Lead Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 No free days for the Academy, they were off yesterday, but starting today they are back to 10 hour practice days in 108' weather... the reason for no shows in one week have to due with finances and shows not accepting the Academy at there already booked shows. when you book a show with DCI you are entittled to 6 corps, if you want more Corps you have to pay more, most show coordinators will not pay extra to bring in the Academy.... thats the why of no shows..... So DCI won't 'pay' (lol) to bring in Academy to the Minneapolis regional where there are like 20 corps on the schedule? I can understand not being interested in a general show in South Dakota, but it seems to me you would certainly try to make one of the biggest shows of the entire season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 (edited) Academy is back in Arizona this week and the majority of next week tweaking and cleaning up their show. We will see if or how the time away from the tour affects their placement vs. the other corps. I do know that they are making a major push this year to break into the top 12. I wish Academy the best in their quest to break into the Top 12 too. Should they do so, no doubt this model of 7 shows in 7 weeks, saving money, and practicing like heck while other Corps travel will result in a few more Corps deciding to follow the Academy model in the coming years as another pathway to securing TOP 12 status. Edited July 14, 2011 by BRASSO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexL Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 (edited) So DCI won't 'pay' (lol) to bring in Academy to the Minneapolis regional where there are like 20 corps on the schedule? I can understand not being interested in a general show in South Dakota, but it seems to me you would certainly try to make one of the biggest shows of the entire season. Exactly. If they didnt want to do a ton of shows, they still couldve come up to minneapolis. Going from Denver to Minneapolis to San Antonio is ~2100mi. (obviously things vary based on housing site location). Going from Denver back to Phoenix and then back to San Antonio is about 1800mi. Camp out somewhere for a week, if shows arent available, or there may be shows that dont deviate from the route all that much. Sioux falls\Des Moines on the way to minneapolis, Olathe, KS, Wichita KS, Denton, TX on the way to SA (All right off i-35 in fact). Most of these shows have corps in the competitive range of Academy, so the 'nobody would want us' excuse is bogus there. Of course, there is one worse example... pioneer isnt showing up to minneapolis, and has instead decided to do a parade that day in wisconsin. Who skips their closest regional? That makes no sense. Edited July 14, 2011 by AlexL 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexL Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I wish Academy the best in their quest to break into the Top 12 too. Should they do so, no doubt this model of 7 shows in 7 weeks, saving money, and practicing like heck while other Corps travel will result in a few more Corps deciding to follow the Academy model in the coming years as another pathway to securing TOP 12 status. Or the rest of world class would make changes to discourage it. I think some elements of the g7 proposal had some roots in corps that do open class tours competing in WC and getting WC money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Oh Lord! Let Academy and whoever else do what they want to do to survive! They have kept this same schedule since they began. The members joining know exactly what they are getting themselves into. Members, by the way, who apparently seem to have no problem whatsoever with doing a limited tour since they get enough to field a show from year to year. Same goes for PC (who has a great show this year) who also don't seem to have a problem finding members to march every year. I guess it's time for: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 So they can't afford to tour but they can afford new uniforms (when the new ones are garish and the old ones looked great)??? Not sure that makes sense. Excuse me? They stuck with the same uniforms for seven seasons. Uniforms rarely last that long, and only if impeccably cared for throughout that time. Also not sure why a corps would go all the way back to Arizona to rehearse in 108* heat when there are likely suitors in the Midwest who would house them. House them for how much $$$? Not to mention the "excuse" that no shows would "take them" is rubbish. "No shows" would be an exaggeration. However, it is entirely possible that not enough shows were available to string together a tour leg that Academy would find financially workable. For example, the Omaha show coming out of Denver was originally a TOC show, so at the time tours were planned, that show was off-limits to Academy. Some of the days on that tour have no shows at all, and others offer only one show to choose from. If those shows filled up with corps higher in the pecking order, it is entirely likely that Academy would have had slimmer pickings than is typical for a world-class tour. I'm questioning whether or not Academy wants to be a big-boy corps, honestly. (sigh) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BozzlyB Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Seven shows in seven weeks is a tour? Yep, and the whole "it gives them some kind of competitive advantage" argument that has been mentioned before has never really panned out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BozzlyB Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 (edited) So they can't afford to tour but they can afford new uniforms (when the new ones are garish and the old ones looked great)??? Not sure that makes sense. Also not sure why a corps would go all the way back to Arizona to rehearse in 108* heat when there are likely suitors in the Midwest who would house them. Not to mention the "excuse" that no shows would "take them" is rubbish. I'm questioning whether or not Academy wants to be a big-boy corps, honestly. They do what works for them, and have consistently placed higher than a good number of corps who do a full tour. Are the Colts not interested in being a big boy corps? What about Crossmen, Glassmen, Troopers, etc.... all corps that Academy has been competitive with. Personally I would think membership burnout would be huge with that much practice time and so few shows to break up the monotony, but obviously they treat their membership very well and are providing good drum corps experiences . Edited July 14, 2011 by BozzlyB 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BozzlyB Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Academy seems to be a weird little oddity within WC, they play like a world corps but tour like an OC corps. This cant be good for there longevity and hurts there ability to get there name and identity out there to possible future memebers. I hope they can make it in years to come because there behavior is reminiscent of a corps that doesnt seem very financially secure. They are a corps that is financially responsible. They will survive because they recognize their limitations and plan accordingly. It is the corps in their position that try to do a full tour that end up in the red scrambling to climb out the hole and often not making it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BozzlyB Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 (edited) Agreed. I'm not trying to beat on them, because they've proven they have considerable talent and obvious interest. However, the 'limited' touring model does not seem to work, history has shown. Look at all of the California corps - Mandarins, Pacific Crest, etc. They are all good drum corps, but the limited schedule very obviously provides a severe disadvantage. They obviously have supporters - look at these forums... every season people project them into Finals only to see them finish 15th or whatever. But that support and interest is obviously there. I think EVERYONE would like to see them go full-out. Bottom line is this - you join a drum corps to perform, and the mission statements of most corps reflect a strive to educate through performance. I certainly didn't march because I craved an education from a great staff (although that was a nice side-benefit), I marched to perform. There is absolutely no logic to this, and your assumption that doing a full tour makes a corps competitive is rubbish. Ever hear of Pioneer? I'm quite certain Academy's membership is not surprised when it comes to touring time and there's only 7 shows on the schedule, people who go there to march know exactly what their getting. Edited July 14, 2011 by BozzlyB 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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