GUARDLING

You mean the tunnel and the pant color change? Now that was cool

Personally ( for me ) I have no problem with a staff person getting what they deserve or can demand for their talent ,effort and dedication BUT ( now this will drive some crazy including me ) I know of certain Div 1 corps that have certain named instructors on a yearly salary merely because the have been around forever and almost never show up. I say kick those to the curb, excess baggage and a cost not needed. Thats what I would do BUT I wouldnt persume to tell someone how to run thier own corps,. If they want that added expense so be it, Personally I dont have to contribute to it.

ooo believe me i know Ive been there...lol

Only my opinion. I love BK but I also think progression and just plain old getting better what what you chose to do goes to SCV. It just seems ( IMO ) the maturity can be seen. But I do love BK

IMO Blending in with the corps or looking like the corps doesnt inhance the show , theme although I did like cadets last years costume, not fond of it this year, shakos etc etc. I guess on 2nd thought matching can work if done right and I guess same goes for the opposite.

It sure seems that way . Ive also seen it happen like this and then all of a sudden the bottom 2 or 3 drop suddenly 4 to 5 points at championships.

I have a friend making 6 figures in a non profit. Non profits are the hardest business to be in . Anyone taking on such a task deserves what they can get for a salary. Ive said it in another post, to keep a non profit going takes alot of work and talent and directors should be compensated for it. Its not the 60s where a dad took on the job. With all that said....lol... sorry I would be surprised if any of the 7 go. I said almost from the beginning. This all may have been a plan to ask for alot, stir the pot and then come back and GET what they wanted all along.... this could be woodwinds... it could be more control..it could be more money who knows but I think there was a plan B in the works all along.....just my opinion

Show dynamics will also drive numbers up or down. But I understand where you are coming from. Improvement over the past year really doesnt come into play. Yes they have improved but if several other corps in their area of competition improved also what you recieved last year or a certain box level could be very different now. It really comes down to placement and spreads. As far as you other comment about no judges meeting now. I hear ya there. We had to deal with that for a few years now in WGI. No critique other than a power regional.

numbers really dont mean anything especially year to year Spirit is better than the last few years for sure but others can be also, which always sucks when you dont move forward but certainly are better. In the 80s i was a huge fan and in recent years not so much BUT I think visually is a big step forward this year and I enjoye them .Good luck Spirit

OMGGGGG I'm sorry for all the type Os. I guess I posted to fast....BAD ME !

This answer was to anohter poster who talked about in the recent past guards didnt even get a score SOOO I was refrencing even wya back 27 with or with out an actual score contrinuted to every score on every sheet..... HAd nothing to do with dresses....But I actually thought those tight 27 mini skirts werent very cool.. although the best guard ever

Well you could be right but I can also tell you those paid liitle to do a Div 1 corps or even OC corps do it for the resume then go to other corps and HS bands and use that for the bigger money.. So I guess maybe everyone wins..lol Everyone gets what they want....lol

I agree with almost everything you say BUT I do believe anything with a million plus to run YES has to be run like a business but no matter what the product, who it is servicing, how much it costs to belong it must be run like a business. Performers being paid? Well maybe thats the G7s next thing years down the road, who knows. I know many would disagree with me BUT these huge staffs are not all paid or not a high salary. YES there are key people who YES get a big salary some deserved many probably not. ( I know many myself that dont deserve anything close to what they get ) I guess I agree with you on most points and maybe disagree with a few just a little. I think just another way of looking at it. I think as another poster mentioned... a restriction on salaries. That could never happen because there is always going to be someone who will pay that extra buck to get ahead or succeed and in turn someone always there to take it.

This !!!!!!

well not all

what does being a non profit have to do with a salary. If someone deserves a salary for a talent good for them. This activity is a business now, like it or not. I know I wouldnt spend 3 months on the road and all the luxuries that go with that, produce a top 5 corps ( say ) and do it just for the LOVE of the sport..... ahhhhh NO. Theres certain things you donate and then theres a time to financially get rewarded for the time , effort , education, and especially in this activity longevity you earned. a few of my best friends work for non profits and have huge slalaries, and of course just the opposite within the same non- profit. You get what youre worth or produce. God Bless America...lol ....JMO

Youre very welcome Mike..There are many more in depth pages on it...but you know lots of verbage to say the same thing..lol

No youre right it doesnt have to be that way BUT Im sure glad it is. I dont want to go back to the days of watching the same ole same ole every year. Drum Corps has evolved to a way differnt level ( the good and bad of it ) When you spend a fortune to succeed in this business and if we want to admit it or not success breeds more success sometimes and attracts the members spending to do that just becomes part of the process......sorry to say......Just my opinion.

Well I dont know how much more or less I know BUT here is an exmaple of GE for WGI. Keep in mind no matter what a judge may tell you even from WGI there is just as much differences as in DCI. Its the nature of the beast I think and Pages upon pages of discription for WGI with still the same issues and differences of opinions as DCI. I have seen standing Os and they not win GE even though the sheets clearly say Engage the audiance. Heres what GE Philosophy is: Verbal obsrvations must be equally divided between the" WHAT " and The " HOW" Judges should first comment on what has created the effect and then comment on how well it was communicated by the performers. Break down of GE Sheet REPERTOIRE EFFFECT: " WHOS REP CONTAINED THE GREATER: * Program Concept * Creativity* Production Value* Appeal * Intrigue * Continuity and flow* Coordination *Staging* Musicality/ Mood * Detail to Nuance/ Artistic Qualitities* PAcing PERFORMANCE EFFECT: " WHOSE PERFORMERS BETTER: * Engaged the Audiance* Embodied. Sustained Character, Role, Identity, Style * Delivered/ Sustained Impact, resolutions, Climaxes* Established/ Sustained Designed mood* Displayed visual musicality* Communicated Detail, Nuance, Artistic Qualitites* Demonstrated Excellence as an Effect. See how easy it can be subjective although most claim its criteria driven.

Although Im sure they would take anyone 1st year out , if they come out ( so difficult theses days )Thunder is not coming out as a JR. corps as per their announcement I also think the activity has become such on a pro level ( well claims to be...lol ) that most of the Div 1 corps wont take a kid from scratch and teach them. It's not like it was 40 years ago. With all that said I would also venture to say if a kid in HS went to an audition and blew everyone away they would get a spot and and exception would be made

of course

it's been a question asked, addressed, re- addressed, caucused about, expalined, debated, I can keep going and going..lol...But its been going on for decades and not just DCI..WGI...DCA, BOA, you name it. Is there really an answer? Can everyone get on the same page? I would venture to say no because like everything it's interpretation , subjetive, even of a criteria.

I have heard that also " with some " I know many winter programs in world class have done the same. I know some people feel they dont have to deal with the kiddie thing or a parent ( for many reasons ) The activity has become more adult over the years for numerous reasons I guess.

I remember getting visual tapes in the 90s saying" The pit is way to loud..lol "

I think it carries so much weight because its a visual medium. We sit and watch, it's not just about the music but about what is done to the music.We move to the music not just sit and play so the movement becomes part of it all and in the music captions music becomes shared. Now which is more important or carries more weight could be an argument worthy of it's own thread ...lol..maybe its own website.