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The 150 member increase.


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I run a descent size bus company and MODERN buses come with 40-47-55-56 passenger seating configurations, many companies use the 47 or 56 passenger configuration. Just wanted to put that out there for people who think that modern buses only seat 50-56 people, they do not, there are just as many 47 passenger buses as there are 55-56. If cost is an issue then don't book a 56 passenger bus. 135 members could easily fill 3 47 passenger buses with 6 seats to spare, just 6 seats so there is no overwhelming cost.

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I run a descent size bus company and MODERN buses come with 40-47-55-56 passenger seating configurations, many companies use the 47 or 56 passenger configuration. Just wanted to put that out there for people who think that modern buses only seat 50-56 people, they do not, there are just as many 47 passenger buses as there are 55-56. If cost is an issue then don't book a 56 passenger bus. 135 members could easily fill 3 47 passenger buses with 6 seats to spare, just 6 seats so there is no overwhelming cost.

The empty seats argument was made at the time of the rule change. That's the only reason I brought it up (and it seemed to have traction at the time). Corps were leasing 55 pax coaches and carrying around a lot of empty seats. Even 47x3 leaves you at 141 -- well in excess of the 128 limit in place at the time.

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The empty seats argument was made at the time of the rule change. That's the only reason I brought it up (and it seemed to have traction at the time). Corps were leasing 55 pax coaches and carrying around a lot of empty seats. Even 47x3 leaves you at 141 -- well in excess of the 128 limit in place at the time.

Yes , and 135 members makes "economic" sense but not 150. The corps that were leasing 55 passenger buses just as easily could of leased 47 or even 40 passenger buses that are cheaper than the 55. Being that this argument ( Our 55 pax buses have to many empty seats) had traction tells me that alot of people at that time and currently do not understand that 55-56 passenger buses are not the only nor the majority of buses available for purchase/lease/charter.

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4 points:

#1: 72 horns + 34 perc (8/5/5/4/ 12 pit) + 3 DM's leaves only room for 41 guard not 60.

#2: If you marched 100 horns, you couldn't put out a balanced look. Even with a small perc section (8/4/5 10 pit) and 2 DM's, that would only leave 21 guard. They would be lost visually. Plus you would need a larger perc. section to balance 100 horns and probably at least 1 more DM.

#3: Corps are starting spring training earlier than they used to, thus eliminating a number of the 14 - 18 year olds who might have marched but can't because they can't get out of school.

#4: Stop blaming Hopkins for everything. Last I checked, it took more than 1 vote to pass all these "bad" rule changes. And if they are so "bad", why are the other corps going along with them?

(Also, Cadets only marched 72 horns in 2010, and @Cage, they had 5 cymbals on the field in '97)

Have a nice day!

Edited by venkeman
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@Cage, they had 5 cymbals on the field in '97)Have a nice day!

Sorry that I missed one.

BTW, Great points.

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#4: Stop blaming Hopkins for everything. Last I checked, it took more than 1 vote to pass all these "bad" rule changes. And if they are so "bad", why are the other corps going along with them?

True, but without the proposal there would be nothing to vote on. Hopkins has managed to creep things along towards whatever his desire is, year by year. Hey, we need more members to fill the buses! Hey, the pit is being overpowered by all these horns! We need amps for the pit! Well, look we have amps, with lots of money spent on them, and all they're doing is amping the pit. Let's add voice! And synths! Well, now it sounds like crap, we need staff members operating a mixer, and up in the press box! Now with all these amps, you can't hear the soloists, we need to allow miked horns! Now we can't get enough people to try out each year to fill up these 150 spots, we need to allow woodwinds! Hey, when did running a drum corps get so expensive? Don't they know we have all this electronic gear and 150 kids to feed?? Let's get rid of open class, and funnel more money away from the lower-tier corps up to the top... however low we have to go to keep the Cadets in there.

Each step seems halfway reasonable, and if nothing else, Hopkins is an incredible salesman. But without him pushing these changes every year (and bringing them back up over and over and over after they get defeated) they wouldn't have happened. Maybe some of them, and maybe they're all inevitable, but every year brings some new rule change that reflects whatever Hopkins was irritated about three years prior, and there's some benefit to stability, too.

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True, but without the proposal there would be nothing to vote on. Hopkins has managed to creep things along towards whatever his desire is, year by year. Hey, we need more members to fill the buses! Hey, the pit is being overpowered by all these horns! We need amps for the pit! Well, look we have amps, with lots of money spent on them, and all they're doing is amping the pit. Let's add voice! And synths! Well, now it sounds like crap, we need staff members operating a mixer, and up in the press box! Now with all these amps, you can't hear the soloists, we need to allow miked horns! Now we can't get enough people to try out each year to fill up these 150 spots, we need to allow woodwinds! Hey, when did running a drum corps get so expensive? Don't they know we have all this electronic gear and 150 kids to feed?? Let's get rid of open class, and funnel more money away from the lower-tier corps up to the top... however low we have to go to keep the Cadets in there.

Each step seems halfway reasonable, and if nothing else, Hopkins is an incredible salesman. But without him pushing these changes every year (and bringing them back up over and over and over after they get defeated) they wouldn't have happened. Maybe some of them, and maybe they're all inevitable, but every year brings some new rule change that reflects whatever Hopkins was irritated about three years prior, and there's some benefit to stability, too.

Excellent post! I agree with all of it!

Hey guys, I've spend a somewhat LONG afternoon doing a bunch of my promised homework. I've gone way beyond what I even promised. I've even made a few phone calls to reliable sources to confirm a few of my findings.

I'm not completely finished (that should prove how accurate I'm trying to be).

Tomorrow, 10am...I will reveal my statistics. I think some of you will be surprised. Tomorrow, 10am cst, DCP 150 member thread...be there or be square!

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I bet someone will force the bus manufacturers to start making 60-passenger buses.

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True, but without the proposal there would be nothing to vote on. Hopkins has managed to creep things along towards whatever his desire is, year by year. Hey, we need more members to fill the buses! Hey, the pit is being overpowered by all these horns! We need amps for the pit! Well, look we have amps, with lots of money spent on them, and all they're doing is amping the pit. Let's add voice! And synths! Well, now it sounds like crap, we need staff members operating a mixer, and up in the press box! Now with all these amps, you can't hear the soloists, we need to allow miked horns! Now we can't get enough people to try out each year to fill up these 150 spots, we need to allow woodwinds! Hey, when did running a drum corps get so expensive? Don't they know we have all this electronic gear and 150 kids to feed?? Let's get rid of open class, and funnel more money away from the lower-tier corps up to the top... however low we have to go to keep the Cadets in there.

Each step seems halfway reasonable, and if nothing else, Hopkins is an incredible salesman. But without him pushing these changes every year (and bringing them back up over and over and over after they get defeated) they wouldn't have happened. Maybe some of them, and maybe they're all inevitable, but every year brings some new rule change that reflects whatever Hopkins was irritated about three years prior, and there's some benefit to stability, too.

Oh, I see. It's not the fault of the other corps directors for voting for the proposals, it's George's fault for bringing them up in the first place. So that's how it works. My fault for not understand that. Here I thought it was a democracy where anyone could propose an idea, and if everyone agrees, then it becomes a rule. Next I guess you'll tell me that he threatens to steal their lunch money if they don't vote his way. Give me a break. If the other directors didn't want the changes they would have voted against them. And, by the way, I didn't hear a lot of people condemning Bluecoats when they were winning early season, and I think they used more electronics than any corps in recent history. (I could be wrong, but I don't remember Cadets miking soloist in order so manipulate their tone!)

Have a nice Day!

Edited by venkeman
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