Boss Anova

I believe we will see Corps here in 2024 respond to the new reality of a Nation coming out of the worst pandemic in our lifetimes . A pandemic that took the lives of many , and sickened millions . A pandemic that shuttered businesses and Drum Corps for from 1-3 years, devastated most people ‘s household incomes and charitable giving levels across all charities . Bingo halls closed . Schools closed . We all could easily list another dozen negative effects that the pandemic had on Drum Corps organizations and their revenues . A pandemic that arrived on our shores out of the blue , unanticipated by any Drum Corps and DCI like everyone else , caught wholly unprepared for what would be in store . Drum Corps had never encountered cancelled seasons before . Even in World War 2 . That’s how devastating the pandemic was . Now the Drum Corps coming out of those pandemic years and now are faced with high fuel costs that are through the roof , high inflation thst makes the cost of goods like food high . Housing costs high . Insurance costs escalated .Borrowing costs high due to high interest rates . A sluggish economy . Turmoil in the MIddle East at levels not seen since WW2 . Oil reserves drying up . Drum Corps don’t live in a bubble . They are impacted by what happens around them on the global stage . As we assess this , it’s pretty remarkable and surprising then that we still have any Drum Corps that made it thru the last 3 years at all . Some of the changes we seek are actually about to become visible to us next season . Cadets and other Corps criss crossed the country about 15 years ago doing between 30-35 shows a season on “ national touring “. You want that to be curtailed ? You have your wish . No Corps in 2024 will do 30-35 competition shows . Most will do half that number now , including the Top 6 Corps . Many Corps will supplement that with non competition performances in locales that maximize their opportunity to increase revenue streams to themselves. Performance and time well spent, imo On the whole , 2023 had fewer props and less elaborate props than pre pandemic . How many here knew several of the Top Corps went out with LESS than the 165 allowed in the field last season ? Some corps went out with no props at all or very small ones . The Cadets for example . Stagecoaches for props gave way in 2023 to small chairs in other corps . Most other Corps had similar smaller props in 2023 out on the field than they had in recent years as well . Most Corps became more regional than ever before in their traveling too . That trend you want to see will continue into 2024 as well . DCI Drum Corps merged and consolidated with DCA to eliminate or curtail duplicative costs . Something I predicted years ago would likely happen in the future . Staffs sizes are no longer growing .As a matter of fact , they are constricting . Something many are calling for . Corps have staff now performing multiple duties that were once filled by 2 , now done by I … including Corps Directorships . Cadets took a double whammy as they had their long time Director arrested and charged with crimes . They started to rebound , but then got hit with the Pandemic years of shutdowns . Now they are not calling it quits. They are just asking for a pause of a year . Let’s take a deep breath and give them that time to hopefully get back on track . So , if we look around , many Corps ARE dealing with the post pandemic world by cutting costs , streamlining travel , reducing numbers of shows , shortening the seasons of travel , reducing size of staff and size of corps , and props , and the rest of it . Corps that relied almost exclusively on bingo for much of their revenues , are learning they have to diversify their revenue streams . Others are making audition camp tryouts done via video and others making tryout auditions more accessible by hosting auditions in various regions . Change is happening . It will continue . But DCI Drum Corps has not died . But it could have in 2020-2022 time period. Some predicted the end back then , remember ? The further we get in time away from the pandemic years , I believe we will look back and ask ourselves , how in heck did this activity survive , make it thru , and NOT die in that 2020-2022 pandemic years time period .

The military draft devastated Junior Corps ranks in the 1960's too. Patriotism that was strong with Victory in WW2 over Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, and Fascist Italy, in the 1940's began to wane in the 1960's with the Draft and later with disillusionment with the Vietnam War. Hundreds of Drum & Bugle Corps saw their ranks depleted by the military Draft, and Church & Veterans sponsorships evaporated. The Country was a different country in 1970 than it was in 1960. Patriotism took a hit, and anything connected even remotely with the US Military was no longer in vogue as it had been after WW2. With Drum Corps folding left and right in the latter part of the 1960's, the Combine's Corps Directors ( Warren, Royer, Jones, Bonfiglio ,et al, saw their future survival now had to be with the tie ins with H.S. and College Marching Bands.They basically by 1972 had no other choice... really. With hundreds of Corps now gone by 1972, kids that used to march Drum Corps were finding the only marching alternative now in their community was the local marching band.

Yes . In the beginning, the Church sponsored Corps were started up to serve the needs of the youth in that parish . As a result , most all of the marchers for many years were from that parish , or at the very least lived in the community the Parish was in . But many of these Corps in time decided in order to be more competitive in competitions , they decided to take in marchers that were not from the parish and some not from even that community . In no time at all , that accelerated , and before you knew it , lots of the marchers were not from that parish , nor the community . With that, many parishes began to rethink if subsidizing their “ Parish Corps “ where more than half lived in other “ parishes “or other communities was something their parishioners should continue to pay for . The answer increasingly then became “ no “ . In addition ,other Parish Corps themselves began to unilaterally move away from Church sponsorships and particularly in the late 1960’s away from sponsorships from the Veterans posts in these communities . Lots of Corps in the 1960’s either folded or were forced to merge when they had to replace their traditional sources of financing from the parish and/ or the local Veterans posts . A few successfully navigated thru this transition in traditional sponsorships in the 1960’s and early 1970’s , but the vast majority did not , and folded .

Yes, that post recruiting mere few hours before they pulled the Cadets pulled the plug on the 2024 was bad optics in hindsight . It obviously was not communicated to the person there at the Cadets what was about to go down , and someone there might/ could have communicated to that person to do a “ hold “ on that in retrospect . But I’ll cut the Corps some slack on this , as this is sad and devastating news, and I see no need to pile on now, as they say . . … SCV appears now like they will make it back for 2024 , and am hoping Cadets follow suit and can make it back for 2025 .

I know .. ‘could use some good news . It’s not yet Halloween. I should have known something would spook us when Friday was Friday the 13th . 😊

haha...

Agree. Their improvement from their 1st week of season to Finals Week was a testimony to both the instructional staff there at the Cadets and the marchers. The depth and the diversification of their revenue stream was apparently just not there. it sounds sounds so familiar. Its a day later, and I'm still no less saddened by this news of another Drum Corps having to be sidelined..

Lots of potential landing spots I'd imagine. Some high quality staffers there. Same with Cadets vets that are age eligible and want to march.

Just in case, we got the right cap for you to wear☺️...........

Its difficult to say. It could be any number of Corps, as well as the rumor of yet another World Class Corps to take the 2024 season off just a bad rumor. In the absence of info on a timely basis, rumors tend to fill such a void. As we know, some rumors turn out to be accurate, others wildly off the mark. That said, any news of another World Class Div. Corps to suspend their 2024 season... no matter who that Corps is... will need to have that info come soon now, as Corps and marchers are already making plans for the upcoming auditions that will begin to take place in the coming few weeks. I personally dont think Crown is about to suspend their 2024 season., and have frankly have heard no rumors to that effect either So I dont think Carolina Crown is the Corps rumored. I hope the rumor of another World Class Div Corps to announce they will suspend their 2024 season is bogus. Dont want to see another. No way.

Nope.

This is such devastating news. It saddens me greatly to learn of this. This Corps and its accomplishments are legendary. 90 years. Began in 1934, before WW2. I thought they showed remarkable tenacity and resilience to weather the Hopkins saga fall out, and thought they were on the right track in 2022, 2023 to return to stability and regain their former stature. Now this. I feel awful. I sincerely hope this is not the end of the Cadets. I hope there are people there and in their alum base that can set aside any disappointments they might have with their former Corps for one reason or another and not let their Corps die. I really hope this ultimately turns out to be just a one year hiatus. " For Holy Name, Shall Always Be ".

Yes , that was a quick exit after just a month. Lots of speculation surfaced as to why the quick exit. All we know for certain now however is that he is no longer Academy’s Corps Director and the position is currently vacant there .

Fair point . Someone pm’rd me today and thinks Crown likely just “ forgot to update their hire of their 2024 Program Coordinator “ and it will likely be updated on their website when they get around to it . If true , that could explain it, I suppose .

Yes . I had heard of this too . If true , you’d think such an important position and hire for that position would be on the Crown website if the hire was a couple of weeks ago . Most corps do update their website after a hire ( including Crown ) within a day or so . I see several reported hires made this off season on all the corps websites , so as of right now , it’s likely just an unconfirmed rumor still that Crown has filled the open position , and Atkinson is the hire that replaces Rick Subel there .

But you'd think he'd wait on that until Carolina Crown officially announces this on their official Corps website and with his picture and bio there.... no ? So who knows who Crown's Program Coordinator there will be for 2024 after Rick Subel left that position there after this past season. I'm sure this will all be squared away in time, but it is mid October now, and no official word as to who will be heading up their show program there at Carolina Crown for the upcoming season.

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I see Vista Ridge , Texas has a pretty good High School Marching Band program . Who has he designed programs in DCI for before ? Anybody here know ? Just curious .

Cascades marcher posts that he has received death threats … multiple death threats too . These allegations are not to be taken lightly . Did the poster alert police and parents and DCI of death threats is the natural and immediate concern here for his future safety .. Death threats the Cascades marcher claims even took place after he returned home . Clearly none of us here can protect this former marcher from future death threats or God forbid , the actual carrying out of the death threat . So this really becomes the realm of police and FBI ( if the alleged death threats are coming from out of state ) and prosecutors to protect this person. Criminal charges and arrests need to be made on those making any death threats via phone or mail and the like . DCI secondarily needs to thoroughly vett any Corps whose marchers or staffers are making alleged multiple death threats to one of DCI’s recent summer’s participant marchers . On the other hand , I’m not entirely certain the alleged death threats made on this marcher were reported to his parents and the police as the poster makes no mention of this critically important salient point in their detailing of events . It’s also unclear why the marcher posts he would still volunteer there again despite alleged multiple examples of abuse and apparently on going death threats on him apparently continuing there .

www.generaleffect.media does an excellent job . Look up top on their front page website . It has updated 2023 staff changes by corps, and by alphabetical order .

The Boston Crusaders did not “ invent “ the pre season May Move In concept where marchers practice at schools and sleep in the dorms . I have never heard such claims uttered by the Corps , nor give off that impression , No one I know there “ brags “ about the concept . Carolina Crown did not “ invent “ the concept of pre season practice on school grounds and marchers sleeping in school dorms either. The concept predates their start up as a Drum Corps , and goes back at least as early as the 1970’s . For just one example , a couple of DCI Drum Corps from Canada in the 1970’s would bring their corps together in preseason and practice at schools and colleges and marchers would sleep in dorms there before heading out on tour .The De LaSalle Oaklands at DeLaSalle University come to mind for just one example . BD has brought their Percussion section in , in preseasons ( and even earlier ) to Riverside Community College in Calif , where they sleep in dorms there ( or in apartments nearby ) and have done do for many many years . I’m sure other fans of other Corps on here can point to examples where their Corps utilized this practice and housing accommodations, and well before 2016 too . No Corps , Boston Crusaders included , took this preseason practice and housing accommodation concept from Carolina Crown either.

The “ poaching “ pejorative is in the domain of Crown fans as many of them have used it frequently since 2016 , 7 years ago . It has been utilized by Crown fans on Reddit as recently as this summer . It’s a silly and ridiculous term and even most Crown fans have finally come around to the conclusion that to continue to utilize it after 5-6 years does invite some chuckles and harmless playfulness with Crown fans use of it . It in that context then that Boston Alums/ fans like Craiga , Labmaster , Barneveld have utilized in tongue in cheek . Crown fans that used the term , used it in a serious , pejorative manner . These 3 you mentioned utilized it in response to that in a playful , tongue in cheek manner 😊

Boston Crusaders have been doing move in preseason training at ( your words ) " small remote colleges, living in dorms, etc " for more than 20 years. Before Vermont , some were Roger Williams College in Rhode Island, Cushing Academy, Ashburnham, Ma., ( couple of hours west of Boston in Central Ma.), New Hampton Prep, New Hampton, N.H. among others. Here is verification of any mistaken ( and rather silly ) belief that Boston Mgt is following what Crown Mgt does. Boston Crusaders trained for 3 years, 2006, 2007, 2008 at New Hampton Prep, New Hampton, N.H. Boston Crusaders do not " brag about this " as near as I can tell anyway, as they have done pre season move ins like this for decades now. https://www.laconiadailysun.com/community/announcments/free-drum-and-bugle-corps-performance-at-new-hampton-school-at-wednesday-evening/article_5232f790-0c09-59d4-8ce5-09c2801a1ca8.html

I wonder how they settled on “ The Thing “ for the Corps name . Maybe at a meeting a board member said. “ We need to have on the agenda a proposal to name the thing “. Hands all went up and that was that .😊