What ever happened to Capitol Sound?

[thirdcoast]

Does anybody know?

[Toby]

From what I remembered, and this may be completely off-base: They pulled out of the '08 season just before it started, and got hit with penalties for doing so. The penalties were such that they couldn't pay those off to come back in '09. I do believe they've sold off equipment, trailer, and other items to pay off the debt. Beyond that, I'm about as clueless as the next Joe.

[thirdcoast]

From what I remembered, and this may be completely off-base: They pulled out of the '08 season just before it started, and got hit with penalties for doing so. The penalties were such that they couldn't pay those off to come back in '09. I do believe they've sold off equipment, trailer, and other items to pay off the debt. Beyond that, I'm about as clueless as the next Joe.

They, as in DCI fined them for not being able to put out a show? No way. I would think they would help them, not fine them and give them a death blow.

[84BDsop]

They, as in DCI fined them for not being able to put out a show? No way. I would think they would help them, not fine them and give them a death blow.

By pulling out at a late date, however, the corps would've cost show sponsors money....that's more likely what the penalty was for.

[Sayre Kulp]

I don't see why not. DCA uses fines to prevent the very situation you're talking about.

[Marc66]

As the Director when we made the decision to go inactive, let me address the question.

We (myself and the Board of Directors) collectively made the difficult decision because several unfortunate situations all came together prior the Memorial Day camp in 2008 to create a major problem. After looking at every possible scenario, we could/would not go out onto the road with so many potential obstacles that could have seriously jeopardized the well-being of our membership and organization.

As for DCI fining the corps. DCI has every corps sign a participation agreement stating that they commit to the finalized schedule. As Sam stated above, this is done so the show sponsors can go ahead with advertising, print programs, and preparing housing for the groups. If a corps withdraws after that agreement is signed, they are fined for each show missed. Capital Sound did not get fined at that time, rather the fine would be assessed should the corps reapply for DCI participation.

[Tom Brace]

Wow...my first post in awhile.

Marc, I think you'd agree, the toughest road facing Capitol Sound near the end was getting enough local kids to join the corps. I think it's a concern for EVERY Open Class corps out there right now. Get local kids who can pay their dues and housing, volunteer and other logistics issues are much easier handled. Back in the late 1990s when Capitol Sound really took hold in DCM/DCI they had a majority of their kids from the Madison area. It just couldn't be sustained.

Tom Brace

[Marc66]

Tom -

The local angle is definitely something I wish we could have done better...though it wasn't for lack of trying. While we did make outreach to local schools, it was something that hadn't truly been done for some time. One of the biggest problems was that a lot of schools/directors had a bad taste in their mouths about drum corps...not because of anything that was done by Capital Sound/Madison Scouts, but rather by other groups who housed their for shows. In trying to extend the proverbial olive branch, I was the recipient of many harsh words by directors who wanted nothing to do with the activity. Hence, getting the opportunity to recruit kids by visiting schools was practically non-existent.

To augment this hurdle, I worked hard to attract kids from outside of the area. The 2008 season drew a large number of kids from out of state, which at the time was a great thing. However, I'll be the first to admit that we didn't work hard enough to secure the necessary support for the kids to relocate here for the summer. This was one of those major issues that I mentioned in the previous post. In the past, local corps members housed the kids from out-of-the-area, and it worked quite well because the majority of members were from the immediate geographical area. However, in '08 the ratio of locals to out-of state members switched dramatically as we approached move-ins, and we were presented with a housing problem that pretty much hit us late.

I won't go into any further specifics. However, I really wish we could have made stronger in-roads with the local band directors/programs.

That being said, it was only one of the factors that led to the eventual decision to go inactive.

[thirdcoast]

Wow...my first post in awhile.

Marc, I think you'd agree, the toughest road facing Capitol Sound near the end was getting enough local kids to join the corps. I think it's a concern for EVERY Open Class corps out there right now. Get local kids who can pay their dues and housing, volunteer and other logistics issues are much easier handled. Back in the late 1990s when Capitol Sound really took hold in DCM/DCI they had a majority of their kids from the Madison area. It just couldn't be sustained.

Tom Brace

Wow Tom, I said the same thing. I actually saw you posted in World Class but those exact words came out of my mouth. And to think in one of my op. Its gonna be a fun summer ey!

[thirdcoast]

Tom -

The local angle is definitely something I wish we could have done better...though it wasn't for lack of trying. While we did make outreach to local schools, it was something that hadn't truly been done for some time. One of the biggest problems was that a lot of schools/directors had a bad taste in their mouths about drum corps...not because of anything that was done by Capital Sound/Madison Scouts, but rather by other groups who housed their for shows. In trying to extend the proverbial olive branch, I was the recipient of many harsh words by directors who wanted nothing to do with the activity. Hence, getting the opportunity to recruit kids by visiting schools was practically non-existent.

To augment this hurdle, I worked hard to attract kids from outside of the area. The 2008 season drew a large number of kids from out of state, which at the time was a great thing. However, I'll be the first to admit that we didn't work hard enough to secure the necessary support for the kids to relocate here for the summer. This was one of those major issues that I mentioned in the previous post. In the past, local corps members housed the kids from out-of-the-area, and it worked quite well because the majority of members were from the immediate geographical area. However, in '08 the ratio of locals to out-of state members switched dramatically as we approached move-ins, and we were presented with a housing problem that pretty much hit us late.

I won't go into any further specifics. However, I really wish we could have made stronger in-roads with the local band directors/programs.

That being said, it was only one of the factors that led to the eventual decision to go inactive.

Nice, SP