LegalEagle50 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 While I agree it has made the mystery of who is going to win Mini corps less exciting... It should be a message to all the other corps competing that they need to look at their own program and formula and start making some changes in the way their program is co-ordinate d. That is if they want to be competitive. Full credit has to go to That Corps From Indiana for their preparation. They are winning because they are taking the mini corps event seriously. They have program coordinators that think exhaust fully of the complete book and the program where many of the corps just throw some songs together and hope they work. They put in a FULL rehearsal schedule beginning early in the season not throwing something together in mid season or a month before I@E.. They memorize their music. They put on some light drill, wear matching unis and staging for effect. All of these things combined make them champions . I think if more mini corps entrants would follow this same focus and attention to detail they would see better results. Not only that but they would also entertain more fans. In one breath you expound on not having fan reachable shows for the average popcorn eatter, and in the next breath you discuss Star? Do you see the irony there at all? BTW the minicorps DO entertain fans to the point the room is standing room only. Not sure how you think they aren't being entertained.....Or that you are under the impression that others aren't doing the things you list that Star does. It's not exclusive to them in any way as far as music, unis, drill, staging, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 While I agree it has made the mystery of who is going to win Mini corps less exciting... It should be a message to all the other corps competing that they need to look at their own program and formula and start making some changes in the way their program is co-ordinate d. That is if they want to be competitive. Full credit has to go to That Corps From Indiana for their preparation. They are winning because they are taking the mini corps event seriously. They have program coordinators that think exhaust fully of the complete book and the program where many of the corps just throw some songs together and hope they work. They put in a FULL rehearsal schedule beginning early in the season not throwing something together in mid season or a month before I@E.. They memorize their music. They put on some light drill, wear matching unis and staging for effect. All of these things combined make them champions . I think if more mini corps entrants would follow this same focus and attention to detail they would see better results. Not only that but they would also entertain more fans. You must made some broad inaccurate strokes there about mini-corps other then Star. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 The popcorn eaters are abandoning shows in droves. Much of this is because the show designs are getting too sophisticated and out of their reach. /the bulk of the fans do not want to hear esoteric music and have to think too much about the show design or have it explained to them. They want to be able to tap their feet and hum to the music. Not go Ho Hum. Do have numbers to prove that? If numbers are down, don't you think the economy might also be a factor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayre Kulp Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Lots of people talking about how a winning corps deserves to win etc., but no one really answers the question -- what do you do if a one corps keeps winning and winning for many years and the DCA fan base keeps shrinking due to the lack of competition. Do we sit back in the name of "fair competition" and allow our activity to decline and hope that someone else eventually wins? Answer: Yes, we do. I want to see the best corps crowned champion. I don't want someone else to win just to say that someone else won, because then the best corps would not have won. Frankly, I believe that if the current no-competitive state exists for another few years, The DCA Championships are done as a competitive activity from a marketing standpoint. Frankly, I think you are only looking at one side of this and missing an important factor. There is a LOT of competition in DCA right now. Yes, the top 3 have remained unchanged, but that is hardly the whole story. Look beyond those 3 spots and see the scrapping for position that is going on. Or even more important, look at how the entire field, top to bottom, has improved dramatically in their attempts to take down the boys in blue. If using the Bucs as the example is too emotionally-charged, imagine the same scenario in the NFL, with the Steelers winning a decade of Super Bowls in a row, and the television audience declining fast. What does one do? Again, consider other things that have happened. The field has gotten stronger than ever and just as I'm sure would be the case if the Steelers did as you say, the Bucs' fan base has grown. Maybe that makes it tougher for everyone else, but they are doing exactly what they should be doing and they SHOULD reap the rewards. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorpsBuff Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Frankly, I think you are only looking at one side of this and missing an important factor. There is a LOT of competition in DCA right now. Yes, the top 3 have remained unchanged, but that is hardly the whole story. Look beyond those 3 spots and see the scrapping for position that is going on. Or even more important, look at how the entire field, top to bottom, has improved dramatically in their attempts to take down the boys in blue. Lest we forget that the top 5 have been unchanged in finals position the past 3 seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixtysomething Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 A rule: "Anyone who wins three years in a row must be punished by being taken out of competition." Now does that make sense? I don't go to a drum and bugle corps competition to see who wins....I go to enjoy the show. With both DCI and DCA down to ten to 12 corps, there is bound to be a corps that dominates for a period of time compared to the days when even New Jersey had 50 or more drum corps. I remember threads on RAMD when the Brigs seemed unbeatable for the future..... and The Cabs and Riley and Archie ruled for years on end....so did Sac, Garfield, Vinnie's and The Troopers....all "unbeatable," until somebody beat them. Drum corps is not boring when the Bucs (or anyone) win six years in a row. Drum corps is boring when a corps performs a show that is written to impress six judges and a self-impress a staff of 15 or so......with music recognized and appreciated by no one. For what it's worth, 2010 was my favorite Bucs show of the six years.....BY FAR; and in repeated daily viewing of the finals DVD set, the performances, followed by the encore performances were far more exciting than the reading of scores and captions. Same is true of the mini-corps competition. And finally, let's look at the morning alumni corps show....no scores at all....... the morning after a late night.....a show somewhat dominated by Cabs Alumni....... still gets the crowd and the standing O's for ALL performances.....unique and diverse.... AND mostly the same (loved) music by each corps from year to year.....that music and sound that we love. It's all in the performances...... some of us no longer even CARE what the judges think. DCA is at the top of its game AT THIS VERY MOMENT....and only temporarily, because it will be climbing higher next season as everyone gears up to beat what some would want to see as an exhibition corps. If Labor Day weekend had no judges at all, I'd love it just the same. We need the Bucs to continue to improve....it's the only way ALL corps will. But I may be wrong. Joe in NJ I haven't gotten to the end of this thread yet, but this is the best response I've seen yet. Hit the nail on the head. I'd go to see the top 10 from 2010 again in a heartbeat, judged or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOSMarcher Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 You know what, I like popcorn and I also like the Bucs. For that matter, I also like the Cabs and several other corps every year that I go to Finals. I wonder if many people posting don't give enough credit to us popcorn-eating Joe Six-packs to be able to understand shows like the Bucs over the last several years. I know we are an unsophisticated lot, but I don't feel too dumb to watch a drum corps show. Leave the system alone. You don't need to punish a corps for winning too much. That's just ridiculous. For the record... I do not think that any DCA show has been too hard to understand. I mean, what is difficult to understand about a show titled "Rome"? This is why I get confused when people say that other fans are not going to shows because they are getting too deep and intellectual... not sure which shows they are referring to when they say this, as they all seem pretty easy to get... some don't even have a theme other than the music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOSMarcher Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Do have numbers to prove that? If numbers are down, don't you think the economy might also be a factor? That's what I am wondering. The shows down South seem pretty well attended, which I believe are the ones he attends (can't confirm that he has not attended other shows). Given the lack of DCA pressence in that region for so long, it seems like it is doing pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Add a pure "crowd reaction" piece to the scoring sheets. Doesn't that ensure that a crowd who likes what it sees will see the corps it likes best have a better shot at winning? I just took at look at a drum corps program from the first show I ever attended. On the sheet that describes how the corps are scored, it says "Your reaction counts!" Does it? Just some food for thought! LOL.... over on the DCI forums there has been all sorts of back and forth about adding a judged caption that, to make a long story short, would be aimed at gauging "audience connection." Some folks are suggesting that if, say, one corps brings more fans to a given show, compared to the other corps there.... then that corps will get a bigger audience response and therefore skew the "audience connection" results. What a concept, huh? Each corps bringing as many fans as they can to a show. If that kept up, stadiums might be filled up with paying customers. Perish the thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankBeMe Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I would think more people would attend, simply to be part of history when "corps X" finally does lose, whether it's at DCA or one of the shows during the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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