jasgre2000

And its not like all 15 WC outside the west are in one area. There are corps in Texas, Illinois, Florida, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts. That is pretty spread out. It isn't an east/west thing. It is an northeast, southeast, midwest, and Texas vs. the west thing. There is a problem when 1/3 of your member corps, and their fan bases, are at such a disadvantage.

I think we are going in circles here. You make an argument ... I poke a whole in it ... you make a different argument ... I poke a whole in that one too ... you go back to the first argument. This isn't fun anymore.

Exactly. Maybe other corps should follow their lead. I don't think there are any state laws barring corps from having clinics and multimedia websites.

Oh come on. Bingo isn't the only possible way to raise money. Are you really suggesting that BD and SCV are successful because they came up with the idea to do Bingo? Surely they don't have a monopoly on creative fundraising activities.

What does the number of corps that have to travel have to do with the cost of The Cadets to get from Pennsylvania to California? Are The Cadets paying for all the other east coast corps to travel west too?

And if SCV and BD are in such a far superior position financially than their eastern counterparts, all while traveling much further distances and incurring greater costs, doesn't that say something about their business model? Maybe the eastern corps need to change the way they do business.

The 990s also show retained assets and costs (in relative detail). The Cadets and their organization are not struggling financially.

That would make sense.

You may be right about that. I think the least that could be done is for there to be a TOC or other big show in the west where all the big historically top scoring corps compete. I can understand why a smaller struggling corps might be at a disadvantage if they were required to travel west early in the season. But, like you said, with the exception of the Cavies, most of the top corps travel a lot before Minnesota. It wouldn't be that much of an additional burden to have them all start with a big show in the west, especially since BD and SCV have to go east every year. I do understand that it might interfere with some sponsored shows, but those could be rearranged. BD and SCV miss out on local sponsored shows for several weeks by being in the east for most of the season.

Is the distance from California to Atlanta longer when you go from east to west than when you go from west to east? It would be interesting to find out how that works, if it is true.

And none of them are anything like a DCI regional. It seems you are missing the point.

How is that different than what everyone else is doing? You are right that not everyone goes to Minnesota (though Academy and Cascades did this year). Cascades did quite a bit of west coast touring before Minnesota this year. No one really goes far from home before Minnesota, with the exception of when a east coast corps starts in the west, so I don't see what your point is.

It looks like it is mixed. I am guessing that being a director of some of the more financially successful corps is more like a full time job, while the smaller corps directors have other full time jobs in the off season.

I do have to confess that it looks like I was wrong. I went back and looked at some 990s, and it looks like the directors of the top corps (SCV, Phantom, Cadets, etc.) are paid a salary, though the salaries vary quite a bit ($60k for Phantom director; $45k for BAC director; $110k for SCV director). Some of the less financially successful corps do not report a salary for their directors. I apologize for misleading people.

LOL. OK. If you knew my background, you would realize why I am laughing.

DeGrauwe wasn't their director in 2007. I didn't look at all the 990s. There are several that show the director with a $0 salary.

Were the Cascades at Minnesota this year? San Antonio? Atlanta? Will they be at Allentown? Indy? The definition of a full tour is all regionals, starting with San Antonio, and it seems to me like they are doing it. It's not like the corps are going home in between regionals.

The revenue of each corps is public record. You can look up for yourself, genius. The Cadets take in more revenue than any other corps, by quite a bit. BD comes close, but The Cadets take in more.

What evidence do you have that any of them are? Again, I am not trying to argue with you, just trying to learn about what you are basing your statement on. Like I have said, during a prior discussion over finances I looked at a lot of corps' tax reports, and The Cadets was the only corps that reported the salary of their director. All the other corps I looked at reported their director's salary as $0. Now, maybe there is a legitimate explanation for that, but based on only that evidence I'm sure you can understand why I might conclude that most directors are volunteers that receive a living stipend and not a salary. Again ... not trying to argue or debate, just learn. If you have more information I would love to have it.

Fact is (for the third or fourth time), Blue Knights, Cascades, Mandarins, and Academy are most likely NOT in "far better" financial positions than the central and east coast corps. The Cadets are the most financially stable corps in DCI, by the way. If the small western corps can handle it every year, then I'm sure no one is going to be "crippled" by a western regional. There might need to be some adjustments, but it isn't going to kill anyone.

Well, in that case. Go and march your final year.

I just read a DCI article that said The Cavies director hasn't been paid anything for his DCI work since 1971: http://www.dci.org/about/fame/view_member.cfm?member_id=4ff45450-b83e-4cef-ac55-ea2c59efbe09 That is why I thought most directors were volunteers (I know the Cadets director is paid a salary). Also, having looked at the tax records of the corps, most of them report their staff as receiving a $0 salary, including the directors. Are they lying on their tax reports? Maybe they get a stipend for living expenses or something. Regardless, I don't think many of them are getting paid enough to justify being abused by fans.

Again ... what additional cost? Why would it be any more expensive than what the western corps have to pay to go east?