Jump to content

vferrera

Members
  • Posts

    1,435
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by vferrera

  1. Perfect example. PR's income typically runs about 300k/yr above Madison's.
  2. I'm sorry, but NONE of this is true. The truth is that they are putting out the best drum corps they can without going into debt. It's as simple as that.
  3. I don't think it's a matter of blame. Just simple economics. If DCI got rid of all its rules and restrictions, you'd have a few corps that could afford to put on an all-singing, all-dancing Vegas-style blow-out with professional lighting, sound, pyrotechnics, etc. At that point, it would be obvious that it's not a competition. If you want true competition, you needs some limits. You don't have to go with the least-common-denominator. There has to be a compromise. You cannot put a 2M corps on the same field as a 900K corps and call it a competition. Set the bar at 1.25M or something like that. Of course, BD and SCV would then have the problem of what to do with all their extra cash and still maintain non-profit status, but I'm sure they can add a few more corps (BD-D, BD-E) and expand their international program.
  4. but mostly with regard to color guard. Male guard members are a limited resource. Really shows when Scouts or Cavies guard is having an off year. Not to mention that even the best all-male guards are different than female or co-ed guards. On the other hand, imagine Pirates of Lake Mendota or Mad World with a female guard. Nope. Brass and percussion are <<50% female, so it's less of an impact there. I'm guessing ~25% female, at most.
  5. The lower tier corps have always been feeder corps for the top 4/5. When we marched in 1978, our lead sops came from Blue Knights, Troopers, etc. But you are correct about the different financial tiers. Scouts were always strapped for cash, but could still compete, even in gussied up janitor suits and concrete hats. DCI recognized financial disparity as a problem way back in the early 70s. The 128 member limit was one way they tried to level the playing field, and was instituted after 1975 in response to Madison having something like 135 members. In fact, the size limit was a concession to the CA corps so they could tour in 3 busses rather than 4. Every professional sports league recognizes that there are 2 factors essential for long-term success: rules that preserve the integrity of the game and spending limits. DCI has neither. They've chosen "evolution" over growth. A devil's bargain.
  6. Hey, look, I'm not shooting holes in anything. I have nothing to do with the Scouts (or any corps) these days. I'm sure they are open to new ideas, but everything is a cost-benefit type deal. Volunteer manpower, which is the key to all fundraising, is stretched to the limit. Scouts have a board and management team stacked with successful business entrepreneurs. These are smart, dedicated, hard-working people. I doubt they are satisfied, but if the alternative is breaking the bank to make top-6, that's just not a good long-term strategy. The corps director is a full-time fundraiser, and, yes, they do have successful alums who routinely contribute big bucks. The Cavaliers started an endowment fund about 10 years ago. I think it has a few hundred thousand. A general rule on endowments is that you can spend about 4% of the principal every year. So, to make any kind of dent in the budget, you need about 3M in the bank. To fully fund a lower-tier world class corps would require an endowment of about 30M. It's really hard to accrue that much capital when you are also leaning on alums for operating expenses. Like I said, I'm pretty much outside of the activity. I don't even go to shows any more. Too expensive. Wife and kids are not interested. My sole contact is the donations I make to the Scouts and Cavaliers and a bit of online bull-chatting. Pretty pathetic considering I marched 5 years and my dad was one of the founders of the Cavaliers and DCI. But if you ask which corps are returning value to their members, Scouts would have to be near the top of the list. They probably have the most loyal alumni of any group. 450 guys turned out to do the Macy's parade. 300 did the alumni corps in 2006. They have an alumni performing group that played with the corps last night. For most DCI corps, about 30-40% of the members are one-and-done, 'rook-outs' who save up to march their last year. Overall, I would guess only about 10% of DCI alums continue to follow the activity for more than a few years after their 22nd b'day. Drum corps, from a competition and performance standpoint is just a weird niche activity that has little to offer the real world. And it just gets weirder every year. Talk to people who marched in the mid-2000's and they'll say they just don't "get" the activity any more. Scouts offer a real sense of camaraderie, tradition, and values, which is worth much more than the competitive ranking. </soapbox>
  7. They're already exploiting every revenue source. They get about 150k/yr from alumni and have a big merchandising operation. They even have a beer and brats concession at Brewer's home games. If you have any ideas on how they can pick up an easy 600k/yr, give 'em a call. Heck, give ME a call. I can use the extra juice. There is simply no revenue source available to the other corps that can compete with a 7 figure gambling op. Until DCI institutes some kind of spending cap (excluding travel costs of course), the field will always be tilted to the west. As for the economics and legality of bingo, I'm not an expert. My guess is that it's a bit dicey for a non-profit to be running such an operation. SCV and BD have been doing it since the 70's, but I think they have come under pressure lately. Starting such an operation in the midwest would probably be cost prohibitive even if legal. You need a facility and you need licensing.
  8. Madison operates on a budget of about 900k/yr. To make top 6 you need to be up around 1.5M. BD and SCV have huge bingo operations (gross ~ 12M/yr, net ???). Cadets have YEA!. Pretty much guarantees a stranglehold on the top spots. DCI = Direct Correlation w/ Income
  9. I agree with this. Scouts have a full, mature sound comparable to the top 6. Cavaliers do not. No hate, but, objectively, they have a relatively weak brass section. Yet, A. Lo gave Madison a 17.9 in brass and Cavaliers a 17.7. Now, Cavaliers may be playing much better than they were earlier in the season, but there is still a very clear difference and that should translate into a bigger spread.
  10. Scouts are even or slightly ahead of Cavaliers in every performance subcaption (even percussion). But Cavaliers are well ahead in most of the content subs. If you just take the raw differences (performance - content) and add them all up, Scouts are +7 (perf > cont), Cavaliers are -23. If you compare Scouts v. Cavaliers, Scouts are -26 in content, but +4 in performance.
  11. This year, it is certainly legitimate to ask why Scouts aren't getting higher scores, and expect a serious answer rather than being branded a homer. They're doing the job, they deserve the mark.
  12. E = MC^2 is easy to understand. This is a bit harder:
  13. How do you fix a broken inference engine? Hire a statistical mechanic. nerd humor.
  14. I heard a rumor Scouts were coming to town. Is this an alumni participation event? I have the clothes and the instrument, though none has been used in quite some time.
  15. DCI's tour strategy makes little sense. DCI Midwest, DCI North and DCI Canada used to draw huge crowds. It's a straight shot from Whitewater to Pontiac to Hamilton. Plus the weather is cooler. Soon, the corps will head south during the hottest month of the hottest year in decades... If you live in NYC, you can drive 2 hours to Allentown. Otherwise, no DCI for you.
  16. Could have something to do with the fact that there are 3 shows this weekend (Whitewater, Michigan City, Lisle) with the same line-up of corps. And recently, there were shows in Madison and Belvidere. Mankato, Rochester, Muncie, etc. DCI really saturates the upper midwest. There are about 25 shows in the MN, IA, WI, IL, IN, MI region and about 5 in OH. OTOH, there are about 10-15 shows on the east coast. Only 1 in NJ.
  17. It's a) a 2D cut through a 4D hypercube b) a hexaflexagon c) an illustration of the Lorenz transformation d) the inside of the tardis
  18. The story of this season is Cavaliers come back like Jordan to take 5th or higher. You can hold me to that. Now, let's watch some hockey.
  19. Devastating news. Totally classy guy. True Scout.
  20. Crown Imperial (27th) Russian Sailors Dance (Cavaliers) New York Fantasy (BD) Georgia (SOA) Numero Uno (Scouts)
  21. OMG least favorite music I played in corps. but thanks for the props! My #1 = Slaughter MS 75/82. No comparison. #2 Channel One. #3 Rocky Point From a historical perspective, 74 Cavaliers (Carmen). Brass judge (Dave Richards?) threw his clipboard at the opening hit. Quite possibly saved the corps. Other notables - Bully 67 Cavaliers.
  22. all fine masterpieces. Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit...heh! brilliant!
  23. I don't know. aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! Up until 1982, DCI had an all-girl division. Chatelaines, Bon Bons, St. Ignatius, Capitolaires, etc. There was never an "all-boy" division.
  24. I'm sorry but I can't let these Monty Python misquotes slide: 1. "Come see the *violence* inherent in the system. I'm being *repressed*" Monty Python and the Holy Grail 2. "Does *she* weigh more than a duck. A witch! Burn her!" Also MPATHG. Now let's talk about something important - what's the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
×
×
  • Create New...