craiga

Seeing lots of selfies at airports today of BAC members and staff as they head for San Antonio for the callback camp. Good luck to all! I think our very own Fighterkit is there, so he can let us know how the weather is. What time is the runthrough?

How many people serve on their BOD? (For context, Boston has 50)

I agree with this sentiment. If a prospective member really is just a ring chaser, there is only one drum corps still in existence which can pretty much guarantee a medal and mathematically offer a 50% or better chance of a ring. So, given that, logically there is no reason why anyone who wants to win would audition for anyone other than our friends from Concord. Crown and Bloo are great corps but do not have a tradition of perennially winning. Boston is a great corps but hasn't won yet. SCV is an organizational dumpster fire and Cadets seem to have become Defendant Corps International. So for "Ring Chasers", auditioning for three corps seems illogical.

So, those Boston Crusaders...

I could write volumes, but I won't. 1983 (I was there as a 23 yr old vis tech) 51 total members but still in "World Class" One bus plus a Ford van on tour All volunteer alumni staff Slept on the front lawn of the Allentown Water District the night before the big show Had to go on first every show as "The Boston Drum & Bugle Corps" Beat dozens of corps more than twice our size, and most of those folded in the following years MANY of Inspire's current BOD members marched in this corps. And yes, it is because of this kind of history that Boston alums are as engaged as they are to this day.

I agree with this....not only that, but as far as the kids who are all in with SCV 2024, not only do they risk their money, but if it turns out at some point this winter that SCV is not going out, chances are great that the rest of the World Class corps have contracted full corps by then. In fact, most corps will probably have contracted full rosters by the first of the year. If I was a prospective member, particularly an ageout, I just wouldn't take the chance. Contrary to urban myth here on dcp, most members are NOT wealthy and in fact scrimp to find every penny to march. Yikes!

Yeah, they were the ones in step.

Given recent events, the school girl uniforms haven't aged well.

"On and Off" is the instruction given to whomever is operating the met during ensemble rehearsal. It just means that Gino wants to have the met on as the drum major is kicking off the segment but to have it turned off once the hornline comes in.

So Jeff, if we follow your train of thought to its logical conclusion, time passed is irrelevant? So, let's suppose somebody was victimized in 1940? How about 1934? At one point does common sense take hold? As I already posted, by all means go after the offender, but not an organization which has nothing to do with that transgression other than maintaining a similar name, corps song and colors on the field all these decades later. I should also point out that if you do back in history 30, 40, 50 years or more, there is an increasing likelihood that the actual guilty parties are no longer alive to either face their accuser or defend themselves. I do not know the facts of THIS case; I am just speaking in generalities. It is for these reasons that we DO have statute of limitations in this country for everything other than homicide. At the end of the day, I guess I will just conclude with the thought that if this lawsuit (and the others which will undoubtedly follow) results in the permanent end to the Cadets, that will be a shame.

Yes, considering that NONE of the current Cadets members and most likely most of the instructional staff wasn't even born when this all took place. The plaintiff should sue the actual offender, not an entirely different organization 40 years removed. There absolutely IS money driving this, and the word on the street is that this same attorney is lining up additional defendants to belly up to the bar and get a windfall after this first case is settled and the precedent is set. I have no contacts at Cadets; I just think they are about to be sued into oblivion.

Yes it will be 104, and any sick kids in one corps WILL once again sicken all the other drum corps that day, forcing multiple corps to march holes and the Cavies to pull out of a week's worth of shows. 😞

This is true, and part of the intent behind statutes of limitations to begin with.

Yeah, to go from three shows last summer to one in 2024 is a bummer. But, this is pretty much the price we all have to pay for these shortened tours nowadays. Just glad that the activity is finding ways to stay alive.

Cadets have no money due to legal bills stemming from bad behavior, and we have been told repeatedly that SCV has all kinds of money...just that they mismanaged their bingo operation and can't seem to get along with each other. As I see it, all of this falls under the category of poor behavior. And for the record, plaintiffs in the 40 year old Cadets case(s) should aggressively go after the actual perpetrators....not an organization that has nothing to do with the original crimes. Just my two cents.

I see an activity which has immense financial challenges requiring innovation in terms of funding. Suggested that corps shouldn't travel more than three hours to a show so they can "go home" each week is neither innovative nor responsive to this threads intent.

LabMaster initiated this thread to brainstorm some revenue sources and strategies with the hopes of hearing some fresh ideas. Instead, we once again find ourselves up to our ears in nostalgic time travel by some people. Do you guys not get it? Neighborhood drum corps sponsored by churches and VFW posts went away 40 years ago. The activity and society in general has changed and is not going back. Yet, drum corps is still a wonderful activity for young people and adults alike. We just need to figure out how to make the finances better for all. And one more time, for the record, neither Spirit nor SCV nor Cadets opted to take a summer off because they ran out of money. In each one of these cases, their misfortunes can be directly traced back to bad behavior....in one case, decades ago. Now...back to revenue streams.....

So in BAC'S case, as an example, you would propose the corps travels back and forth to northern Vermont all summer? How far away would DCI schedule these "regional shows"? And you would propose Boston traveling to shows up and down the east coast and returning to Vermont each time? That would be far more expensive (and wasteful) than simply being on tour and staying in high schools along the way, don't you think?

Where do you expect to house 200+ members and staff when they return to their "home base" for a few days each week? Not trying to be a Negative Nancy here...I just don't know what you are talking about. And what "regional shows" would corps like Boston and Troopers appear in each week? And with whom?

True, but that was specific to the criminal prosecution at that time. The door is wide open to civil action, and if this particular case from 1982 results in the plaintiff and her attorneys hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more), get ready for the dam to open. Money talks....both for plaintiffs and their attorneys.

It won't be long before all the Hopkins women will be lining up....as they should. If the current Cadets org ends up financially responsible for the torts of Hopkins, they may be sued into oblivion. Not sure how I feel about this.

I like your optimism, but ultimately Boston cannot force any corps to come to Massachusetts for a show. I'm not sure all those corps you mentioned would come here, especially based on where the rest of tour brings them. And, there is one group who absolutely won't come here anymore, so there is that. Last year, Mandarins, Bloo and Phantom came here and were very well received.

I think the first New England show this year might be in Connecticut, with several all age corps in competition as well. I am not expecting any Massachusetts shows until Lawrence right before Allentown. There was some early talk of that show featuring BD, SCV and Troopers along with BAC(which would be a nice little show, obviously) but I also heard later on that BD was not sure. And yeah, while it is easy to wax nostalgic about "local" or "regional" touring, that is easier said than done these days. The other day, I posted about having a full slate of local corps in Massachusetts back in the day. As an example, I remember back in 1980 rehearsing with BAC on Sunday mornings at the East Boston Stadium. When we finished around noon, North Star would be pulling in for the afternoon block, followed by 27 later in the day. This doesn't even include Alliance or the Defenders. JurassicLancer, do you remember this?

This. And, lately some know-it-alls on dcp HAVE been repeating the fiction that some corps actually have SEVEN weeks of spring training and 5 weeks of tour. Just because some bitter, out of touch drum corps fan says something, that does NOT make it true.

I wish.