Scerpella

Actually watching what we just did on the Jumbotron as we marched off was fun and put a smile on my face.

What about no pants???

MBI's score has nothing to do with us as far as DCA is concerned. In any case if one looks at 2008 then its clear that closeness to MBI has no effect on what the final spread between us at DCA. To Wit: 6/28/2008 Madison, WI MBI 76.00 Kilties 67.25 -8.75 7/26/2008 Cudahy, WI MBI 83.188 Kilties 78.450 -4.738 7/27/2008 Racine, WI MBI 85.350 Kilties 80.325 -5.075 8/16/2008 St Peter, MN MBI 89.888 Kilties 82.800 -7.088 8/17/2008 St Paul, MN MBI 91.013 Kilties 84.325 -6.688 8/30/2008 Rochester, NY Prelims MBI 95.113 Kilties 82.788 -12.325 Average spread for 2008 6.738. (Not including Rochester) So much for the stay close to MBI theory! Now try to imagine if this happened between two Eastern corps. I want to differ from the above posters understanding of our current philosophy. We are trying to make the Kilties about being the best we can be while providing an entertaining experience for whoever sees us. If we accomplish that the scores follow naturally. To say we don't care about placing and such is not quite right because we DO want to show our stuff in the finals as much as any other corps. If we believe we accomplish that then like anyone else we would be disappointed not to be able to do one more performance for the big crowd.

Derek you are missing something from your marching experience!

Really? They had a good show as I recall but I also recall about 7 minutes of stop time (or so it seemed)

Is that supposed to be sarcasm because it was poorly executed? Pioneer is fine where they are in case after two statements of it you have missed my point.

I'd say your idea of what Pioneers goals should be vs what they think are different. Winning has always been a matter of things that change by degrees. A little harder drill, a few more talented kids, a more experienced guard. That falls easily under the category of tweaking. Nothing is forever, some day Roman will step down and someone else will take over. (Maybe Roman III?) I dont see why you and others are in such a rush to throw out the whole program and Roman along with it to chase after something that only a handful of groups achieve anyway. They are on the field doing their best entertaining crowds and providing a great experience for the members. Corps too numerous to mention have gone away forever after shooting their wads on trying to make it into the elite group. If more corps and their directors were like Pioneer and Roman it would be a better activity. It USED to be that way.

I have been reading complaints about scoring from all sorts of corps all summer but now I'm fairly certain if a current Kiltie weighs in and complains the usual suspects will come out of the woodwork and say we're whining. Not for nothing Liz but not everyone has their best show every night and that tends to color their perspective. I can remember coming off the field with the Scouts at DCI East prelims in 78 thinking we had blown it. We won prelims. (with the highest score of the year at that point) 2009 Kilties performance was unequivocally the best of the year. And we were truly surprised that we didnt make top 10 last year. Go back and read the contemporaneous commentary during prelims last year on DCP. The opinions written there were in my experience repeated by practically everyone Ive spoken to and that includes some knowledgeable DCA people. So without dealing with other corps performances which of course figure in, I just want to say despite you talking to a couple people who didnt have their best performance, as a group the Kilties were definitely on their A game (such as it is) in 09. One show score doesnt invalidate an entire season so we groused about it for a bit and had a nice party anyway. As for 2010 I think we wont embarass ourselves and we'll entertain some folks. Obviously we have learned that being seeded in the top 10 doesnt necessarily result in a top 10 score for us. Whatever happens happens.

Looking on fromthepressbox.com, they appear to have the seedings jumbled up. Obviously they are not finalized because there is one more show for some corps but they have CV seeded above both Alliance and Kilties who have scored higher and there are no more shows for these 3. They also have Renegades seeded 7th when my impression is that they will be seeded based on last years finish which was 6th. Can anyone clear this up?

Densely populated areas like the Northeast probably dont have this problem as much as less populated areas.

Not true, Pioneer was top 25 in the 70's (back when there were many more than 25 Open Class corps) Was that called DCI Associate? Pioneer is successful at what they do. They need nothing more than tweaking and to attract more and talented kids. There are very few corps that can mount the sustained financial and logistical effort it takes to run a top 12 corps, and every year that becomes less. Pioneer lives within its means, and subscribes to their own unique ethic and philosophy. They clearly want to become a top 12 corps some day and moving down to Open would permanently cement their status as a stepping stone destination. Some day I believe all these necessary things are going to fall ito place and maybe they pick up a great corporate sponsor and things change for them. The idea that Roman needs to be gone or different than he is is ridiculous because without him there would be no Pioneer. If possible I would take a dozen more corps just like Pioneer rather than see them change to what some people thing they should be.

1975 Madison probably directly inspired many young men to become Scouts over the next 5-7 years. I was one of them. I think in the same way the 2010 version of that show will similarly inspires guys to come to Madison.

Cant wait to hear this, very intrigued now.

Matt, plenty of folks expressed that exact opinion that going back to the 70's was a bad idea, and to be honest it was not an unreasonable opinion. No one could have known going in that the corps would do it as well as they did. Mason and company appear to be able to execute and deliver so whatever they do I am confident it will come off well on the field. That said, I would guess there will be a little more re establishing the brand work to be done. Dont think it will be 70's necessarily although my favorite idea along those lines would be the 79 show. there was some awesome music in that but since the show wasnt a winner then I doubt they would redo it. Malaguena? That sounds like asking for trouble but many said that when they announced Rhapsody and Slaughter. Maybe New York New York? Same kind of feel as the 2010 show (which was the reason it was chosen in 77) Anyway dont have a clue what theyll do but Im sure its going to be gangbusters.

This is at the back of my mind as well. Notwithstanding that Czapinskis have a bit of a reputation for playing favorites, what to me is more abhorrent and implausible is scores being more or less "straight lined". Apparently we are to believe that the balance among the corps is so surgically precise that every caption tends to also line up from top to bottom, as though no one ever has a particularly strong caption. It does happen but is the exception rather than the rule. The idea that Corps X has the Xth place corps in every caption is ridiculous. Vegas oddsmakers would choke the convenience of how things play out in an activity which is dependent on the performance of 150 individuals night to night. In reality it points to an alarmingly bald faced groupthink fostered and encouraged by the fact that DCI and judging has never been independent of the individual corps as it should be. (see Lee Rudnicki) Mavericks have a very short life span in the DCI judging ranks, microscopically brief if you are goring one of the top 3 power brokers corps. This isnt suggestive of conspiracy (which is the typical strawman thrown up about this time) but self interest guiding people who like their gig to do whats likely to make sure theyre asked back. Would truly independent judges change things radically? Probably not. But they would produce a different result and in a "sport" where missing the brass ring means taking the long dirt nap known as going inactive, the activity would probably be more diverse and healthier for it.

Technically the Scouts are "Venture Crew #XXXX" I forgot the actual number. This is an explorer Scout designation apparently.

More like Simple Jack from Tropic Thunder! lol I kid! Geoff Sperling (Little Geoffrey) Was a late season spot filler for the Kilties for two years so I am wishing him the best.

I honestly dont think the public at large knows anything about Drum Corps that this could create any "havoc". More likely it will expose more people to it and possibly be a good thing. Publicity is publicity. I was struck that in all the story was fairly even handed in its characterization of the conflict and even did a fair job explaining what the activity was and is for the average person.

The overall increase of tattooing IS a little different than what we're talking about here but on the subject at large, this is one of my observations every summer. You go out to the fairs or festivals and can watch women especially sporting a few too many pounds squeezed into something no longer necessarily appropriate with some ludicrous looking tat over their breast or neck or the infamous tramp stamp. Its kind of a sad messge to everyone that says, "I once was hot". (but am no longer) Or in the case of the middle aged potbellied guy with glasses "I was once buff and a ######". lol I can relate to that guy very well, except without the tat. This is of course not to say that everyone is doomed to regret their decision, but given the vastly increasing numbers of younger and younger people who have jumped into this, I really do think someone can make a pretty good living by inventing a better tattoo removal system.

Really? this is a "mantra" to you? Calling ones opinion "outdated" actually confirms my argument that styles and opinions change. And you bolster my point that there may (probably will) come a day that most of the people who got tats in their youth are going to feel very silly. There are many different (IMO better) ways to express yourself that take into account that we and society change over our lifetimes. A tattoo does not. It is the one fashion choice that stays with you regardless.

I love the places Ive had the great good luck to march,Scouts and Kilties. But theres many wonderful and memorable things that have happened to me over my lifetime and I dont see the point of preserving memories by permanently drawing them on me. When I hear someone is getting one, I tell them to get a t shirt and take lots of photos. Tattoos are largely nowadays an affectation of young people who apparently dont understand when they are no longer young will probably wish they didnt have symbols permanently etched into them that will have much less meaning later in life or worse yet a stupid or comical meaning in their post drum corps lives.

After hearing the show twice from the ready line and rehearsing next to them all Sunday in Kenosha, this may be my favorite MBI program ever. There is a musicality this year that in previous years was just all about screaming and parking and blowing. From experience I know MBI will polish this thing into a bright gem by Rochester. I hope we can be on the same field with them come Sunday night.

Happened to Kilties and Garfield Cadets at DCI in 1977. 13 corps in the night show.

Not gonna do it Derek!

I wouldnt sweat it. These things tend to get straightened out in Rochester.