ranintothedoor

I think it's going to be awesome... back to our parade roots, finding outlets in indoor arenas (WGI), and longer lives for band directors. :-D

I know, that's awesome! lol

Ugh... I remember one field in Iowa where they did not cut the grass before our rehearsal... those roots were just a-soakin' up our sweat and tears.

yeeeeah... I see the wisdom in this. I think I was just being selfish in my desire for YEA to move down here. lol

My Avatar is still Shenandoah Sound after all these years... I love them and support them whenever I can. Sonus had a fantastic year in SoundSport... two best in shows and a gold rating at Indy! :-D I'm so proud! In my opinion, the strength of the band programs up in Northern Virginia is actually a deterrent for some kids because their performance level at home is so high that it's hard to take a chance on a fledgling or, worse, struggling ensemble to have a "better" experience (the culture is a tiny bit stuck up... I've seen worse, and I think it's improving, but it's there...). An established ensemble like Cadets would not struggle as much in the recruitment department as Sound/Sonus did and does, as well as all those other organizations that've folded up there in the past. Besides, Sonus prides itself on being a feeder for corps like Surf (4 members of Surf this year marched in Sonus last year, I believe). No conflict (IMO).

Manage... and grow. USBands has a presence in Virginia, but it's not strong yet. If they have staff here, they might be able to break into the scene. There's a new Virginia Marching Band Cooperative circuit that's growing fast that has similar philosophies to USBands, so if they want to grow in this market, there's some serious competition winding up.

I think both BK and BS could design a top 3 show, but I just don't know if they have the strength to out-recruit enough talent for those achievement scores that would push them higher than others (maybe they could beat out Cadets next year, but idk).

LET'S DO IT!!! lol

Okay, @SWriverstone, I read your OP (and really enjoyed it, btw!) and about 15 pages of responses. I just wanted to add something else for your consideration. "It left me cold and feeling completely flat." Here's something you may not have considered: The show is called "Babylon". As a Christian that studies Bible history and prophesy, that proper noun is incredibly loaded. Combined with the very clear Tower of Babel incident in the opening and the obvious (to me, anyway) rebuilding of that Tower and all it represents at the end, I was left with an incredibly heavy impression of the show, and here it is: I, too, was left cold and feeling completely flat by the show...... BUT MAN did that fit the term Babylon for me. It was PERFECT. The lack of hope, the wallowing and celebration of sin and defiance of God... dude, the show was an incredible commentary on what Babylon represents. So, though I don't know if the designers had all of that subtext in mind, I think it was a genius-level depiction of the Biblical account of Babylon through the ages precisely because of what you felt on your first and second listens.

Okay... this whole thing has been bugging me... please let me know if I have this straight... Corps without championships (ie, Crown and Bluecoats) that win their first championship will have had to have made significant leaps in placement in the years leading up to their win, including a 2nd/3rd place finish the year prior to their 1st place finish. Wouldn't this be the same as saying that if there was a corps that was improving rapidly over a 2-3 year period, it would attract money and talent and a sense of excitement that would push the design team to create that "special show" that will win? I don't really seeing this as having anything to do with judges, but more the natural energy that builds around an organization when it finds itself having sudden, compounding success. And what's the point of the theory, anyway?... developing a future champion by having clear organizational goals that comport with the theory's predictions? Training judges on how to avoid accidentally rooting for those up and coming corps? Theories don't really have ulterior motives, though... I get that. This whole conversation hurts my head.

I agree... I wasn't actually proposing it should happen... I was just making the point that there's no need to make DCI "more fair". You and I are on the same page. :-)

Meh... if my kid is out there performing, I'd rather have the mixer be an adult; sets the kids (and the paying customers) up for the best possible outcome. However,philosophically, I don't disagree with the sentiment.

Wow, I think rebranding YEA might be a fantastic idea! I'd not really thought of that... I think that might really help shake off some of that negativity associated with the past.

After Finals, I left my bag in the trunk of the car and my folks and I stayed at a hotel. Got up the next morning, and you literally could smell the bag from across the parking lot. Opened up the trunk and POW! It was awful. Soooo we threw the entire bag in the dumpster (after I salvaged a couple things, of course). Good luck!

Same argument as to why they don't move to open class... the financial loss + recruitment challenges would kill the corps.