Ed from Kansas

Not bad for your first post. I have been saying this for two years. DCI is very political.

I could also say the same for Pioneer.

Tonight in Buffalo - Donny's home turf. I know that you will give it all you have and make Donny, and the rest of us, proud. Can't wait to see you live again in Indianapolis. BETTER EVERY DAY.

Pioneer made a drastic change in direction this year and the corps is much better than they were in 2009. They have continued to improve from show to show and the hard work by everyone in the organization is obvious. Some people think the show is too "churchy" , but I had the good fortune to see the winter camps and understand the message they are sending. No matter how they end up in the standings this year, it was a good year for Pioneer and a great year for the fans. Give the staff and kids credit for leaving it all on the field and improving almost every show. Anyone who misses their show in Indianapolis will miss a wonderful show with great kids giving their all.

Just watched the video from Allentown. Pioneer, that was your best show of the year. Much cleaner lines, etc. Unfortunately, there was no video of Cascades so there was nothing to compare. You did a great job in front of a tough crowd. Think a second music GE judge would have helped you. Keep it up. I will be starting a collection to buy hearing aids and glasses for the people in the green shirts.

You are absolutely correct. Look at Madison this year -- pretty retro and a whale of a show. Don't think I would like to see the tick system come backbut would like to see more clarification on GE and a couple of other categories. I remember standing inspections- it wasn't fun. Got you Tom.

This is one of the nicest things I have read about Pioneer all year. Thank you very much for taking the time to learn a little about the corps. If more people took the time, like you did, to check them out we would have thousands more Pioneer fans. Tonight, Allentown. Good Luck PIO. Better every day -- and now a lot more people are starting to believe it.

Thanks Lance. I kind of lost it yesterday and for that I apologize to not only the Pioneer corps, but to the parents and fans as well. I am an avid supporter of Pioneer and believe in what they do. Also, I don't deal well with phonies. Now, thanks to you, we have the thread back to where it belongs.

Sorry Lance, will try to comply but under the circumstances it will be difficult. My apologies.

By the way, does anybody know where Pioneer is staying in Indianapolis? Need the name and address, if possible. Thanks for your help.

Finally, something we agree on. I'm sure that you are a nice, highly opinionated, person. I really don't like to argue much but I am definitely passionate about drum corps. I'm one of the older dinos around, marched with G Bugles before rotors and have been a fan all of my life. One of the proudest days of my life was when my 14 year old son told me he wanted to march drum corps. It was tough finding a corps that would take an 8th grader with no experience. He didn't want to march Open Class and, quite frankly, from where we live Open Class would have been as, or more, expensive for us than World Class. Pioneer took him and he is now marching his second year with them and absolutely having the time of his life. So, you see, it is also a little personal for me as well. We'll be in Indianapolis for Quarterfinals. Maybe we'll see you there.

Knew there had to be a secret.

You are really making me jealous. We won't be able to see Pioneer again until next week at Quarterfinals. Hope the kids get a little rest between now and then, they've had a rough week or so. Lots of shows, travel, bus problems and no sleep. How do they do it? It's really nice to hear that the everyone is ok and practices are good. GO PIONEER!!!!!

Have tickets for Quarter and Semi Finals. Probably will only go to Quarter Finals because my son's corps will not make Semi Finals. Would rather spend time with him than watch the same shows again.

Keep talking. The more you talk, the more fans Pioneer will have. The more you talk the more you show your ignorance. All of us want Pioneer to do better in placement, but sometimes moving up means you have to compromise the very thing that you have stood for for 49 years. Pioneer is not willing to compromise their beliefs, traditions or the very soul of their corps to "win". I applaud them for that because my son is a better person having marched with Pioneer -- by the way, a better musician as well. Of course DCI is a competition but not everyone can finish in first place. That doesn't make a lower place corps a "loser". It just means they didn't finish first. One works with the tools he has and does the best he can with them. But for me, Donny and the staff are really winners because they don't sit on the sideline trying to tell someone they have a better idea. They are in the trenches working with kids every day and loving it. That makes them winners and the kids that are fortunate enough to learn from them become winners.

Not reading a thing into it. I know the situation. I was calling BS on his comments.

And this is why we parents love to have out kids march with Pioneer. Glad to have a new Pioneer fan. Thank you.

Totally agree.

Again I ask. Didn't you once have a relationship with Pioneer? If so, how did that relationship end and is that why you feel the way you do?

Believe me I have been and am impressed. They are moving up.

Didn't you once have a relationship with Pioneer? If so, how did it end, and is this why you feel the way you do?

Our local high school band began practice yesterday, although the first day of school is the 21st. Our band director gives our son a pass on the early practices because he believes that the learning curve is much shorter for kids that march in drum corps. So far, in our state we are more or less retaining the late August to late May school year so the only thing we really have to deal with are the winter camps. The school administration and all of the teachers are pretty understanding and supportive of our son in the activity so I guess we are pretty lucky.

Jeff, Didn't intend for it to sound like a lecture. There are some pretty strong differing points of view on this thread and I was just trying to make a point. Have read many of your comments on this, and other threads, and generally agree with you most of the time. Your points in this post are valid and it would be difficult to disagree with several of them. Again, this years results are the good and the bad of Pioneer's approach and mission. Pioneer will probably continue in this manner as long as Roman Blenski is the Corps Director. Nevertheless, I believe that the staff is doing the best they can under the present circumstances and I applaud them for that. I really applaud the kids for their hard work and attitude. Maybe that's one reason I am so passionate about this corps. The topic of the thread was staying with or returning to their roots. I didn't want to stir up a controversy and believe this thread, due to a couple of posts got completely out of hand. Guess that happens when you deal with pot stirrers instead of soup makers. That comment is not directed at you so no reply is necessary.

Good luck tonigh Pioneer. We know that you will do your best.

Jeff, In the case of Pioneer, since this corps seems to be the center of the controversy here, it goes back to the mission of the corps. They are a "teaching" corps. That is how they started and that is how they are today. BD has a different mission, for example, than Pioneer. That doesn't make them any better or worse. I don't like the BD show this year but have a great deal of respect for their organization. They, like all corps, have helped a lot of kids in their musical endeavors but their goal and mission is to win. Pioneer's goal and mission, on the other hand, is to make the kids the winners. This is the good and bad of Pioneer. Many of the kids get their initial training at Pioneer, which is their stated mission, and then move on to upper echelon corps after a year or two. I would not say that Pioneer is a bunch of losers because they have stayed true to their traditions, beliefs and mission. So, I guess it all comes down to point of view. If a person is going to criticize a staff or organization, it is always wise to understand the thinking of said staff and organization. That's just my thought on the issue.