Newseditor44

My advice then, find someone who has tremendous experience in managing a drum corps, and find a good numbers person. These two will be the most important hires you make. Build from a solid foundation and don't move forward until you are absolutely sure it would benefit the organization. Always keep the kids in mind when making business decisions, and be patient.If you have questions about whether something can be done financially, don't do it. Always plan for the future and let the kids live in the present.

If it meant the kids would suffer by having a bad experience or that the activity would suffer from a poorly managed corps, then yes, it would be bad.

Not to be the total pessimist but I think there are much more serious questions that need to be asked outside a discussion forum. Before bringing a corps back, there are several things that have to be determined, and former staff and alumni should be considered and consulted as well. But most importantly, a corps shouldn't be brought back just because it seems like a good idea. If you want to succeed, there are hast to be a higher purpose involved, and a willingness to disassociate yourself and ideals from that which once was. In essence, you would be creating a brand new drum corps based on the Suncoast Sound, not actually reviving the corps. So rather than asking the questions you've asked, you need to be ready to answer the following: 1. Why and for whom would it be beneficial to start a new corps in the Tampa area? 2. Would there be enough support from educators in the area? 3. What are the means of income and fund raising 4. How does the community benefit, what can we give back to the community? 5. What's the motivation? 6. Is there interest from the community? 7. Why? If the words "becasue it would be cool to have Suncoast back on the field" were in any of the above answers, slowly back away from the keyboard and resume your life.

I know DCP's policy on posting video's, and in most cases I agree with it. But I stumbled on this YouTube video tonight and it saddened me that I couldn't share it with all of you. So now< I'm going to be a rebel. I'm posting the video. I'd bet that Lee Rudniki would tell you there would be no legal ramifications for doing so. Ban me, I don't care, this needs to be shown so that everyone in the world, especially the young kids, can see Gail in action. What a magical person, what a wonderful man. Here, for you to see, from what I understand (correct me if I am wrong) is the very last time Gail Royer conducted the Santa Clara Vanguard, as the hornline plays "Send in the Clowns" This my friends, is what heaven should be like. And if it is, God knows Gail will be waiting there for all of us. Enjoy... And mods, if you wanna kill this, go ahead, but I think it would be ridiculous to do so.

Marwan - I remember standing next to you guys at retreat at finals and how you guys hyped us as we played E.T. Suncaost was always one of my favorite corps, which is why it didn't bother me one bit getting beat by ya'll at Nats. I loved the 88 and 89 shows, but most of all, it was an honor sharing the field of battle with a corps of such as Suncoast. Take it to the beach Suncoast!

Frmo what I;ve been told, the lick was not written into the show in 1989 because Smith wanted a more upbeat ending to the show. Can anyone else shed light on this? Not to bad mouth, but I am not sure the 89 hornline could have handled the lick. The kids in 89 were amazing though, one of the most improved shows ever in DCI History!!!

Phantom Regiment is going black again... of wait, that's the same rumor that's been floating around since 2000. Never mind.

Just wanted to share, have no idea why... was doing some old school this morning, and clicked on Suncoast 1985. Midnight in Miami, you know what I'm talking about... 23 years later, "The Lick" still takes my breath away. Couldn't help but get hyped. Take it to the beach, Suncoast!

OMG!!!!!! I am laughing so hard I am crying!!! That has to be the funniest thing I have ever heard... who ever made this up gets an award!

God I hope so... Be easy bud!

Hey drumcat... just wondering, do you have a family to feed and a mortgage to pay? If you do, then God bless you. Bu for me, all of this means making ends-meet is more difficult everyday We had plans and hotel reservations to Indy for next summer... but because gas has gone up over a dollar a gallon here, and is still climbing, we have to find a way to pay the extra money it costs to fill up our tanks. That money is coming from our vacation /drum corps budget. It's safe to say we won't be going to Indy this year. I suspect there will be others like us... more than you think, and enough to make at least a small difference. These small "things" are what will kill this activity if we don't come up with a solution.

Touring makes money for the corps... yes. this is true. However, rising fuel costs will mean the corps and DCI will need to continue to raise ticket prices in order to break even. And higher ticket prices have the potential for pricing out a certain segment of your audience Corps will have to raise the prices of their merchandise in order to raise more revenue. My wife and I used to take our kids to no less then three to four shows a year. but ticket prices have have gone up in the past give years, and we are no longer able to afford going to one show, much less four or five. People can't afford to attend events like they used to. Simply put, the cost of fuel not only affects the corps, but the consumers also. That extra $200 a month in gas has to be taken out from somewhere, and it will most likely be your entertainment budget. Another factor to consider.... fund raising is down, and the well is drying up fast. Here in California, Indian Gaming has all but wiped out bingo operations. Corps are really having a difficult time trying to replace the capitol they've lost as a result of the casino's. Mix that with the fuel prices, and you have a recipe for disaster. Look, I'm not trying to be doom and gloom, I am just trying to raise awareness in an attempt to get people to start thinking about solutions before we lose the activity. The ESPN deal is a good example of how the financial side of things aren't going well. (Srry I am rambling, it's late and I am tired.)

Wow! Some of the responses make me think some of you believe money grows on trees. Amazing. So, if you want to call me Chicken Little, fine. I don't have a problem with that. I think it is much more responsible to be cautious than ignorant. The fact is, unlike previous cycles, gas prices are settling in the high $3 a gallon range. Should tensions continue to rise in the middle east, we will see them average in the $4 range this coming summer. Politics aside (I do not claim to be a politician, republican or a democrat), rising fuel prices are a fact of life. Corps are going to wind up paying for a substantial increase this coming summer. That translates into hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel prices, of which a lot of the corps just don't have. Rising fuel prices are not going to affect potential members or keep them from auditioning. The problem is more internal for the corps. How do they come up with the additional funds to fuel the buses? How will fuel prices affect food costs? Airline costs for members going to and from camps? How do fuel costs affect fans decisions to purchase trips and tickets to Indianapolis? Other regional events? But DCI is faced with making some tough choices and this past week they took the first step in what I think is a change in fiscal strategy. By eliminating the ESPN program, they have demonstrated their understanding of the fiscal problems that lie ahead. I think it needs to go a bit deeper. I think we need to find a way to shorten the national tours, cut down the number of major shows and the number of miles the corps travel.

I think Bill is spot on. I would add, the one thing missing since the move to b-flat, is low brass presence. Regiment has the right idea by increasing to 14 contras, and I would like to see possibly 16 and a larger Euph line.

Just thought I would open this up for discussion... With fuel prices sky rocketing, what are the long term affects for drum corps. Frankly, I am very worried that if things don't get better very soon, we stand a very good chance of losing the activity in the next ten years. I really do think we are at a turning point. If the economy continues going south, and oil prices keeping going up, I predict we'll lose another 5 to 10 World Class corps before 2018. That would end World Class as we know it. I am very surprised we don't see anyone from the corps or DCI talking about this publicly. Thoughts?

What do I think... I think you're paranid about the wrong thing. I would be more worried about the rising fuel prices and what THAT will do to the activity.

My mom passed away three years ago, and I haven't been a kid since I aged out 15 years-ago, but I'll take that as a compliment and forget you made that comment (since I am one of the 'kids' that started one of the threads in question).

For once, someone that thinks outside the box. Thank you!

Jesus H Christ!!! Some of you are getting WAY to worked up about this topic. It was meant as nothing more than a compliment Crown is the new Crown... the Triple Crown of Dead Horse Beatdowns... Crown will nevber be Star, that's an insult... Puh-leeze people! Yes, Crown is there own corps with their own Identity, and yes if you look hard enough you can find influences from every corps in just about every corps. but you are missing my point. There are striking similarities in the two corps, aside from the milkman uniforms. I am not saying note for note, not saying they are exactly the same, but there are similarities. There is no need to get nasty about it... I love you guys, but you're killing me.

This is exactly what I am getting at. I have a feeling that a majority of the people posting here never had the opportunity to see Star live, which is a shame. I am not saying that Crown is replacing Star... just that they are probably the corps most similar to Star since SoI left the activity.

Ok, allow me to rephrase... I know this has probably alreay been said before... but after this years show, Crown is showing very similar traits to the old Star of Indiana. They are very similar, yet unique, in show design and sound. Who else has noticed this, and is there any relation to the fact that they share(d) some of the same staff? Just one wish... Crown staff, please take those extra 15 spots and make them low brass. The only thing missing from the hornline was about 4-6 contras. Much more low brass sound needed!!!

Mike- Parking in Broad Ripple isnt that bad, just be preapred to pay. My advice is, unless you plan on getting drunk, don't go to Broad Ripple. Not a a very family friendly place. Its all clubs. If you like the club scene, its the place to go. Also, Indy rolls up the streets fairly early at night. If you want to get out of town for a day, try Indiana Beach, about an hour northwest of Indy. Day trips to Chicago are cool also! BLooming is veyr pretty in the summer, and if you want to stay intown, the Indy Zoo is AWESOME!

I see the argument both ways. Perhaps some of the gaming operations might consider sposoring some of the orgaizations whose Bingo operations have been affected? Although if you do that, everyone and the grandmother is going to be looking for handouts. No sure what the solution is, but its safe to say, this will continue to takes it toll on the activity. Honestly folks, If DCI survives another 20 years, I will be very surprised. Not that DCI itself is in trouble, but I am not sure if we'll have enough corps to field a championship show.

To the winter drumline and paying off old debt. For years they were barely breaking even, then electronic bingo came along and things started looking up. The organization is finally in the black, and has been thinking about fielding corps again, but this will be the final straw. We just had a huge reunion in Pasadena a few weeks ago, and their is a lot of interest in bringing the corps back. But honestly this law is going to be enforced and the Bingo operations are going to be shut down. We can thank indian gaming... they are a big part of the reason this activity is failing...

That corps was on a mission that year. They were clean loud, powerful, and beautiful all rolled into one. The company front at the end still gives me goose bumps and tears. from top to bottom, 89 was full of great corps!