PhoenixDCI

Thanks for this vote of confidence! They are working hard to clean the show - they just got the whole thing on the field within the last week and there is much improvement to be made, but it is really coming along. The props are not even all out on the field yet. It would be nice if the scores start to pick up as well so they could make semis again after a few years absence. It's nice to see someone appreciating their efforts.

Referring to OP (and others), the point was that Surf should NOT be scoring as low as they are. So maybe points are not necessarily indicative of who should and who should not be in the WC. By the way, the biggest high school recruitment strategy - US Bands, owned by the Cadets. You can bet that they market themselves at every competition mercilessly, even bringing out MMs in full uniform to give out trophies (one of which is a Cadets shako - our HS band has one).

Surf does not "target" high schoolers. It actually does almost no marketing at all that I know of. The schedule IS conducive to those who cannot move in in middle May, and it is the only other world class corps to rehearse in the northeast (other than the Cadets). There is a very wide mix of ages, probably equal high school and college. If you think that Surf's schedule targets high schoolers, then take a look at Blue Stars website - which specifically states that they can excuse high school kids from spring training and have licensed high school teachers on staff who can administer tests to high school kids. http://www.bluestars.org/membership/schedule.php. Surf wants to score higher - they WANT to make semis. Believe me, the MMs see the scores and care. Alot.

As a parent to a returning Surf MM, I can report that the corps has alot more MMs coming back this year, so hopefully that will provide some more backbone. The show is shaping up to be really interesting and more challenging than in years past. Surf does start later than most corps (though by the time of move ins, they are rehearsing every weekend). They had one free day last summer (San Antonio) and a few laundry half days - that's it. They also have a small budget, which impacts general effect - no big ramps or annual uniform changes here. But, they do have the best food in DCI! My MM claims that the open class corps tend to score better at finals because they are judged all summer on a different scale, so when they get to finals they are competing on a blank slate. The MMs definitely wish they were scoring higher and not making semis last year was pretty hard on them. I don't think the show, though pretty good, resonated. Stay tuned for this year - definitely more contemporary.

It was an electric upright bass.

Surf has 6 tickets left for semis. http://jerseysurf.org/product/2016-dci-championship-semifinals/

People have asked why Surf is not "fun" anymore. Supposedly it is because they are deliberately going for a hard core, old school East Coast concept - no props, few electronics, no gimics. Last year was a throw back to "fun" style because of the 25th anniversary, but this is the goal going forward. It's nice that someone is keeping the old DCI style alive, even if it is not as popular or high scoring. Hopefully they can start to keep their talent around as they mature and improve.