Academy question

[BRASSO]

I was surprised it took so many pages for someone to complain about Academy's touring model.

Maybe it's the heat, and my reading comprehension skills are effected today, but I havn't read a single comment on this thread where anyone has complained about The Academy touring model for this year.

Where are the " complaint " comment postings on The Academy 2010 travel model ? Were they perhaps deleted and this explains it ?

Edited July 20, 2010 by BRASSO

[BozzlyB]

DCI approved the tour and if the corps competing against them don't know by now how they tour, which I'm 99.9999999999% sure they do know, and don't complain about it... why do you have such a problem with it? Besides, where's you're complaint about Mandarins, PC, Cascades, Impulse, VK, SCV Cadets, BDB?

I guess my point is... get over it already! Every year there is someone who gets their *insert under garment of choice here* in a bunch and whines and complains about how Academy tours. If it's sooooooooooo advantageous for them, why aren't they undefeated? With all that R&R, shouldn't they be scoring in the mid 90s by now? I mean, with all that time away from tour, Chuck Norris doesn't even stand a chance!

And if June and July in AZ is your idea of "club med", I'd like to know what your version of Shangri-La is!

You know, I just realized I haven't used this once this season. Thank you for allowing me the chance...

Yep, in fact I think it hurts them competitively more than it helps them, but it works for them and keeps their books in order, so it's a good thing for the organization.

[BozzlyB]

More than any other single factor, what killed off so many DCI Corps over the years was the inabiliy to sustain the heavy costs that were incurred in crisscrossing the country on the national touring model. At the end of the summer, the costs they sustained were too much, and the curtains came down for them.

Hmm, that does make a lot of sense. However, I disagree that the current touring model is unsustainable. I think the corps that tour successfully year after year prove that it can be done, and if done right can be done without being on the verge of financial ruin.

[BRASSO]

Hmm, that does make a lot of sense. However, I disagree that the current touring model is unsustainable. I think the corps that tour successfully year after year prove that it can be done, and if done right can be done without being on the verge of financial ruin.

There is a direct correlation between touring " successfully " and winning. When a Corps places high in placements on tour, they make a lot more money on tour, then when a Corps goes on tour and places low. Even the souvies sold on tour with the higher placing Corps are more profitable for these winning Corps. More fans buy " stuff " from a Blue Devils souvies stand, than from a Colts souvies stand, and so forth.

Edited July 20, 2010 by BRASSO

[jwscv87]

Maybe it's the heat, and my reading comprehension skills are effected today, but I havn't read a single comment on this thread where anyone has complained about The Academy touring model for this year.

Where are the " complaint " comment postings on The Academy 2010 travel model ? Were they perhaps deleted and this explains it ?

Perhaps we have differing definitions of "complain", but primarily I reacted to this:

"or they could act like a real WORLD CLASS corps and tour with every other WORLD CLASS corps.

i know DCI is trying to keep it competitive by adding more corps to the WORLD CLASS but these shorter tours aren't fair to the full touring corps that have to do the whole thing from mid june till mid august. Granted, WORLD CLASS corps get a better show % of ticket sales, but that's the motivation to get a well planned tour with performances and side stuff along the way. A well planned tour could be lighter on the amount of shows and extra performance while still being cost effective and touring the WHOLE SUMMER.

Further more isn't finals placements based off of regional scores averaged? you take off one or two and you automatically have a higher score total than the lower scores from a week or two before.

and last point, i thought the DCI panel was suppose to analyze a corps' sustainability financially with the burden of a full tour as part of the guidelines for being moved up to WORLD CLASS.

if you can't hang, don't! "

...and this,

"i guess my point is that why doesn't everyone just take weeks off in between shows and see how good things are at the end? if it's such a great financial choice why doesn't the G7 do it? and why did they vote to become their own unit playing more shows?

it seems idiotic to label a corps as "world class" because they only have financials figured out... According to the definition of "world class" you have to achieve a balance in both. That's part of the game. If you can't play, then don't try. i consider the pioneer a better example than anyone for being a fully touring drum corps while having a great balance of financials. granted they don't make finals, but they figured it out.

I would feel very bad about getting topped by academy night after night now knowing that they were at home rehearsing all day. Weather has nothing to do with it, they had another all days to prepare while other corps were getting beat up by the demands on a fully touring organization, injury, sickness, and all the other stuff that happens on tour.

this "club med" drum corps vibe has to go "

[skajerk]

Maybe it's the heat, and my reading comprehension skills are effected today, but I havn't read a single comment on this thread where anyone has complained about The Academy touring model for this year.

Where are the " complaint " comment postings on The Academy 2010 travel model ? Were they perhaps deleted and this explains it ?

Check out post #12 in this thread (that Jon just quoted in his last post) made by the same whin... poster.

[BRASSO]

Check out post #12 in this thread (that Jon just quoted in his last post) made by the same whin... poster.

Ok... I did go back and check that statement, and can see where the intepretation could be correctly viewed as a " complaint " by that poster with The Academy touring model. ( I don't share that complaint view of his re. Academy's decision to have a limited touring schedule... but that's beside the point )

Edited July 20, 2010 by BRASSO

[BozzlyB]

There is a direct correlation between touring " successfully " and winning. When a Corps places high in placements on tour, they make a lot more money on tour, then when a Corps goes on tour and places low. Even the souvies sold on tour with the higher placing Corps are more profitable for these winning Corps. More fans buy " stuff " from a Blue Devils souvies stand, than from a Colts souvies stand, and so forth.

And yet Colts put out a corps every single year that on average is more competitive than nearly 50% of all WC corps. Being able to manage the challening financial aspects of a full WC tour is something corps are capable of doing, every single year, at every level of World Class. It's not easy, but hey, it's drum corps, is ANY part of this activity easy?

[Tom Brace]

By the way...an important consideration based on this year's schedule....

Can Academy force BD and SCV to stay in the west another week and have more shows in CA?

Having both SCV and BD head east so soon after this season started was tougher on the rest of the corps and their scheduling.

Could Academy headed east earlier as well? Yep...and then we come back to that same issue...I was quoted $8,000 a week, but that sounds low to me.

I usually figure it out based on 150 kids plus staff and volunteers that each day on tour runs you somewhere between $1400 and $1800. So a week translates to about $11K on average.

And again...I'm waiting for that guys check. "Carol, have you seen it yet? Yeah, it's from the guy complaining we don't tour enough. Yeah, let me know when you get it." See, I interpret those who complain as they miss the corps...miss seeing the corps perform and that's a nice thing. I can assure you, nothing would please The Academy more than to have a budget which allows touring and more performance opportunities for these young people. Heck, they take off practicing for the field show each spring to prepare for the Center Stage performance inside the Tempe Center for the Arts. It's a completely different production than the field show. So, it's not that the corps doesn't like performing or anything.

It just comes down to the long term viability of this organization. For the entire Academy (the drum corps is just a portion of the Academy's mission) to succeed, each program within the umbrella must sustain, grow and excel. My analysis is too many corps and organizations have gone down the road of trying to compete at the cost of their livelihood. There's a reason why we have 23 remaining corps in WC. I would wager if you asked someone from one of those corps no longer active whether they wanted it that way...well, we all know the answer.

So, our mission as drum corps fans is quite simple...support the corps still remaining and celebrate their success whether they be our favorite or not. Yeah, some criticism along the way can be healthy. But, we also need to support those corps still trying to form, to make it, celebrate their first year in OC or WC...way to go Teal!!!

Life is short enough without imagining a life without drum corps.

Which segues naturally to a discussion about a certain 7 corps and their current attitudes...but that discussion...for another day...and in another thread over their on the LM (Little minded) 7 topic area.

<horns down>

[Captncontra]

And yet Colts put out a corps every single year that on average is more competitive than nearly 50% of all WC corps. Being able to manage the challening financial aspects of a full WC tour is something corps are capable of doing, every single year, at every level of World Class. It's not easy, but hey, it's drum corps, is ANY part of this activity easy?

So you're comparing a corps that is LITERALLY in the smack dab middle of the majority of DCI's tour to a corps that is 1624 miles away from the Colts first show in Normal, IL? Lets do some very rough and ugly math.

If The Academy were to do The Colts' tour it would be an additional 2900 miles per vehicle. Figure 3 buses, 2 semi's, Staff bus/RV, plus usually some volunteer's vehicles, and the souvie truck. 1 semi @ 8 miles per gallon = 362 more gallons than The Colts would need. Average price of diesel @ Flying J's right now is around $2.95/gallon. 362 x 2.95 = $1067. For one truck. If they have to hire drivers rather than having Class A certified volunteers the price goes even higher. And it's roughly a 24 hour drive from Tempe to Normal, so they'd have to stop halfway and find housing/rehearsal site somewhere in Oklahoma which is even more cost.

# of DCI shows within 500 miles:

The Colts - 37

The Academy - 8

Please stop pretending that their geographical location is a non-issue.