Crown Phan Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I'll use Cavaliers as an example. They have three semis a Penske rental truck and the souvie trailer. Semi number one contains the uniforms, drums, horns and tractor for the pit. Semi number two has a huge open area for all the pit instruments. Semi number three is the food truck. The Penske truck contains a lot of extra "stuff" they need for tour. At a contest they need room for the two semi's and the souvie trailer. That's requires a lot of maneuvering room in a parking lot. Go to your local high school and see if they can handle room for six semis near the footbal field; Room for the two semis for the corps that just finished performing, two for the performing corp, two for the corps about to perform. Now consider room for a dozen GIANT stacks of poker chips or enough picnic tables to feed the stadium or enough mirrors to get you bored with yourself ... As someone who was part of parking and getting corps vehicles situated at a show I'll tell you that it's not as serious of an issue as you're making it out to be. There is more room than you think and these drivers are professional. They can maneuver in and out of the tightest spaces while fitting all the corps in comfortably. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavie74 Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 (edited) As someone who was part of parking and getting corps vehicles situated at a show I'll tell you that it's not as serious of an issue as you're making it out to be. There is more room than you think and these drivers are professional. They can maneuver in and out of the tightest spaces while fitting all the corps in comfortably. Thank you for posting. This is exactly the type of information we need to have a balanced discussion. Another poster mentioned that ALL the trucks park before the show starts. Edited June 23, 2014 by Cavie74 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 As someone who was part of parking and getting corps vehicles situated at a show I'll tell you that it's not as serious of an issue as you're making it out to be. There is more room than you think and these drivers are professional. They can maneuver in and out of the tightest spaces while fitting all the corps in comfortably. Having people who know what the drivers need to get around is a huge help too. Used to work at the week long antique auto show/flea market at Hershey, PA which has 100s of Semis full of parts, equipment and cars being transported. Never got involved with that part of the show but we have members who are current and retired truckers and man can they look a layout map, point and say "Wait a minute... this here ain't gonna work". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TastyWaves Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Sounds reasonable. A few logistical flubs have taken place in the VERY early season as corps move their props on and off for the first time, some in unfamiliar venues. The answer? Get rid of it! yeah. great idea! I also saw a snare drum head explode once AT THE GATE! They should get rid of snare drums. Contras are very heavy and bulky and the cases they come in done stack evenly on a truck. Lets get rid of contras too. I saw a podium once roll over an uneven piece of pavement and jam a wheel. On that note, an equipment truck once had engine problems and had to be fixed. There are two more things we can get rid of. Trucks and Podiums. Joking aside, These are simply early season problems. Penalties can and do take place, so there is really nothing to discuss. I am a fan too, and I personally dont mind an extra couple of minutes if it means seeing a program fully realized. I do think Corps should be familiar with their venues and make sure each venue can accommodate their production size. I am sure the corps do their due diligence, but sometimes there are just issues with doing things the first couple of times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dixon Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Sounds reasonable. A few logistical flubs have taken place in the VERY early season as corps move their props on and off for the first time, some in unfamiliar venues. The answer? Get rid of it! yeah. great idea! I also saw a snare drum head explode once AT THE GATE! They should get rid of snare drums. Contras are very heavy and bulky and the cases they come in done stack evenly on a truck. Lets get rid of contras too. I saw a podium once roll over an uneven piece of pavement and jam a wheel. On that note, an equipment truck once had engine problems and had to be fixed. There are two more things we can get rid of. Trucks and Podiums. Joking aside, These are simply early season problems. Penalties can and do take place, so there is really nothing to discuss. I am a fan too, and I personally dont mind an extra couple of minutes if it means seeing a program fully realized. I do think Corps should be familiar with their venues and make sure each venue can accommodate their production size. I am sure the corps do their due diligence, but sometimes there are just issues with doing things the first couple of times. wind causes real issues with flags - they should go too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleveland1 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Sounds like the same thing that was said about electronics, pits, etc, etc.... Problem is if your corps doesn't have all the "items" as other corps it can be seen as a handicap. Could not having these items hurt score wise as those item could add to the effect score. And people/potential members could look at a corps not having said items and think "Why doesnt' corps X have everything corps Y has?. Doesn't the staff know how to use it or can't they afford it?." We've had props now for over two decades. Just like with electronics its a "use at your own discretion" type of issue. Quantity =/= quality. And not every corps, even the ones that can afford it, choose to go to the max with props. Unless we want DCI to institute a policy that you can not have more than x amount of trucks, i think the issue of how many trucks a corps has is moot. If you can have a competitive show without the extra truck, then I don't see it as a competitive advantage. The same could be said about corps switching uniforms every year, while others cannot afford to do so. Just like in most areas of life, if you are on top its easier to stay on top. Hence G7 and all that stuff. if its not the fact that some have more props than others it'll be something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 We've had props now for over two decades. Just like with electronics its a "use at your own discretion" type of issue. Quantity =/= quality. And not every corps, even the ones that can afford it, choose to go to the max with props. Unless we want DCI to institute a policy that you can not have more than x amount of trucks, i think the issue of how many trucks a corps has is moot. If you can have a competitive show without the extra truck, then I don't see it as a competitive advantage. The same could be said about corps switching uniforms every year, while others cannot afford to do so. Just like in most areas of life, if you are on top its easier to stay on top. Hence G7 and all that stuff. if its not the fact that some have more props than others it'll be something else. Only talking preception from the stands and how be able to use more "things" might influence scores. Never said anything about mandates from DCI. But can someone tell me one option that was ever adopted that was not used by all corps? Just looking at this from a long term historical view as even that first valve was an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 (edited) somebody needs to post this picture. so i can laugh at it. it's got to be good for like 20 memes. just imagining the cadets ramp and crown trampoline all wedged together at the gate... come on share the joy! Edited June 23, 2014 by corpsband 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleveland1 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Only talking preception from the stands and how be able to use more "things" might influence scores. Never said anything about mandates from DCI. But can someone tell me one option that was ever adopted that was not used by all corps? Just looking at this from a long term historical view as even that first valve was an option. Well not all solos use microphones. Not all corps use narration, voice over, or singing. Unless you want to chalk these under the "electronics" thing. as an umbrella for all things made possible because DCI allows electronics. If you have too many props, or poorly done props, it will hurt your score more than help it. the non-bulky props can fit in the trucks without adding another one. The issue seems to be too much or too big props. If the issue is regarding competitive advantage, then i don't see a solution that accounts for all competitive advantages that can be had. If the issue is that logistically having an extra truck is difficult for shows, its been dealt with that at least in most cases this isn't that big of an issue. If the issue is that it takes time to load and unload the stuff from the field, that is why we have time penalties. And that is why corps practice this, and this is not longer an issue after the first couple weeks of the season. If the issue is that people in the stands are distracted by a corps bringing its stuff through the tunnel before the previous show is done, then we have bigger issues. Sometimes a train rides by the show site and causes a disturbance. or the corps is warming up and it bleeds into the show you are listening to. these are potentially bigger issues and thus far its just a "deal with it" thing. so, we should "deal with" corps wheeling their pit and props out before the other corps is done. If the issue is that it is expensive for other corps to have so many props, that is the nature of DCI. things are really expensive, and I do think DCI should do what it can to help corps that are struggling to make ends meet every year. Not necessarily because of a firm belief in competitive equality, but instead because its better for DCI to not have corps folding every year. But i feel this is not necessarily the only thing going into a corps being unable to fund itself, as lots of costs are associated with the season. money on props and potentially another truck may be a hit but there are other hits elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dixon Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 we've had props a lot longer than 2 decades and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't... same as it's always been, a bit more this year but that tends to happen and then it will swing back We've had props now for over two decades. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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