Slingerland Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Can we agree that this thread has fizzled out? Mods? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Also, arguably, one of the greatest rises to fame has to be the Blue Devils (24th in 1973 to 1st in 1976). They certainly didn't fizzle after their drive to the top... and they never seem overly bummed to lose one or two shows every three or four years. Edited for accuracy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Thread successfully derailed. Thanks, Brasso. Oh come on and clean the Diet Coke off my screen. It wasn't derailed by him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Can we agree that this thread has fizzled out? Mods? Well, if you guys are finished, I have flea crap mixed in my pepper shaker that needs sorting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 When your hopes and dreams fizzle out, you go to the bar a lot and either start writing country songs or become a mixologist. I resemble that remark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThirdValvesAreForWimps Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 No one can stay at the top forever: Not a team, not an athlete, and certainly not a drum corps. It is much easier to get to the top than to stay at the top. Also, let's be real here: In the large scheme of things, being a DCi Finalist is a big deal. Yes, it's good to win but it's not so bad being #12 either because it means you're one of the best. When a corps doesn't have a chance to win it all, there can be several reasons. There can be new personnel, new staff, a substandard program, or a combination of all of these things. The thing to do is to keep cleaning, keep improving, and keep scoring higher. In the early 2000s, few golfers could beat Tiger Woods but they continued to sharpen their games anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KVG_DC Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 [walks into thread] 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contraaaaa Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 (edited) Back to the topic at hand: I had every intention of marching a particular G7 corps. Eventually they cut me though I was able to find a contract with an upper echelon non-G7 corps. I had joined said corps with the intentions of re-auditioning for the G7 corps the following year. Instead, my heart fell for the corps that gave me a contract. My rookie year was the hardest summer of my life (up until that point) but in the end it all felt worth it: I had seen so much of the country I had never seen before, I made some amazing friends from faraway places, and competitively we pretty much did the best we could (and it felt amazing). The following year, I returned to the corps I had fallen for. We were told the program had been amped up 10 notches; the expectation was we'd surge competitively in terms of both scores and ranks. Our music demand increased and our visual demand was INSANE - like to the point where the drill felt more dangerous than fun. And for all that demand we reaped little GE. Our show was difficult for the sake of being difficult. At finals retreat, part of me felt content but part of me felt swindled. I felt like the staff promised us high scores and high ranks but ultimately we ended no higher than the year before - in some ways we ended worse. I was completely jaded and exhausted. I still AM jaded and exhausted. I did not return the following season. I'm still soul-searching. Part of me has no interest in ever marching again. But I still have one summer left. Do I go back to the corps I love? Do I even love them anymore or do I love only our memories together? Do I go find a new corps and risk being accused of treason by my friends? Do I even want to march at all? I think I still have some unfinished business to settle. I'd hate to live the rest of my life with such a bitter aftertaste forever resonating. But I fear I could attain an even worse aftertaste if I march another summer. Edit: as for what our corps was feeling in our lame-duck year: it was a mix of half-hearted cheerleading and way over the top cheerleading. A lot of terrible attitudes were brought out, the kinds of attitudes that I had always refused to have back in my high school marching band days. So many people would focus blindly on the scores (without taking into account the actual spreads that judges gave - so many kids think that if a judge gave you a low number that you were bad; that's not always the case). Others would blindly say "#### [insert other corps' name here]!!!," to which I would vehemently argue - in what universe would we want another corps to actually perform worse? If anything, I want to beat a corps at their best (or be beaten by them at their best). Then there would be a lot of kids blaming the ticks in the corps. Honestly, most of our issues were due to design flaws. I think we did the best we could based on what we were given. It's unfortunate that we resorted to blaming our problems on all the wrong people. I wish we could have simply focused on cleaning ourselves and making sure we were as good as we could've been. That's what it's all about in the end, right? Edited July 25, 2014 by Contraaaaa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Back to the topic at hand: I had every intention of marching a particular G7 corps. Eventually they cut me though I was able to find a contract with an upper echelon non-G7 corps. I had joined said corps with the intentions of re-auditioning for the G7 corps the following year. Instead, my heart fell for the corps that gave me a contract. My rookie year was the hardest summer of my life (up until that point) but in the end it all felt worth it: I had seen so much of the country I had never seen before, I made some amazing friends from faraway places, and competitively we pretty much did the best we could (and it felt amazing). The following year, I returned to the corps I had fallen for. We were told the program had been amped up 10 notches; the expectation was we'd surge competitively in terms of both scores and ranks. Our music demand increased and our visual demand was INSANE - like to the point where the drill felt more dangerous than fun. And for all that demand we reaped little GE. Our show was difficult for the sake of being difficult. At finals retreat, part of me felt content but part of me felt swindled. I felt like the staff promised us high scores and high ranks but ultimately we ended no higher than the year before - in some ways we ended worse. I was completely jaded and exhausted. I still AM jaded and exhausted. I did not return the following season. I'm still soul-searching. Part of me has no interest in ever marching again. But I still have one summer left. Do I go back to the corps I love? Do I even love them anymore or do I love only our memories together? Do I go find a new corps and risk being accused of treason by my friends? Do I even want to march at all? I think I still have some unfinished business to settle. I'd hate to live the rest of my life with such a bitter aftertaste forever resonating. But I fear I could attain an even worse aftertaste if I march another summer. With your uncertainty, my suggestion would be to not march anymore. Whatever Corps you decide to try out for, would want your 100% commitment to that Corps and to your fellow Corps members who deserve your 100% mental and physical committment. If you are not 100% certain of what you want to do... and clearly right now you arn't ( and may never be again ), it sounds to me like its time to just walk away and find something else that burns your passion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 "When your hopes and dreams fizzle out".................hmmmmmmmmmmm? How about when you have a mortgage, a wife AND a girlfriend............ ..............and they are all one month past due! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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