The Scouts will be just fine

[Newseditor44]

Thought I would say that the Scouts are doing just fine.

I had the chance to see them in San Diego tonight, and I must say I was very impressed. The open is fantastic, the horn book is "old school" Madison in some places and the beats are strong as well. I was very surprised at the spanish/jazzy flavor. However , their lack of power from the horns is concerning. There was almost no sound coming from the hornline.... but that too will come.

IMO, the reason the corps is not doing that well is becuase of the talent level. Its a very young group of kids, probably the youngest group from Madison I have ever seen. But they are laying a great foundation for years to come, and with the old school sound coming back, I have no doubt things will be back to normal in the VERY near future. Lots of GE!

Trust me folks, the corps will be just fine.

[Tekneek]

I agree completely. Once I saw them for the first time this summer, I had a good feeling that everything was going to be alright in the long run.

[crfrey71]

I totally agree. This was the Scouts I fell in love with. Great entertainment tonight.

[silvertrombone]

Thought I already dealt with this topic...

[NeutralNovice]

From what I've seen with Madison's show, it's a GREAT show! I really enojyed it when I watched them on webcasts.

[GGarrett]

I suppose I can chime in just ONCE more on hopefully the last thread we need to see about Madison. It will no doubt get merged in with the others into the "BIG" Madison thread anyway.

I agree... Madison WILL be just fine. They have had an amazing climb from beginning to now, with many who have seen them live recently saying the corps is much better than they expected, sounding and looking great and vastly improved. All good signs and exactly what many would expect from a corps of that caliber. This was a tough year starting out for them, but all things considered they have done very well and have a great shot at rolling out of Pasadena better than many thought they would in June. While public opinion around them swirled (and in some cases had the nails going into the coffin already!) they just went about their work, steadfastly ignoring the criticism and staying quiet, and pushed forward with the dedication and pride it takes to do the best you can.

A young corps AND a young staff, combined with a legendary name in Drum and Bugle Corps, will get right back to work more experienced and better focused for the years to come. It will be an exciting place to be as a member and staffer!

[BigSnareline]

They have the most entertaining show of any corps this year. I know that doesn't matter to the judges, but it does to the fans. Go Scouts!

[Tom Brace]

1. You can not have too many threads about the Scouts.

2. I finally got to see them live in Tempe.

3. I got to speak with Jeff Spanos briefly. He likes Scotcheroos.

4. The Scouts have propelled themselves forward this year more than almost any other corps from where they started to today. Not talking placement...talking show development.

5. And this is from the source, Mr. Spanos. Most of these guys will be back next year. There's great energy and everyone's extremely positive about where we are. Agreed.

6. They are young...very young.

7. If things for the rest of the org. are taking shape as quickly as this, they will be in good shape for '08.

8. All of this is positive. I can only see one area of obvious concern. Guard.

9. I said as early as November that the guard should be the area of biggest concern and it is. This guard is very inexperienced and it shows. You can jam on me all you want for focusing on this area of weakness, but, frankly DCI has recognized more and more of the contibutions of the guard to the overall field production. It's getting to the point where a weak guard section hurts way more than an off season for the brass or percussion.

10. I'm not going to dwell on the one obvious weak area of the production other than to ask...how can we help? Can they keep most of the 24 young men currently in the guard? Can they work with instructors in the off season? Can they come back stronger, better prepared and serve as a nucleus of a guard on par with the rest of the corps progress? How can we help with this?

[shaners]

yes, the corp is young, but i do not think talent level has much to do with how the corp is placing.... i saw them rehearse last night and i was shocked at how many capable guys they have. the talent in the hornline alone is stellar.

ive seen young corps do really well before, so i do not think that is an excuse. staff have endless responsibility of the corp, regardless of talent level.

with that being said, I LOVE THEIR SHOW!!!!! tons of ge and the pacing and excitement is great!! if you have only seen this corp on the dci webcasts, please do not make any judgements until you see them live! just like all the other corps, those web videos do not come close to doing their show justice. the music arrangements are great! the only thing i think the design is lacking in is drill effectiveness. but even so there are plenty of really cool drill moments. i agree with you about their loudness meter. and was actually a bit surprised at rehearsal.. i kept thinking "that cant be all you got!?!?" regardless, it is still a rich and full sound, just lacking in volume. i dont care where scouts end up this weekend because ill still dig their show anyways!

[Jim Anello]

10. I'm not going to dwell on the one obvious weak area of the production other than to ask...how can we help? Can they keep most of the 24 young men currently in the guard? Can they work with instructors in the off season? Can they come back stronger, better prepared and serve as a nucleus of a guard on par with the rest of the corps progress? How can we help with this?

Well, one area that would help would be some stability in the guard staff. If I recall correctly, this is the third guard staff in three seasons.