scheherazadesghost

I wish. Was very lucky I got to see them from the sideline last year at all, I know that. Instead I'll be the biggest little fan for hundreds of miles cheering them on with much enthusiasm.

💯, I swooned then, same as I am now. 😎

I love this show. Thank you Mandies for proving once again that a guard composed of diverse body types can be stunning and crisp. Most of the higher placing corps could learn a thing or two from you in that regard. Also, la-love the closer flags. Can't wait to see the finished product. The unfinished recipe I've seen so far took my breath away.

Can anyone report out from the Troop guard? All runs I've seen show decent demand but a good number of consecutive drops (even on lower tosses) and missed impacts. Still, they're respectably costumed and designed, and showing lots of promise. Rooting for them big time. Not blaming the members here at all, just wondering if they're simply still growing into the show, need more rest, Wheaties, or what. Or am I just too far away, not getting to see it live? Mistakes are one thing, but if they're performed-through well enough, they don't matter to me, just can't quite see that kind of performance quality well enough through high cam.... or perhaps they've already cleaned up since the last cake recipe was made available online. Just checkin in on you, Troop. 🌞 Keep it up!

I love watching this guard. The costumes are the best in the activity right now, IMHO. (They didn't go with the abstract unitards that seem to be dominating designs, and in turn, turning me off big time.) I'm just an old guard cat so much of the rest of the show is kinda lost on me... but this guard will keep my attention all season. Such talent, so twirly fun. Good work.

Losts of colorguards in unitards this year. Strange.

I can't read it from behind the paywall. But... weird timing.

Favorite show of the season so far by a long shot. Cavies know how to clean so I'm not concerned.

Feeling extreme gratitude for those young victim-survivors in the reddit thread that asked questions about what to do. And then did it. Also wishing them some semblance of peace knowing that their direct action led to swift results, even if late. May we all find such swift justice, assuming it lasts. My fellow alum across the age spectrum could maybe learn something from the young folks.

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Also, we're only talking show delays or cancelations. Does anyone know if corps are required to limit rehearsals in the extreme heat? If not, are they self-regulating accordingly?

Ty for the correction. Marched in 120+ heat index in Dallas so I know it's possible, but am in a neighboring state now. Edit to add: also heat index doesn't account for increased perceived temps on astrograss. 😞 Fingers crossed. The sage in bloom is like perfume 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Indeed, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin all reported 116-118 degree highs last week. That's easily over 120 on an outdoor field. 🫠

Sorry to hear everyone is dealing with that up there. We had it bad last year so I can relate. Dust storm plus wildfire was pretty much my worst nightmare. Different region entirely but the southwest is holding strong against fires for the time being, despite the El Nino system. Plenty of rains and the monsoon season has begun so it should stay that way, in theory. I'll keep putting in a good word. Texas, however, started having record heat that's messing with the grid again at the top of the month and it's ongoing. July and August are often worse. Heads up!

This individual has been removed from the Southwind staff page.

Indeed. These folks may be able to help: https://www.victimscivilattorneys.com/drum-corps-international-fails-to-protect-students/ But if/when any one of these resources fails to provide appropriate mental health support, a licensed mental health professional specializing in the care of victims of abuse may be of the utmost importance. We are also called survivors for a reason... some of us don't. (Not directed at either of you, just giving info.) RAINN and Courage First are the best options for immediate mental health triage. We trusted these corps...

Upon perusing the staff, they're not the only one I'm concerned about for a variety of reasons. But nevermind me. None of my fellow alum will speak up so I'm just a crazy rumor lady.

I cannot stress enough that while official whistleblower channels can be accessed, they have all failed in my case and in those of the survivors who have shared their reports with me. The vast majority of leadership handling whistleblowing lack the training necessary to prevent re-traumatization of victim-survivors. Victim-survivors and their allies should always go to the police in the jurisdiction of the event/s first. I cannot stress enough how broken DCI's current whistleblower systems are in that they have already re-traumatized survivors. Those attempting to leverage such whistleblower systems should be prepared for this and limit their expectations for support or follow through. Other groups that may provide additional support include: RAINN, Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network: https://www.rainn.org/ The Army of Survivors: https://thearmyofsurvivors.org/ Courage First Athlete's Helpline: https://www.athletehelpline.org/ MAASIN, Marching Arts Access, Safety and Inclusion Network: https://www.maasin.net/

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Most other active alum hide their opinions behind a locked Fb group. Fb and Insta are cesspools so Ihave no idea what they're saying, but I'm under the impression they have no problem talking about what is said here. I've always welcomed their opposing opinions, respectfully presented. But they aren't forthcoming. I've also never attempted to exaggerate the number of alum that inform my opinion. There are approx 12 alum reporters I'm in contact with. I don't represent their opinions. Their reports inform my opinion here. Nothing more.

It's weird when mods appear to agree with trolls. Or am I misinterpreting you? I don't like non-alum questioning alum motives when very few of you anons out there have the info to justify your comments. If some of you do, then tell us where we're wrong with facts. Or why not ask good faith questions of those with more info than you that go somewhere instead of nitpicking how the info was presented? Why are those of us trying to shed light cast as the bad guys out for blood? We can talk to our own corps if we want that treatment. I'm guessing most naysayers here simply don't like what they're reading; want to protect the weakened image of a beloved corps from its own qualified professional alum; and will therefore readily attempt to discredit those who presented info in a way they don't like. If it's not me, it's the next alum that comes along with info that's difficult to read. And it's not like there's a manual for this situation we can follow. That's pretty crummy if that's what's going on. I welcome legit correction if I've misinterpreted though.