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TROOPERS! Where are you?


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I might be a young one, but I am not one to judge a corps by what people think they should do. I judge a corps by how much the hornline blows me away, how uniform the corps moves around, etc, just excellence in general. I guess that is why I am a huge BD fan.

Even this year? :ph34r:

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Someone pointed out in a previous post that last year there was only 1 age out left over from 2007. Can anyone tell me why that is?

How should I know? Maybe no one else in the 2007 corps was under 16.

Since you were a corps parent back then, how about you tell us.

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I hate to say it, but when all of these young fans dream about the day they march, how many of them picture themselves wearing a cowboy hat? My guess...like 2 people. I hate that uniforms carry so much weight in this topic, but they really do. Cool uniforms will actually persuade certain people to audition at a specific drum corps. After all, you spends lotssssss of time in that thing over a season.

You have me confused. The corps proper does not wear cowboy hats - they are cavalry hats. And if that is not acceptable, then what is? The Cavaliers have had no difficulty on account of their headgear, nor has Vanguard, or Crossmen. Those hats are not much different.

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I've been sitting here, reading through comments, and I'm not sure I can definitively place myself on one side of the tradition argument. On the one hand, you have a corps like Pioneer - VERY traditional in their style, and very loyal to the history of the irish heritage in their shows. I don't think it's a mystery to anyone that they're not doing well with this approach (if you're judging solely based from a devotion to tradition - not execution or show design). On the other hand, you have a corps like Phantom, who's shows are also incredibly loyal to their traditions of always playing classical music, and they are obviously doing well with this idea.

Some may point out that these traditions that they have are too different for comparison, and that is going to be exactly my next point. When a tradition is so specific, it denies a corps expansion in to the greatest of the literature fitting in to that genre. Madison has done well because they've gone back to tradition, but what exactly is the title of that tradition? Old music that they used to play that they put a new spin on? That's a pretty wide tradition, in my opinion. Phantom can stay traditional, because their tradition is so expansive that there is a HUGE amount of material for them to choose from. Pioneer can only play the Holst Suites, and English Folk Song Suite so many times before it becomes stale and out of date.

What I believe has happened is the Troopers HAVE tried to stay in their tradition in the last few years, but by doing it in a manner fresh and new - by using arguably the greatest American composer's lesser known works. If you approach it from this standpoint, the Troopers haven't swayed from tradition in the last two year, but they've embraced it.

So I don't believe the Troopers' lack of success is about tradition. I do believe that it's about execution and show design. I marched the '10 show, and I can tell you how excited we all were during spring training, while creating the show. No one in the corps, even for a moment, believed that this was a bad show design. What I do believe is the execution of the show wasn't there. When you have Mitch Rogers standing on the tower, stating that he didn't hold back in writing the drill, it makes me wonder if the show was simply too far out of reach to be approachable from an audience standpoint.

Let's try something here. Take Blue Devils' recent shows (Constantly Risking Absurdity, 1930, and The Beat My Heart Skipped), and give those shows to a corps in the 13-17 range. I think that it would be received with much the same criticism as Troopers received in 2010. Tacky, band-o, and over the top. I believe show design is less about creating a quality show, and more about creating the best show suitable to the corps at that time.

Does this mean I support the Troopers' direction in recent years? No. I saw their show in Michigan City this year, and I had a meh reaction at best. It seemed very flat to me. But that doesn't mean that, with the proper instruction and devotion (which we know every corps has), they can't turn it in to a show suited for them.

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Keeping tradition = lack of success?

Might I suggest Hawthorne Caballeros as a counterpoint....

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Keeping tradition = lack of success?

Might I suggest Hawthorne Caballeros as a counterpoint....

DCA is a little different BUT they have also had issues over they years with that uniform...many ( even within the corps ) want it changed........to some degree....................it has held them back in some ways

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Keeping tradition = lack of success?

Might I suggest Hawthorne Caballeros as a counterpoint....

I would argue

- that a senior corps doesn't fit well into this argument (recruiting 17-21 year olds versus recruiting the DCA age group),

- that latin music has more depth from a design standpoint (more literature to choose from as well), and

- that latin music has a wider appeal to the audience and potential members than a western theme

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I would argue

- that a senior corps doesn't fit well into this argument (recruiting 17-21 year olds versus recruiting the DCA age group),

Depends on the reasons for recruiting problems with Troopers (if they have any) is it the Western show and/or they haven't been at the top for a while.

- that latin music has more depth from a design standpoint (more literature to choose from as well), and

- that latin music has a wider appeal to the audience and potential members than a western theme

OK, good points.... so we have to look deeper into the specifics of the tradition (myself included)...

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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DCA is a little different BUT they have also had issues over they years with that uniform...many ( even within the corps ) want it changed........to some degree....................it has held them back in some ways

I've been a huge Cabs fan since the late 60's, but looking at their finals results the last five years...they have one 2nd and four 5th place finishes. Go back 10 and you add a 1st (yes!!!), a 4th, a 6th and a 7th. Compare this to the years 70-79 where they had 1 3rd, 4 2nd and 5 1st place finishes.

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I've been a huge Cabs fan since the late 60's, but looking at their finals results the last five years...they have one 2nd and four 5th place finishes. Go back 10 and you add a 1st (yes!!!), a 4th, a 6th and a 7th. Compare this to the years 70-79 where they had 1 3rd, 4 2nd and 5 1st place finishes.

And I think the lowest they ever had in DCA was 7th (twice)..... Funny thing is night before Prelims the last time they hit 7th we happened to watch the horn line rehearsal and they were as loose as anyone I've seen. Couldn't talk to them but it looked like "OK, it's an off year but things happen and we'll be back next year." I'm sure having to stay with the Latin tradition and work the Rumps in somewhere ("Toreador *rump* be ever on your guard *Rump rump rump*" :tongue: ) is tough but don't think throwing out the Trooper tradition is a big solution to the problem.

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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