CarolinaGoldDirector

One of the percussion instructors recorded it and I think that he was right in front of the battery......

Bump B)

Still undecided? Hereis a clip of the first 40 seconds of the show...... Gold Intro

Carolina Gold is still currently recruiting for a few spots in the drum corps. Immediate openings for 2 baritones, 1 contrabass, and 2 mallet/pit. Gold is having it's best spring ever. I could go on and on about how hot the show is, but I do not need to....Tower of Power. Need I say more. If you are living north of the Mason-Dixon Line, our rehearsal/competition schedule is "travel friendly"(ask our staff from NJ and PA). Check out the website at www.carolinagold.org for the schedule/more info. We got the funk....We got the soul.....all we need is you! Be there.

Well said Chris

Scott I think that your 3year proposal has GREAT merit.

Before somebody turns a great site like DCP into RAMD....... Carolina Gold did not make a conscious decision to not participate in DCA South this year. That is just how it worked out this year. Carolina Gold has been a FAITHFUL member of DCA South. Gold has been to a majority of the shows from Day 1. Last year, the decision to not attend Orlando was purely financial. It would have either jeopardized our ability to participate in Finals or left us several thousand dollars in the hole. Neither result was desirable nor in the best interests of the corps. It is my responsibility to ensure the fiscal viability of the corps. Period. We want Carolina Gold to be around for years. We want Carolina Gold to prosper and grow. We do not have lucrative arena contracts or bingo operations. We do not have an Alumni association for support. We have to watch EVERY penny in order to operate year-round. The move to the Rocky Mount area of NC put us more North and East within the state. I will not present mileages as others in this thread have done so. Suffice to say that we are squarely in the “middle” regionally. Some Northeastern shows are CLOSER for us. Closer = less travel time and less $. We have A LOT of members from Virginia towards DC and the trek down south is even farther for them. As corps director, do I do the “right thing” (I use the term very loosely) and show loyalty to DCA South when it is financially and logistically advantageous to compete up North? If a show is the same distance or closer, pay less for buses, pay less for my equipment truck rental and gas, and I can get a performance fee/travel subsidy and do some parades to help offset the cost of travel, I would be acting irresponsible and not performing my responsibilities to the 100 members of my corps. If I can save hundreds/thousands of dollars, generate revenue, and decrease my budget line item expenses, THEN I am doing my job. Decreased expenses and increased revenue creates less burden on the corps members and increased opportunities for the corps, whether that means we can do more shows, buy more equipment, or hire more staff. The bottom line for ALL DCA corps, all marching bands, and most DCI corps is THE MONEY. That is a stone cold hard fact. Look at the corps recently that had major financial setbacks and had to sit out a year or had to fold. With the price of gas still up, our travel budget is approximately 1/3 of our total operating expense due to increased bus costs, increased equipment truck gas costs, etc. ALL corps that travel are feeling the pinch. I have to ensure that we adjust to socioeconomic fluctuations. Jason Malugen, the previous director, formally made known our very real concerns to DCA South with regards to the lack of ANY type of performance fees or travel subsidies a year ago. Any discussion/concerns expressed by Gold were, according to him, basically ignored. I think that ALL corps performing in competition should receive SOME type of performance fee, no matter if you are a 40 member 1st year corps or a 50 year veteran 128 member corps. Even $500 to a first year corps is A LOT (equipment truck gas, another horn, etc.). If you are hosting a show and you are taking in ticket/concession/souvenir revenue from an audience, you should give something to all participating corps. Without them you have no show. If you are a corps south of PA and you cannot plan far enough ahead of time to and make the great effort that it takes to secure sponsorships, sell ads, advertise for ticket sales, etc. to help cover the expenses of performance fees, judges, etc., then maybe you should not host a show. Yes, sometimes you have to host a show for a couple of years before you can start making a profit and pay travel subsidies. Although Gold did not pay travel subsidies the 1st year they hosted a show, they did make a small profit with months of careful planning and seeking of sponsorships. Last year (Gold’s show at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem ) Gold not only made a profit, but with MONTHS of planning and collaboration with DCA and Winston-Salem by our previous corps director Jason Malugen, every corps received travel subsidies. This in our second year hosting a show. I understand the benefit of reciprocity with regards to hosting a show. You attend someone’s show at all your own expense and then you “recoup” that expense by “staying home” and having everyone travel to your show. But not all corps hosts shows. We decided not to host a show this year simply because we did not feel that we would have the extra time, manpower, or energy to devote to it this year, especially given the fact that we are in a new area/community. We have been assured by our new community that we would put on a BIG show next year. This matter (Gold attending all northeastern shows this season) was discussed with Gil prior to the last DCA meeting in Scranton and was addressed by Gil in front of every corps director, business manager, and DCA administrator present. It was understood then that our reasons and decisions were the right ones for Carolina Gold. There is nothing but logic in our decision making. If you do not understand, read the post again. There is another reason besides the financial, geographical, and logistical reasons that precipitated Gold’s decision to compete in the Northeast exclusively this year. The shows themselves. Being a recent alumni of the Reading Buccaneers, I had the chance to participate in a lot of the northeastern shows. There are some great shows north of the Mason-Dixon Line. The Grand Prix, Waterbury, Reading, and several others. As Gold enters its 5th competitive season, I think it to be great to expose the members of Gold to some of the historic shows and expose them more to the great corps like Cabs, Brigs, Bucs, Empire, Crusaders, Sky, Grenadiers, Bush, etc. more often than once a year. Last year we went to Kingston and that was it before finals. We are humbled by the invitations to the shows that we are attending and are very honored to be a part of them. In the first couple of years of our existence, we could not have gotten into these shows. We’d love to do a show in the Midwest or out west someday, just for the experience if finances dictate it. Before somebody starts throwing jabs and making insinuations that we do not respect the DCA South shows or the corps that we would compete against, let me say for the record that that is simply untrue and not the case. We simply feel like it would help us grow as an organization competitively, provide DIFFERENT experiences for the members, give us a change to travel new places, and allow the audiences up North to experience Gold. I thank Chris Green (now the director of Frontier) and Patrick Sloan for creating Carolina Gold 5 years ago and giving me and countless others the opportunity to participate in the activity. It is a dream for a lot of us. I was there from almost Day 1 myself. I am not going to negate all of the work put into it by Chris, Jason, and other by making less than intelligent choices for the corps if I can help it. Bottom line is this…. I must ensure that the best interests of the Carolina Gold are being served first and foremost. I have to stand up in front of the members and be accountable. I am the one that has to explain to them why we can or cannot do something based upon finances. If we end up on the hole at the end of the season or, God forbid, have to fold….it is on me. No other member or director from another corps has to deal with it. So, it is easy to whine about when there are no direct repercussions on you. As for the person from the quote above, that is all you are doing....whining. It's VERY obvious that you have absolutely no clue with regards to budgets/finances, operating a corps, travel schedules, etc. When you get your own corps, you operate it the way you see fit. At the rate you are going, that would last about one year. Do something proactive to facilitate a stronger region rather than wasting your time making loosely veiled jabs and mostly uninformed statements. You will not see that from any member or staff of Carolina Gold.