willyc

Surely your premise isn't that Executive Directors of corps propose rules that are financially viable for all drum corps?? Amplification..................150 members???? Clearly meant to give some corps the advantage over others - simply because they can afford to make the changes much easier than a lot of other corps. Not a whole lot of altruism in the top tiers, I wouldn't think.

From the Auburn University Music Department web-site: http://media.cla.auburn.edu/music/bio/bio_...m?contact_id=15

Ray is indeed quite amazing in front of a hornline. It's a treat to watch him teach. The really good news is that the hornline was sounding pretty darn good and Ray wasn't able to be there, due to a previous commitment. He'll be there in December. Michael Martin was heading up rehearsals last weekend, and did a great job.

Don't know which two you are referring to that got in but 'y were they there.', but they were there because the judges felt their shows warranted scores higher than the two that 'deserved it but didn get it'. That's kind of the bottom line.

Just a thought - with no particular personality in mind........................................................ When you get a group of people, all at the top of their game, could it even work? People who accomplish things that take them to the top of their field often have personalities that make it tough for them to be collaborative in a group of 'equals'. They are often used to being the person that the program is built around, not an equal part of a team. I know that there would be collaboration, but just wonder, if - push came to shove - how it would play out? Not meant to be a flame, or a thread killer, but just wondering?

Steve, I don't believe that Chad Hannah spent much time on the road with Spirit last summer. I stand to be corrected, but I'm pretty sure that if he was out, it wasn't a whole lot. I don't know what kind of on-site involvement Spirit got from Gaines (I would imagine not too much) so it's difficult to make your point without knowing the up-close-and-personal time each spent with Spirit. Likely more with Hannah than Gaines, simply because, as oldsoprano said, the Cavaliers are his bread and butter. I agree with the general point you make, but don't know whether it applies in Spirit's case for last year.

I don't think your post disrespected Michael Gaines in any way. My post was simply to say that, I'd guess ALL corps modify their drill on-the-run, as judges give them input. Throughout the season the ENTIRE program is a work in progress, no matter who writes your drill or horn and percussion books. I bet even the Cavies modify theirs during the season, with Gaines' input. And I agree that, history won't hold the work he did for Spirit in the same regard as what he did for the Cavaliers - for many reasons, not just his work. In my opinion, this isn't disrespectful to him in any way.

In fairness to all, including Michael Gaines......................... I'm sure that re-writing will be done with the initial drill from whomever we get it from. I'm no DCI historian, but I'd rather doubt that ANY drill design has made it from start to finish of a season without obvious changes made by staffs on-the-fly. I would believe that there is regular communication between the writer and the staff on the road, throughout the season, for most corps. Chad Hannah and Randy Nelson collaborated on Spirit's drill last year, and I would guess be doing so this year. I agree with oldsoprano that we likely didn't get Mr. Gaines' full attention - for the reasons he stated, but we still need to be fair to him and to Spirit's leadership in that they felt it was working for them - better than their other options (none of us know what options they considered).

Audiob, Hats off to you! Once again you demonstrate that you are the "King of Dissection". Anyone who reads with regularity knows that you are among the most avid of AA apologists. Your 'defense' of Madison - by continuing to drag them into the conversation - just goes to show that you aren't above 'demonizing' or 'piling on' a corps other than Academy. If you call my questioning a decision by the board of DCI 'demonizing' or 'piling on' Academy, it's clear that you will continue to apply your own peculiar logic to the point I made regarding my opinion of the policy. You believe you can make a case for the evident fairness of seeding Academy where they were in San Antonio. I don't! And I'm not the only one. If you choose to interpret my criticism of a few drum corps 'boobs', who seemed to be Academy fans, as criticism of all Academy fans, well...........that's just one more indication of how far you will stretch a statement to try to make your point. I'm just like you, in that I will defend any corps that seems to be getting a bad rap -- not just Spirit -- there were a number of other corps that were adversely affected in San Antonio, not just Spirit. I don't know how many times that I can say that I know it was a decision made before the beginning of the season until you get my point. I've said it many times, but you don't seem to want to acknowledge it. You are likely a great person, but it's been some time since you've been 'raveled' on the subject of AA. Likely you will grace us with a response to this post, but I'm out of here on this one. When you get on one of your tears, it's useless. Parse Away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have seen it, in fact you thanked a poster for showing it to you because you missed it because you were on tour. How many times do you need to be pointed to the references? "Piling on? Poor audiob! You feel your corps is getting picked on, and you just can't stand it. When I look in the mirror, I see a guy that feels AA was given some advantages at a regional that other corps had to earn with head-to-head competition at the previous regional - no more, no less. 'Demonize' Academy fans? I NEVER demonized Academy fans, in fact I never demonized the corps either. You will continue to refuse to see that my issue is the clear advantage that AA was given by their placement in San Antonio because of the score they posted against PC and Mandarins. I know, I know, DCI APPROVED the advantage in advance, but it still isn't fair to many of us. They WERE running as high as tenth at one point - when they were slotted tenth and finished tenth at SA. After that, they dropped down. You are starting to unravel. Keep Madison out of it. The attempt to deflect the issue isn't working. Just reinforces your defensive position. Your attempt to quantify the hype to four places proves the point that there WAS hype. Reminds me of the old joke with the punch line "Well, madam, we've established what you are, now we are just haggling over price".

So, you go from................................. A bit sensitive about the AA subject, audiob?? Why can't you simply acknowledge that there was over-hype - by many - of Academy? Their placement in 07 shows it. I'm not saying that it wasn't respectable, just that it didn't live up to much of the pre-season hype (and for that matter, during the season).

Don't disagree, but my post was in response to yours - about Academy. I also think that the Crossmen were victims of the over-hype. With the major reorganization/rebuilding year like they went through, they finished as well as could be expected.

Even eighth was an over-hype, if you choose to be that literal.

Colts are making some staff changes, according to their web site. Brass. Percussion and Visual are getting new caption heads. Brass and Horns look like promotions from within, and Percussion is Max Mullinix from Spirit's perc staff.

Come on, Pinwiz! You don't want to talk about corps logos, corps wearing 'unlucky yellow', what kids are taking to corps camp? This is the fodder for deep discussions about drum corps! Staff changes, and other inconsequential drum corps minutia should be relegated to a back road, not the main forum (sarcasm). I agree with you that the announcements themselves might better be posted in the announcements forum, but discussion of those announcements is of great interest to a lot of us. I'm as much in favor of some fun as the next guy, but I'd also like to be able to discuss what I want to discuss on the World Class forum - even if it relates to an announcement. For me, it's much easier to keep track if you don't have to jump from one forum to another.

My guess would be no. They just negotiated a deal with Pearl/Adams last year that includes the Marching Southerners, if I'm not mistaken.

What's with the new enforcement of announcements on this part of the forum? It seems that, lately, any announcement - by any corps - is banished to the 'less traveled road' of the announcements forum, making sure that this part of the forum deals with weighty issues such as tatoos, favorite foods and fires in SoCal (truly weighty, but DCI relevant?). Come on, how does one conduct discussion about such issues on this thread without being banished? Tom Braces comment (in a new thread) about Scott Boerma, was added to the announcements page, even though he was trying to start a discussion about why Madison didn't get him, and establish a better relationship with U of Mich. Am I the only one who wonders why this OC move is being enforced?

Better be careful! This thread will get banished to the announcements part of the forum so that there is more room for discussion of tatoos and favorite foods. Come on, mods! Give us a break!

Most public school educators I know think that No Child Left Behind isn't doing their students much good, and is a burden for them as teachers.

Don't know about the University model, but I would guess that MOST school districts are cutting back on the arts and humanities sides of their budgets IN THE SCHOOLS THEMSELVES. To presume that they would be willing to fund an extra-curricular of this nature seems to be unrealistic. Add to that, the liability exposure of the travel, practices, etc. and the notion of non-degreed faculty, that would be necessary to provide a large enough staff to teach a drum corps (with all the emphasis on "highly qualified" faculty, and No Child Left Behind type stuff) would seem to make this pretty much of a non-starter with most school boards.

MOST corps out there would think they had died and gone to heaven with an annual revenue stream of WELL less than half of that. If you had an organization with those type of resources on a annual basis, it would only be a few years before people would be saying Cadets, who? Cavaliers, who?, Phantom, who? etc. since they would dominate the drum corps world.................the best money can buy.

I think it's more of a question of would they, not could they, since they certainly COULD. And in fact, by allowing some of the exceptions they have for 'regional' corps they HAVE in the past.

Here we go again......................................... Maybe we should resurrect a thread! Just an example of the type of things that come to mind about what the board should be spending it's time on rather than adding members, allowing amplification - and other initiatives that increase the cost of competition. You and I will, I fear, forever disagree on the regional-tour model for World Class. This thread shouldn't be highjacked by that issue, and I apologize to all for injecting it.

From what little I know about Crown, they seem to have their financial act together quite well, relative to the drum corps world. I'm sure that all Executive Directors sweat bullets and have bad dreams most nights about finances.

I don't disagree with a thing you said, but I don't know how it relates to my comment about 3 or 4 busses. If you have 150 members, 15-20 staff, 10-15 volunteers, you are on the balancing point of the number of busses you need - even using the new 56 passenger busses (3=168 seats). I know that most corps also travel with a van/SUV or two, but having a small group of people moving through the night with a staff member who has taught all day or a volunteer who has sweated in the kitchen all day driving isn't optimal. Some corps use van driver volunteers, but still not a well-rested professional driver. As someone who is a Spirit fan, Jim Ott will always be in my mind. In my opinion, having fifteen extra people on the field has less to do with General Effect than a well written book, or drill. Just another drum corps 'vision' that will, in the long run, hurt most corps, AND contribute to the support for 'the regional corps' model that doesn't have a place in World Class.