jasgre2000

The entire SCV show. I really like the stylized "SCV" drill set in the middle of the show.

I think the way to address this issue is to incorporate a difficulty score into the judging sheet, not to stifle design by creating a bunch of rules based on tradition. This is just my opinion though, and I understand why people might disagree with me. I admit I am not as tied to the tradition of drum corps as many other people here.

As a relatively new fan, and an outsider to all the traditions of drum corps's past, I only think there should be two rules governing show design: 1. The corps is judged according to the music they produce on the field (and not on something pre-recorded). Electronic accompaniment is fine for effect, but should have no impact on music scores. 2. No woodwinds. Beyond that, I am 100% in favor of innovation in design and style.

I tend to be an "anything goes" type of guy. There is a place for tradition and strict rules, but I don't like it stifling my entertainment ... and for me, drum corps is highly entertaining. BD's show is one of the best I have seen in a while. If you want an old 1970s version of American Legion/VFW drum corps, go to the American Legion and have them start a drum corps. If there is enough demand for that style of drum corps, I'm sure it will flourish. I don't think the current artistic achievement and beauty of drum corps should be stifled by traditions of the past.

Yeah ... I think the outlier scores should probably be discounted or thrown out when determining a trend line. I expect The Academy to finish within a couple places of The Glassmen.

Has the Teal Sound been dissolved? If not, it seems like there could be some trademark issues with the new organization using such a similar name and insignia (unless the same people are behind both organizations ... in which case, this is just a poorly conceived attempt to cover past mistakes). This seems like something that is, while well-intentioned, premature.

I would bet money on The Cavies coming back very strong next year. I do think some of the problem this year was the result of losing Gaines, but I am confident that the current design team is perfectly capable of bring The Cavies back. It is not unusual for an organization to struggle in the first year after a key member of the team leaves and then come back just as strong the next year. I have experienced this first hand. I don't know if it has ever happened in drum corps before, but it happens a lot in athletics and it happened with my high school marching band. Our well respected director left after the end of the school year, and the new director had to put together a show for the first time. That show was decent, but not up to the standard of the shows we normally marched, and it impacted our results all season long. The next year we came back and won almost every competition we were in. The Cavies will be back ... and it will probably be next year.

Exactly. This is called "price discrimination" and leads to greater profits ... but apparently that only exists in "text books."

It's not leaving it open that costs money. It is the energy that is expended opening and shutting the roof/windows. I have to imagine it takes quite a bit of power to move those heavy panels.

They sell out the stadium, and make millions of dollars in gate receipts and selling TV rights for every game.

Probably too expensive to open it and shut it.

The windows open too, don't they?

Sounds perfect to me. Is 80 degrees hot?

DVD sales are not the concern. If DVD sales were the concern, they wouldn't put videos of finals on the fan network. Showing a VOD version of finals on the fan network is going to cut into DVD sales far more than a live stream would.

And there are NONE in the west, where a third of the corps have their home base.

So why they heck would they not want to make even more money by streaming Finals for a fee?

Exactly! It is a no brainer to allow people who can't afford or are unwilling to pay the cost of going to Indy to watch Finals through a live stream. It is called price discrimination. Economics 101. Sometimes the business decisions of DCI baffle me. Who do they have making these decisions?

Even the NFL only blackouts broadcasts in the actual market where the game is being played. If I live in Denver and want to watch a game in Tampa that is not sold out, I can do that even when the Tampa market is blacked out. It is absurd to expect people all over the world to come to Indy for the only opportunity to watch Finals.

If it is so sacred, why was it broadcast on ESPN and PBS for so many years? And if it is going to cut into DVD sales, then why do they post the video of finals on the fan network after a little while? No one is going to pass on going to finals because they can watch it on the internet. That doesn't make any sense at all.

My point exactly. When it is done, it is rarely done well. If everyone did it as well as Jersey Surf did it this year, then I wouldn't have a problem with it (though I still wouldn't want everyone to do it.) Also, I liked The Cavies use of Mad World, even though they only sampled the song throughout.

True. Maybe do it at Atlanta ... or even Minnesota (where there is less of a home team bias than at other locations). Or better yet, have it be a running feature of all the regional shows throughout the season. Combine the audience vote from Minnesota, San Antonio, and Atlanta to determine a "People's Choice" award.

I think you are confusing engagement for entertainment. They are NOT the same thing. If you want general effect to be based on audience entertainment, I think you can make an argument for that. But the current sheets are supposed to reward engagement, not entertainment.

I'm not mad about anything. I just don't think doing gimmicks poorly should increase your score.

Do the corps that are shows in the broadcast get any kind of share of the revenue from the theater broadcast? If so, then I think there would be concern for putting Surf in the broadcast without having earned the spot.

How about they have a "people's choice" award every year at Allentown (voted on by audience members), and the winner gets their show featured during the theater broadcast during prelims, regardless of whether they are Top 15 or not. That would be a good way to allow a show like Surf's into the broadcast without making an unfair exception.