rayfallon Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 (edited) a DCA corps was under YEA's banner. after 2/3 years they went inactive and have been on and off the field for a few years now But to be fair to the poster, the Sunrisers (my alma mater) were hardly the mythic archetypal "animal" DCA corps that the poster thinks he's referring to. (we were called the "milk and cookies" corps). Very very very few of the "animal" corps actually existed in DCA. It's largely myth and some wishful thinking on the part of musical sociopaths. And to be accurate they were actually Division A champs year before last (speaking to the off the field for a few years part of your response.) I don't think YEA was a good fit for them, and I protested loud and long when Boston went into the fold the year after I left. Edited July 25, 2009 by rayfallon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invader Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I am absolutely flabbergasted. I am speechless. Above all, I am hurt. The decision to induct George Hopkins into the Bones Hall of Fame stuns me. How can we praise a man who did nothing but put the Crossmen on the back burner for so many years? He has literally ignored the corps some years under YEA's wing, never even stepping foot in front of them. What message are we sending our alumni? Who all had negative experiences, or no experiences AT ALL with the man. This really saddens me. As an alumni, I will have to rethink my involvement. After all the e-mails I get weekly asking for money, and then turning around and donating, despite the choices they make...this whole thing just makes me sick. The relation ship was not perfect but you can't say he put the Crossmen on the back burner. I was a Crossmen board member at the time and I can tell you we were about ready to fold the corps just prior to the 94 tour. George gave us a lot of good advice that got us through that tour. A lot of people think he gave Crossmen money but that is not true the YEA board would never allow that. That relationship grew going forward and we started getting even more support from George and the YEA staff, but not money. It became very clear to our board from dealing with George, Dave Gibbs and DCI that we didn't understand and have the right skill sets to make Crossmen work. Loving the corps and the activity is not enough. George wanted to see Crossmen live on and he convinced the YEA board to make Crossmen a program offering of YEA. They provided the staff and members with many advantages we could not. The staff got paid on time and the members got safer buses, new uniforms (twice), new horns and drums every year, new kitchen, equipment, and souvie trailers. Guard uniforms made by professionals not the home made crap we were providing. Access to the YEA office and all its resources not to mention lowering operational costs by buying food and other items in bulk. The relationship also gave the Crossmen much better insurance coverage which many of us spent years losing sleep over. These are just a few of the things George Hopkins provided to the corps so your comment about him having the corps on the back burner is not valid. For the record I like George and even though I don't like the changes he keeps trying to make in the activity my respect for the man is complete. If anyone should be in the hall of fame it is George and it's about time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invader Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 But to be fair to the poster, the Sunrisers (my alma mater) were hardly the mythic archetypal "animal" DCA corps that the poster thinks he's referring to. (we were called the "milk and cookies" corps). Very very very few of the "animal" corps actually existed in DCA. It's largely myth and some wishful thinking on the part of musical sociopaths.And to be accurate they were actually Division A champs year before last (speaking to the off the field for a few years part of your response.) I don't think YEA was a good fit for them, and I protested loud and long when Boston went into the fold the year after I left. As I recall when DCA was organized Reilly Raiders were not allowed in due to the animal factor. The good old days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPINCYCLE Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Pesonally I thinkthe only ones that are able to make this call are the people of the Crossmen. Did it always appear that Crossmen were taking a back seat to Cadets YES it did . To all of us on the outside I think alot of us felt the Xmen would never catch up or have a chance of passing Cadets with the relationship as it was. With that said personally I think the guy is full of crap ( Sorry ) and he always professes that " Its all for the kids " Yeah Right Whatever BUT if he did all that people are saying he did for the Xmen it really comes down to they should know more than any of us and for that I applaud Hop for keeping the Xmen alive in a time of need. All the best to the Xmen now and for years to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byline Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 The relation ship was not perfect but you can't say he put the Crossmen on the back burner. I was a Crossmen board member at the time and I can tell you we were about ready to fold the corps just prior to the 94 tour. George gave us a lot of good advice that got us through that tour. A lot of people think he gave Crossmen money but that is not true the YEA board would never allow that. That relationship grew going forward and we started getting even more support from George and the YEA staff, but not money. It became very clear to our board from dealing with George, Dave Gibbs and DCI that we didn't understand and have the right skill sets to make Crossmen work. Loving the corps and the activity is not enough.George wanted to see Crossmen live on and he convinced the YEA board to make Crossmen a program offering of YEA. They provided the staff and members with many advantages we could not. The staff got paid on time and the members got safer buses, new uniforms (twice), new horns and drums every year, new kitchen, equipment, and souvie trailers. Guard uniforms made by professionals not the home made crap we were providing. Access to the YEA office and all its resources not to mention lowering operational costs by buying food and other items in bulk. The relationship also gave the Crossmen much better insurance coverage which many of us spent years losing sleep over. These are just a few of the things George Hopkins provided to the corps so your comment about him having the corps on the back burner is not valid. For the record I like George and even though I don't like the changes he keeps trying to make in the activity my respect for the man is complete. If anyone should be in the hall of fame it is George and it's about time. Very good points. Thanks for providing the practical context from someone who was there, and knew how much those fundamentals were needed to keep Crossmen moving forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Pesonally I thinkthe only ones that are able to make this call are the people of the Crossmen. Did it always appear that Crossmen were taking a back seat to Cadets YES it did . To all of us on the outside I think alot of us felt the Xmen would never catch up or have a chance of passing Cadets with the relationship as it was.With that said personally I think the guy is full of crap ( Sorry ) and he always professes that " Its all for the kids " Yeah Right Whatever BUT if he did all that people are saying he did for the Xmen it really comes down to they should know more than any of us and for that I applaud Hop for keeping the Xmen alive in a time of need. All the best to the Xmen now and for years to come. A lot of what you say resonates with me and feels true. I do think though that someone being full of crap may not deny them entrance to a Hall of Fame, e.g. Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, and many many many others. It should be different in a youth activity, but I think it's useful to remember that George's main involvement with Crossmen was as a youth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxingfred Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Before you post, READ THIS! The relation ship was not perfect but you can't say he put the Crossmen on the back burner. I was a Crossmen board member at the time and I can tell you we were about ready to fold the corps just prior to the 94 tour. George gave us a lot of good advice that got us through that tour. A lot of people think he gave Crossmen money but that is not true the YEA board would never allow that. That relationship grew going forward and we started getting even more support from George and the YEA staff, but not money. It became very clear to our board from dealing with George, Dave Gibbs and DCI that we didn't understand and have the right skill sets to make Crossmen work. Loving the corps and the activity is not enough. George wanted to see Crossmen live on and he convinced the YEA board to make Crossmen a program offering of YEA. They provided the staff and members with many advantages we could not. The staff got paid on time and the members got safer buses, new uniforms (twice), new horns and drums every year, new kitchen, equipment, and souvie trailers. Guard uniforms made by professionals not the home made crap we were providing. Access to the YEA office and all its resources not to mention lowering operational costs by buying food and other items in bulk. The relationship also gave the Crossmen much better insurance coverage which many of us spent years losing sleep over. These are just a few of the things George Hopkins provided to the corps so your comment about him having the corps on the back burner is not valid. For the record I like George and even though I don't like the changes he keeps trying to make in the activity my respect for the man is complete. If anyone should be in the hall of fame it is George and it's about time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 What great words coming from a person who can't even spell the name of the corps right. Where did you learn your English? "Crossman" is singular and "Crossmen" is plural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ageout90 Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Felt Compelled to post one last time: From personal experience, I was a marching member of the Crossmen and brass staff member pre-yea (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992) And then was blessed to came back as the program coordinator and then the corps director of the Crossmen in the Y.E.A. years of (2003, 2004, 2005.) George was nothing but helpful and positive for the Crossmen. For all the reasons stated on the previous posts particularly by Gary and Boxingfred: The lists of what he has done could go on and on, but for some new thoughts on what I consider to be an old topic as a person who had access to the books and helped formulate the budget for the corps hand in hand with George: Food Expenses for both corps were dead even, transportation costs were dead even, staff flight budgets were dead even, access to the office for all materials necessary to run camps and the tour were exactly the same. YEA- (The Cadets, USSBA and formerly the Crossmen from 1995-2006) have done nothing but help give 1000's of kids great experiences that have shaped their lives.) At the end of the day...that is priceless. Most of the bias that I have seen from these anti-Hop posts in his relationship to the Crossmen were conjured up by people who did not have all the information or simply just did not "get it" They chose to blame George or YEA for things not really working out when really they probably could just look in the mirror to get the real answer. Once again...looking forward to a great finish for DCI this summer. Best of Luck to the Crossmen, and both Hall of Fame inductees! I hope all of you get out there next week when the tour comes to the Northeast. Go see a show buy a T-Shirt and make sure we have this great activity for years to come! Life is too short to be bitter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euponitone Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 (edited) Where did you learn your English? "Crossman" is singular and "Crossmen" is plural. And did you ever learn about PROPER NOUNS in english class. You're right...Crossmen have been spelling their name wrong all these years. You seriously think the corps changes their name when it becomes plural or singular??....better get the memo to the glassman, or glassmen, or whatever. And yes, if i was referring to one person, I would still right 'a crossmen', or 'a member / fmm of crossmen'. Crossman is a company that makes the c02 cartridges I use in paintball guns.... PS...I know I'm not a 'cadets', but i think when someone who marched in the corps tells you how to spell the name, you listen...thats all Edited July 25, 2009 by euponitone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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