Mike78Mello Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 (edited) No Corps that has found a way to still perform and compete can be deemed " a failure " in my opinion. I believe that it is a success for any corps to make it on the field. We may all talk about the magnificence of the top corps (I loved SCV's show Saturday night), but for the rest, it is still about shaping the lives of young people through the experience drum corps. The Cascades had a late spring disruption in guard staff. The staff is largely new this year. The corps changed rehearsal locations and recruiting to be back in Western Washington. These can be positive structural changes in the long-run, but there is a recruiting toll to be paid. Knowing the Cascades' Director and some of the staff, I have confidence that the Cascades will make a very respectable showing this season, with Semi-Finals being a reasonable target. This may not be a heady objective for some, but I applaud all corps that persist to compete. (FYI: I counted 36 brass, 7 guard, and a full percussion line and pit.) Edited July 1, 2013 by Mike78Mello 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 No Corps that has found a way to still perform and compete can be deemed " a failure " in my opinion. Quoted for being one of the truest proclamations since the creation of the rope drum. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 (edited) . Edited April 19, 2014 by danielray 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortAndFast Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 The Columbians are part of the same org. There is a long-term strategy here. I didn't realize that. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpiritVet Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 I am glad to see people backing up the Cascades in why the scores are so low, but I feel I must chime in still. I saw them at the Tualatin show, and I am not surprised by the scores at all. You can tell just by looking at them that they are very young, and probably not a lot of Corps vets on the field. With young age comes rookie mistakes, especially visually. There was a large number of sound issues, with individuals sticking out of the hornline, or moments where it was hard to tell if sections were even playing, granted this could be due to still having a somewhat normal sized drumline with a small hornline. I tried really hard to enjoy the show, but I didn't really find it inviting. I've never really enjoyed Lewis Norfleet's original compositions, and I even marched one! (Oregon Crusaders 2005 had "some" original comps from Lewis). Now with that being said, I really hope the show comes together and become competitive with Oregon Crusaders, a FRIENDLY rivalry would be really fun in the northwest, and possibly create an even better Corps experience up here. Good Luck Cascades! Funny you say this because the friend I mentioned that joined them marched two years with me in Atlanta CV/CorpsVets. :tongue:/> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike78Mello Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 (edited) There are now 4 drum corps that are active in the Northwest. It hasn't been since the early 1980's since there were four active corps in the NW. In 2002 when the Cascades made the top-12, they were the only corps. I say welcome OC, welcome Thunder, and welcome Columbians. While I would love for the Cascades to be quickly become competitive with OC (yes, friendly rivalries are good), Northwest drum corps is healthier today than in 2002. Edited July 1, 2013 by Mike78Mello 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcikon2 Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 At one several (years ago) there were a couple high school marching bands in Washington who competed in BOA. I don't know if this is still happening. Does Vancouver have potential talent to recruit? Is it possible that the guard and brass line will grow over the summer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjordansc Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Zune was a complete failure... It may have failed in the marketplace, but the underlying technology was a big success. Look at today's Windows products and the you will see the Zune project was a significant contributor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleKnights Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 I haven't been following DCI much in recent years, but what on earth is up with the Cascades? They scored a 49.500 at Renton. That's the lowest WC/D1 score I can remember in recent years. They only had 8 guard and a very small hornline, but do any insiders have the scoop on what's the deal with the organization? I know they had a reorg a few years ago but this looks like a case of failed management? Before the 2007 season, Mike Leone left Oregon Crusaders to take over Cascades. Oregon was nearly forced to fold after the exodus (DCI in Calfornia that year saved the corps), but the board put together a rag-tag crew and has built that group to where they are today. This was not a great time for the Cascades financially as they had just lost their bingo operation, and my understanding is they were basically breaking even at best with bingo. Obviously they ended up going inactive in 2008 but made it back in 2009. People have differing opinions, but many were very unhappy with Mike Leone's management at the time and have bad stories to tell. I have been out of the loop since then. Long story short: Cascades has been a rebuilding job since 2008 and they've never been able to build momentum. I've heard nothing but good things about the new director, but financial issues aside, the on-field product is troubling. There's no way to spin it. They should not make semis. There is not a lot of talent to go around in the NW, but Oregon having a solid 50 members more than Cascades is nuts. I do not know why they are unable to recruit. That's on the current staff. My jaw dropped when I saw how small they were last year, especially after seeing how Oregon had grown. They've had the advantage of being the NW's only World Class group for the last five years, now that's gone. Not a lot of kids in the Pacific NW, but it's not a zero-sum game. Both corps can have 120+ members. Cascades need to find a way to get people on board. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 There is a two time w.g.i. world champion colorguard from Vancouver, but sadly the decline of the activity in canada is largely due to non existent marching programs in high schools... its a tough sell. At one several (years ago) there were a couple high school marching bands in Washington who competed in BOA. I don't know if this is still happening. Does Vancouver have potential talent to recruit? Is it possible that the guard and brass line will grow over the summer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.