oldsoprano

The last time I went to finals (2011), I made a reservation at a hotel on the outskirts of town that could be canceled, then in early June, I started low-ball bidding on Priceline for one of the big downtown convention hotels within walking distance of the stadium. Hit the Priceline jackpot on July 4, when the Marriott across from the convention center accepted my bid for Thursday through Sunday of finals week at $58 a night.

Back in the 70s, Spirit of Atlanta had a horn instructor for a short while named Jon Hornline.

If that was the case, I'd say the board did the fiscally responsible thing in picking a director and assistant director who are local, and looking for staffers from the talented local pool of instructors. The costs of flying staff in and out of all of the camps, all-days, etc., adds up very fast.

The former board chairperson is the one who fired JW at the end of the season. That person is no longer involved with the corps, and from what I've been told, the new board chairman asked JW if he was interested in returning as director. He was not.

The previous board chairperson dug the corps a deep financial hole, but she is no longer involved, and her replacement, Jeff Nelson of Lone Star Percussion, has put together a good team of board members that I'm confident will put the corps back on sound financial footing. But that new team of board members has been together for less than a month, and is working hard to choose a new corps director and staff. I for one am very glad that they are going about it methodically and not just rushing a decision on a new director and staff. I'm willing to give them a little more time to make sound decisions, and if you knew how close Spirit of Atlanta came to joining the ranks of the 27th Lancers, Bridgemen and Suncoast Sounds of the drum corps world, you would too.

I also live in Atlanta and think the new stadium is a massive boondoggle.

It's actually just a one day deal, because DCI doesn't start moving into the Dome until the morning of the event.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/gwcca-board-discusses-dome-demolition-new-stadium/nZ28D/ And take a look at the video simulation at the top of this thread, and look for the Georgia Dome, which is right next door to the new stadium site.

But in a couple of years, the Georgia Dome will be a parking lot. It's scheduled for demolition as soon as the new stadium next door opens.

Thank you, TexasPRfan, and anyone else on these boards who are so moved to help out. It is really appreciated!

Was the corps "out of debt" at the end of the 2013 season? Well, yes -- and no. While director, Todd personally paid off the old debt as a loan to the corps, and when he left the corps after the 2013 season, the corps began repaying that loan. I don't know how much has been repaid to Todd, but I do know that the budget for 2014 included a $30,000 loan repayment to him. So, no, they weren't REALLY debt-free.

I think it's safe to say at this point that Spirit is getting stronger every day.

The simple answer to how the corps got into this situation is a board chairperson who spent way beyond the corps's means. The simple answer to why the corps is now a good thing to donate to is that after much effort, that person is no longer on the board, and there is a new, RESPONSIBLE person heading up the organization. That person has a good plan (and a LOT of alumni support) to right the fiscal ship, take care of the old debts that he inherited, and hopefully put the corps in position to prosper long into the future.

Howdy

But if enough of the remaining board members don't have enough decency and ethics to vote her out of her position - which they have the power to do - then the board members who won't vote her out get to share in the blame.

Okay, you win the internet today.

He's 18, she's 17.

On a positive note, a long-standing tradition was continued last night after the Crossmen performed at the Georgia Dome: https://youtu.be/eI7YeHnimms

FYI, here's a bunch of pictures taken today of the work going on inside the new stadium that will replace the Ga. Dome in a couple of years: http://www.ajc.com/gallery/sports/football/photos-inside-new-falcons-stadium/gCT3x/

Wasn't trying to say that America is to blame at all, BK.

I had no idea when I shot all these pictures at Surge's preview show Saturday night that it would be their final performance: https://www.facebook.com/mike.morris.581730/media_set?set=a.10153348636860910.1073741907.585195909&type=3

Realistically, I don't even know what good it would do for them to try to find another corps with an opening due to an injury or something, since we're only two weeks from Indy.

I feel terrible for all of those kids, but even more so for two of them who came over from England to march Coastal Surge. One is a good drummer who marched Surge last summer and could have gone "up the ladder" to another corps, so to speak, but decided to return to help build Surge and the other is a member of the guard. They marched together in a small corps in England and wanted to have the DCI experience. Welcome to America.

And even that doesn't stop the show sometimes. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151547224065910&set=a.73644420909.86944.585195909&type=3&theater

Unfortunately, they haven't had three rehearsal days, because Saturday was taken up with a parade and an off-day in Chicago, and they did laundry on Sunday, I believe. And today, they are housed about 90 minutes from the show site, so with their early step-off time that is dictated by last year's placement, they will probably be wrapping up rehearsal by early afternoon.