luvscorps

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The Cabs' consistent placement at or near the top makes this a no-brainer of a question. Bucs to me an obvious 2nd -- take out those lean years in the mid-90s and you wouldn't have a slam-dunk for Hawthorne. I guess Bucs have come back, eh? Harder to quantify but more interesting to me is to ask who has made the most impact on the activity or has set standards that raised the level of the activity or pushed it in a new direction. Certainly the Brigs of the late 90s and early 00s. Certainly the Bucs of the late 70s and early 80s, and unquestionably the Bucs of today. I'm sure every 'generation' has one or two corps that, looking back, we can say didn't just win, but made a mark on the activity. Amazing history in this activity!

No...the organization files a 990 and discloses its sources of income. if the sources of income are from the operation of profit-motive activities you run the risk of being taxed on unrelated business income. If it's egregious you run the risk of putting the org's exempt status in jeopardy. Best to have purely business/profit seeking activities run from a supporting organization or, even easier, have those businesses donate cash to the corps or donate food, truck equipment, services, etc., in-kind. the corps can acknowledge the gift and it's then the business' responsiblity to write it off. That's why you see so many drum corps that, say, have buses that they rent out to other organizations during the year - those buses are titled in a separate corporation, and that corporation supports the drum corps organization. Why would members get 1099s? Are they getting paid anything?

I'm all for creative ways to finance a non-profit, but the above could be hazardous. The corps, like any tax-exempt organization, needs to report its sources of income to the IRS. Generally, those sources need to be reasonably related to the reason the corps is exempt in the first place -- i.e., member dues, appearance fees, etc. If you have too many sources of income unrelated to the charitable purpose of the organization, then the IRS could say the corps is really acting in a for-profit posture and not a charitable one, and that income could be taxed or, worse, the exempt status of the corps could be in jeopardy. if you have these for-profit activities conducted by organizations who are legally supporting organizations of the drum corps, rather than just getting a cut of the butcher's profits, then it may be OK. To avoid this, find sources of income related to being a drum corps. And get donations from people who love you and want to support you.

Of course they own assets. Horns, equipment, etc. Some own their own vehicles, some rent, some use pack mules and oxen with big wooden carts. And they also have insurance on this stuff. Ox insurance is pricey but it's available. If a corps goes out existence, and it disposes of its assets, they can be sold or given to another nonprofit organization. Since the corps is a tax-exempt organization, its assets can't go for the benefit of individuals in the organization. But they can be sold or donated to another charity.

For weekend warriors on shoestring budgets, moving a corps across several states is a challenge. So I bet the logistics of this were tough for everyone involved. It's logical that the effort needed to be scrapped this year. I hope it works next year or somtime after that.

1991 Star of Indiana. Never heard anything like that before. Haven't heard anything like it since. Such incredible music, too!

Great lineup. It's worth the price of admission just to hear the Brassmen, Swing House and the Bucs. Add in those other fantastic groups and it's not to be missed. Can't wait.

I like the music very much. I hope it's put together tastefully and not dripping with schmaltz and cheese. I like patriotic music that lets me conjure up my own image to fit the music, rather than being hit over the head with cheesy stuff that more resembles a political convention than a drum corps show. But that's just me, and everyone's entitled to their opinion. Looking forward to seeing it.

So how did Lee's timely idea of a business/financial committee to assist all corps turn into a rehash of old vs. new, why one corps gets members and another doesn't and why we prefer one style to another? There's good discussion to be had about how DCA as an organization can assist corps. Can we stay on that topic, please and leave the other stuff for another thread? On the topic at hand, anything we can do to help DCA corps as independent organizations run more efficiently and effectively is a good thing, IMO. I hope that the good that comes from two corps not competing this year is a fresh look at how corps conduct business and how it can be improved. It's bad for all corps if any corps is off the field.

I am a fan but I do have some experience in running nonprofit organizations that rely on member interest and dues. And I've heard enough stories from my friends in corps over the years to suspect pretty strongly that my comments apply to drum corps. Change the context, and I think my comments might apply to most organizations. Kyle was correct - I think you did prove my point a bit -- a well-run organization that sticks to its principles and puts the member's experience first, second and third wouldn't have such a staff member and, if it found out the hard way that it did, the organization would get rid of that person immediately, even if he or she was the best designer or instructor on the planet.

I think anyone who likes his or her corps experience is going to say that the corps' staff is great. Likewise, someone who has a bad experience will point to how bad the staff was/is among other things. IMO, a corps' ability to put itself on the field is administrative and financial, not who's the visual tech and who's the drill writer. Those things certainly impact competition, but not something more fundamental like solvency and organizational ability. So I'd respectfully depart from some of the comments made here. The corps that seem to do best have above all else a solid organization make up of folks who are good at the business of running a drum corps. This is NOT the same as the business of designing and teaching a drum corps show. The corps that do well have business plans and budgets, based in reality and not fantasy, that they constantly refine. And 'doing well' does not necessarily mean winning. These corps also have an identity that's evident in everything they do - whether it's details of running the organization or the way programs are designed and taught. These corps focus on the member experience and on the type of environment they provide the staff who designs and teaches the show. When these things are in place, members go there and stay because they have a good experience, and good designers and teachers go there as well because they are in an environment where they can shine instead of being bogged down in the organization's b-s. Lee's onto something, IMO. Recruting and retaining members doesn't happen by accident and neither does being financially sound. It takes vision, planning and discipline. And the more we have drum corps organizations that are well-run, financially sensible and provide an opportunity for members and staff to be at their best, the better DCA will be. It's all well and good to get bogged down in how to beat Corps A on the field and how you can leapfrog Corps B in show design. But none of it is sustainable if you're not functioning well as an organization.

That sounds like a 'no' to me, Jeff.

It's always a shame when a corps leaves the competiton field, even if for only a short while. Hurry back, Brigs!

Are you that much of a cynical, bitter ######## that you'd start a thread like this? C'mon. Really. Anyone who's read your drivel on this site knows what you're referring to and I won't dignify it by naming it. But that you would actually take pleasure in a corps folding so you can have your smart*** "I told you so" moment just proves what a destructive force you are. Whoever you are and whatever your real identity is, if I ever meet you in person I'll be pleased to greet you with a kick in the nuts.

I really want DCI corps to play extended melodic phrases. Any corps, any melody.

People argue incessantly over minutiae for a generation or two. Then they find something better to do with their time!

Maybe the response was in the heat of the moment as a result of the comment about how we regret the 'inconvenience caused by the actions of MCA....' That was a shot, too. perhaps apologies are in order for that remark? Tom, if you were making an announcement on behalf of DCA, would you put in your announcement an editorial comment like that? I sure as hell hope not. Even if you thought it privately. If I was a mini-corps who struggled with the decision to not go to Serenade in Brass for what I thought was a justified reason, I'd react negatively to that comment as well.

Wow. I, too, was wondering this and am so thankful someone else was as worried about this as I was and sought comment. I've had many unsettled moments about this, as well as whether Brandt Crocker could pronounce 'absurdity' or 'ciaroscura' and whether the Cadets' members tied their shoes with a double knot on the right side and a single knot on the left side (and whether the way they tied their shoes was an indication of woodwinds becoming part of the activity and how shoe-tying was part of Hop's plan to get what he wanted)..... Perhaps the DCI folks will spell it out, like phoenetically, in the scripts they send to to show organizers. [sarcasm off] The announcer should say whatever the hell he or she feels like saying, as long as the year is correct.

I guess it depends on what you think is the most central characteristic of the activity. If drum corps to you is the art form and the specific rules of the art form - instrumentation, scoring, all that stuff - then you'd let it die. Or many would say it died a long time ago. If drum corps to you is the experience and what the member gets out of it - performance, camaraderie, excellence, all that stuff - then you'd not really care because the value of the activity is just as significant now as it's been.

Agree with Garfield completely. Tell 'em you made the gift and tell 'em the condition -- if the condition's important enough to you to place it on the gift, that's your decision. Some might agree, others not. My guess is that unless you're talking about an incredibly large sum of money, it won't force a change, especially since the reward for not allowing woodwinds will hopefully not come until sometime way in the future -- i.e., either your death or you and your wife's death. For me to be swayed by a promise of some reward in the future, the distant future, in an amount I can't guarantee, doesn't seem to be a game-changer. I'd just run my organization the best way I can and run the activity the best way I can and hope for the best - and probably for every person who chooses not to give on their deathbed there may be someone else who will. Now - a 'boycott' of current giving that corps depend on would make a difference, I think. While I might not agree with your opinion about conditioning the gift on no woodwinds, it's your money - and who are we to tell you not to put that condition on? It happens all the time that people support an organization and then choose to stop supporting it because they don't approve of the policies of the organization or the direction it's taking. I've done that myself with organizations whose policies and practices no longer fit my world view so I vote with my wallet. Nothing irrational at all about this - but I question whether the approach will actually work or have the desired effect.

My rooting interests are the Hurcs and the Cabs, so I wanted to vote for the 2003 Cabs, but I went with 2009 Bucs. Best I've seen. Thanks for putting up these polls. Helped remind me that there were so many great corps and great shows this decade. Just when you think the bar can't get raised any higher, somehow it does, year after year. Such quality!

Cabs' 2007 Carmen production was outstanding, so I would have voted for that, but if I recall correctly Reading's 2001 show finished just 0.1 behind Brigs in the midst of their incredible run. Based and that, and the fact that it was a kick-*** show, I voted for 2001 Bucs. So many great shows on this list!

Went with 2008 Hurricanes.

Or he thought he was in the middle of his coronation. It was embarrassingly bad, and the gyrations made me a bit nauseous.