LabMaster

You can take a look at the corps web site and it lists the staff as it is currently set up. It looks like design responsibility is Michael Townsend’s. Although this is a wonderfully talented and collaborative team, as evidenced by the success over the past few years, there is no reason to believe they will be any less successful again.

I’m thinking, rather than assuming or guessing what costs are. Which I for one don’t know and is what we all do a lot of on DCP. Someone could provide an ACTUAL cost breakdown of what judges, coordinators and tabulators and any other DCI wage earners are paid per show, whether a normal tour show or a specific DCI show. Hopefully some has real knowledge, and won’t feel like they are telling state secrets. There is a lot of that on DCP.

I assume you are referring to DCI shows such as Regionals and a few others (Crown and Bloo’s shows). For a local, smaller show, sponsored by a top 12 corps, all show help, ticket takers, gate watchers, corps parking help are CC all volunteers. Personnel for judges table, like tabulators, show management & coordination (like Tony DiCarlo) & security are DCI personnel paid by DCI.

I think more of a fan of not paying.

He still watches/reads DCP commentary I believe and attends shows. Undoubtedly aware of the "naughty devils".

Understood, but I don’t believe that was the ask. It is very hard for posters it seems, to focus on some requests. Line when asked to name your top 3 favorite whatever’s, and the responses come back with 5 or 20. I’m not sure why since we are all part of a community that when we marched (if you did) you had to be focused. I thought this was an interesting question; are there any choral arrangements of specific corps songs? Not tunes played that may be recognized as a corps performance identity. There are many of those, but it sound be cool to hear choral versions of corps songs. We might learn what some corps songs are. The example offered of You’ll Never Walk Alone is a great example. How about others? Cavies? Troopers? BD? SCV? Bloo? Could be sung by the corps or others?

Not for nothing more than a minor clarification; the gym floors these kids are on today aren’t like the gym floors bitd. Most aren’t on floors, they are on very nice air mattresses. Huge, tall. With air pumps, not the hyperventilating blow up beach “mattresses” the lucky few had in my day. Most of us had a sleeping bag on the floor. How’s your back these days? And gyms I’ve seen lately are ridiculously nice. OMG nice. Clean, working ac. What I was disappointed in though was the post Indy prep to go home. Many of those nice mattresses ended up in a dumpster. Too bad they didn’t go to a homeless shelter.

It would be best for Bluecoats to not engage. Because they don’t need to. If the guy was wearing a Nike shirt would Nike be responding in some way? Or it was a college shirt or an Italian soccer shirt? Would we expect to hear from a college or Italy?

Which corps are charging that much? Thats crazy. If you were to see what each line item cost, what could bring it all to that amount? You’re saying several corps too. That makes it more incredible. Wow!

How will the War in Iran affect fuel prices? The cost of oil is expected to triple. How that shakes out by summer is anybody’s guess at this point. This is without a doubt a non budgeted line item for corps. Already I saw a drastic change at a local gas station. A 30% increase in one week.At a cheap gas station. Not a Mobil or Shell brand. Cheap price today was $3.49/g. It was $2.69/g last week. Strap in.

There was an mm I taught years ago who was a leap year baby (Feb. 29). I think he is about to age out. He can start collecting social security next year. LOL

How old do you think leap year babies are?

Wasn’t DATR in Ft. Collins one of the first shows last year, followed by Ogden, UT?

If I recall, Kilties used to travel in school busses. That had to suck.

For some it has. Boston was in their VT spring training site last year for only 2ish weeks. This year it will be just over 2 weeks again. Then they’ll head to Boston for some events that include fundraising; Concert In the Park on June 23. Their first show is July 7. So they’ll probably get some parades in as well. A full month of ST is a thing of the past for them.

I sense BD is a bit more visible with media, especially much of last year. And it seems to be carrying over this year, with a bit less, but not much. They do have a great media team and their productions are first rate. As far as changes and “blowing anything up”, they never do that. Their staff changes are planned and measured. There has been a rumor there will be minor design team changes, but nothing that will make discernible differences I’ll bet. Other than improving presentation and performance. There’s a hot take huh?

I don’t think a shorter season is a factor. The season’s lengths in the past 5 competitive seasons, including 2026, have only been shortened by a few days. 2022 = 49 days 2023 = 47 days 2024 = 46 days 2025 = 44 days 2026 = 44 days Check my tallies as a senior moment could have caused an error. What has changed the most are the numbers of shows corps are choosing to be in. That component changes the tour routes, and looks like impacts show line ups.

They were great. We performed at their show in Brooklyn one afternoon.

As good as Spartans maybe?

How do you KNOW Boston is younger? They have barely established their membership. That happened last week. And that is likely similar to many corps having their final callbacks and auditions right about now. And there is no question mark in the Boston ranks with the departure (not “loss”) of Potter. They are just fine. Hoping for BAC to BAC!

Yes it is January and very VERY early to make any prediction other than any beyond a wishful thinking. Remember, every org has improved and is making a move up. But the reality is, corps are having their callbacks and finalizing auditions right about now. Very doubtful any corps has put their full “books” out to members, since they may not know who all their members for 26 are. So to claim they have stepped up their book for brass and pit, is head scratching. Just yet. Lastly you mention Boston lost a ton of vets. Do you mean vets or age outs, or both? I believe they did have quite a few age outs. A photo of camp last week in SA showed upwards of 200 brass for a callback/audition/production camp. 31 tubas in that crowd. Would love to have heard ensemble, but these days no one lets anything out for folks like DCP’rs to hear. Hoping for BAC to BAC for Boston.

Forecast is 22”+ from Sun-Mon in NH. We’ll be pretty normal by Monday night. Back to work Tuesday am.

I may have rushed my look back as I had a short break in my middle school substitute schedule but a quick view of where previous winners placed on a following year (excluding BD following themselves) I had 8 times 1 dropped to 2 5 times 1 dropped to 3 3 times 1 dropped to 5 2 times 1 dropped to 4 0 times 1 dropped to 6, 7, or 8 1 time 1 dropped to 9 The time period I looked at was from 1999 thru 2025. Looking back over the past 25 years seems an adequate sampling, to dispel the notion that previous winners will fall to 5th in a following season. There is more likelihood they go to 2nd. The drop to 9th is definitely an aberration. Disregarding that drop, the average is a drop to 3rd. Check my math. It was during a short free period that I looked at Finals scores. Just a funliner exercise.

The quick answer instead of going into the way back machine is to look at it in 5 year chunks. Only going back say to 2000 to now there has been a significant reduction in amount of shows. Many corps used to have over 30 shows per season. Now it’s in the teens for most all corps. Most of what can be learned is anecdotal. But there little doubt, cost is the major factor. Safety has been a factor. Housing availability is a very likely factor as well.

I’ll refrain answering if all you’re intending to do is start an argument. What you want days and dates? Good gosh. In past years corps used to go on much longer overnight drive than they do these days. How long were your overnights? Are you remembering back in the 80’s? 70’s? Or since 00’s?