NOLE04

Its a great point you make, I remember marching Teal if we had kids stay from camp to camp we would have had decent-sized corps OR could have made cuts and take just the best instead of taking everyone possible just to survive. On the money note though, I can see where lately it would turn some kids off. Looking at some websites its almost as expensive and sometimes just as expensive to march Open Class as it is World Class and you dont always get the same full tour.

My arguement is that from a purely competitive standpoint, not taking into acount the management side of things, I would like to see my former corps win two titles before they attempt to go World Class. Based on RECENT history the corps that dont show they can compete successfuly for many years in Open Class/Div 2/3 do not do well in World Class. I understand that all of the top 12 have Open Class roots, and some have even gone back into Open Class to make sure they didnt fold, and I think that is smart and that is what I want Teal to do. I want my corps to succeed and to be good on the field. I dont want to see my corps go World Class and be just another corps, I want to see them go World Class and be relevant. On the Orlando Magic note, its been covered but my opinion is Magic was never D2, they were forced to be D1. Also, if Magic was smart they would have stayed D2 and build the organization back up before going back to World Class. I know many Magic vets, I even know the guy who is either 1 or 2 on most years marched in Magic, the organization was never stable and when they came back should have stayed D2. BUT, when they came back it was a D1 staff with D1 talent and D1 numbers, so it was a D1 corps competing in D2. If the organization was smart they would have stayed there, built up a base of kids and management staff, then gone back up.

Blue stars is a bad example to use here, they had a long history of being very competitve in Division 2 and 3 and won several titles before moving back up to Division 1. If you look at Cap Reg and Mandarins, niether have been very successful in Division 1 since niether have made finals. The only Open class (2/3) corps to have made finals since moving up are the Cascades and Blue Stars and the Cascades had to take a year off and merge with Spoakne Thunder this year to come back. The only corps that have moved up to World Classand not folded are Blue Stars, Mandarins, and Capital Regiment and all three hada very long and very successful 2/3 career. You cant really observe Academy yet due to their limited time of existence, although they seem to be doing well. The reason I said you need to win two is that by showing you can win and win more than once you show DCI and other people that you are a top notch corps and are a consistently top notch corps. Teal has proven that they can compete in Open Class, and thats it. I do not want to see my corps move up to World Class just to be another corps that makes semis every year and occasionally peaks in at 13 or makes finals once every 3-4 years. It seems when corps do not establish themselves in the lower division when they move up to world class they do OK but never make it to that elite level. I know Teal has the dream and the desire to be an elite level World Class corps but based on history I wish they would stay in Open Class for long enough to show they can dominate their and do it consisently.

Teal Sound has more work to do. The organization has gotten slightly better but needs to work on keeping a percussion staff, and before they move up need to win in my opinion 2 championships. Also, before the bashing begins, Im a 3 year alumni of the corps and due to possible future corps connections (being on staff with a different corps) and not wanting to offend anyone I will stay anonymous except to those involved with Teal who wish to know who I am and why I feel this way. I am not posting to bash my former corps, but simply expressing an opinion, and since I carry the corps with me everyday and for the rest of my life (hint for those involved with Teal for more than 3 years) I feel I have earned that right.