Standing-O's for participating?

[InspaDave]

For me standing ovations have to be earned. As a performer I felt stupid when I received a standing O when I darn well did not deserve it. I cannot in all honesty stand up for a performance that did not earn it. To do so is patronizing.

[charlie1223]

The Standing is less important at the end... If you get a standing O on the middle or just before the End of the show its a better sign of crowd enthusiasm

[kickhaltsforlife]

I will not stand up unless I am moved to do so by the performance.

I don't care how hard you worked your little butts off. If you don't give a performance I enjoyed, and a performance that makes me want to stand... then sorry. Try again.

I've stood up for open class, bottom of world class, group 1 marching bands with 12 people in the group. I've stayed seated for the 1st place corps, the top marching bands, hell... even the drum corps that is my family... as recent as last year.. with a show I loved.. but they had a not so great performance.

I applaud for each and every performance, no matter how much I hate it.

But no.. no standing O just for participation.. I got a participation trophy once or twice from my soccer club when I was younger... I tossed them in high school. I played on some sucky teams that were awful to watch.

I also played in a decent drum corps with a real ###### show. Only a couple times I thought we performed it to the point of a standing O... all the other times we got one when we took a #### all over the field.. it's probably a good thing you couldn't see my eyes under the aussie....

[Tim K]

I've never thought much about it, but I probably give every corps a standing ovation. If I do not, it's most likely that a corps at the higher end may not get the ovation rather than the lower scoring end. For one thing, I do not have the same expectations from a corps that has a good number of younger members, for example I expect more from Colts rather than Colts Cadets. No question the talent level would be higher with Colts, but the effort expended by both corps could be equal. A good, honest effort from a youth activity deserves a standing ovation. As far as the corps in World Class, the ovation that BAC, Crown, Madison, or Phantom receives from me may be a reaction to the show--I can't help but stand. However, a worthy effort deserves an ovation in my opinion, so I probably stand for every corps.

[N.E. Brigand]

I've read complaints about overuse of the standing ovation in (professional) theatre dating back to at least the 1980s. Here's a recent blog post by the critic John Simon bemoaning the practice, which begins, "There should be a difference between a good performance and a great one. Sensibly, one applauds at the end of the former and rises to one’s feet for the latter." and goes on to consider reasons why the standing O has become ubiquitous.

[Stu]

When everyone is considered a 'winner' being a real winner has no meaning.

When everyone gets a 'participation award' that is not an award at all but merely trite.

When everyone is rewarded with an obligatory 'standing o' the reward of true accomplishment is greatly diminished.

[Jeff Ream]

On our local Saturday morning talk radio there is a sports-talk program that feeds the Ohio sports fans a steady diet of discussion and statistical fodder. Last Saturday the host, a well-known local sports authority, railed about the tendency of fans to give kids who participate in sports a standing-O even when they lose their game. The discussion drew several callers who disagreed, but most callers agreed with his viewpoint that standing-O's should be reserved for the exceptional performances only.

The sports program is usually just background noise for me while I work in the garden or around the house but, of course, I related it directly to our standard practice in this activity. At nearly every drum corps show I've ever been to over 40 years the audience rewards the performance of even the lowest-placing corps a standing-O when their performance is over.

Why do we do that? Are we just watering down expectation or, worse, diminishing the importance of the standing-O for the truly exceptional performance?

I duno, often times, when packed like sardines into a stadium, it's people standing to stretch

[cixelsyd]

When kids put forth tremendous effort, they deserve applause. Every corps I saw at 2012 championships, world class or open class, met that definition, so I applauded them all.

For me, the standing O is my primary way to express my preferences. Those corps who affect me more, by either design or performance (better yet, both), earn a standing O from me. I try to reserve that for roughly half of the corps, but when performances exceed my expectations, the corps get the better of me and I end up on my feet for a majority of them.

It does not matter where they place. I have applauded from my seat for champions, surrounded by standing fans. I have also stood alone to applaud a lowly open class corps whose performance just plain deserved that recognition.

I have been known to give a mid-show standing O for something uniquely spectacular. If the whole crowd does so, I will stand too just to see the drill.

[JimF-LowBari]

Having been a member of a reforming corps I've been from last place at Prelims to 6th at Finals. I stand and clap for all corps at the end for the effort they put. Reason is I know the amount of work even a last place corps puts in to learn a full show.

And beleive me members can tell the difference between a standing O for a great show and standing O for just giving respect. It's in the volume of the applause.

Edited June 14, 2013 by JimF-LowBari

[Ghost]

While reading the previous thoughts of others, I was thinking that most DC fans acknowledge most corps because they may look at DC as an art form even though you have to be athletic. Just about every fan knows what the MM's put out during a year. They know it's not the MM's fault if the design is not strong enough. Standing O's have a long tradition. The MM's are not professionals.