noblegaijin

I am not in the employ of the Blue Knights. There is absolutely no difference in me popping over NFL.com and posting a message expressing my disagreements with Elway's handling of the Broncos (which, for the record I would never do...he's killin' it!). The logic you handed me was, "you shouldn't criticize unless you're willing ot start your own corps", which I think we both can agree is pretty flimsy. I can see that for many folks here--in all fairness MOST folks here---loyalty trumps all else. There are many proud parents, former members, and staffers who probably didn't want to read what I had to say. That's fine. But recognize that this is in fact a public forum and this is hardly the first opinion ever posted nor will it be the last. I do not pull punches or play favorites. I'm all about getting the difficult topics out on the table where everyone can see them and discuss them. I never mentioned a single name, launched a personal attack, or insulted anyone. I tried my hardest to keep the criticism impersonal. That said, I don't think the weight of the topic was as heavy as many have made it out to be. I simply wished to illustrate that I find BK shows to be fairly bland and dismissive of the audience. I hope that opinion changes in the years to come. I think the sentiment that I should reach out to the staff is also valid. I am giving that serious consideration as well. Thanks for the feedback.

Interesting points, Chuck. I haven't really given much thought to a correlation between world class and surrounding open class corps. I would assume that the need for open class corps simply bubbles forth from a surplus of applicants at their world class equivalents. As far as I know, they are essentially incubators for those who are on the cusp of making world class teams - correct me if I'm wrong.

Then, we essentiall agree. I think the organization (public outreach, commitment to fielding a corps year in and year out) is pretty solid through and through. But your opening sentence is precisely where I am coming from - they do not field interesting shows. That's it. No other agenda.

With this logic in place, I hope you never criticize the company you work for, your government, or your favorite team. Unless of course you wish to start your own.

Oh dear....some people just can't take criticism well. I'd say that some interesting dialog came out of these 11 pages, even if I don't personally agree with some of the points made. I really don't understand where the need was for personal attacks, Atucker. It's disappointing that you would attack my character even if you passionately disagree with my stance. Best of luck to you.

Bummer

Do you watch sports? Have a favorite football team? Ever find yourself frustrated by a boneheaded draft pick or roster change in the offseason or perhaps poor coaching? Ever vocally protested? Ever screamed at the tv after watching something like that go down? By protesting choices made by your favorite team are you less of a fan?

The difference of course being that I have absolutely no emotional investment in the Colts, Crossmen, Troopers, or Blue Stars. As for Vanguard, Bluuuuuuecoats, and Phantom - they've already tasted top tier. The Blue Knights have not. And to be clear, I never said that "complaining on a message board" would change anything. This was a commentary on my personal feelings regarding the Blue Knights.

Ha - not sure I am that memorable. I was fairly quiet until the tail end of the season when I started getting comfortable with everyone. Was painfully shy back then. I remember your name somehow - did you work with the Euphoniums? So, you're not going to Drums this year?

And I pay credence to all of the points you just made. It isn't easy. It does take substantial planning. I'm simply stating that the overall trajectory of the corps has been flat for many years now and I don't think it's a coincidence. Sitting back and admiring the problem's difficulty is not a solution.

Maybe so, Wes. Hopefully this year proves me wrong. Soprano Bugle - I was there. I have tons of pictures of me in front of the tour bus, on and off the field. We had a Japanese girl from Kyoto named Ryori that year as well. Why the investigative reporting?

1995 Madison Scouts - 4th 1996 Madison Scouts - 6th Correct - that was a mistake. I had the 96 Buccaneer show in mind when I made that comment. The 96 Crossmen really surprised as well (9th place).

Wes - this smacks of "we should just be grateful to be a part of the conversation." instead of "we have what it takes to be the best." You can paint all of the sad pictures you want, but when the results are the same year after year, maybe it's time to start having some difficult conversations.

See, but this assumes too many things. First, that BK has the right idea about "entertainment" to begin with. I think most folks who saw the Cartoon show or many others throughout the last 10 years would tell you that they weren't terribly entertained. This makes me recall a topic which Mark Arnold always talks about during the early camps of each season. He draws a simple line graph which illustrates the idea that, when you try something new it usually means that your skill level "gets worse before it gets better". So, we try on the entertainment shoe, get panned a bit, and then run back to what's familiar? Hell no. You drive forward and break that shoe in until it's a comfortable fit.

Here's what I can tell you - the Blue Knights have an undeniable trend which has them hovering around the mid to lower end of finals year after year. In any other business, anemic or negative growth is not viewed as a positive phenomenon. Of course I "assume" some of the things I mentioned above are not happening. Objectively, I can say that they certainly haven't fielded a show that makes me believe, and likely many would-be or returning Knights have felt the same.