Leaderboard

Hey battery folk, all those hours you spend every week working details, so that you're not just clean from the stands, but clean under a microscope? Forget it, no one will be there to reward that level of detail. Now get back to working on your pliés!

Probably Crown. They always seem to be ahead of the curve on trends that I absolutely hate. 😑

so you're anti-trampoline? But look how much fun!

<DCI changes safety rule after an incident> “Boo! Why didn’t they think of this before something happened?!?” <DCI changes safety rule before an incident happens> “Boo! Why are they changing it when nothing has happened?!?” Mike

Sad to lose a Corps. The Oregon Cru once had so much promise too. But they let it all slip away by mistreating MM's and junior staffers, and it ultimately became their undoing. ' Lesson here for other Corps, imo.

In the winter we dream In the spring we hope In July we adjust to reality as it sets in... In September we recover Rinse & Repeat

Good. Field judges are a visual distraction, a danger to themselves and others, and are unavoidably going to miss aspects of the performance that they really ought to be paying attention to. If you can't tell the difference in execution from the sideline, you can't tell the difference from the stands, and what it sounds like in the stands is what actually matters.

typically people who comment on how "stupid everyone else is" win

Well maybe now the kids and former staffs concerns will be addressed. It was well known right after finals the staff was gone and kids weren’t returning.

Delighted! Should have happened decades ago as soon as drill sped up in the 80s

Maybe those instructors should consider that there are waaaaaaaaaaay more corps members who are injured because of excessively intense rehearsals, and being expected to tough it out when there is an abnormal pain that needs to be addressed, than there are because of unaware field judges.

Enough! Make your own topic. Moderators please this has nothing to do with the topic!

Thanks, he landed in BK. Amazing how quickly lists get passed around between corps.

Still, that would be a torts case separate from the criminal case. But, if it happens, it will be AFTER the criminal case is complete. It will have a separate judge, jury, and rules of evidence - I believe the torts are settled on 'preponderance of the evidence' vs 'reasonable doubt' used in the criminal trial. There is no way that the prosecutor wants the liability evidence mixed into the criminal trial - that is a recipe for a mistrial, perhaps leading to a dismissal with prejudice. Example - OJ Simpson was acquitted in the criminal case, but afterward lost big-time in lawsuit brought by the Goldman family. The only income stream left to him was his NFL pension.

ouch. Hopefully this is a painful "lesson learned" and the organization can make the tough changes needed to recover

Stop being silly BigW!

As I said... I think they've been lucky the "Big One" hasn't happened yet and they know it. Ever been out there in the trenches? A lack of situational awareness for 2 seconds can get someone hit- or create a situation where the audience pays more attention to that than the performance. The other issue becomes, how much is one trying to survive out there and not get run over rather than actually observing, listening, and evaluating. It's been part of the game for decades. Do things to force the adjudicator out of the area then complain they're not deep enough to suit you. Better training isn't going to help. The DCI people have extensive experience, they know how to get out of the way and how to move as best they can. The kids know to alter or yell if they sense a collision or get out the stiff arm (My HS kids were trained in the stiff arm just in case...). It just may not be enough anymore.

in reality there are very few collisions, but in the last few years, one judge in particular pays no attention to his environmental surroundings, and as a result, it really amplified the call to move the percussion judge off of the field. But at field level, you'll still hear better in a dome than you would upstairs. I guess we will have to see how it works, because they could always change their minds if it turns out to be a flop.

If anyone else loses a drum at Finals, Alan K will not be able to save the day.

I am going to the Atlanta show. This will be a first time for me and the first time with an entire field lineup in probably 25 years.

Not exactly HS driving it, Drum corps people changed the narrative in HS band and now it floats back and forth. Same people, same designers, same judges etc etc in many cases

I'm going to duck that question and wait for the next one.

they found a way to make music matter less i'm sad

That was the first DCI show the Guardsmen won. We were in an accident on the way into town the night before. I had one hell of a shiner marching that show.

She sounds like a keeper!

I know dreaming music gets treated the same as visual is a pipe dream

I never said they wouldn't be adjudicated. How about we just start considering the entire sheet more holistically instead of just chastising the 2nd snare on the right because his grace not was 1/2" too high? I think the term on the judges sheet is something close to "rhythmic clarity". You can still judge rhythmic clarity from the front of the field without having your nose buried in the snare line while you probably miss something the tenors are doing 15 yards away.

We can have a full retreat at finals and give it out. "And with a score of 99.325...Dullard Of The Year...."

Hopkins apparently has god complex - he will never find fault in himself. "She was interested" etc is what he probably believes His post using his adult daughter as a "prop" is about as narcissistic as him suddenly "finding god" It's all so classic god complex it isn't funny. God complex: A god complex is an unshakable belief characterized by consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility. Narcissistic complex: Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder with a long-term pattern of abnormal behavior characterized by exaggerated feelings of self-importance, excessive need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. JMO - as I'm not a doctor. Just seems very obvious - he will NOT admit any fault IMO

Drill watered down? Isn't it watered down, already? The shows are all about staging now. There aren't too many corps left, anymore, that use the entire field with formations and running around at MACH 3.

Man... we could be the MST3K of drum corps commentary!!!

Yep. Even as a field percussionist (there...I didn't say drummer for once,) I still like the change if it will keep the MM's (and judges) safer. I think you're correct in that we've been lucky that it wasn't an incident resulting in injury that forced this to come into being. Folks are going to complain, but for one, I would rather hear complaints about it this way than hearing complaints about "why didn't we do something about this before x happened," any day. At that point, the pitchforks come out and things just get messy and confusing.

I think this is stupid The idea that the judges were right there was a motivation to max out technique How are judges supposed to move when the sidelines are already piled with so much junk, wires, etc?

Prediction concerning future DCI battery books: innovative hybrid fusion type writing when near front sideline, simple BOA accent-tap type writing midfield back. Why write-clean the innovative cool-dog stuff if it cannot be appreciated?

In that case, might I recommend for the sideline judges for a slow , pedestrian stroll something that has flair, pizazz, and moves to the beat of the music as they move on down the line. I don't want the stroll to be too pedestrian. How would this work ?

Stage battery up front during the drum break. No biggie. I always thought it was silly how the percussion judge had to run back and forth between the battery and the pit. This doesn't change visual and brass judging much.

Well, unanimous except for Pioneer, right? I assume Blenski wasn't in the room? Shades of this if he were: (Yes, I mean that only metaphorically.) (Best movie of 2018, by the way.)

You're probably right, BUT this is basically another way in which the visual aspect of drum corps has surplanted the musical aspect.

DCI/Flo licensed the mechanical rights from the copyright holders, which does NOT include freely posting them on the web (e.g. Youtube). They must show they are actively policing places on the web to uphold the rights of the copyright holders in order to maintain those rights and acquire them in future years.

"We do not represent any opinions other than our own and represent no other organizations but ourselves. That being said, pass that bottle and let's see that first corps!"

I can appreciate those fans that still want their judges to be as close to the MM's they are judging as possible, especially in the execution oriented captions. That said, if we watch ( for example) the on field Percussion judges, most of the time, they are seen running, weaving,. dodging, with them looking left, right, behind, to make sure they are not about to be run over by MM's in visual moves all around them. How much REAL concentrated observance of the percussion playing is really be taking place, when that judge's concentration levels to that is certainly being heavily distracted ? Just for the heck of it, watch ( for example ) Jeff Prosperie judging Percussion of any Corps on Youtube. Holy Mackeral. He's seen most of the time, running, weaving, dodging, full speed like a maniac out there. Is he going to be compromised in his observance skills of the Percussion sections if he's put on the sidelines where he can better concentrate on the task he has been assigned ? I don't think so. His observation abilities might actually be better enhanced if anything, imo..

Or they could focus on both like they are doing at these meetings!

Unanimous vote by the instructors for this! More progress towards safety!

A judge on the track should not be evaluating balance.

It's not the end of the world. But I'm not thrilled with it. Outdoors is one thing. But I've witnessed countless shows at LOS from the field front sideline. Reading the battery once they get behind the front hash will not be happening. It's unfortunate that their visual presentation becomes compulsory, but the decision is not about me.

As we have seen for years visual will do what it wants to do, and music will be an unequal partner

But it still gets scored, so to be competitive, they will have to find ways to be excellent that can be perceived from more than a few feet away.

I don't see that happening. The judge will have to make sure they are placed to hear every section appropriately...sampling everybody...during the show. They can and will move around as needed along the sideline to get a good vantage point. Some of the band circuits have been judging this way for years without issue, and I believe DCA as well implemented this a few years ago. The fact that the instructors voted this unanimously points to it being a good idea....I have thought this should have happened years ago.

I wouldn't say terrible. It's one of the HARDEST books ever written, front to back. Their 4th place Brass score (remember: FIRST place in GE Music) was akin to the early Cavalier wins. Low brass performance, high GE, etc. Now, 1989 Cadets? Terrible. And the book wasn't nearly as rough.

Great pickup! She has done great work with SCV!