luv4corps Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 If they had those two weeks and the show in its current state would be the week of Drums Along the Rockies (Only two weeks ago? Seems like an eternity), they'd be in the thick of the fight for 12th place, maybe even 11th? I would be my poor college kid savings on it. Y'all are makin' me sad now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumManTx Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Y'all are makin' me sad now... You have absolutely nothing to be sad about. You've gotten to be part of an organization for multiple years through your son making consistent and steady progress every single year the last 7 seasons from a good Open Class corps, to a pretty good Open Class corps, to a contender Open Class corps, to a Champion Open Class corps with one of the most talked about shows of the 2012 season, and into a formidable World Class likely soon to be semifinalist. That's more awesome than any one season could give, finals or not in my opinion. Pretty amazing that they've improved every year for that many seasons. Also pretty amazing they're in the shape they're in with that disadvantage. Who knows what the next few years could bring. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv4corps Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 (edited) All west coast corps have to deal with this same handicap. How do BD, SCV, Mandarins, PAC, Cascades... how do all of these corps deal with the same unfortunate school schedule? OC did start all days a week earlier than they used to. Edited July 29, 2014 by luv4corps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splooie99 Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 BD is mostly all college kids from all over the the place. I would think that over 95% of them are out of school mid May. SCV is not quite that high, but they are also a lot more experienced then the other 3 corps. PC Mandarins and Cascades, like OC, are younger, start later and all have a disadvantage. More then starting time for all days, I beleive maturity is a huge factor. Ask yourself what is the average years of drum corps experience for OC versus BD and SCV. I would bet you will find a big difference, especially in guard. Also consider potential membership. BD and SCV have 3 to 4 times the number of kids who audition. And they only need to fill about 50-60 places from ageouts and a few members who decide to leave. OC fills about half or more of the corps each year. Now, how do you level the playing field. Do exactly what OC is doing. Get better!!! The better more entertaining (and challenge) the more kids will want to audition for OC. More auditions means improved talent and experience. Its not to say that the current kids are not talented. It just means they get more experienced. If you can build a talent base that keeps on coming back and each year gets a little better, that gives you the ability to learn quicker, retain at a higher level and improve your performance overall. An ideal number of positions to fill is about 30-40. That means your only replacing about 20-30 percent of the corps each year. That is what Bluecoats did over the years. Lets face facts. OC is really only 7 years old. 2007 was a tough year and a big change all across the corps. It really was started then. So, in 7 years, they went form a Open class corps with a little over 60 kids, to a full world class corps. Even more cool, is in 4 years they made top 25. I may be wrong on this, but I think in 2011, they places 21st, 2012 19th, 2013 17th and this year, I think they will be 16th or higher. This kind of improvement brings more kids from farther away to audition. Lets just say potential members take notice of this steady climb up towards the top 12. Can OC eventually make the top 12? That remains to be seen. But, I think of the NW corps they are in a trajectory to make it there in the next 2-5 years. Assuming nothing bad happens. They also need to find alternate sources of income to increase their staffing budget. That is also important long term. Anyway, thats my 2 cents. How long did it take Crown to make finals their first time? I think it was 6 years. They did not have the 2 week delay that the NW has. It took them 9 more years to break into 9th or higher. I think that OC could be fighting for the top 12 this year if they had those 2 lost weeks. Not that I can prove that or anything. But, time is something you do not get back and lost time is time you never get back. Regardless, this has been and will be OC highest placement yet and they should continue to improve. I like where they are heading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv4corps Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 (edited) I think that OC could be fighting for the top 12 this year if they had those 2 lost weeks. They also need to find alternate sources of income to increase their staffing budget. That is also important long term. This is the fact that bites hardest... the lost two weeks. And it IS sad because this is a handicap to an otherwise GREAT show loaded with good content. Seems to me this issue of time will have to be overcome in some way for OC to rise into the upper echelons. I agree that staff is also a huge factor. I once read a post about how Crown continued to rise when they didn't always get the best talent like BD does, and someone said they "taught their way to the top"... I really liked that. A super inspirational staff member can be a big "glue" factor for kids coming back. Great discussion! Edited July 29, 2014 by luv4corps 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scadesfan Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 OC is already starting to get kids from outside the NW ...HI, Oh, MA, TX, and FL... And probabably other states I'm missing. But they are still young. It does give them some ability to move all days earlier but then they have the issue with facilities since schools are in session. The have an issue with this just for monthly camps and end up at schools far outside the PDX area. The could really use their own facility....wishful thinking on that one. It's an up hill battle but the Corps mgmt has been doing it the correct way so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman1084 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 OC is already starting to get kids from outside the NW ...HI, Oh, MA, TX, and FL... And probabably other states I'm missing. But they are still young. It does give them some ability to move all days earlier but then they have the issue with facilities since schools are in session. The have an issue with this just for monthly camps and end up at schools far outside the PDX area. The could really use their own facility....wishful thinking on that one. It's an up hill battle but the Corps mgmt has been doing it the correct way so far. I'd be very, very interested to know which high school/college affiliation those Massachusetts kids have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv4corps Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 (edited) Wow I just watched the run from Charleston and I have to say, to my eye, things are starting to clean up, esp. in the opener. The show as a whole has taken on more character and is more evocative. What a dynamo! The crowd response was very enthusiastic and it seems to me, OC has had to earn every bit of crowd support they've received this year. The new drill in the closer is very effective. I especially love the battery's prominence in the center of the field during a few of the latter sets. Adds visual power and stability. Go OC! Love ya! Edited July 29, 2014 by luv4corps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madrid Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Lets face facts. OC is really only 7 years old. 2007 was a tough year and a big change all across the corps. It really was started then. Why do people keep saying this? Why do people negate the fact that the 'Oregon Crusaders', after a name change and a relocation to Portland, began this upward march back in 2002. Back when there were just a handful of kids and a small but very dedicated staff. That corps went on to win Div 3 in 2004. There have been a few staff overhauls in the years. One in 2006. Again in 2007. Once more in 2010. Through all of that, the membership, which has remained primarily local, have stayed the course and supplied the heart for this group going back to the early days. Saying that the corps is only 7 years old is to completely dismiss the hard work of those that brought the corps back into existence after a lengthy absence from the field. It says that those that were a part of the first Championship season have nothing to do with the successes of today. It says that anyone pre 2007 had no part in making the corps what it is today. Not buying it. Know your roots. Respect your past. GO OC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleKnights Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Why do people keep saying this? Why do people negate the fact that the 'Oregon Crusaders', after a name change and a relocation to Portland, began this upward march back in 2002. Back when there were just a handful of kids and a small but very dedicated staff. That corps went on to win Div 3 in 2004. There have been a few staff overhauls in the years. One in 2006. Again in 2007. Once more in 2010. Through all of that, the membership, which has remained primarily local, have stayed the course and supplied the heart for this group going back to the early days. Saying that the corps is only 7 years old is to completely dismiss the hard work of those that brought the corps back into existence after a lengthy absence from the field. It says that those that were a part of the first Championship season have nothing to do with the successes of today. It says that anyone pre 2007 had no part in making the corps what it is today. Not buying it. Know your roots. Respect your past. GO OC! There were less than ten 2006 vets in the 2007 corps. Less than 10. That was more than just a staff overhaul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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