PeterGibbons

https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amqf9SBunYgVhi7dTEBnZU8TaVyM?e=ye33LD

The beginnings of BOA as MBA in the 70's was during the summer. The first fall Grand Nationals wasn't until 1980. My school would spend the spring learning a summer show and in August learn a different show for the fall competitions.

ProPublica is a good place to look as well. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/222052456

Tom was a snare tech for my high school oh so many years ago. Made a nice business for himself. Well deserving of being the DCI Hall of Fame.

Good thing people don't want to know what happened to The Cadets, then.

If dance existed outside of the color guard back in my day, no chance me nor pretty much everyone I know would have made it.

I rewatched it and it appears it was a drum major that went behind the concert bass drum in the pit and put the old uniform on over her (?) regular uniform. I assume you are referring to the person who appears in the end.

It is my favourite location. I've made the trek the last two years. Not too keen tomorrow, however, driving 3-4 hours from Alexandria for what may be a rainout.

Serious question that I don't know the answer to. Let's say the Scouts 2019+ embrace what some consider a lost identity and put on the field shows that look like 'Madison'. All male brotherhood, musicians wearing recognizable a uniform that looks like a Madison uniform, playing music that blows the doors off the audience. Would it be acceptable to have this corp on the field ... but perhaps find themselves stuck in the 13-16 range with an occasional breakthrough to finals? The reason I ask is that I suspect the reason we see shows like this year and last year is that the top corps are NOT traditional anymore, and the Scouts feel they need to keep up with the jones. Or Jonz as it were. So would the trade-off of tradition vs placement be OK? I know the easy answer is "I want both!". But I let's be honest that right now that isn't going to happen. I don't claim to be an expert on anything drum corps, but as a 'fan' I would be OK with this, even prefer this for Madison. I'm a dinosaur - first being exposed to the activity in 1981. But I do love a lot of the new shows. I thought BD 2017 was one of the best shows I've ever seen live. Loved 'Coats 2016. Also loved SCV 2013 and 2016 which were more traditional shows. So if you have to choose either going for top 12 every year doing modern drum corps or focus on tradition, which do you choose? As a non-invested fan, honestly, for the Scouts, I'll take tradition. Nothing against the performers today or the staff that is trying to make the best art that they can. I guess I don't care about the Scouts winning as much as when I am sitting in a football stadium on a muggy summer night, I selfishly want to relive my childhood and get excited about seeing the men in green jackets with white hats taking the field knowing that I'm about to have 12 minutes of in-your-face drum corp. I don't care where they place, and I don't care if they are BD level musicians. As they chanted taking the field in 2013, 75 years of 'entertaining the crowd'.

This point I agree.

So you are saying Garfield didn't deserve a perfect percussion score that night? (I was there in '87 with some of Garfield's staff. No one was more shocked they won than their own staff.)

So wish they had won that night.

I went two years ago in Alexandria and was mostly people in the 20s-30s. This year I'm going to Springfield (reserved seats for the win!) and yesterday looked and noticed so far it is only me and then about 6 people in the back row with tickets.

This. Well worth the drive from Northern Virginia. Annapolis is also a good stadium, but going to the two places back-to-back, amazing how good the sound is in Chester.

You can be a 501(c)(3) and be a membership organization that has its board elected by the membership. I know because I work for one that has ~30,000 members.

Does anyone have a copy of the YEA by-laws or governing documents? I'm curious to know what is the electing body that chooses the Board of Directors. I work for a 501(c)(3) and our bylaws are available on our website to members (we are a professional association). I couldn't find anything on the YEA website. Now just because YEA is a non-profit doesn't mean they have to have open elections. But the process and electing body (even if it is a closed committee) have to be spelled out somewhere.

Was just thinking the same thing

I'm not trying to downplay what happened at MSU, but remember we are talking about Football at PSU and Women's Gymnastics at MSU. Frankly, football is more popular and hence more on the mind of the public. The NCAA could still very well come down hard on the MSU Women's Gymnastics program, especially since the coach was enabler until the day she 'resigned'. The NCAA could give the Women's Gymnastics program the death penalty and it would be deserved. Plus a difference is, as Kamarag pointed out in another post, EVERY MSU alum is angry that part of what Nassar did happened at MSU, angry at the Title IX office for blowing the investigation, angry at the Med School Dean (who just went to jail for being in cahoots with Nassar) for enabling Nassar, and angry at the former President for appearing tone-deaf when she learned about it details (granted she had a legal, fiduciary responsibility to come across this way). One big difference is that when the PSU administration found out about it, they didn't take any action, and hence why the former PSU President got 2 months in jail. MSU's administration (President, Athletic Director), while appearing tone-deaf, acted as soon as they found out last year.

I was there in '82 as well. Fun fact - Tom Blair (of DCI video fame) was on the percussion staff of my school!

I live in Alexandria. I may have to take the boys over to check this out.

I just caught up on thread and all I can say is that I can't believe Stu thought it was a good idea to start it.

Technically ... the Browns did not move to Baltimore. The Ravens are considered an expansion team and the Browns were on hiatus for a few years.

This show has really grown on me ... it is not perfect, but I have come to really like it. And the kids really seemed to enjoy performing it.

Interesting topic for me as I have given this some thought. About 5 years ago I reignited my interest in the activity after not really paying attention for about 10-15 years. To me shows started to stagnate in even the 90s. Seemed like a lot of the same thing. When I recently started paying attention again, I was your typical old man who wants people off their lawn. I hated narration, hated amplification, even hated trombones. But I was thinking the other day that if the activity had not evolved as it had, I don't think I would be paying attention right now. It would seem to be the same old thing I started getting tired of in the 90s. So I have come to appreciate the 'new stuff'. My all-time 'go-to' show is 1981 27th Lancers. But my favorite show this year is Blue Devils, which obviously is a lot of 'the new'. My point is that I've come to accept the evolution and even old me has embraced it. The issue for me now is not narration or dancing or props galore or amplification or sampling. Rather it is the same old question - is the show good, and is the 'art' being designed well. Crappy shows existed before, and the problem with the modern shows is not so much the new rules, is is bad design. So to directly answer your question, no I don't think much more could have been done the old way, at least for me. Which is why I stopped being interested.

2015 needs an asterisk. Remember that BD placed 4th during Prelims because of a penalty dealing with warm-ups outside the stadium. But ... your overall point is still valid.