joe mama

It's not as much a matter of whether or not the prop itself is safe, but rather what the members are doing on and around the props that represents the real risk. Inspections.would do nothing to address that.

Crown Club opens at 4pm.

Yep, that was indeed me. I certainly enjoyed meeting you guys. Just got home after that long, 10 hour drive. All of the corps were great last night. Here's to another great season!

These are interesting but irrelevant points when you consider the real aspects of managing such a change. Increasing the allowable corps size would create extreme logistical and other challenges regardless of the any corps' ability to afford and manage. Additionally, the vast majority of available housing sites would simply not be able to handle the increased numbers. Acceptable housing is perhaps the biggest challenge to any show promoter. Just ask anyone who has ever managed an event. I've done about 50 and in some areas, it's a nightmare.

I guess I didn't make my point clearly enough. Jim would see the amps as unnecessary. The point is that these lines can absolutely stand on their own merit without electronics. In the overall picture however, I do not believe that these enhancements affect the winner of the Ott award. The best lines are still placing at the top.

As a member of Jim Ott's last hornline, I can tell you with certainty that he would absolutely love what lines like Crown and Blue Devils are doing today. He taught technique and musicality along with power and volume. And while I certainly agree that amplification is largely unnecessary and a huge distraction (IMO), today's lines far exceed anything from the 70's or 80's regardless of electronic enhancement.

You're welcome to join us! In Crown lore, 1991 is officially known as Not BEAT. Darn near killed Crown forever.....

Not really accurate. In 30 years NightBEAT has been rained out 5 times - 91, 98, 03, 11 and 16. With that said however, July & August weather in the south are always a dicey proposition. Indeed this year's weather was absolutely the best.

It would be cool to see Phantom marching 30 contras.... At some point however, you have to consider the shear practicality and logistics involved in things like housing and food. Acceptable housing is now one of, if not, the most difficult challenge for show sponsors and increasing the housing requirements due to larger corps would be tough. Unfortunately, more isn't always the most practical.

You're thinking out of the box and that's a good thing. However, here's the problem with your idea. In almost every drum corps organization the corps itself is the primary income producing component. If you eliminate that for any period of time, the bulk if not all of the organization's income from dues, sponsorships, souvineers, show fees, etc. dries up. Once that happens there would be little to nothing left to save. Although many corps over the years have "taken a year off to get finances in order" most never return to their former standing and many never return at all. Although there are some great exceptions,realistically it's an option of last resort.

This show is definitely on. Official announcement soon, so stay tuned. Joe

I've been a volunteer with Crown since 1990. Your experience is just another special reason that we do this. Glad for your recovery. Joe

In Soviet Russia, Blue Devils' house owned by State.

I am a facility director with a $17 million dollar energy budget and I really don't have any specifics on LOC. Based upon what I do know, I'd imagine that the real cost here is not what is required to open or close the roof, but rather the cost to re-cool the building once the roof is closed again. From what I could tell, the roof stays closed the majority of the time and is probably opened on game days when the weather is nice. A 6-figure price tag seems pretty high to me, but I would certainly expect it to easily be well into a 5-figure amount. Again, I don't know for sure, just speculating. Joe

This would have been my choice, as they will be top 3, hands down. SCV 4th, Cavies 5th.