spacewill

Well said Chief. Had a lot more stuff to say but just staying out of it. I will say our 17 year old who will do his second year of world class has benefitted from a fantastic organization and has experienced something he will fondly remember for the rest of his life. We also have been lucky to be part of his journey and it's been an amazing journey to join.

I'm all in on that. I just know there have been some shakeups in stadiums and support for WGI and BOA in the Houston areas so who knows if DCI is facing some of the same issues (i.e. stadiums/locations asking for way more money to host).

DCI WACO just added to the schedule. @Hook'emCavies may have to drive a little north if the Houston show doesn't get flushed out. Cavies will be in WACO.

Man, on that one. I used to officiate flag, peewee, junior high, and some high school football. The day I knew I needed to quit was when I was officiating a 11-12 year old tackle football game. This kid kept going down injured and then would come back in 2 plays later. We as officials had no power to stop the kid from coming back in but I asked a coach what's going on. The coach said the kid basically had no cartilage left in his knee but his dad is forcing him to play and putting pressure on the coaches to play him (apparently he was high enough in the organization to get away with it). That, that day was the day I told my wife I was basically done and quit doing peewee immediately and then all officiating a year later. To this day I don't regret the decision. Some parents just ruin it for everyone.

Yeah, PC sent it out late last week! Crazy that SD not happening.

Also no Rose Bowl this year, instead the show will be at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California.

Well, the schedule just got released. Looks like excluding the open and world championship streaming that the # of shows being streamed was reduced from 29 to 24. First Cali show won't be streamed until July 6th in Stanford whereas last year the West had Corps at the crest on July 1 to start the season. What are y'alls thoughts? Any shows you think are missing that doesn't make sense not being televised. WED Jun - 26 DCI MIDWEST PREMIERE Rockford, MI FRI Jun - 28 DCI CENTRAL INDIANA Muncie, IN SUN Jun - 30 CAVALCADE OF BRASS Lisle, IL TUE Jul - 2 SUMMER MUSIC GAMES IN CINCINNATI Mason, OH SAT Jul - 6 DCI WEST Stanford, CA SAT Jul - 6 CROWNBEAT Lexington, SC SUN Jul - 7 RIVER CITY RHAPSODY - LA CROSSE La Crosse, WI WED Jul - 10 CORPS ENCORE Ogden, UT THR Jul - 11 MUSIC ON THE MARCH Dubuque, IA SAT Jul - 13 DRUMS ALONG THE ROCKIES Fort Collins, CO MON Jul - 15 WEST TEXAS DRUMS Canyon, TX TUE Jul - 16 DCI BROKEN ARROW PRESENTED BY OKLAHOMA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC BANDS Broken Arrow, OK THR Jul - 18 DCI DENTON PRESENTED BY STANBURY UNIFORMS Denton, TX SAT Jul - 20 DCI SOUTHWESTERN CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY FRED J. MILLER, INC. San Antonio, TX MON Jul - 22 DCI MESQUITE PRESENTED BY WESCANFILES Mesquite,TX TUE Jul - 23 DCI MCKINNEY McKinney,TX WED Jul - 24 DCI SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI Hattiesburg, MS FRI Jul - 26 THE MASTERS OF THE SUMMER MUSIC GAMES PRESENTED BY DEMOULIN BROS & CO. Murfreesboro, TN SAT Jul - 27 DCI SOUTHEASTERN CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY ULTIMATE DRILL BOOK Atlanta, GA SUN Jul - 28 NIGHTBEAT Winston-Salem, NC TUE Jul - 30 SOARING SOUNDS Centerville, OH FRI-SAT Aug - 2-3 DCI EASTERN CLASSIC Allentown, PA SAT Aug - 3 DCI ROCHESTER Brockport, NY MON Aug - 5 INNOVATIONS IN BRASS PRESENTED BY STANBURY UNIFORMS Canton, OH MON-TUE Aug - 5-6 DCI OPEN CLASS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Marion, IN THR-SAT Aug - 8-10 DCI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Indianapolis, IN SAT Aug - 10 DCI ALL-AGE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Indianapolis, IN SAT Aug - 10 SOUNDSPORT INTERNATIONAL MUSIC & FOOD FESTIVAL Indianapolis, IN

Got a small snippet of the PC sound from their brass camp. Let's just say the complaints last year of them not being loud compared to other corps and music being too easy will probably be squashed this year. Gonna be an exciting summer!

12th in 2019, 9th in 2022, 7th in 2023....I would say the staff has got them going in the right direction. I know some of the percussion staff and what they are building and it wouldnt be a surprise to see that improve again in 2024.

From all indications, the camps have gone really well for PC. They have a brass/drum major camp this coming weekend which will be the first in person one my son will be at so hopefully we hear a little of the show direction to see how they have matured. They have kept their corp designers and staff in place and have a great chance of really building off of last year depending on type of show they come up with. Best news out of all of this is PC has stayed away from any drama or major setbacks during the off season! With that said, many of the other corps seem to be having great off seasons too (Blue Knights, Spirit, etc.) so it's always just a matter of who executes the best by end of year! It's really looking like another exciting year for the multiple competitions within groups (top 4, 5 to 8, 9 to 13, etc.). I get what people think about Goddess as it may not have been the most "in your face" or uptempo show, but what it showed was great foundational marching and playing which was needed after "Void" year. Can't wait to spend another summer stalking the corp and enjoying many of y'alls company as we watch the shows virtually together!

Thanks! I think this year in DCI is going to be special all around. So many organizations had good years last year that they can really build on and many of them seem to be going in the right direction during the off season. Gonna be another nail biter at the top and on the finals bubble!

I can see that. I guess it just all depends on the coach/instructor and what values they are teaching. I would have said 24 years ago when I started my career that I would not have allowed my kids to follow the staff, but now I have a more pragmatic approach and ask the "why"? What or why do they want to follow them and if their convictions and thought process is well thought out then I would probably be okay with it. There's a lesson to be learned both ways. But at his age (under 18), I think him being around the right influence (especially instructors) is just as important as what the organization may define as their values. So many variables given today's influences.

Our son is returning to his corp specifically because he enjoys the staff which makes the marching experience way better. He would follow them to a new corp because he would know they would instill the same values as they are instilling in his current corp. The leaders you respect are ones you will follow as there are reasons they gained your respect. For the part where you say " I didn't let any of mine do it (sports/schools) when I held decision making power". If you are saying your children then I understand as that is within your right as a parent. If you are talking students that aren't your children then to say you wouldn't allow your students to do it when you held decision making power would be a problem. If his High School directors even tried to interfere without any justified reason then they would have a very long talk with me and my wife about what level of influence and power they do and do not have over our child's choices and decisions, especially outside the commitments to the school. We value their insight, but they DO NOT have the power to demand/dictate his choices. It costs over $6K for most corps nowadays so kids have a right to make decisions they think will give them the most enjoyable experience.

When faced with potential negativity you always look for a way to rephrase/rescope it to a positive. The question will be, how well can they do it and will the kids buy in......one things for certain, it will be nice seeing SCV on the field again.

hahah

You do realize you are dealing with 15-21 year olds who don't care about what "should" or "should not" motivate them and more about what does. It's the same for all marching competitions and even Bands of America finals performances. Being last in bottom 6 (i.e. performing 7th) is not as exciting as being first to perform in Bottom 6 (i.e. 6th to perform) because of the perception that it has and the way the crowd reacts knowing you are a top 6 contender. Same as going 1st at a show, the crowd may like your show, but the perception is you aren't a contender. Kids like being in the lights, they like being one of the last to perform, and the crowd also responds accordingly. We can agree to disagree on the level of impact, but I bet SCV will try to turn around as use it as a motivator instead of just saying it's not a concern/issue.

Very few corps exit the lots that early any more due to traffic and etc. Typically they will still be in the lot eating or doing some easy packing but they don't generally just hit the road right away.

Having seen the traffic to the stadium and at the stadiums, and how people wait until the very end to show up for shows in Cali, I bet it is still not as full as they are used to. Rose bowl is notoriously bad for getting people in (takes 45 minutes to an hour) so people will screw that up and miss them on accident. Traffic at 4:30 in Cali to get to a show is way worse than traffic at 6:00 p.m. Other stadiums also will have similar issues, along with the desire of some people who may want to see them but don't want to or can't go as early on a weekday. Trust me, I want them to bring people as this only helps the other corps home shows and revenue. But crowd size is only 1 impact, the early times will absolutely have an impact on the MMs. Now, again, maybe they turn that into motivation, but it will be something.

For a corps that is used to going last or next to last and always being the darling of the show, going first is absolutely a huge impact for the first half of the season. Maybe it doesn't impact the scores, but playing early for a half filled stadium, before intermission, and when the sun is out impacts the MMs. From someone who had a kid march with a Corp who started the season marching first and then transitioned to being after intermission with the big boys, it 100% impacts your motivation, confidence, and excitement. Maybe the MMs see it as motivation or some say, no way they want to be part of the return journey, but it definitely isn't just an "Oh well, no impact" kind of thing.

I think this is both an exciting and crazy time for the Mandarin designers. On one hand you have momentum and somewhat shocked the world with Sinnerman and the next level performance of the MMs executing it. On the other hand you now have to follow the greatest year in Mandarin history with another amazing show. Do you take it more in the same direction or do you do a 180 show concept but in a way that is still a "holy cow, that was amazing" show. I give these designers so much credit! I can't come up with 1 fricking show and they not only do it year in and year out but most of them do 8+ designs a year for various crops and high schools! Looking forward to what is next for all of the corps! Mandarins show reveal may be the one (aside from the corp my son ends up with) that I am looking forward to the most!

David McGrath - He teaches at Klein Oak high school now.

Totally not SCV, but this will be the first time in a long time that PC has auditions outside of California. With the ties to one of their design team leads teaching locally in Houston, they will have a Houston audition camp. If they can continue to tie into that pipeline of talent then it will really help them keep growing.

I would actually be proud and excited for him if he ended up with PC again and did it to help them continue to improve. I think before he marched last year his obvious thoughts was PC was a stepping stone on his journey. But, and this is a huge exciting BUT, the organization, staff, MMs, and everyone else were so awesome that he learned the experience and journey is quite often more important than the final result of the competitions. I love this life lesson and fully support it! I would be proud to continue to pay his fees for PC for years to come if they continue to display the excellence as an organization that they did this past year!

This is my insight and only my insight from what my son learned on his first tour. So whether others want to argue it, or whether half of it is true it's irrelevant. This is what he has heard from people who marched there and PC. So not knocking SCV at all as growing up and until recently they were one of my top 3 corps I cheered for and I hope they right their ship and can compete again for championships (with the right changes highlighted by many). With that said: He has zero interest in marching with SCV. He already wasn't the biggest fan of their shows (aside from Babylon) but he also heard that the member experience was far from the best. A few of the people who marched there were around PC helping and they also said they spent 1 year at SCV and left because of how they were treated as rookies. Things like you weren't allowed to talk or give insight because you were new and not part of the established experts yet. The only non PC corp he is going to try out for is BD. They will have an audition in our city and he wants the experience/feedback from them. He doesn't have high hopes of making BD this year as he knows they have a super high expectation and get to pick the best of the best. However, he is doing it to set himself up for a future with BD if that is where he eventually wants to try for. They tend to like people who try out, listen to what they say and return having improved in the areas they critiqued. BD is a natural landing spot for a lot of the PC veterans which means a lot of the people he currently marched with may end up there and he built a lot of great friendships he wants to keep. But again, right now I fully expect he will be at PC again and I am excited to cheer that awesome organization to their first finals soon!!!!! Again, not looking to argue with anyone, just telling them what is out there and what others on tour hear and say (at least in his experience and ours from talking to some of them).

You know I have ties to them via you, our HS percussion instructors, our sons HS bands designer, so I will continue to cheer them on with you. I'm still waiting on what my son is going to do, it's 80% PC and 20% why not just try out for someone else for the heck of it!