GMKuzma

*BUMP* PS: Looking for anyone from the Troopers who would like to contribute on their Top-12 ranking...

Halftime Magazine (www.halftimemag.com). Check out the current issue here. Hello everyone... As a writer for Halftime magazine, I’m putting together another article reviewing this year’s DCI World and Open Class drum corps for an edition this fall. This next article will feature the top two drum corps in World and Open Class as well as Drum Majors of the Year, Directors of the Year, Most Improved Drum Corps and the Spirit of Disney. I am presenting an opportunity for drum corps staff members, support staff volunteers, members and alumni of these drum corps to participate in an interview with me to be considered for the article. I am particularly interested in finding out your impressions of this year. ...Were you a member of the top two drum corps in World or Open Class? ...Are you a fan that attended a show this summer? ...Despite the economy, how did you feel the summer tours compared to previous seasons? ...Got a good story or funny episode on tour? ...What were your impressions of this year's results? ...Regardless of your role in the activity, I will consider your input for the fall edition of the magazine. I have a short deadline to wrap this season up. Email me now for an interview! Musically, -=GM=- Gregory M. Kuzma Writer Halftime Magazine www.halftimemag.com GMKuzmaAuthor@aol.com

Halftime Magazine (www.halftimemag.com). Check out the current issue here. Hello everyone... As a writer for Halftime magazine, I’m putting together another article reviewing this year’s DCI World and Open Class drum corps for an edition this fall. This next article will feature the top two drum corps in World and Open Class as well as Drum Majors of the Year, Directors of the Year, Most Improved Drum Corps and the Spirit of Disney. I am presenting an opportunity for drum corps staff members, support staff volunteers, members and alumni of these drum corps to participate in an interview with me to be considered for the article. I am particularly interested in finding out your impressions of this year. ...Were you a member of the top two drum corps in World or Open Class? ...Are you a fan that attended a show this summer? ...Despite the economy, how did you feel the summer tours compared to previous seasons? ...Got a good story or funny episode on tour? ...What were your impressions of this year's results? ...Regardless of your role in the activity, I will consider your input for the fall edition of the magazine. I have a short deadline to wrap this season up. Email me now for an interview! Musically, -=GM=- Gregory M. Kuzma Writer Halftime Magazine www.halftimemag.com GMKuzmaAuthor@aol.com

You haven't won that Powerball yet??

Well, this is a HUGE loss to the activity. Cozy Baker was a tremendous person who cared deeply for the drum corps activity. We will miss him greatly. R.I.P Cozy... -GM

Legends is one drum corps that has taken a smart slow but steady approach to growing a drum corps. The management, Board of Directors, instructional staff, volunteers and all those involved at every level have done a great job staying focused on doing it right vs. allowing competition potential steer them down the path of struggling through a tour. I'm looking forward to seeing what they bring to DCI next season! -GM

I've been following this discussion for awhile, myself. I'm impressed that there is interest to keep this drum corps going. Good luck with the winter drum line. That's a good way to get it started again. Sometimes new management is what's needed to bring some programs back to life. Keep us posted! -GM

This is a good organization. Congrats on fielding your inaugural season last year. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with this year. Good luck! -GM

Always a sad day to hear when a corps goes inactive. I wish Capital Sound good luck and a speedy return to the competitive arena! -GM

Debbie will be missed for sure. She's one of a few who convinced me to return to the Blue Knights as a supporter and Tour Manager in 2007. Her attitude was always positive (she referred to herself as a "Pollyanna") even when the chips were down. When I was having a rough day, she cheered me up. She offered to let me stay at her house whenever I needed to. She always put others before herself and did everything she possibly could to help the Blue Knights be an awesome experience. -GM

Indeed. Burnout may be a factor...They say it's "in your blood" when you're addicted to the activity. But when it gets "in your soul", it starts to wear you down... -GM

I will say that fielding the corps at 75 members in 2006 was based on logistics (off the field stuff). We had several hundred at auditions that year and as a staff we had discussed that option of taking on another 40 or so members. But, we were not in the position financially to move up. I decided to stay with 2 buses instead of 3. As far as the OP making this out to be a "Corps vs. Corps" argument, I will say that there is nothing wrong with Crossmen operating in San Antonio. Revolution was not anywhere near being ready to move up to World Class when I was there in 2005 and 2006. When I took the job as director in 2005, the corps was coming out of a rough 2004 season--a year the corps went inactive right before tour. We weren't ready on or off the field for World Class, yet. We had a lot of negative press to overcome...We had to make careful decisions to enable us to provide a summer tour experience for our members. We made progress, slowly but surely. Both drum corps can co-exist peacefully and independently as long as their management stays focused on making good business decisions (off the field). I wish both corps the best. -GM Revolution Director '05 and '06

Good point. Best intentions...only get you so far. I had a boss in the Air Force who loved to say, "Hope is not a course of action." He was right. -GM

This is one of the toughest parts of managing a tour. Fact: Food costs money, especially for over 150 members, plus staff, plus volunteers, drivers, souvie folks, etc...3 or 4 times a day for X days during the summer. One thing I've noticed over the past year or so is when the price of oil rises, so do other things, (like food). It seems like the summer is the most expensive time of the year. When the costs "inflate" in the summer, it tightens up the "shoe string" budgets some drum corps operate on. As far as food problems go...when I marched Blue Knights in '94, we fed several corps who were struggling (and probably shouldn't have been touring but back then to take a season off was not the socially acceptable thing to do, unlike today). I believe I talk about it in my book. It might have been Magic (who is currently inactive) and a couple other corps. When I was working with Blue Knights in 2007, we helped feed a couple drum corps on the road...on one hand, the drum corps activity is a community where we should help each other out when times are tough. However, on the other hand, responsible decisions by management to provide a solid tour experience without endangering the lives of the members/staff should be made well before move-in. The desire to "win" should not override the desire to provide a quality educational experience. -GM

Check out the latest development at SCV! http://www.scvanguard.org/about/news/news....7c-7ac7a6046f96 -GM Jeff Pearson Steps Down as Santa Clara Vanguard Corps Director August 19, 2008 After three years of leading the Santa Clara Vanguard (SCV) Jeff Pearson has decided to step down as Program Manager and Corps Director. During Pearson's tenure the Vanguard placed as high as fifth in the Drum Corps International (DCI) World Class rankings, its Vanguard Cadets recently won the DCI Open Class championship, and its winter color guard placed fourth at the Winter Guard International finals in 2008. As the Program Manager, Pearson fostered the growth of the Vanguard Performing Arts programs, which included the rebirth of the Vanguard Dance Company, as well as the inception of the Vanguard Junior Dance Company and Inspired to Move, an adult dance education program. He also shepherded the creation of the SCV Winter Guard program and was instrumental in the board collaboration between the Vanguard and the Concord Blue Devils. "We thank Jeff for the leadership, vision and heart he brought to the Santa Clara Vanguard programs," said Marc Hebert, SCV board chair. "He helped us through a tough period in our history, and reestablished our community programs as the core of our mission. Under Jeff's tenure, we achieved a rare triple feat—top 5 rank in the three national finals in which our programs compete. That is now our de facto goal." "I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity that the Vanguard has provided me," Jeff Pearson announced in his resignation letter. "This has been an experience that I could never have imagined." "Jeff Pearson has been a friend since the day we met in the DCI boardroom back in January 2006. I am happy to have worked with him since I came to Santa Clara and appreciate the important steps he has taken to establish new programs and share resources among our groups. As Director, he created strong bonds across groups under the Vanguard umbrella, which are important for their long-term success," said SCV Chief Executive Officer Jeff Fiedler. Pearson is planning to take some time off before deciding whether he will resume an entrepreneurial career put on hold for the Program Manager/Corps Director position in 2005, or if he will return to his corporate career in business process management and benefits administration. He looks forward to being an active participant in the Vanguard Alumni Association and supporting SCV programs year-round. No replacement for Pearson has yet been announced. In the interim, Fiedler and Chief Operating Officer Kathy Serksnis will take on the oversight and operational responsibilities of SCV's programs.

You will have to buy the DVD's to see this year's shows. DCI suspended the broadcast. The cost of doing business is very expensive these days... http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=9...95-fc05eed6d41e -GM

Did that happen in '88 with BD and Madison? -GM

Agreed.

...last call for interviews. Thank you to those who have responded. I'm still looking for any members who marched this season and alumni are welcome, as well. Thanks! -GM

Thank you. I'm proud of have been associated as a writer for Halftime Magazine. It's a high quality product run by great people. Glad you liked it. -GM

...last call for interviews. Thank you to those who have responded. I'm still looking for any members who marched this season and alumni are welcome, as well. Thanks! -GM

Halftime Magazine (www.halftimemag.com). Check out the current issue here. Hello everyone... As a writer for Halftime magazine, I’m putting together another article reviewing this year’s DCI World and Open Class drum corps for an edition this fall. This next article will feature the top drum corps in World and Open Class as well as Drum Majors of the Year, Directors of the Year, Most Improved Drum Corps and the Spirit of Disney. I am presenting an opportunity for drum corps staff members, support staff volunteers, members and alumni of these drum corps to participate in an interview with me to be considered for the article. I am particularly interested in finding out your impressions of this year. ...Were you a member of the top two drum corps in World or Open Class? ...Are you a fan that attended a show this summer? ...Got a good story or funny episode on tour? ...What were your impressions of this year's results? ...Regardless of your role in the activity, I will consider your input for the fall edition of the magazine. I have a short deadline to wrap this season up. Email me now for an interview! Musically, -=GM=- Gregory M. Kuzma Writer Halftime Magazine www.halftimemag.com GMKuzmaAuthor@aol.com

Halftime Magazine (www.halftimemag.com). Check out the current issue here. Hello everyone... As a writer for Halftime magazine, I’m putting together another article reviewing this year’s DCI World and Open Class drum corps for an edition this fall. This next article will feature the top drum corps in World and Open Class as well as Drum Majors of the Year, Directors of the Year, Most Improved Drum Corps and the Spirit of Disney. I am presenting an opportunity for drum corps staff members, support staff volunteers, members and alumni of these drum corps to participate in an interview with me to be considered for the article. I am particularly interested in finding out your impressions of this year. ...Were you a member of the top two drum corps in World or Open Class? ...Are you a fan that attended a show this summer? ...Got a good story or funny episode on tour? ...What were your impressions of this year's results? ...Regardless of your role in the activity, I will consider your input for the fall edition of the magazine. I have a short deadline to wrap this season up. Email me now for an interview! Musically, -=GM=- Gregory M. Kuzma Writer Halftime Magazine www.halftimemag.com GMKuzmaAuthor@aol.com

Congrats to Phantom Regiment and Vanguard Cadets! -GM

Wow...that's just another example of how difficult things are logistically. Housing is a bigger problem than rising fuel expenses in my opinion. Good luck. -GM