When your hopes and dreams fizzle out

[BRASSO]

So, Crown won last year after years of building and vying for that top stop. It finally happens! Expectations for next year are super high. They come out this year starting in the top 3. Okay, they bounced around there for years. Then they slip to fourth, and then fifth. Seeing as their score dropped below 90, it may not be out of the question to go down to 6th.

The Question: What is going through the heads of staff and members at this point in the year? Have they just given up? Do they feel like they are just "pissin' on a bonfire", where nothing they do helps? Do they keep fighting the good fight? Does arguing break out, and the blame game begin? So, veterans of the game, what more than likely is going on in corps on years like this?

The reactions will be as numerous and myriad as there are people in the Corps. Nobody's reaction to adversity or simple placement disappointment is exactly the same.. each person handles it a bit differently, usually based upon their own values and their own personality characteristics. Why does this interest you so ? I'm just curious.

Edited July 24, 2014 by BRASSO

[TerriTroop]

Well, I stopped reading on page 4 because I saw where it was going. I hope what I say hasn't already been said. From my experience:

My first 2 years of drum corps were with a small corps from Houston. We folded after our home show in Houston in 1984, just 2 weeks shy of finals week. We were small, scrappy and had a fun but serious attitude. My only hopes and dreams were that our buses would make it to the next site. The next year as a member of the Troopers, getting a 9th place finish at finals was truly amazing to me. My second year in Troopers was even more fun - the show was more exciting to me, I loved that opener!!!! (American Salute) At the time, I'm sure I felt a little disappointment in falling to 11th place, but that show.... What a blast to play.

I skipped 1987. (had an amazing travel opportunity with my mom - she won a travel agency convention prize and so she and I spent 23 days that summer traveling around the world. Wouldn't trade that summer for ANYTHING - even a DCI ring.)

In 1988 I returned to Troopers for my age out year. We had another great show, but very small numbers in the corps made our placement problematic. Was I disappointed? Yes. VERY. But I was 21, and sulky and annoying. I was proud though - proud of our 4-member pit that played a heck of a book without watering it down, proud of the musicality of our entire corps, proud to wear the Trooper uniform for my age out year. Even though we placed... heck, I don't remember without looking at corpsreps... Well, it was hard to take off that uniform on quarterfinals day and never put it on for another competition. I was sad to be done, I was disappointed that we couldn't have fielded a bigger corps and gotten more points, and I was proud as heck that I aged out as a Trooper.

I hope that answers your question a little bit. It's just what I was feeling at the time, and I can't speak for any others. I know folks move from corps to corps because of their feelings. Sometimes it's for higher placement, sometimes it's to follow an instructor, sometimes it's to follow their significant other or a best friend, and sometimes it's just closer to home or because their college buddies talk them into trying out. But that wasn't your question. You asked what it felt like to slip in placement, and I guess it felt like life - you can either handle your circumstances with grace and pride, or you can be a jerk and blow up at everyone in the same boat.

[totaleefree]

Several years ago I spoke with several aspiring marchers. I asked them why they only wanted to audition for the top few corps. Several of them said that if they were in a champion corps they would get good jobs as band instructors and it would be good on their resume, and marching with a lesser corps would not help that much, wouldn't prove that they were winners. I hope that the corps don't accept marchers with that attitude, but if one joined only with that in mind marching a bad year with a top corps would be devastating. However if they are in it for the leaning and friend making experience I don't think marching a bad year would kill. Back then hearing that surprised me, most of the people I know who did march with top corps are now accountants, lawyers, pastors or in non marching related music jobs.

[BRASSO]

We all know that putting a name Corps on a resume works WAY better in the long haul of career development than including the name of a lower placement Corps.

An exhaustive 10 year research study at Columbia Univ. has determined that mentioning that you marched in BD for 2 years instead of Pacific Crest for 5 years, gives you a leg up on becoming Director of Music someday at Beaver Falls High School, or at the Univ. of Manitoba, or even Columbia U.

When we look back at our careers at retirement, the fact we marched a year or 2 with a G7 Corps back in our teens or early 20's made all the difference in the world in our professional careers. Without that name Corps on our resumes, we'd probably be really challenged in our music ed careers or other non music careers.

For an example, all we have to do is look at all the marchers in the G7 Corps the last 20 years to see how much better they are all doing collectively in their careers over the poor ones that suffered the inhumanity of having to list a non G7 Corps on their resume when they were 22 years old.... or gawd forbid, they never even marched in a Drum Corps at all, and as such have no marching experience at all with a Drum Corps. Those people have no idea how putting the BD on a personal resume is a game changer for that ambitious career builder. Most of BD's marcher alums the last 3 years alone are doing wonders in their career advancements right now. Just ask them, or watch where they are today now that they have former BD summer marching on their resume.

Edited July 24, 2014 by BRASSO

[caliswift]

An exhaustive 10 year research study at Columbia Univ. has determined that mentioning that you marched in the Cadets for 2 years instead of Pacific Crest for 5 years, gives you a leg up on becoming Director of Music someday at Beaver Falls High School, or at the Univ. of Manitoba, or even Columbia U.

This is how I view you looking at this whole topic.

[tja273]

The Blue Devils were out of medal position every year from 1987, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, and 93.

Minor correction: The Blue Devils placed 3rd in 1988.

[c.l.]

When your hopes and dreams fizzle out, you go to the bar a lot and either start writing country songs or become a mixologist.

[7567BC]

We all know that putting a name Corps on a resume works WAY better in the long haul of career development than including the name of a lower placement Corps.

An exhaustive 10 year research study at Columbia Univ. has determined that mentioning that you marched in BD for 2 years instead of Pacific Crest for 5 years, gives you a leg up on becoming Director of Music someday at Beaver Falls High School, or at the Univ. of Manitoba, or even Columbia U.

When we look back at our careers at retirement, the fact we marched a year or 2 with a G7 Corps back in our teens or early 20's made all the difference in the world in our professional careers. Without that name Corps on our resumes, we'd probably be really challenged in our music ed careers or other non music careers.

For an example, all we have to do is look at all the marchers in the G7 Corps the last 20 years to see how much better they are all doing collectively in their careers over the poor ones that suffered the inhumanity of having to list a non G7 Corps on their resume when they were 22 years old.... or gawd forbid, they never even marched in a Drum Corps at all, and as such have no marching experience at all with a Drum Corps. Those people have no idea how putting the BD on a personal resume is a game changer for that ambitious career builder. Most of BD's marcher alums the last 3 years alone are doing wonders in their career advancements right now. Just ask them, or watch where they are today now that they have former BD summer marching on their resume.

[GUARDLING]

This is how I view you looking at this whole topic.

lol...nice to know as much there is change ,that some things good or bad stay consistent . We haven't had a good

de-railment in a few weeks....back on track I guess...lol

Edited July 25, 2014 by GUARDLING

[7567BC]

Disappointed that my season was not as good or didn't turn out as hoped or as expected? Yes, i'm disappointed; I'm human. Normal reaction. But it was temporary because I always believed we worked hard. Harder than most corps. We had to. We were smaller, had less. I say smaller but in numbers. we were all Giants. When we got to a show, sang our corps song to each other, we always finished with "We don't gava". Disappointed occasionally, temporarily, but I didn't gava. None of us did. Move on, work harder. We were happy.