Gantang

Perhaps the thread should have been entitled,"Let's just say nice things about Scott Stewart". I don't think anyone has been negative about Scott the man. Rather, there have been some opinions and ideas presented that give a different answer to the thread's question.

The $200,000.00 retirement payout to Stewart was a burden for Sal to overcome. That's a lot of cash to not use on the corps...

I have to give the nod of credibility to Redmann. I live in Madison and saw the Scouts doing as much as possible to get in the the City's good graces. It would be hard to quantify how Scott Stewart had a better relationship with the City, but it is clear that the Scouts did as much for Madison as possible. Oddly, the Scouts received little reward for being the driving force that brought DCI to town on...8(?)..ocassions. It seems that the City would have passed on some of the financial rewards to the Scouts. Besides UW Athletics, there is no better advertisement for the City. By the way, did the last Administration do anything right?

It's my understanding that top 8 get more money in appearance fees than the corps below them. The Shares are divided based on a formula that benefits longevity, but as Madison finishes out of the upper echelon, their share of the Shares slowly diminishes. Clinics are assigned to op drawing corps. Top drawing corps are popular corps. Popular corps are the ones who appeal to the most distinct fan base. The most distinct fan base in marching band. Marching band kids are whimsical and flock to the winning corps. Souvie sales are driven by success. Alumni donate when the corps is golden. Companies donate equipment and uniforms to corps that will sell their products. Top corps spend more time on ESPN... (no one wants to watch the Raiders play the Browns), the list goes on. In a nutshell, placement matters financially. Now if you want to leave the competitive arena in favor of crowd appeal alone, that is another story. A financially independent corps (ala Star) can do that without worry; of course, they placed high and won before taking their product elsewhere. There must be a healthy balance between placement, crowd appeal, traditional shows, and innovation. I know it works...Cavies anyone?

OK...Good point. Anyone but me and the person who I spoke with? :sshh:

I just heard that Madison may have made more changes in the past week. Has anyone heard anything?

The wind chill is 8 right now with as much as a foot of snow hitting parts of Wisconsin tonight and tomorrow...are you nuts?!?!?!?!?!

125 brass with a few more auditions left is impressive. If it were 125 total for all the spots, that would be a proble. As you said before GG, they march 135! I guess BD would be a bit short this season if that's all who came to march.

Unseasonably warm in Madison and no precipitation.

Who gets the remaining 50%? There isn't a alumni corps to fund, so why wouldn't Madison get all the money? Are individuals profitting from it? Why do I ask? I like to know where my money goes when I buy or donate to drum corps.

What a bigoted post. My hope is that you don't represent the views of most Scouts' alumni. What “bandos” did Madison have on their staff? You missed the point of my post. It was not to rip Matt or anyone else, it was merely pointing out that some observers may not e excited, and that only time will tell.

Let me qualify my post by stating that I wish Madson the best in 2007 and beyond. Matt Gregg is a great guy and he is a former Scout, but those are not the only qualities one should look for when trying to get Madison into a higher ranking, as the BOD is expecting. He is a product of Scott Stewart and continuosly preached that the judges opinions do not matter. He supported not attending critques. Part of the activity is politically guided, we would be silly to think otherwise. I hope that Jeff, Mark, Matt, and the other leaders in Madison will realize that the judges and DCI matter. I expected a big splash from Madison after firing Salas, and so far my attitude is tepid at best. The poster who said that the silence is deafening may be misinterpretting the lack of posts about Madison. Madison should be a world class corps again. So far, they have hired two Divison II people. It could be that some people are just shaking their heads and waiting for June to see how things will wash out. This is not negativity, it's just a realistic look at the situation.

What is Spanos' amdministrative and management background? Does anyone know? I know he was a great player and Blast! member, but has he run anything substantial?

If they're doing a nationwide search, how come we haven't seen an announcement about the opening? Where are they advertising, or are they just looking at certain people? It seems like they could be limiting their choices.

I find it troubling that the BoD did not have a clue who to replace their existing administrative staff with. It's been almost a week and they have not made an announcement. Word in the Madison area is that they have lost their assistant director (quit) and their office manager (quit). You can't make a wholesale change without having a safety net in place. There are so many variables that go into their next year. Members are left hanging, potential auditionees are watching for a sign of stability, every corps out there is hiring their staffs, venders are thinking about where to place their product, and any number of other things that need to be solid are seemingly...I don't know the right word. Regiment nailed it when they made the change, but the Madison folks seem to be scurrying. You can say that the change to Bob Wall was a mistake, and I wouldn't argue you on that point, but that board was proactive. I hope they can make an announcement soon or it may be a tough year for Madison.

...and took 14th! Yeah baby, that was nice!

Pat may not stay in drum corps. Most people get real jobs at some point, so this may be a good chance for him to step away. I don't see him in Madison with the current BOD in place. They probably want a big splashy name to take over....someone with money and clout has been rumored.

This part is huge. I think the last few years have been an unconscious payback in some ways. Judges are human. No matter how hard they may try to be completely unbiased, it could sneak up and get 'em when they aren't looking. Stewart hates DCI and does not belong back in the competitive arena.

Hughie?

Would DCI come to Madison if the Scouts weren't around (there is talk of using Madison when Indy is unavailable)? How many tickets do the Scouts sell at every show they attend? How many high school band programs benefit because the Madison Scouts inspire kids to become musicians? How was DCI impacted when the Kilties folded compared to how it would be if Madison ws no longer junior corps? You're comparing apples to oranges, which make your argument moot. The Scouts are a highly marketable product in marching music.

Thankfully, it's not 1964. If those of you who are pusing for the Madison Scouts to look and sound like the 240 old guys who performed had your way, the Madison Scouts would become an All-Age corps and would basically cease to exist in two years. Oh sure, they may still be around, but they would not be of any value to the City of Madison or the DC community as a whole. I think emotion led the BoD's decision. Emotion stirred by the 100 standing Os at Semi-Finals. A detailed explanation from someone who voted for Sal's firing (all but Redmann and one other voted to fire Sal according to one post )would be nice. They seem to be hinding from the masses.

Is Redmann a Ph.D. yet? I know he was working on it a few years ago.

Principled, huh?

I notice your signiture says, " - 8/22/06". Count another Madison casualty. The numbers may mount quickly!

Sad move in Madison. Sal was doing great things. There is more to drum corps than on-field stuff. The members seemed to love him. Also, did Redmann resign because of this? Redmann are you out there?