mantooth

Ok, so, does Crown have a specific development program? I would imagine they are an organization that lots of kids want to be a part of, how can you get to the top and stay there just by teaching or cultivating talent. I would imagine that the MMs who do get in to Crown are generally closer to age-out than not so you would only be able to really develop the talent for maybe 2 years.

You know, I never really thought about that, but you bring up an excellent point. So could, in theory, a corps goal be NOT to win so they remain the youth outreach organization they always were, or is that a ridiculous thought? EDIT...nevermind...I just realized what you meant by a B corps...I feel dumb.

Great, but, what about their show design is keeping a corps placed where they are and not moving them up the ladder?

If you were the director of a drum corps, how do you get that group to the next level? Take for example BK this year. They are currently, solidly, in the 6-7 spot in the standings and we can be fairly confident in assuming they will not be the champion this year. What would a group like them need to do to get to the top? What do they need to change to compete on the same level as BD, Crown, Cadets and so forth? What could they do for 2016 that would make them a contender for the title? You totally don't have to answer as if you were the Blue Knights, they were just a corps that came to mind. Another example could be the Colts. How do they get back to finals and remain a consistent finalist? Or a new corps like Academy...what do they need to do to get to finals for the first time? As we all know, those of us who comment on DCP have better ideas and are better show designers than many corps have on staff, so I am confident we can find an answer to this philosophical question in the group (said with tongue firmly planted in cheek ). Sorry if I went too deep...but I was curious what other thought on the subject and many apologies if this has already been discussed somewhere else.

Your SN is quite apropos

Growing up in Colorado, I'd always hear about how the elevation affect teams coming to play the Broncos or the Rockies, but always thought it was more a superstitious thing to help locals buy into that home-field advantage. Boy was I wrong. The difference when training with BK in Colorado and then doing shows in lower elevations is dramatic. My lungs felt like they could hold gallons of air. I was shocked at how much easier running block and running through the show were.

When I marched with BK back in 99, we did a show in Laramie. So this wouldn't be the highest one ever, but it is at least tied!