Lancerlady Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 As a Cavalier FMM, I can't tell you how important the field markings are. Especially if you are using the dot system.In the dot system, the field is a gird (8 steps between the lines, X number of steps from the sideline to the hash) Even the top of the yard line numbers are used (the top of college field numbers are 14 steps from the sidleline). Every mark on the field becomes a reference used to being more precise to your dot. You have to have those markings to be as accurate as possible to hit your dot - sometimes down to a quarter step (about five inches) sometimes even to an eighth of a step (about three inches). Now imagine an unlined field. The marcher has no reference to where their dots relate to the field. Not having markings is like telling a carpenter to use their thumb to measure inches instead of a tape measure. I can't speak to how Cadets or any other corps utilizes the field markings, but to Cavies, it is THE most important element to knowing where you are on the field. In '94 there was a show in the midwest where we marched with no lights from the back side of the field. We had lights from the front. So, from the front the field looked fine and we could see the lines when we marched backfield (facing the back), but while facing forward we were essentially blind. That year our tempos sometimes reached 220 bpm and we had large wooden poles the guard carried around the field as a prop. Let me tell you it was freakin' scary to be out there and admittedly, our performance showed it. Now, I don't blame Mr. Hopkins for looking out for his corps. But I wish he would have made the call before his team was put on the field. He likely embarrassed his kids and caused a lot of discomfort for them, the audience, and the managemnet of DCI. And no matter how justified he was he should have NEVER grandstanded the way he did. Bowing to the crowd? Really? :( We ALWAYS had a staff member check out the field conditions before we made it to the tunnel, and the staff ALWAYS made us aware of any potential field problems. All that being said, I'm pretty darn proud of my corps for winning vis. last night given what was obviously sub-par conditions. Kudos to Hoppy for looking out for his corps, but shame on him for being so smug about it. - Mark Cavaliers FMM 94 & 95 (edited for typo) yes Cavaliers seemed to pull it off without the hash marks. My point exactly. :P I was just asking a question about the way they teach. And we had the same issues as well, and a staff member who checked out potential hazards on the field. I remember once marching on a baseball field and granted our speeds were no where as fast as your experience it was just the beginning of that type of drill, it was pretty intiimidating when the guy in front of me said, "okay here comes the pitchers mound". :P Why is everbody so "touch" on here today. In a couple of weeks this issue won't even matter in the real world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeinGreen Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 (edited) I don't feel like reading 60-plus pages back...what exactly did George Hopkins do that was less than respectful of DCI? "Bow" to the crowd? Argue with Dan Acheson? here is what happened from my perspective, I wont drop any names because I am tired of hearing/reading certain names and wont give anyone anymore press/attention Cadets came onto the field to compete, the director of the corps came on with them and then whille they were getting ready told them all to line up and march off, I dont recall exactly how this was done but I did not see the director go to the drum majors and have them march the kids off, it seemed the guy was running around telling the kids in groups, it was all very distracting and the guy completely interrupted the flow of the show and upstaged his performers completely. It was like the director became the focus instead of the corps and that is because of the way in which it was done which seemed to be by choice or at least an example of an approach to the corps and the theatre of a dci show that is not in agreement with many (this much is editorial) What it SEEMED like was an exercise in front of the entire drum corps activity that "I am in control" not the corps, not dci, not the audience, and since drum corps is traditionally a team concept the whole episode just rubbed the wrong way all those spectators who did their time marching and deserve respect as an audience. Let alone the whole concept of the corps show, the prima donna-esque behavior garnered dsiapproval, even if it wasnt an trying to be that way, it came across that way. My question is this. Were his narrarators wired for sound yet? If so why leave the audience dumbfounded? Why not simply ask the girl who narrarates to address the audience and say: "ladies and gentlemen, please excuse us until we can have the field hash marks relined for safety's sake to avoid any potential collisions" or something like that, I bet the audience would have been gracious, as it is was, they had no idea why the director was taking the corps off the field and it came across all wrong. Edited August 10, 2007 by BeinGreen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euponitone Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Anyone know when the Cadets staff noticed the missing marks and tried to get DCI or the judges attention about it? Before the corps got to the field, after they set up, etc? And what was clobbering the markings, just previous corps going over them?And have yet to know of a corps who assigns someone to check the field unless there are bigger problems going on. IMO, all the corps trusted DCI to have the field in proper shape and it didn't happen. Geez, last year DCA Prelims had line problems due to the weather and DCI has this going on now. Heh, the circuits are closer then they think. The markings were getting worse as the night went on, especially the hashes, which were not relined during the break. They were probably bad for the cavaliers, but, as we all know, the cavaliers march an impressive drill, and spend a lot of time on the ground around midfield. Its no surprise that the hashes were nonexistent after they were finished... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tekneek Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 The markings were getting worse as the night went on, especially the hashes, which were not relined during the break. They were probably bad for the cavaliers, but, as we all know, the cavaliers march an impressive drill, and spend a lot of time on the ground around midfield. Its no surprise that the hashes were nonexistent after they were finished... Nothing personal, but it is just this kind of snotty attitude that makes people care less and less about the awful predicament the Cadets may have been in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Nothing personal, but it is just this kind of snotty attitude that makes people care less and less about the awful predicament the Cadets may have been in. How was that a snotty remark? He said the Cavies march an impressive drill...and that the time they spend on the ground would hasten the blurring of the hashes. I did not see one negative comment on the Cavies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourouttheforty Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 I side with Hop with this one. Why would you make your corps perform in subpar conditions on Finals week? "Figure it out" isn't the message you want to send to your kids when they're in the chase for a ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tekneek Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 How was that a snotty remark? He said the Cavies march an impressive drill...and that the time they spend on the ground would hasten the blurring of the hashes. I did not see one negative comment on the Cavies. Maybe I got an unintended tone from it. If so, I am sorry that I misunderstood. I read it as,"Yeah, we all know they are so great with their impressive drill involving rolling around on the field..." and that does not really read to me as a compliment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbl Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Everyone who has ever marched or hhas been aroud marching has a horror story about a field. Dips, hills so big you can't see the drum major, holes, uncutgrass, no fieald lines, crooked field lines, ... I see you've been to Mars. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourouttheforty Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 (edited) . Edited August 10, 2007 by fourouttheforty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveKathyG Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 How was that a snotty remark? He said the Cavies march an impressive drill...and that the time they spend on the ground would hasten the blurring of the hashes. I did not see one negative comment on the Cavies. By "on the ground," he was talking about some falls the Cavs had. He wasn't sincere in his compliment of the Cavs visual score. His subtext was, How could Cavs have won visual when they had so many falls. The guy who called him out on his 'tude was saying, "Your corps is in enough trouble with a critical mass of fans. Let sleeping dogs lie." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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