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This Guardsman has all the right stuff: https://www.today.com/parents/national-guard-member-teaches-kids-while-guarding-capitol-t206013

The person who started this so called organization started out with a twitter account known as DCI F*ckery where they would attack everything including unsubstantiated claims. They also went after a former director over unconfirmed allegations and received a cease and desist letter as a result.

IDK about the funding of MAASIN, but one way organizations fight these-type allegations is to attack the messenger, not address the message. Consider what happened to the coach at Penn State who reported Sandusky.

I thought there was a zero-tolerance policy regarding these behaviors in DCI? This happened in 2017-19. Why did this take 18-42 months (depending on allegation) for this to come out? Apparently it is still not resolved. Wouldn't it have been better if the accusations were made within the last few days, & the Corps were able to post a reply 'Yes, this happened to guard member. Perp was kicked out that day, top leadership reinforced to members that (1) We will not tolerate this, & (2) Support the victim. & similar words, point by point, w/r/t member treatment, sunscreen, food, injuries, etc.' But nope, we get a vaguely worded Hoppy-esque response with the message 'contact out lawyer' at the end (hope they have money in the budget for billable hours) Perception is reality. Either there is a zero-tolerance policy or there isn't. Actions speak louder than words. Bad news never gets better with age. Why can't these people figure this out? Calling Tricia Nadolny

Mod hat here... Please refrain from making personal attacks. State your POV on the topic without resorting to disparaging other DCP members.

This is a great question for those who have been on the scene for a while. Unquestionably there have been those who were "great" in terms of advancing their own corps, and some have already been noted here. But a deeper question is suggested: Who was the greatest in advancing the entire activity? It's hard to top Jim Jones for almost single-handedly modeling the notion that there could be drum corps virtually anywhere; or Mickey Petrone and Lefty Mayer for birthing and sustaining DCA; or the Bernerts for advancing the cause of gender equality. Don Pescione was once a corps director, as was Dan Acheson. They ultimately accomplished great things for all drum corps. Then there are the ones like Jim Latham (Minnisink Warriors), Fr. Wochtecha (St. Vincent's), Art Forcier and Fr. DeProfio (St. Raphael's) and so many others who guided corps in the inner cities at a time when young people there were in desperate need of a positive outlet. (They still are.) It comes down to how one defines greatness. I suspect there is more than one legitimate way and no best answer to this question. Still, let's name all the great ones we can here. They deserve the recognition.

Jones set the prototype for the touring corps ... and his leadership spawned the likes of Emmonds, Meehan and Sanford to travel further West to define the future of corps like Santa Clara and the Blue Devil's ... all paying it forward ...

Could be legal strategy but just adds to the murk in the statement

Thanks I was searching under groups. Been out of FB for a while so relearning edit; after reading about 50 responses just freaking wow....

MAASIN looks like an organization that was formed last year to combat 'malfeasance' in the Marching Arts. They have a web page but also use most SM platforms. (FB, Instagram, & Twitter) One would have to assume the Troopers are referring to them due to the timing & a couple of key statements. Not naming them could also be a legal strategy.

The comments from alumni are under the statement posted on their official public FB page. (Not in a closed Trooper group.) Reading her FB response comments gave me deja vu all over again... 😳 "Been down that road before..."

For those that aren’t aware, there have been a wide range of issues the Troopers have faced the past few years, which have increasingly become more severe. Why was law enforcement not contacted as soon as a member came forward as being sexually assaulted? All Drum corps staff are mandatory reporters. I’m not sure how they will be able to recruit members until this is addressed. Many music teachers were reluctant to recommend them - and now, many are adamant that they will advise their students to avoid the Troopers.

A likely answer to your question lurks in this quote from the MAASIN website: "We checked in with all reporters the Troopers could have reasonably contacted because they were named and found not all had been contacted for an investigation. While we understand that there was no way to contact the anonymous reporters directly, neither the law firm nor Troopers board made any effort to obtain their contact information from us or contact the reporters in any way such as having MAASIN mediate to maintain anonymity." The purpose of having a third party investigate is to maintain anonymity. The MAASIN statement offering themselves as a fourth party implies that third-party investigators cannot be trusted. Is it any wonder these investigations fail to find actionable evidence?

I am also not a fan of the original RoS. I am a fan of BD's interpretation of the jazz version. I see a lot of jazz influence in what they presented. This is the one year I wanted BD to win. I am not generally a BD fan, although there are years that I love. BD's show was quite out there. Sometimes that means they alienate fans. That year they gained one.

That's 90% a good press release. They explain that they know of the allegations, they explain their process for dealing with them; all good. They probably should have mentioned if the investigations had been completed. But I've written enough of these in my day to know they should have taken the shade out of it before hitting the "publish" button. (edited for clarity/brevity) Mike

I think most "whistle blower" programs even require to know the name of the source even though they're not published to the public? I maybe wrong; again. that's why I'm asking. Think it would make a great podcast. I may submit my questions to their social media page. 😅

My 8th grade math teacher was in the National Guard. He would sometimes wear his uniform on Fridays before heading to drill for the weekend. Good guy!

That guy is amazing!

Interesting question. In my own reading of the documents, the sexual misconduct allegation is the main issue that would have a potential legal impact. I am not an attorney, so that is just my take. As for the rest...a lot of it reads as griping by members who were disenchanted with their marching experience. That can happen to anybody for many reasons. For the Troopers, it seems like a "Have you stopped beating your wife" kind of thing. How do they answer griping without giving it credence...really, why would they even try. I don't have the negative feeling about their response others seem to have.

In the world of "social media justice", that's not the standard protocol. They maybe a great organization, but I don't see much evidence of any criminal, legal, or judicial backgrounds on their 'meet the member' page. I'm just asking because I don't know.

Agreed. Hopefully The Troopers get the punishment they deserve.

Shut them down.

Oy very, the published complaints are tough to read...but the response... Not good.

So sad but so true...lol Ive taught some who thinks 2005 is the old days..lol...they don't know what " Old Days are"....but they will..lol

Gunther is spot on. Coz is a fine example. Just consider how many Cabs became instructors and went on to influence a couple of generations of drum corps participants. (D'Amico, Angelica, Hayes, Rodriguez,...et al.) The success and renown of the corps from which they emerged, due in large part to Jimmy's guidance, provided them the street credibility to be "influencers" in their own right.

How can there not be a mention of Jimmy Costello of the Caballeros? His accomplishments of over 25 National Legion/DCA Championships is amazing in any competition based activity, including sports. He also was the training ground for many in the corps who then went on to be successful directors in their own right. I think today's term is 'influencers'. But, if we are to measure success by another dimension, let's consider the effect on the lives of people who played in the Caballeros. He helped many members in their personal, health and business lives for over 50 years. Quietly, without seeking recognition for it and even without drawing attention to the people who needed his help. There is a measure of greatness way beyond the won/loss record in our little corner of the world.

Jim Jones Casper Troopers. Founded a junior corps in the "Middle of Nowhere" and groomrd them into a National Champion.

I think the announcement also said they were switching from Demoulin to Stanbury Uniforms. I doubt they’re using anything in storage. Sounds like they are getting new.

Just reading the corps director's responses on her social media. Her responses are also 'Hop-esque' in style. I really don't see how she survives this debacle. Just waiting for the Max Lucado quotes...

Our horn sargeant had a career-ending hip injury while we were learning drill. Their replacement fell and destroyed their knee. It's only two members, but losing two very experienced leaders, who could help set the tone and culture of the horn line before the season even started was a big blow. Our facilities were poor, just random high schools with chewed-up grass. The rumored (moving) prop arrived, looking ungainly, and immediately needing to be fixed and modified, which continued all season. Our first show, with only 3 movements on the field (no closer), we got an inauspicious 58, 7 full points under the next corps. Everything seemed like a big struggle, the music and drill were very demanding, and it seemed like we weren't making progress. All through the first part of tour, in Toledo and Evansville and Normal etc. - the old Drum Corps Midwest circuit - we seemed to be languishing. In the fifth show of the season, Rockford, we still were stuck at 58 and behind Pioneer in brass. Corps which we had easily beaten in 2004, like Colts and Soutwind, were ahead of us. But it was off the field that things were really bad. It wasn't uncommon for the director to drive the equipment truck semi in a pinch, because we had trouble getting drivers. Our buses were from the early 80s. It was cold (upper midwest in June) and rainy. The overall mood of the corps, from members and staff both, was increasingly frustrated. Things like guard uniforms were long overdue and we were still waiting for them. When they finally came, the director had a fight with the staff over them being "too provocative." In my section specifically (tuba), we didn't have a good visual tech and there were constant attitude issues, people quitting, poor rehearsal technique, not memorizing music, not doing dotbooks, and more season-ending injuries. Inter-section bad blood escalated, as the drumline felt they were "carrying the corps" and the horns/guard weren't working hard enough. Instructors were borrowing money from food truck volunteers because they hadn't been paid. It all kinda came to a head in Ohio around the second week of July. We had a free day at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, but did a little bit of work in the parking lot beforehand. Guard did a technique block, then the guard staff told the guard that they were quitting, got into a friends' car and drove away. One of our trumpets quit because he was being abused by members of the drumline for being overweight. And finally, one of our techs was caught stealing prescription medications from one of the members and locked out of the housing site and sent home (my mom told me later that during pre-season she saw him spiking his fruit drink with vodka before ensemble). The Prop had to be wheeled around, within the drill, by two people in color guard costumes. There were constant problems, people getting run over, etc. No one knew what the giant metal thing was supposed to be or represent. Eventually, a black and silver cloth (which my mom sewed) was added, ideally to make it look like an actual sundial arm, but it just looked like a shark fin. Then, they decided that "icons" showing sunrise, the moon, etc. should also be put on its side to tell the judges what was going on (and tried to guilt my mom into paying for the professional printing). Other memorable fails include: a "design consultant" showing up for one day of tour and wasting the entire visual block trying to add a weird one-count turn to the opener the day of the San Antonio regional; one of our mellophone players just disappearing, never to be seen again, after music block; and being fed cheese and crackers for lunch. One of our euphoniums fell in the shower and broke his shoulder. Our uniforms were never altered, so they got insanely baggy. After SA, we were pretty despondent, being behind Southwind, Cascades, Mandarins, and Colts, and not far above Magic, who were having their own meltdowns. The design staff thought the solution was to add a tag soft ending, representing return to night, and we got as far as handing out the drill sheets before the instructional staff revolted--We couldn't perform what we had as it was! A few days later we had a full-corps "come to Jesus" because everyone was just tired, irritated, and going through the motions. Eventually, "the process" actually did work -- our show was very hard (Bocook and Sacktig, remember) so in the end of the season, when we started to be able to perform it, we came up and finished 15th - one place lower than 2004, but it could have been much worse. Quarterfinals was miserable, a flat show after 1) a kid in my section said something racist to one of our baritone players and started a fight 2) we warmed up and walked to the stadium without any water. Semifinals was better. After our last performance, one of our visual staff said straight out "If you can survive this, you can march anywhere," encouraging us NOT to stay with Capital Regiment. We ended up 13th overall in brass, because Derek Gipson is good. It was a long, frustrating season, but socially the best one for me, as I became close to group of people around me on the bus and we formed our own tight little club to vent our frustration and cope with the BS through humor. I am still in touch with most of them. At finals, my friends and I watched from the upper deck with my mom, and I went down to the lower level to catch Cadets' victory run, knowing that I wanted to be one of them.