlets. But then we hear from fans, alumni and supporters (often loud & clear) that we should be doing more to hype things up for the upcoming season. At the same time, there's plenty of posts like yours that would tend to suggest that we should be doing the exact opposite. It's that awkward spot between a rock and a hard spot... and we've done a great job as an organization of wedging ourselves in there over the years. When all is said and done, we do our best to communicate what's happening with the corps in a positive manner. At times is there hype or spin? You bet... That's part of marketing/PR for almost any organization or business. At times do we inadvertently "step in it"? Yes, we do. But so do a lot of other businesses & organizations. Feel free to Google "social media fails" for prime examples. In the end - there isn't an exact science to how we (or any other corps) should approach things. Everyone has a different opinion, and I can say with 100% certainty that we will never appease everyone.

C'mon craiga!!! I thought you learned your lesson about not hyping the corps on DCP!!