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When will Eastern corps travel (Mid)West?


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I agree that this must again happen... but... it takes the right alignment of the stars and moon...

You mention the Chicago Trip in 89 and as you well know I was chief judge that day... and it was a DISASTER... wonderful show, great corps, top judging panel, paid attendance of what? 25? 50?

Someone smarter than I has to figure out how to make this happen and with travel costs going up each year it becomes a larger challenge with time...

I'm thinking that the only real opportunity is either Atlanta or Racine... and even then it requires some sort of financial backing - read: Corporate or Municipal Sponsorship which will pay the corps expenses and allow for a reasonable admission price to attract the public...

HUGE DAUNTING TASK

Tie it into a DCI regional?

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Tie it into a DCI regional?

It makes sense, Jeff. Too much sense for some based on the neg check you got, which appalled me.

The corps have to have a good reason to come out there, period, not some namby-pamby good for the activity/be sporting/ be nice guys to keep complainers on DCP quiet gesture.

Yes, It would be nice for everyone to travel in a perfect world. I agree! It would also be nice if I got Mazzoli's Tortoni ice cream with the special tortoni dust sprinkled on top served to me in a 3 scoop waffle cone by a lovely wife (never married, folks), and to be driving a black Audi RS7 with Carbon-Fiber Trim every day to a nice low stress Elementary Instrumental music job, too.

Historically, any "Western" shows were usually handled by the Crusaders, the Westshoremen, the Bucs, the Thunderbirds, Steel City, and Ohio Brass. Needless to say, 5 of those 6 are gone. When Westshore got good enough-- THEN we started appearing at the primo shows like the Cabs Grand Prix, Clifton, et al in that neck of the woods and only then.

A far trip for Sky and Hawthorne were usually the DCA regionals at Rochester, and Lewistown, PA, (an hour west of Harrisburg/Hershey) where the show organizers were paying those corps extra money for travel to get them to bother to come to a small town DCA contest. When that got discovered by the others involved with running that show what "Brownie" was up to behind their backs to get the big names in, it collapsed in a heap.

Buff's comment about a 25 dollar raise in dues was about what I guessed it would be. BITD, Westshore would have passed a hat and put money out of our pockets to beg Larry NOT to send us that far west by my best guess, unless it was a big championship/everybody was going/high prestige contest. We were already frequently running to Western PA and Ohio as it was, doing dinky shows while Sky et al did the big ones. It was a treat to do any show where we got to compete against Sky, Cabs, Sun, and the Hurcs, and we certainly didn't wish that they'd come to the shows WE were going to out West.

The other issue, is because the season's much shorter, any suggestions when to put this show?

In all fairness and in all reality, folks, put yourselves in the shoes of one of the NE DCA Member corps here, huh?

Let's see here:

June 15: Cabs at the Beach.

June 29, Barnum.

July 4 weekend, Bucknell, BUT, several corps do the big parade run in the Baltimore Metro area as a MAJOR fundraiser that weekend. Not necessarily wise to do several parades then have to try and do a contest when blown out from performing several long parades...

July 13: The Grand Prix.

July 27: Downingtown....

Yes, there are holes in the schedule where something could likely be done. I'll concede that point now. Many of those filled with corps doing money making schemes/performances or in season camps, or a weekend off so the corps members families might be able to do something normal with them during the summer, heaven forbid. But most of the NE shows are now pretty solid, respected, and well run and attended. What real reason beyond "altruism/fairness/would really be keen to do/ for the good of the activity" do you have to justify raising dues (NOT good for the activity, BTW!) or changing the corps schedule in a major way to make the run, huh?

I know I sound nasty, but there have been enough disasters with DCA running ill attended contests where the people running the shows lose their collective you know whats.

Get things to a tipping point with well attended shows, and it's close in a couple regions to make it a justifiable and worthwhile experience for the NE corps and their members- then you'll see the treks West and South.

A Further question as well--- and let's be blunt here:

If the Bucs/Cabs/C2/Whomever came to a show outside their region---- could you put enough more fannies in the seats to make money off the added expense of paying them to come or would you lose money as a result!?

I've been reading this thread and finally had the time to speak my mind. Not enough hard cold difficult reality in many individual's thought processes here and not enough practicality.

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It'd be nice to see Bucs, Cabs, etc out west...Empire was supposed to do it a couple of years ago, but finances got in the way... or rather, the lack thereof, if I remember right.

But with all the focus on the finances of such a trip, you're all forgetting the logistics of transporting gear, AND people getting time off from work.

We all remember work, right? That thing that keeps Sr corps a weekend-only activity?

It's not like Crown deciding to tour out to California last year...they were already going to be on the road. Not the case for DCA corps.

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We go from this!

I completely agree that it's high time corps like Reading and Hawthorne at the very least make a trip to another region. It makes perfect sense for Reading to travel to Minnesota, and for Hawthorne to perhaps go south. Yes, I understand the financial aspects of such a trip, but as has been pointed out in previous posts, the non-Northeast corps do it every year, many multiple times.

If the Northeast corps really have "the good of the activity" at heart, it's important that they back it up with action.

To this

The corps have to have a good reason to come out there, period, not some namby-pamby good for the activity/be sporting/ be nice guys to keep complainers on DCP quiet gesture.

Gotta wonder why there are some people out there still questioning the NorthEast "Heart" of the activity.

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It makes sense, Jeff. Too much sense for some based on the neg check you got, which appalled me.

The corps have to have a good reason to come out there, period, not some namby-pamby good for the activity/be sporting/ be nice guys to keep complainers on DCP quiet gesture.

Yes, It would be nice for everyone to travel in a perfect world. I agree! It would also be nice if I got Mazzoli's Tortoni ice cream with the special tortoni dust sprinkled on top served to me in a 3 scoop waffle cone by a lovely wife (never married, folks), and to be driving a black Audi RS7 with Carbon-Fiber Trim every day to a nice low stress Elementary Instrumental music job, too.

Historically, any "Western" shows were usually handled by the Crusaders, the Westshoremen, the Bucs, the Thunderbirds, Steel City, and Ohio Brass. Needless to say, 5 of those 6 are gone. When Westshore got good enough-- THEN we started appearing at the primo shows like the Cabs Grand Prix, Clifton, et al in that neck of the woods and only then.

A far trip for Sky and Hawthorne were usually the DCA regionals at Rochester, and Lewistown, PA, (an hour west of Harrisburg/Hershey) where the show organizers were paying those corps extra money for travel to get them to bother to come to a small town DCA contest. When that got discovered by the others involved with running that show what "Brownie" was up to behind their backs to get the big names in, it collapsed in a heap.

Buff's comment about a 25 dollar raise in dues was about what I guessed it would be. BITD, Westshore would have passed a hat and put money out of our pockets to beg Larry NOT to send us that far west by my best guess, unless it was a big championship/everybody was going/high prestige contest. We were already frequently running to Western PA and Ohio as it was, doing dinky shows while Sky et al did the big ones. It was a treat to do any show where we got to compete against Sky, Cabs, Sun, and the Hurcs, and we certainly didn't wish that they'd come to the shows WE were going to out West.

The other issue, is because the season's much shorter, any suggestions when to put this show?

In all fairness and in all reality, folks, put yourselves in the shoes of one of the NE DCA Member corps here, huh?

Let's see here:

June 15: Cabs at the Beach.

June 29, Barnum.

July 4 weekend, Bucknell, BUT, several corps do the big parade run in the Baltimore Metro area as a MAJOR fundraiser that weekend. Not necessarily wise to do several parades then have to try and do a contest when blown out from performing several long parades...

July 13: The Grand Prix.

July 27: Downingtown....

Yes, there are holes in the schedule where something could likely be done. I'll concede that point now. Many of those filled with corps doing money making schemes/performances or in season camps, or a weekend off so the corps members families might be able to do something normal with them during the summer, heaven forbid. But most of the NE shows are now pretty solid, respected, and well run and attended. What real reason beyond "altruism/fairness/would really be keen to do/ for the good of the activity" do you have to justify raising dues (NOT good for the activity, BTW!) or changing the corps schedule in a major way to make the run, huh?

I know I sound nasty, but there have been enough disasters with DCA running ill attended contests where the people running the shows lose their collective you know whats.

Get things to a tipping point with well attended shows, and it's close in a couple regions to make it a justifiable and worthwhile experience for the NE corps and their members- then you'll see the treks West and South.

A Further question as well--- and let's be blunt here:

If the Bucs/Cabs/C2/Whomever came to a show outside their region---- could you put enough more fannies in the seats to make money off the added expense of paying them to come or would you lose money as a result!?

I've been reading this thread and finally had the time to speak my mind. Not enough hard cold difficult reality in many individual's thought processes here and not enough practicality.

Dub, I could care less about green/red marks. Honestly I view red marks as I'm making more sense than some can handle

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We go from this!

To this

Gotta wonder why there are some people out there still questioning the NorthEast "Heart" of the activity.

Okay. Let me make an honest comment and you can think about your response:

I like the Govies and Kilties. (truth) I think they should come to a show out this way like Scranton, Bucknell, or Downingtown. I'd love to see them before championships. It's the "right" thing to do, hmm? Why not? It'd only be "fair", right? Come on, now! Why not! No excuses! It's not right! It'd be for the good of the activity, after all, I'm really certain of that, trust me!

The reason I'd never start a thread like that is because I realize those corps have budgets, plans, and are trying to keep fiscally responsible to their memberships as best they can and if I started a thread like that, I'd be a flat out lunatic kook. Heaven forbid they don't try and please me like I want to be pleased in Central PA, huh? It's a detriment to the activity! No fairs!

Is it as "fair and equitable" and "for the good of the activity" when I cast the same problem from another point of view? Or maybe now you might see it as the impractical and crazy point of view that it is?

You want to play the regionalism game and keep carping over and over that it ain't fair-- knock yourself out. I'm not saying it's "fair". It is what it is, it's not a perfect situation that works perfectly, and sometimes you just have to deal with the reality as best as one can instead of whinging about it.

Definition of "Whinging" since I've used this before in a similar thread some time ago and someone whinged about my use of the word:

"whinge (hwnj, wnj)

intr.v. whinged, whing·ing, whing·es Chiefly British

To complain or protest, especially in an annoying or persistent manner."

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DCI is for touring..... Jersey Surf can appear at San Antonio on Saturday night when they are already in Houston on Friday night

DCA is weekend..... The Bushwackers can't make it to San Antonio on Saturday night when they're at work on Friday.

BITD of American Legion and VFW nationals, corps stayed local until those contests, when nationals were located within travel distance...... for PA, NY, NJ, CT, that included weekend contests. The American Legion National Champion Kentucky Colonels show no other results. for 1929...... They didn't come east to face Doremus in NJ or Akroyd in Mass..... and I'm pretty sure that Doremus and Akroyd didn't go to the Colonel's home contest.

DCA, DCA South, and DCA Midwest are growing. The possibility for increased regional competition far exceeds the value of one expensive trip with holes in the drill.

It's great the we've had DCA Finals participation from Japan, Great Britain, and Germany. But you aren't going to see DCA move too far from the HUB. The days of the American Legion Nationals being held in Paris are gone.

Annapolis 2013 will go down in history as the most competitive, most exciting, most promising weekend from mini to open......... My Fan Network subscription will keep me warm while my neighbors are trying to be the first to shovel their sidewalks..... anyone in the world can enjoy The Bucs, Cabs, MBI, Empire, C2, CV, etc.... etc..... FULL SCREEN------FULL VOLUME for peanuts.

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It's great the we've had DCA Finals participation from Japan, Great Britain, and Germany.

When are we going to get some representation from countries a little friendlier to the US like, I don't know, Ireland, or maybe Rhode Island? (they're getting harder and harder to find).

Would be nice if we had a good DCA show here in Dallas. I could work in the morning and still see the show.

That'd be pissah...

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A trip to the Midwest around July 4th would cost the DCA eastern corps very little if they were willing to march numerous parades sandwiched in between rehearsals and the actual two or three shows that could happen. I know that when I was teaching Pioneer, Roman would book at least 3 parades (maybe 4) on the 4th of July, one on the 3rd in Cedarburg.(combined with the DCI show)and maybe 2 more on the 5th. I asked him why he would do so many parades, he said "so we can go to Texas next week".

It could be done if corps were willing to go old school and earn the money we used to BITD.

(OTOH...Reading only has to travel to Maryland to get the same money.)

DA

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A trip to the Midwest around July 4th would cost the DCA eastern corps very little if they were willing to march numerous parades sandwiched in between rehearsals and the actual two or three shows that could happen. I know that when I was teaching Pioneer, Roman would book at least 3 parades (maybe 4) on the 4th of July, one on the 3rd in Cedarburg.(combined with the DCI show)and maybe 2 more on the 5th. I asked him why he would do so many parades, he said "so we can go to Texas next week".

It could be done if corps were willing to go old school and earn the money we used to BITD.

(OTOH...Reading only has to travel to Maryland to get the same money.)

DA

But can you guarantee those corps would get the same amount, or more, financially if they were to come somewhere else instead of their usual tour on the July 4th weekend ? I have a feeling if the answer was no, then none of them would consider losing the money they could bring in from the usual parades any of them do.

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