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DCI is already giving me a "server unavailable" when I try to get onto fan network.......here we go again.....

Bst of luck to all you BAC-ers...I would be worried about close quarters with something like that. I think it is pretty easily transmitted. A million years ago, in my high school, we lost like 10 of the brass players (trumpets and trombones) after one of their family members came down with mono and it spread around. Some of those guys were out of school for a month. I would hate to see that take that kind of toll on any corps.

Wow....my favorite post so far this season...of course you may also be insane It is, I believe (embarassed nod to Mr. Hopkins ), true that even at this point any one of us could fairly accurately pick at least nine of the top twelve for finals night, and probably nail four of the top six. I do think your 'picks' are llikely to be accurate, as are the many reasons listed in this thread for the perennial presence of (mostly) the same groups performing under lights at finals. I hope that nobody really got angry because of your "bold prediction"...they have as big a chance of being wrong as you do, but good corps seem to have good performances and get good kids and keep great staffs the next year....and they mostly tend to stay good. That's why I think an 'analysis' like this, where you consider the first two days and then make predictions is not so far off. When it comes time to start the season, some of these corps just start from a stronger position and have the ability to turn that stronger starting position into a strong finish. The fun part (for me) is not watching bd/cavies/cadets...or the like turn in high score night after night(because we still just expect that), it is watching somebody who clearly did not have it in June turn it all around and pull off a great performance later... So who will I root for? ..those guys on the bottom 6 and groups like MS'07 who got reviews that were just terrible in the early days of last year...they never came all the way back up to push the Cadets/BD/Cavies aroung, but it ended up being a good show. Go Underdogs!

...always blows my mind that I can find out reliable info and scores faster by putting my ear to the ground at DCP than from DCI.org....

okay...booing is insensitive when directed at kids who are performing something they love and do well. I will give you this point as an absolute. But things are always getting accomplished by insensitive people... I am neither a Cadets hater, nor a narration lover...there have actually been some really good messages here in this gargantuan thread supporting both sides, I'm not defending or attacking. Questions for you though: Is there another way to effect change or show dissatisfaction? . Perhaps silence? A 'Ghandi' response? Would that even be noticed? How can I make a change in the bod rules committee so that the things I don't like don't become prevalent? . (assuming we ven have the right to expect things to change our way) . Is this one of those situations in which the marketplace rules? . If enough people show that they do not want something, will it go away or change because it is not supported? What would you say is the correct , 'un-cowardly' way to show dissatisfaction? . should, instead of booing, the dissatisfied drum corp fans become silent, walk out, put their hands over their ears? . all of these would probably be considered impolite, yes? seems like there's no real answer, but calling ourselves names all day waiting for the next contest doesn't fix anything either. This thread is cool because there's no defined sides. It isn't the Borg against the horses "arses". Yelling "boo" hurts someone's feelings...not feeling like you've been heard when you feel something that's "yours" is being changed undeneath you causes some ...was it neanderthals(?) to boo ...

seriously? ...all the time. NFL ...when the calls are too conservative and the crowds wants a score. NBA...for something as stupid as holding the ball when an extra 2 point means free coffee in the morning for everybody with a tkt...

...point taken. ...I just don't know...the 'kids' are flesh and blood, not students. They and I have had numerous conversations about this and what the end effect might be of the changes that are happening. I am NOT saying that I want anybody's 'kids' booed, but if we are going to consider them as adults (most, or many, actually are probably) and send them off to police themselves for 3 months for the 'experience', then probably the fact that not everybody is going to love you the most is the obvious lesson here, along with the 'be nice and don't boo' lesson. It's too late to 'not boo', it already happened...now we just have to deal with ourselves and our impoliteness. I do read the things written about the corps my kids are involved with (pos and neg) and always try not to implode or explode....it is hard...I imagine a 'boo' would be like that too. In this case, I think it is important to see the context. The Cadets have become the whipping post corps for everyone who dislikes the direction they have been taken. The boos (to me) seem like an outgrowth of frustration at Hopkins and his direction for dci...

I wasn't there...I probably would not have 'booed' ...please don't flame me....I just had some thoughts on the matter that may or may not make you angry, but I would like to discuss them with everybody. I do have kids in the activity...I did not march and would have loved to...I think I understand the good and bad of this from those two perspectives. I have nothing against the Cadets, one of my kids thinks they're cool. ...seems to me that thicker skin is required. If this was a college sports team and the coach that everybody hates came out and was booed by the opposing fans, there wouldn't be any surprise, there wouldn't be anyone saying that we shouldn't 'boo' because it will hurt the players' feelings. The Cadets...Hopkins, really...has generated this level of dislike/like (depending upon your opinion) himself...he pushed something up to, or over the edge (again...depending on your opinion) and is reaping the rewards (he is changing dci to something that is his 'vision', and now, he is getting boo's). It may not sit well with the members/parents/alumni, but it might be the only 'vote' available to the fans. I would suggest that if you lke Hop, like the concept, like the Cadets, that you vote with cheers and keep sending your money there. Hopkins is changing drum corps with his rules votes/changes and with his shows, the fans change drum corps by showing pleasure/displeasure and supporting with $ the corps they like. If booing is unpleasant enough, fewer members join the unpleasantness next year, reducing the vehicle of Hopkins' opportunity. If the Cadets score well enough (and I expect they will), maybe Hopkins doesn't give a ____ what the 'boo-ers' think and the musicians show up in droves again next year because no matter what, they win...it will play out. another thought... I wouldn't expect that the reaction will be any less visceral on the next competition after the way this last one went off. okay..that's all I guess...I hope it doesn't come across as too harsh, but from both sides of the argument the thing is how much success they have this year, and the next years...whether opinion, however loud and negative, has any effect upon YEA, Hopkins, or the Cadets... what do you think?

...told you so.

good job spirit!!

...that's okay. DCI will probably lose the feed and the site will crash....it'll be down anyway

now that is funny

I think the biggest response will come... ...after the Cadets throw in their new show (SSHHHHH.....super secret)...you know, it's the new show just for finals where they have a single member of the pit read Walt Whitman's entire 'Song of Myself' while the brass plays soft chorales for 30 minutes and the battery plays 'world of warcraft' on their cell phones (none of which, surprisingly, are mic'd). The crowd (after waking up) goes wild with Hopkins' complete disregard for time limits and the knowledge that they finally know what he's going to ask for (change) during the next rules committee (no time limits, oboe solos, and circus clown cars)... ...okay...just kidding.... :P my real vote is for Crown. p.s. no disrespect intended toward oboes.

I don't think he said it was the "sole focus" of the show. He said it doesn't take any special "training or talent" in what we might consider to be drum corps disciplines to perform the narration. I haven't seen the Cadets since late July, but it did seem that the show was built around the narration, as if that was the purpose of the show...if that was the intention, it would need to be really special narration/poetry/prose to pull it off..."I never fit in" didn't do that in my opinion. ...and, just for the record, I am NOT against the use of voices in drum corps shows.

...or so they say....

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind spending the time with you fine people, but I would rather have had the chance to see the webcast.... ...are they going to show semi's or finals? ....that would be coool

did they perform?

There's a lot of room there under fever's 88....ya think Memphis can reach them?

15 minutes to walk, 3 hours, 45 minutes if you drive.... :P ...just kidding, I love California's highways.....

Hello, I am looking for the patches from last year's (2006) Finals and the 2006 San Antonio regional....do any of you have 'extra' of those laying around you want to part with ???

....just a thought. Go to www.Staples.com and click on email us and tell them how great they are for supporting drum corps.

13! ...just another prime number

...their last division III show was in Eau Clair on July 7....they got a 76.05, but other than that, you are right

Congrats to Memphis and Revo for super showing tonight for both corps!! This last stretch toward CA is going to be fun to watch. Awesome jobs...

this sounds exciting to me! I like to think of closers as 'attacks to the jugular'