Gantang

I applaud them for winning CYO and VFW Nationals but not all west coast corps attended shows as they did beginning in 1972. Scouts are 2 time DCI World Champions, albeit not for the last 21 years! Both Troopers and Madison are doing better than Kingsmen!!

The Troopers' trend line is consistent and flat which shows stability. Madison's trend line is pointing down which shows things are not going well.

Edited for clarity, but the show design is crappy.

That's how you interpreted my comment that "the current corps is working hard and performing at the top of their ability"? The SHOW design is not at the level of the top tier corps. Their designs are diamonds while the Scouts' current product design is a turd. Swap out the kids in the Bluecoats with Madison and have them perform the exact same products and Madison's would not be earning the highest scores. And, I'm not helping anyone. I'm opining, which is what these boards are for.

"Virtually sold out" or almost sold out?

No, they aren't. I have to ask corps8294...did you consider not adding "yet"? 😉 My comparison was hyperbolic on purpose, but it is clear that the City of Madison can't support a World Class drum corps any more than Milwaukee. I'd be interested in knowing how many current Scouts are from Wisconsin let alone Madison. I've posted before that I doubt that Madison will have 5 Star recruits audition for spots in 2020. The individual talent level seems to be dropping each year and there is only so much a design team can do with unskilled performers. I know the current corps is working hard and performing their show given to them at the top of their ability, but the show they were given is not diamond standard (it's more of a turd, and you can't polish a turd). Adding females will probably bring a lot of girls who want to be in the first co-ed Madison, but will they be the most talented of the girls in drum corps? Probably not. Therefore the same talent levels of girls and boys will be filling the ranks. Fundraising will also be tough when you sit at the bottom of the WC corps. Fewer funds, a lack of top talent, limited show design options, and a lack of identity could make the future for Madison bleak at best. BUT, the current MM are working hard and should be commended. If there were still 1st and 2nd tours Madison could have lost a few members during the break.

Has anyone asked how far the BOD is willing to let the Corps drop? If the BOD is OK with Madison filling the role that Pioneer filled they are doing a fine job achieving that goal.

16 Pacific Crest World Class 75.517 76.250 17 Blue Devils B Open Class 75.283 76.550 18 Troopers World Class 74.621 76.100 19 Gold Open Class 74.100 75.350 20 Madison Scouts World Class 74.083 74.600 21 Vanguard Cadets Open Class 73.900 75.500

A face saving grace indeed. Al least Madison can say they didn't lose to them.

Not to nit pick, but they are ranked 19th according to the DCI rankings when factoring in Open Class. Oddly, either no one who follows Madison on their Facebook Page is concerned or the Admins of the Page remove any negative content. According to the Followers, it's all roses and sunshine. If you strive for and accept mediocrity you are certain to achieve it.

I think most neighborhoods may have an issue with corps using an amplified metronome or playing at 6:00 am.

I appreciate your enthusiasm about the show and the performance, but scores matter. They matter in the financial support that a corps will receive. They matter who will see them perform since there are shows where Madison is the second corps on while people are arriving late. They matters in suvie sales because most kids in the audience will buy a shirt from a top tier corps. They matter when kids are deciding where to march next year and where to audition. Unless a kid is really talented and wants to march in Madison specifically, Scouts may draw lower tiered talent, which inhibits the level of difficulty the design team can build into a show. Which immediately slots them lower because the content is blasé. And they matter on a daily basis as the staff has to cram in as much rehearsal time as they can before getting ready for a I respect what you are saying about scores, but we can't kid ourselves by thinking that any corps can continue to exist if they aren't competitive. I've been a MS fan since 1975 and seeing them scheduled for a 7:27 pm step-off. Other corps will have as many as 2 1/2 additional hours of rehearsal time everyday! You can't get the corps together to rehearse after the show so the hours are very limited. There is a lot of cleaning that can be accomplished in 2 1/2 hours X # show days. Scores matter a ton.

I would look at the spread between #1 and #25. That spread seems to remain fairly constant through seasons. If we assume Bluecoats rise another 7 points that would put Madison right around 80 and Genesis at 74.

I expect that Madison's alumni donations will be much lower after July 7 and the poor competitive results. As with most demographics, the older you get the more disposable income you have. Choosing charities becomes more important the more money you have to give. People Give when they are emotionally attached to a Cause and when they know that their dollars will be used wisely and productively. From reading some comments in various places it appears that the July 7 decision has burned a lot of bridges between the alums and the current Corps.

cixelsyd, I didn't say SCVC or BDB would beat Madison in competition, I stated their scoring rank and that another Open Class corps was "scoring right on their heels". Meaning a second Open Class corps is about to outscore the World Class Scouts. No matter which way you look at it this season is a competitive failure for Madison. It's said that that the mantra within the corps is that they don't care about scores, but scores bring a commensurate level of talent to auditions, and it translates into lower suvie sales and lower alumni donations.

Madison is ranked 18th this morning with Vanguard Cadets scoring right on their heels. Has anyone asked the BOD how far they are willing to let the Scouts drop before they make a substantial change? BTW, I don't consider integrating in girls is a substantial change. It seems like more of a magicians' psychological misdirection.

So, the 8th place finish can be attributed to mason and not CK? That means CK went 13th, 12th, 16th, <15th since Mason's departure. That doesn't bode well.

DCI has only existed since 1972. So to keep it accurate, last year's 16th placement was the lowest the corps has finished since *1972*. There. That's sounds better doesn't it?? 🙂

The Essen Haus deal fell through and it WILL remain open! https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/developer-drops-bid-to-redevelop-essen-haus-block/article_1893ab2c-d728-5d62-aed4-418ffffdf895.html?fbclid=IwAR0zeMUY7rN1D84zIYVmqCo9DgM8Ll9l3iY4F1JvPLGZ5cFcWgQR_dsAKjs

According to many Madison alumni at the Stadium Bar during Finals' week 2006, members of the BOD were courting Mason during that week hoping he would come back in 2007 to be ED. I would give the credit to the BOD for securing Mason since the work began well before CK took over.

AN objective data driven analysis shows that throughout CK's tenure he benefited from Jim Mason's being with Madison. According to the talk at the Stadium Bar during the 2006 Finals' week this is something that many on the 2006 BOD was hoping would happen as early as 2007 but didn't happen until 2010. CK's pre-Mason rankings were 12th in 08 and 15th in 09. With Mason Madison placed 10th, 10th, 10th, 9th, 11th. Post-Mason Madison has placed 8th, 13th, 12th, 16th, and surely <12th this year. To his credit, CK did take Madison from 15th to 12th after the wholesale change in late 2006 left the Scouts with no staff and new leadership, but the argument could be made that most of CK's success came from corps Jim Mason assembled. The data show that since Mason departed the trend line is heading down. BTW I don't know CK and have no affiliation with Madison other than being a fan since 1975.

Are non-alumni of Madison allowed to state that Madison has fallen a long way and that you can track it under the current leadership? That seems to be empirical from the data.

How many of those guys will stay after gaining experience? I can't see staying and taking a chance that things may be better rather than auditioning for a corps that you know is a sure finalist. That said, I loved the corps I marched in and they were perennial top 5 contender. But if I had the ability to go from a bottom tier corps to a top tier corps I would have jumped at the chance. Now that corps are no longer local, it matters not where the plane takes you. It's possible that the Madison slide has relegated them to being a feeder corps to contenders.

But aren't the other corps also adding content, cleaning and rehearsing every day, too? The activity isn't static.

Sure they do. All 58 of them. https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/02/heres-a-list-of-58-gender-options-for-facebook-users/