cmchandler

I would imagine it may be even crazier given that they're doing the entire SoundSport competition tomorrow instead of having done it Wednesday like they have previously.

It's... not? (Oh, I see a duplicate thread further down - the active thread is a pinned post and it looks like the dup got locked.)

Any scores announced there in the stadium yet?

Or Tresona never approved the request. We're still waiting for a request from Southwind's 2017 show for one of the pieces in it.

Guitars are so 2018. 🤣 (They really are a ton of fun to watch.)

It's a really great show. I enjoy it quite a bit.

Open Class history. The corps was (now the equivalent of) World Class back when we last made semis.

I'm really rooting for them this year - I would love to see them cross into the top 12. Such a great show.

Anyone there catch scores?

You'd lose every east coast and southern corps. As it is, the OC corps are expected to pay the same gas bills, the same housing bills, and the same food bills as the WC corps but without a paycheck at the shows to help offset the costs. We're not even allowed into the WC shows in our own backyards. If you want to know why we're dwindling, all you have to do is take a look at the expenses versus income and there ya go. (In before someone claims it's all the ###### props and costumes.)

I can’t remember which corps it was that was going on towards the top of the show, but I pointed out to my husband then that there was a front ensemble that seemed to be warming up WAY too close to the stadium because you could hear them as the corps on the field was being announced (and apparently the warmup areas are nowhere close to the stadium). I have no idea if that was it, but it does make me wonder.

Please do. The audience is woefully empty on early Thursday. And it’s these same fans that don’t bother to watch open class that’ll bemoan their loss the loudest when the corps are gone from the terrible lack of support from most of the community and the world class corps themselves.

Ahem.

I really hope we see the return of several of the OC corps we lost this season. Heat Wave played it smart and kept it local for their situation, but hopefully we see them return to finals next season.

What, no discussion in here tonight? Every single corps has really brought their A-game and I’m surprised I haven’t seen anyone mention anything.

They have in the past, weather permitting. Doesn’t seem like there’s a good reason not to given no I&E and the closer proximity to Indy now.

Thank you for the kind words. And I hope I didn't leave the impression I'm diminishing anything our design team and members are doing. They are all so amazing, and they work really hard to create what you see. It's just, as a philosophy, we choose to focus more on education than competition as we believe it leads to the rewards you seek anyway. Compete with yourself, be a better you and a better team member, and the rewards will come (both during the season and beyond).

When I marched with Southwind in 1990, we were A60 and woke up to perform prelims at 4 a.m. (in the pouring rain) because of the sheer number of A and A60 corps in Buffalo that year. It was WILD.

Just gonna chime in here and say Southwind has no long term plans to make any jump to world class. We prefer being a corps that educates the basics for music and marching (and to create better humans).

Such a phenomenal concept and well-put together show. These guys are always a pleasure to watch.

Sorry, wasn't clear. DCI directive that it's just DMs and directors for retreat. No full retreat plans for anyone.

We're hearing from our staff onsite that there's no full retreat tonight - just DMs and directors.

Come on, now. Don’t be so defeatist. 🤣

Just wait until you find out what they get paid at their shows. (Spoiler alert: it’s nothing. They only get paid for WC shows, which are discouraged and usually not allowed to attend by DCI, unless the show host, usually an OC corps itself, can come up with payments for the other corps.) And then throw in a fanbase that largely ignores them but then mocks them for not doing the same full-out tours the WC corps are being paid to do with MUCH less resources (unless you’re a feeder corps for one of the giants). These performers deserve a much larger audience, and hardcore DCI fans should be ashamed they aren’t providing them with one. And don’t even get me started on the email I *still* have in my mailbox from FloMarching several years ago telling me they planned to expand to open class shows based on how well prelims/finals were watched. Still salty about that because despite a large audience, they never followed through.

Have a corps friend from ‘92 SW who’s in that performance (he marched Bluecoats in 95, I think?). If they don’t get to play tonight, they’re also performing Friday night, I think he said.