noblegaijin Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 When my son was in his rookie year with BK in 2012, I was all excited throughout the season with their scores and placement. But my son set me straight once. He told me they don't really care about being in the top 6 or whatever. They just want to do the best job they can. If that gets them 10th place, so be it. He skipped last year and he's with them now in his age out year and I'll tell you what...I don't care about scores. I just want him and all the other members to do the best they can. btw, I'm reminded of one of the most entertaining shows of the 2012 season...from a corps that didn't even make finals: Jersey Surf. Should I look down on them because they didn't even make it to the top 12? See...that sounds nice, but I don't buy it for an instant. These are the types of phrases usually uttered by those who know they don't have a chance to win. Placement matters. This is a competitve activity, so if beating the other corps doesn't matter, then what are we even doing out there? Not everyone wins. Not eveyone gets a gold star. Good thing olympic athletes don't have this kind of mind set. May competition drive your son and the 2014 Blue Knights to be the absolute best they can be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noblegaijin Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 Jeremy, I'm with you. Some BK shows are difficult to take. 2000 and 2006 come to mind. But dark and brooding can be great. 2007 comes to mind. 2012 aside, I think they were heading in the right direction with Marc Sylvester (and I think both made a mistake by parting ways with each other, regardless of who initiated the break up). BK appeared to be more entertaining with him designing the shows, but they still felt like "BK." I think 2013 was not a step in the right direction. As for stepping it up competition-wise, I wouldn't worry about it. As was pointed in a prior over-the-top-homer post, top six is more difficult now than ever. I think it's a little naïve to recruit for and design a top six show. Being competitive among corps in its current peer group (e.g., BAC, Scouts) is a reasonable expectation. I remember Mr. Sylvester - liked his enthusiasm and he did in fact do great things for BK. He lost some respect from me when I saw him sporting a Che Guevara shirt in one of the camp vidoes, though. Oh well - can't win 'em all. Honestly, I care less about the "top six" than I do about driving me from my seat with something special. '95 and '96 Scouts gave me goose bumps but weren't above six. Last year at Drums, I distinctly remember getting electrified by the Troopers' show. They were load and exciting. I am just absolutely, 100 percent bored with what they offer year after year. I agree that '12 was ever so close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noblegaijin Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 Why are you asking us ? With all due respect, your asking us this, seems " insane " behavior to me, given that you allegedly marched there and would have more insights into your questions on BK than those of us unconnected in any way with your former Corps. "Wesleyrp" ,DCP long time poster, marched there when you did.. why not just take this up with him in a PM message instead of trashing your former Corps like this in public ? Does this seem like a reasonable way to handle your frustrations with your former Corps?.. or a bit " insane " as a recommendation to you ? Did I ask something? I thought what I wrote was pretty much a statement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I agree with the thread title... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckH Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 (edited) Jeremy, I'm with you. Some BK shows are difficult to take. 2000 and 2006 come to mind. But dark and brooding can be great. 2007 comes to mind. 2012 aside, I think they were heading in the right direction with Marc Sylvester (and I think both made a mistake by parting ways with each other, regardless of who initiated the break up). BK appeared to be more entertaining with him designing the shows, but they still felt like "BK." I think 2013 was not a step in the right direction. OK, jumping in a little... Just for my own clarification -- this could be the unspoken-of elephant in the room for all I know (I couldn't find it via Google), but was it Marc Sylvester who criticized people a while back for basically treating the Blue Knights as a "stepping stone" corps? (Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I know I saw someone make that bit of criticism.) Side note: while I might have more to say on this topic, I don't have a role in determining the strategy or direction or my old corps, and I won't try to do so. But, as an observer, I have noticed some interesting frustrations and opiniona stated by some people. Maybe I'll share if it contributes in a constructive manner. Besides, I have to head off for work. (Who am I kidding? That's my main motivation for cutting this off. :-P Edited June 6, 2014 by ChuckH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Coffey Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 (edited) Interesting juxtaposition, where you say, "try not to take yourselves so seriously." and then proceed to take yourself far too seriously with your critique, such as: Where would we be had a group of rugged salors not discovered that the world were curved? How about Copernicus' crazy notion that the Earth rotates around the sun? How about transistors before there were integrated circuits or later computers? Edited June 6, 2014 by Tim Coffey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Honestly, I care less about the "top six" than I do about driving me from my seat with something special. ' Well you seem a bit confused now as all your previous comments on this thread has been about your BK's inability to crack the DCI " top 6 ". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 (edited) If someone can justify how the corps continuously hovers around the same placement slots year after year and has never been able to break the top tier, I am all ears. . Well you are obviously a confused poster right now. On the one hand you tell us you want BK to crack the top 6, and then tell us you don't primarily care about that, as you just want their show to have you entertained and up and out of your seat cheering. Once you figure out what you actually truly believe in, let me know and I'll future respond to what you are thinking at that moment in time.. Edited June 6, 2014 by BRASSO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleveland1 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I dig BK, although their shows have turned to a more "cute" theme for lack of a better term. Avian being the exception. But shiver onwards its been a redefining of BK to be on the light side, and more on the conceptual side. I am not necessarily worried about the direction of the corps or their show concepts, I am more afraid that I see a BK that could really move up IF their music was a little harder and if they could play it well! I have really been digging their shows, but their execution is not that of a top 6 corps. Carolina Crown pulled off the impossible, it seems. They broke into the top 8 in 2004 and took them a decade to get a championship. Even the bluecoats have only gotten 3rd once, and never higher. Its tough. I am not "in" on the BK talks, i don't know what their goals are for this season or a 5 year plan or whatever. If i was there, though, #1 priority is staying in the top 12, considering the top 12 has not been the same year after year recently, there has been a new corps in (and therefore one out). Don't be "that corps" is the name of the game in that range. And being top 8 isn't even a guarantee. Look at the Blue Stars drop out of the top 12 despite being on the cusp for a few years to break upwards. It is tough. You need the staff, you need retention, you need the right shows. As long as the show is good, i like it. It doesn't matter to me whether a corps finishes 1st or 15th if i like the show. I would rather have an entertaining BK show that finishes 10th than a not so entertaining X show that finishes 5th. Just my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noblegaijin Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 (edited) Interesting juxtaposition, where you say, and then proceed to take yourself far too seriously with your critique, such as: I thought they were pretty good analogies. At any rate, did you have something to add to the discussion? Edited June 6, 2014 by noblegaijin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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