The Mankato Mojito

[bloominmom]

oops..here was my part of the post: This is a very different activity than that of the 70's and 80's where there were more local, home grown members. Now many kids are ring chasers and way more mobile than in years past. If you drove a few hours to be in a corps back in the early 80's it was a lot. The judging system does perpetuate the top 3 mentality. It's gotten way too subjective. Now with 5 judges it's even worse but I get why DCI needed to do that. Sure, it's a competition and I'm not suggesting I don't get mad reading the recap, but I hope we have taught our kids to compete against themselves, and to entertain the folks who have paid for their ticket. Crown seems to have figured that out, based on the sweep of the Hot Chops awards and the Spirit of Disney Award last yr. If we can continue to focus our kids on those values, it's a way more fun and rewarding activity. My son's in his eighth yr of this activity, and he's not going to bring home a ring in his age out yr., but there is no ring that can match the value of his experiences as a performer and member of an organization like Crown.

[baristeve]

oops..here was my part of the post: This is a very different activity than that of the 70's and 80's where there were more local, home grown members. Now many kids are ring chasers and way more mobile than in years past. If you drove a few hours to be in a corps back in the early 80's it was a lot. The judging system does perpetuate the top 3 mentality. It's gotten way too subjective. Now with 5 judges it's even worse but I get why DCI needed to do that. Sure, it's a competition and I'm not suggesting I don't get mad reading the recap, but I hope we have taught our kids to compete against themselves, and to entertain the folks who have paid for their ticket. Crown seems to have figured that out, based on the sweep of the Hot Chops awards and the Spirit of Disney Award last yr. If we can continue to focus our kids on those values, it's a way more fun and rewarding activity. My son's in his eighth yr of this activity, and he's not going to bring home a ring in his age out yr., but there is no ring that can match the value of his experiences as a performer and member of an organization like Crown.

I guarantee crown cares just as much about scores as any other corps does.

[chaos001]

You are funny. I thought I cussed or something. I was merely stating that the omission of those two captions is messed up. I hope Crown beats Regiment in brass this year just because you did that :)

I definately agree with what you said! I hope Crown beats Regiment in brass this year!

and have u heard phantom's brass? they're good. that missing caption judge is hurting them just as much if not more.

and on this notion of why people perform, whether for the crowd of whatever that's been discussed in here...i found this video with Will Pitts that explains what he gets out of conducting Phantom.

http://www.rrstar.com/multimedia/x21137837...ion-committment

[bloominmom]

I guarantee crown cares just as much about scores as any other corps does.

You completely missed my point...sure they do, but probably not in the same way as some other groups. Would you rather please a few guys in green shirts, or have 30,000 plus people on their feet long before the final note? If you can blend being competitive with also being entertaining, isn't that the best scenario? I saw some sleeper shows at Rockford that will probably kick our butts all summer, they got a polite applause at best. No thanks, I'll be gettin' a hot dog at that point.

[BlueKnightMom]

I am going to have to call BS on some of this. I have to think that alot if the perceived "no one gets us" or "it's us against the world" comes from within the corps more than from outside. The corps song isn't one based on a sense of camaraderie or family. It is about stuggling against all the bad stuff the world is throwing at you. If you are singing this when you are placing 5th, 6th, or 7th and getting alot of hype, something isn't right. If you are singing this when you are in 13th place, you need to ask what it was that you did or did not do that kept you out (or why it was the staff felt the need to do a Star Trek show ).

When you build an identity solely on a prep step, a barrel roll, and the personality of one staff member, then i suppose you have to foster an us versus them mentality to drive on through internalized adversity that looks like bad juju from the greater drum corps world. I am pretty sure the Bluecoats didnt blame their really off years on the rest of DCI and I know Crossmen in '99 weren't yelling "darn that Dan Atchison for not getting us!". Carolina Crown didn't dig their heels in after '02, complain that the audiences just didnt understand the show, and serve up part 2 the next year. I would love to see the day that the corps could push the envelope, be something different, AND revel in the audience totally having fun watching them. I have more to say but I think I am going to sit on this little bit for a while.

HEY! I'm really proud of my daughter's barrel rolls, and her prep step is amazing, truly!!!

If I EVER get to the point as a parent where I advise her that switching to a far-away corps just so she can chase a Championship is more important than what music and teamwork have to teach, then so help me, I will tell my kid to disown me.

yeah, it'd be great if they had a bit different of a style, but my kid marches it to perfection. And we're going to stick with the local corps, and NOT chase some corps several states away.

[sleggs]

No, I didn't mean that they get hyped up on booing, I was commenting on what the earlier poster was saying which you didn't follow. I was saying that whatever the day's hype is is what makes a kid laugh - usually, it's making fun of techs, or even their injuries can set them to hysterics, etc. and that's what drum corps is really about, friends and being on the busses, etc. - not performing, not scores, not Finals placement... And, I meant that the members have pride in their show, just like Pioneer and Mandarins and Cadets, etc. Do you boo the lower tier shows? Do you boo whoever is 20th, or say such rudeness when some corps, maybe Pioneer, is on the field? Honestly, if you do, then that is "dumb and lame".

I'm sorry you are right you didn't say they get hype from booing, though the poster who you were referring to, and that I was also (just didn't quote it, which I should have) was some what referring to was that "We actually LOVED getting boo'd at finals in 06". And you said ".......and they grow to love being the ones that are different, that nobody "gets" or that nobody cheers for....". And I wouldn't call that "the day's hype" I would call those memories. Yes drum corps is about making friends, but I don't know one person that loved being on busses. Especially the ones that we rode on. Drum Corps to me is about performing, pushing yourself to the limit, learning to be a leader and a team player, and of course getting a good tan. If you don't want to perform then whats the point of being in Drum Corps. You get your adrenaline from the crowd. There is nothing like getting thousands of people on their feet. You feel like you've done your job. And I never said I booed at anyone. I've been at the bottom tier, thank you. I said I would go get a hot dog. I wouldn't stoop to that level, I would rather binge on food. And when you refer to the Cadets, at least their shows connect to the audience, they are still exciting to watch. People just don't like some of the things they implement, like the speaking or amplification.

[chaos001]

um...this thread is about tonite's results...let's get back to our previously scheduled program.

k. thx.

Edited June 24, 2008 by chaos001

[Hampsterdeath4]

i misstated the booing part sorry bout that.....We were up so high when we found out we had gone up a place that night at finals, because NOONE really expected us, we just thought it was funny getting boo'd and the reason people probably liked it was because we felt like david and goliath because crown had a darn good show that year

[wesleyrp]

I am going to have to call BS on some of this. I have to think that alot if the perceived "no one gets us" or "it's us against the world" comes from within the corps more than from outside. The corps song isn't one based on a sense of camaraderie or family. It is about stuggling against all the bad stuff the world is throwing at you. If you are singing this when you are placing 5th, 6th, or 7th and getting alot of hype, something isn't right. If you are singing this when you are in 13th place, you need to ask what it was that you did or did not do that kept you out (or why it was the staff felt the need to do a Star Trek show ).

When you build an identity solely on a prep step, a barrel roll, and the personality of one staff member, then i suppose you have to foster an us versus them mentality to drive on through internalized adversity that looks like bad juju from the greater drum corps world. I am pretty sure the Bluecoats didnt blame their really off years on the rest of DCI and I know Crossmen in '99 weren't yelling "darn that Dan Atchison for not getting us!". Carolina Crown didn't dig their heels in after '02, complain that the audiences just didnt understand the show, and serve up part 2 the next year. I would love to see the day that the corps could push the envelope, be something different, AND revel in the audience totally having fun watching them. I have more to say but I think I am going to sit on this little bit for a while.

Ok so I have bit my toungue while people have been bashing BK and their "Audience is not important" stance. The truth of the matter is that the us vs. the world comes from people like yourself that automatically jumps to conclusions about a corps you know nothing about. Our corps cares nothing about the audience? Give me a freakin break!!! The truth of the matter is that the style they portray may not suit you or others, but that doesn't mean that the audience hates it!!! Go back and look at the posts of the favorite 7th place- 13th place shows written on this board and you'll see many people that love the past shows. In fact the '06 corps was not booed, the crowd was booing in support of the feeling that they thought highly of Crown. The scores say that as well as the only thing that BK beat them in was percussion!! ( Crown was 12th in percussion) It is one thing to have an opinion but to criticize what the corps stands for and to generalize the way you are is absolutely absurd! Do you know why we have the corps song we do? Probably not because of your comments. "I Go On" was the 1990 ballad and it was the first year that BK had a realistic shot to make it into finals. It came down to Dutch Boy and BK. BK had gone out of the stadium to a hillside and heard the cheer/roar go up from the stands and knew that Dutch Boy had made it into finals. Through the tears the staff and corps members began singing "I Go On," to soothe and remember their hope for the future. The very next year those same young people made it into finals for the first time in the corps history! Perhaps we are always the underdog and perhaps we don't have the talent of the top 2-3 corps, but what the Blue Knights have is a unique style a lot of courage and heart to go out and perform it. Ask yourself honsetly, if you marched would have wanted to put yourself through the same rigors of learning dance techniques like the guard? That's what BK does every year in addition to their marching responsibilities. What is totally BS in my opinion is that there are always assumptions that the corps doesn't care what is written about them or the audience in general. What they know is that not everybody is going to like it because it is different. What if painters only used black and white, what kind of art would we have? When modern art techniques came out did artists say "Neh, I gonna paint this way because there is only one way to paint!" Of course not and that is BK in a nut shell. Our corps has tried to establish a consistency that resembles art through movement and playing, and that is something that maybe all will not appreciate!!

As for one person meaning a lot to a corps and being responsible for traditions, is it a bad thing? George Zingali meant more to the Cadets and put them on the map, should we remember him as bogus? Of course not. In fact Mark Arnold and the Blue Knights have probably the least staff turnover every year and Mark has been the corps director for 20+ years!! He is the Blue Knights!!! As for the corps turnover this year, every one is making a big deal of this!! This happens every 7 or so years in BK. The students I marched with back in '97 ranged in age from 14-21. In fact I was a 19 year old rookie and one of the oldest members there. That same group of young people went on to stay together for 3-4 more years and finished the '00 season as a top 6 corps!! The BK students are loyal year in and out, and so what if they have a bunch of new faces!!! I know the talent they have and they are going to do very well when it is said and done!! What is so terrible of being 7-11th place? The quality within all of the top 15 corps has never been higher and the product produced by these fine young people is extrordinary. So get your popcorn, but come back and watch BK case we tend to grow on you!!!

Wes Perkins

BK '97 '98

[BigBadMadMan]

Scores

3 Blue Knights 65.900

3 Colts 65.900

5 Blue Stars 65.100

6 Madison Scouts 64.700

And so the dance begins!! Gap is closing. This looks good!