TonyDanza007 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Absolutely *brutal* writing, and nothing approaching an "explanation." If this is the person running Teal, they need to shut it down and fold up for good. This is a rather harsh statement... Why must an entire organization be destroyed because of the careless acts of the corps director? Teal deserves a chance to come back, they just need an overhaul of the BOD and a new director. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 This is a rather harsh statement... Why must an entire organization be destroyed because of the careless acts of the corps director? Teal deserves a chance to come back, they just need an overhaul of the BOD and a new director. I agree that they deserve a chance to come back, but it is insanely hard to do after folding mid-season. There will be the constant stigma of a corps not having the financial security to survive tour, the skeletons in the closet both managerially and financially, even if they replace the whole BOD and staff. It's hard to bring a corps back from the dead. Bluecoats and Glassmen have both done it, but it's rare. Look at what happened when Magic tried to come back, or Suncoast. There are many more to name, but those are the two who jumped to my mind being from Florida as well. IF Teal makes a comeback, then they need to install a much stronger system of checks and balances to make sure their kids are paying dues, and that the corps is being run in the right direction. As tough as it would be to see them go away forever, it would be worse I feel for the activity to have them come back, and then collapse again. And to the people saying it's the responsibility of the Top 7 to take care of the struggling corps, that's not really smart. It sucks when one corps can't afford to tour and take care of its kids, but why put another corps at risk because of it? Most corps budget just enough money for tour, plus a back-up fund in case gas prices shoot up like they did last year. That doesn't leave much extra money for baby-sitting a corps that didn't collect its own fees. I understand about the whole brotherly and sisterly love thing, but it can only go so far. I can understand when a corps feeds another for a couple of days because a cook truck breaks down, but feeding a corps for a summer, and giving them buses could easily put two corps out of business instead of one. With the rough financial situation lots of corps are, this could be a death knell for other corps trying to "catch" another before it has a chance to go down. it might be a harsh reality, but that's how DCI and the world is too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I sincerely hope these kids who were placed in other corps, we're the ones that paid their dues. What type of life lesson are we teaching these members if they can just walk away from an obligation and still get something out of their summer. It would have been the responsible thing of Teal to give the names of kids to the other corps who met their obligations of paying for the whole summer, or something in that fashion. I feel for those kids who paid all their membership fees, wanted to march somewhere, but no one picked them up. I wish Teal and it's members all the strength to get through this trying time. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 You know my respect for you, Mr. Truman. Your words are as usual, thoughtful and more often than not right on the money. That being said, do you think that after a heartbreaking event like pulling a corps out of a tour, that ANY letter would fully satisfy those who suffered the most, the kids in the corps? My answer (guess) is that there aren't any words would never be enough to satisfy everybody. Thanks bud. Maybe see you in WV in a couple weeks? I have a problem with the apparant time line and content of notification they recieved, not just the words in this letter. According to the letter, "only a few" had paid their dues in full. Judging by some of the posts that this minority of parents made, they had no reason to believe there was a problem when the tour started. Clearly the director and board knew then there was a problem, and were hoping for the best. End of June comes and there is a bus problem. The information released is that the bus company problem was unexpected, the corps was safe and management was working to get them on the road. According to a post in this thread earlier, other corps directors were aware and arranging temporary busses. IF finances were the issue, it doesn't appear that the parents were told of the dire situation then. An email to the limited number of people on their mailing list asks for donations, again vaguely discussing the "bus company issue". Now there is scrambling and attempts at personal loans. Still the parents are not told? They surely knew it was over before they performed in Chambersburg...but they wait to announce to the members and parents AFTER the show, and at the same time as the public?? I think that those who paid their dues deserve better. Maybe at this point there is little to be said, but this letter falls short in so many ways. Certainly the kids that were able to pay would require a different discussion than those "who did not pay at all", who probably really don't need much of an explanation. Those who she "talked to and said they would pay and didn't" fall into another catagory. At the end of the day, the paying parents of the members are the key investors in the organization. These investors seemed to have been wronged. Her number one priority should be to assure them, and everybody, that making things right for them is her first agenda, certainly before any hopes or discussion for any future activity. Stories like this are damaging to the ENTIRE ACTIVITY. There has been a sense of secrecy, or even deception throughout. That needs to be fixed if there is any hope for a future Teal Sound. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) And to the people saying it's the responsibility of the Top 7 to take care of the struggling corps, that's not really smart. It sucks when one corps can't afford to tour and take care of its kids, but why put another corps at risk because of it? Most corps budget just enough money for tour, plus a back-up fund in case gas prices shoot up like they did last year. That doesn't leave much extra money for baby-sitting a corps that didn't collect its own fees. I understand about the whole brotherly and sisterly love thing, but it can only go so far. I can understand when a corps feeds another for a couple of days because a cook truck breaks down, but feeding a corps for a summer, and giving them buses could easily put two corps out of business instead of one. With the rough financial situation lots of corps are, this could be a death knell for other corps trying to "catch" another before it has a chance to go down. it might be a harsh reality, but that's how DCI and the world is too. Your description above is not how I personally envision the responsibility of the DCI Fraternal Collective; it is "not" about the top corps financially bailing out corps like this; it "is" about: a) since the 990's and financial records of a 501c3 should be open to the public, the collective corps should keep a close eye on all corps in DCI by not allowing a financially strapped corps like this to go out on tour in the first place thereby protecting the youth of DCI; and b) after forbidding the corps from touring the fraternal corps collective should give up-front "guidance" to the corps director and board, monitor their finances, and only give the green light of tour again when it is a solvent corps. Edited July 18, 2012 by Stu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Your description above is not how I personally envision the responsibility of the DCI Fraternal Collective; it is "not" about the top corps financially bailing out corps like this; it "is" about: a) since the 990's and financial records of a 501c3 should be open to the public, the collective corps should keep a close eye on all corps in DCI by not allowing a financially strapped corps like this to go out on tour in the first place thereby protecting the youth of DCI; and b) after forbidding the corps from touring the fraternal corps collective should give up-front "guidance" to the corps director and board, monitor their finances, and only give the green light of tour again when it is a solvent corps. I honestly wish that were the system. Since every corps is a 501c3 system, don't they have to open up their books any time they're asked? Couldn't DCI have a check every year in say, March, when they do evals for new corps, and make sure everything is on the up and up? I know that it wouldn't take into account when corps have members who don't pay fees, but Teal was supposed to be having problems last year financially as well. If there was a system in place, it would have caught that, and they could have either received guidance from DCI, or decided to take the year off before going out on tour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ordsw24 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I agree about the stigma attached to a corps that folded mid-season. They can always re-brand themselves... companies do it all the time. Valujet crashed in the Everglades and re-emerged as AirTran. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I agree about the stigma attached to a corps that folded mid-season. They can always re-brand themselves... companies do it all the time. Valujet crashed in the Everglades and re-emerged as AirTran. Has that ever happened with a corps? Has a corps gone away and then come back with a whole new name and image? I know Magic shortened their name when they came back in 2005, and hadn't Glassmen already changed their name from Glass City Optimists by the time they folded in the 70s? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Flores Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Has that ever happened with a corps? Has a corps gone away and then come back with a whole new name and image? I know Magic shortened their name when they came back in 2005, and hadn't Glassmen already changed their name from Glass City Optimists by the time they folded in the 70s? It happened with the Cedar Rapids Emerald Knights in 2 ways. The Original Emerald Knights Merged with QC and Geneseo Knights in '90 and A new corps (Nite Exress) was formed in 92-96, folded, the came back briefly as EK in '01 before completely dying out after '01. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Showing my bias here but noticed the finger was pulled away from blaming the bus company.... *sigh* Hope corps can find a way to get the dues as needed and contracted. Only other option would be to pull the "You're not paid up... stay home" and deal with the holes on the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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