CROSSMEN CAMP

[liebot]

At some point I counted the number of Bones vets that got medals (as in 1-3) this year and it was somewhere in the 15-20 range.

[va9590jm]

Definitely, just look in the Cadets and Blue Devils for former Xmen members. Most of them go there, although some occasionally will go to Phantom.

There's more than you'd think at Cavies as well, even with the different marching technique.

[Frogman87]

In ya'lls opinion what does a corps like Crossmen, with a long history and a struggling present, need to do to increase retention? Will the staff changes make a difference? Obviously I'm from Texas using the "ya'll" term. LOL.

[liebot]

In ya'lls opinion what does a corps like Crossmen, with a long history and a struggling present, need to do to increase retention? Will the staff changes make a difference? Obviously I'm from Texas using the "ya'll" term. LOL.

There are all sorts of factors that go into it, like retaining staff (that the members like), designing a quality show, providing an enjoyable experience for the members, etc. But mostly I think it's just a question of on-the-field success. Bones had its best retention in recent years after 2008, which was also their highest placement on the field since 2004. I don't think that's a coincidence.

The people that stuck around after 2008 did so because they liked the staff, they thought the show design was decent, and had a good experience. But mostly they stuck around because the corps did well and they wanted to build on the progress of the previous year. Momentum cannot be underestimated (just look at Glassmen/Bluecoats/Crown/Blue Stars's meteoric rises to the top).

But then the 2009 season went less-than-well, so those people jumped ship. You can talk about a lot of off-the-field things, which can certainly make people that might have stayed otherwise leave, but in order to keep people that would leave otherwise, you need to see some success score-wise.

Edited December 28, 2010 by liebot

[dciboy2000]

There are all sorts of factors that go into it, like retaining staff (that the members like), designing a quality show, providing an enjoyable experience for the members, etc. But mostly I think it's just a question of on-the-field success. Bones had its best retention in recent years after 2008, which was also their highest placement on the field since 2004. I don't think that's a coincidence.

The people that stuck around after 2008 did so because they liked the staff, they thought the show design was decent, and had a good experience. But mostly they stuck around because the corps did well and they wanted to build on the progress of the previous year. Momentum cannot be underestimated (just look at Glassmen/Bluecoats/Crown/Blue Stars's meteoric rises to the top).

But then the 2009 season went less-than-well, so those people jumped ship. You can talk about a lot of off-the-field things, which can certainly make people that might have stayed otherwise leave, but in order to keep people that would leave otherwise, you need to see some success score-wise.

Yea, I agree. the staff has a big part to play in retenion. I know from past experience that the early 2000's had a high retention rate due to the staff(ie Dean and Chuck, for brass). Plus it didn't hurt that the programs were great as well. It definately does help.

I think that due to the fact the last years show was a nice shout out to years past, and the great staff on board, this year should have a great turnout and hopefully have a high retention for 2012 and into the near future. :)

[Callawyn]

Between the various audition/experience camps so far, they've had close to 200 brass audition. The reports of 80 brass, including a flugelhorn line (for the full show) are correct. Both of my nephews have contracts, one on flugel (returning veteran) the other on Baritone. They've given contracts to the kids they definitely want, but haven't made any cuts yet - so the remaining spots have a lot of kids competing for them. I don't have a count on returning vets, but I've been hearing positive things about good numbers.

The show doesn't have a 'theme'. Like Madison did last year, it will be a mix of tunes. I played through some of the flugel parts: there's some challenging moving parts and some beautiful sections in a ballad. I won't spill the beans on which tunes though, you'll have to wait for the official announcement.

The brass staff is mostly Star/Blast people, and yes, they are amazing (ok, I have a huge bias here because they're friends that I've performed with, but I'm nowhere near alone in my assessment of their teaching skills). Pretty much a clean sweep on staff from last year to this, though there are a few returning techs.

Part of the brass line expansion will come at the expense of the pit. Synth players got axed and I've been told there will be NO SYNTH this year!! Woohooo!!!

[Callawyn]

A comment above about retention rates got me thinking. What is the average retention rate for World Class Corps? What is the avg. retention rate between corps that place 1-12, 13-17, 18-23? I would think retention would have a big impact on how well a corps will do each year. I know the x-men were pretty young last year. Thanks.

For Jersey Surf, the numbers of kids going to other corps rather than returning as vets have been staggering the past few years. 2-3 DOZEN kids per year have gone to the Cadets, with another 8-10 going to Devils (including BD's trumpet soloist last year).

Its hard just to field a full hornline when you lose numbers this big to other corps, never mind get any momentum building up the performance level of a corps when most of your best performers go elsewhere at the end of each season.

For the Crossmen, its one of the reasons they're now in TX. They'd been functioning as a feeder corps for the Cadets. Having a new staff this year has added an excitement level in the winter program that's helping keep a lot of vets in the corps.

[soccerguy315]

Synth players got axed and I've been told there will be NO SYNTH this year!! Woohooo!!!

This will be a minor miracle if it is true. I hope it is true and that other corps do this as well.

[BozzlyB]

There's another dynamic here that is hard for us dinos to see sometimes. The incoming talent has an interest going back only a few years regarding where a corps has placed, with the previous years placement being heavily weighted. So many of us consider Crossmen to be a finalist caliber corps because more often than not over the span of years they HAVE been. But the new talent, and 1-2 year vets haven't seen a finalist corps in enough years now that to the marching members deciding where to march, they don't see the Crossmen as a likely finalist given the competition. Crossmen need to reclaim the top 12 to solidify retention, otherwise they'll continue to be a feeder corps for what is perceived currently to be a finals night draw.

[Kyle B]

For Jersey Surf, the numbers of kids going to other corps rather than returning as vets have been staggering the past few years. 2-3 DOZEN kids per year have gone to the Cadets, with another 8-10 going to Devils (including BD's trumpet soloist last year).

Its hard just to field a full hornline when you lose numbers this big to other corps, never mind get any momentum building up the performance level of a corps when most of your best performers go elsewhere at the end of each season.

For the Crossmen, its one of the reasons they're now in TX. They'd been functioning as a feeder corps for the Cadets. Having a new staff this year has added an excitement level in the winter program that's helping keep a lot of vets in the corps.

Actually, in my years with the Crossmen, very few people went on to the Cadets, at least from the hornline and possibly drumline. If people went over to them, it was in the Guard.

Most went to Blue Devils, Cavies or Phantom.