No housing in San Diego

[EuphoniMom]

If I am remembering correctly, there was a perfectly fine show in San Diego last season. An early season show in June. Sponsored by Esperanza, and held at Rancho Bernardo High School. I drove down to that one and it seemed to be well attended. But last year, Esperanza was still active.

[SkyRyder_FMM]

First of all, this wasn't a case of housing falling through at the last minute. None of the corps were ever notified of any housing arrangements at any time prior to two days before the show.

As for whether all the corps requested their housing well in advance, as one previous poster said might have been a problem, I can only speak for Spirit. I sent our initial housing request to the show promoter in March, same as when I sent out all our other housing requests.

Since then, I sent at least a dozen other e-mails asking about our housing, and left more than 30 phone messages on the show promoter's home and cell phones. All messages were very cordial, telling him that I realize how difficult housing is and that I didn't necessarily need to know WHERE we were staying at that point, just an assurance that someone was working on housing and getting my messages. NOT ONE SINGLE PHONE MESSAGE OR E-MAIL WAS RETURNED. NOT ONE.

I checked with other corps' tour managers, and they had also left numerous messages that were not returned. Even the directors of other California corps' whose home shows were part of the consortium with the San Diego shows could not reach the show promoter, Espersanza director Alan Cox.

DCI was finally able to reach him late last week, and told him that if he had not contacted the corps in the show by 2 p.m. on Saturday (day before the show) and told them where they would be housed, the plug would be pulled and there would be no show.

Spirit finally got a call about housing at about 2 p.m. on Saturday.

I spoke with the Administration at Blue Stars, and their experience was virtually identical. I'm glad everything worked out for all of the corps involved.

[ScribeToo]

The show in Long Beach in July drew probably over 5,000 people and the best corps there was Academy. San Diego has to beat that.

Thank you. You've told me all I need to know.

Have a good one!

[27Socal]

If I am remembering correctly, there was a perfectly fine show in San Diego last season. An early season show in June. Sponsored by Esperanza, and held at Rancho Bernardo High School. I drove down to that one and it seemed to be well attended. But last year, Esperanza was still active.

Yes, I went to that show last year. Everything seemed fine. There was a big crowd. What happened this year?

[corps e feldman]

Yes, I went to that show last year. Everything seemed fine. There was a big crowd. What happened this year?

uhhhhh.....no one gave a ####! Obviously, having a sponsor who could care less makes a rather large difference. The show should have been folded when Esperanza went inactive, period.

[oldsoprano]

Curious...someone said small attendance...numbers???

My guess would be somewhere in the 400 to 500 range. There were about 20 rows of seats, and if everyone sat right next to one another, you probably could have fit everyone in between 35-yard-lines, and maybe between the 40s.

Edited August 6, 2007 by oldsoprano

[Enyo]

Pioneer made the trip from Tempe to San Diego and was never given housing <**> It was kind of Phantom Regiment to allow the corps to shower at their facility. Pioneer did manage to scrounge up a practice field but I didn't get any details on whether it was at a school or in a Walmart parking lot. Another big <**> to whomever was responsible.

[HockeyDad]

Does DCI do no vetting of these show organizers / sites? Yes I know through the course of a summer there are a lot of shows, BUT, I recall reading on DCP what a train wreck the Esperanza corps situation was months ago - and knowing that Esperanza was supposedly organizing the show......couldn't or shouldn't this problem have been anticipated? Are there no intermediate milestones set up with show sites that DCI checks up on to make sure show organizers are on track? Or is the total focus of DCI placed on Finals week preparations? This is telling of DCI as much as it was of the show organizers.

[MidwestChica]

As far as attendance for the show, I recall hearing that many of the southern california shows showed a decrease in attendance this year.

Think about it, tickets for this show were from $20-$30....most of the fans in so cal are most likely choosing to save their money for that little thing called championships thats right around the corner...this show hs just ben overshadowed by the biggest show to Ever come to California...

[SkyRyder_FMM]

As far as attendance for the show, I recall hearing that many of the southern california shows showed a decrease in attendance this year.

Think about it, tickets for this show were from $20-$30....most of the fans in so cal are most likely choosing to save their money for that little thing called championships thats right around the corner...this show hs just ben overshadowed by the biggest show to Ever come to California...

Funny, but I seem to recall nonstop complaints from west coasters about not being able to see the corps in August, hence they need Championships. Now they get them, and they don't attend the local shows, simply because the big dance is in town?

Yes, the west coast deserves the opportunity to host Championships at least once, but if a city the size of San Diego can't muster up more than 400 people to attend a show just before Championships, perhaps DCI was wise to not hold Championships there but once in 35 years. If small towns in the midwest and east coast can draw thousands, surely one of the top 10 cities in the country can draw more than 400.

Sorry, but this has me a bit steamed.