wvu80

I doubt the rest of the Open Class corps think of their division as someplace a corps is sent when they are being punished.

Are you saying it's not unusual for a director to be a member of his own drum corps board? I'm asking out of ignorance. I was a member of the local mental health board. As a new member I was trained on how to be a good board member, doing the detailed discussions in committees not general meetings, that sort of thing. A consultant from the outside was contracted to train new board members. The board hires the director, sets his salary and defines his duties. The director does NOT participate in those meetings. The director does as the board directs but the director provides leadership in staying up with current law and procedures and educates the board. The director comes up with a budget which by definition for a non-profit should have a zero balance at the end of the year (with a carry-over allowed by state law). Hopefully the board and director are on the same wavelength.

You need to be open to new ideas!

Don't be put off by the black and white, watch the video. These cats can play! It's better than you think. What corps do you think should be the first to try it?

Why? What if the Corps mission is to provide an education via musical performance? It's not always about placements and medals. I think it's possible to provide an education via musical performance in the Open Class. @OldDCGuy's suggestion is one which I would support. +++ Unrelated: I've been a part of many non-profit and quasi-governmental boards. I have NEVER heard of the director being on the board! The director runs the organization according to the board's direction. To have the director as a board member is a clear conflict of interest, and he should resign one position or the other.

I am not talking about the DCI award. I never was talking about it. Never. I don't care who won, I don't care what corps they were in. I don't care about leadership, I don't care about any off-field issues. I don't care about any enviable or un-enviable positions anybody was in. I don't care. I sat in the seats, saw a field conductor I liked for one show, and said so. That's it. Am I being too ambiguous? Sheesh.

I don't think you're listening. I AM NOT talking about the DCI award! I never was. It has nothing to do with the person who won the award and it has nothing to do with the Cadets. The DCI award is YOUR issue, NOT MINE. Get it? At this point I think you are arguing for its own sake, and I think you are getting it wrong deliberately. I haven't insinuated anything, I am very honest, direct and to the point and you still don't get it. Moving on.

I thought this and your previous comments were thoughtful and well expressed. You are entitled to those views, and intelligent comments such as yours, pro or con regarding ANY subject should always be respected on an open forum.

I find that more than a little condescending, it is not a topic because Cadets won something. This has nothing to do with the Cadets, not my comments, not anyone else's. The subject matter at hand brought up by me was MY favorite conductor on the field and not one person who is expressing a comment on this mentioned the Cadets as a factor except you. That the Cadets field commander won the Leadership award is not in dispute. It's simply a fact. I don't know if you are trying to paint ME as a Cadets hater so I won't judge your ambiguous comments. I love Cadets going back to when I first saw them in 1982, the year George Hopkins became director. They have been a favorite of mine every since, and are to this day. I am un-affiliated with any corps as I never marched and never did any of my children. I am just a drum corps fan who has put his butt in the seats for 40 years and loves them all. Assuming you are not talking about me it's unfair to proclaim anybody who does not share your opinion about field conductors to declare them a "hater" of the Cadets. The evidence of posts on this thread does not support that conclusion.

Fair enough. I didn't see Pac Crest this year, maybe if I had I would feel as you do. Since Pac Crest didn't get the air time the Big Boys did, would you care to elaborate on what you saw, or what you liked?

Nobody said she didn't earn the award. I certainly didn't say that and I don't think that. I was giving my opinion about what I like seeing from a conductor on the field. I guess I'm not being specific enough. The fact I like a particular conductor's style and performance does not detract from nor disparage anybody else. It's my PERSPECTIVE and my OPINION, not an official DCI award. But it should be.

it's not a conducting award I gave out the conducting award. From my perspective. In the seats. SCV wins.

I'm not being critical, but it really does help if you see it live! and in person. The intensity and energy of the horn line is something you don't feel when seeing it on the little screen. It is super exciting when sitting in the seats. Not just this SCV show, but drum corps shows in general are like that, a hundred times better live!. You kinda have to be there.

SCV won the way BD usually does, with excellence everywhere. They had strength in all facets of the drum corps show and no weaknesses. There was nothing wrong with BD, they had a tremendous program. It's just SCV picked up a tenth here, a tenth there, and it all adds up to a win. If you are an old-school fan of power drum corps with a horn line that would melt your face, you would have liked to have seen the Vanguard this year. You would have left with a smile on your face.

Each drum major that wishes to be considered for the award submits an application (with the help of their corps director, who I think will also write a recommendation.) They then are interviewed via phone or in person at San Antonio by Gene Monterastelli, the DCI Hall-of-Famer who is kind of the DCI Drum Major/Leadership 'caption head', if you will. Not sure of the criteria but that's more info on the process. Well, from my point of view with my butt in the seats, the conductor who impressed me the most waving his arms around and showing tremendous emotion and energy was the Vanguard guy standing on the podium, 30 yard line, left side. If you sat on the right side of the 50 and disagree with my choice, that is a perfectly valid disagreement. It's about perspective and that's mine.