mikekhs Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I am with C Mor. Great choices. I might add North Star to your list. Show Day! Prelims baby! Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriTroop Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 (edited) Here is an easy thought experiment: what would DCI be like if it did not include competition at all? Would this increase or decrease the level of entertainment? Yes - I think entertainment would go down. It seems to me that there is competition to be entertaining - and not all corps are aiming for the same reactions. Sometimes we get chills, get misty-eyed, get off our rears to offer a standing O, or even get offended. Entertainment can be subtle, can be in-your-face, can be humorous can be everywhere in between. And even shows intended to make some people scratch their heads and wonder what they just saw can achieve their intended effect, and that's great, too. Overlaying all of that is the push for competitive success. While many corps will try to avoid focusing on the numbers with the members, the staff should know very well what the goals are. I doubt very much that Mandarins or Blue Stars or BK (or insert your favorite 6th and below corps here) aimed to win DCI this year. (yes there are exceptions to that statement, but I think the point is obvious, right?) They know that such a feat takes a certain longevity and trajectory. That means they have to set short term and long term fundraising goals, recruitment goals, staffing goals, design goals and performance goals that push them farther along the path. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. But along the way we get to see them striving for something, and that in itself is "entertaining" on another level. But "entertaining" doesn't feel like the right word as I type this. Perhaps the word I'm actually looking for is "satisfying." Drum corps is more than entertaining. On some level it is truly satisfying - at least it is for me. I've been typing an explanation of that and deleting it over and over again. I'm not sure how to explain it. But satisfying is deeper to me than entertaining. Maybe this is about all I can say: when I leave a drum corps show I feel as if I've been given something soulful to chew on during the months ahead when drum corps goes back into pre-season mode. In short, I think the competition to entertain and to achieve are both necessary to this activity. Edited August 7, 2014 by TerriTroop 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crown Phan Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Easy, I'd buy Crown with this staff: Executive Director: Fred Morrison - Crossmen Director: Jim Coates - Crown Brass: The current Crown Brass staff, with of course, Matt Harloff leading the charge. Percussion: Paul and Sandi Rennick - SCV Guard: Scott Chandler - Guard Visual: Jonathan Vanderkolff - Bluecoats Design: Dean Westman - Bluecoats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesKPolk Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 If I were to make a new corps and could take any staff I want I'd probably just steal all of BD's staff except for I'd get Matt Harloff from Crown to work with John Meehan from the Blue Devils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKT90 Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 (edited) I wouldn't take anyone from BD's staff...I'd want to take them down while they're at full strength Edited August 7, 2014 by JKT90 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoyWonder1911 Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 (edited) Quote from BoyWonder1911 in the "secret weapon" thread. "Hmm...I've actually thought about this myself before...and never have found an answer either. I've thought maybe it should be deployed in Prelims, to give the judges a chance to ponder it until Finals...but then remember the judges in Prelims aren't always the Finals judges...are they? Finals night could be too risky...one shot in the dark at the target, either hit or miss... But I really think the staff (and us, for that matter) should think about an addition that will add to the show's entertainment. Cadets 2011 Angels and Demons...putting those "rays of light" tarps on the field did nothing for me...and to be honest, I don't think it did anything for the judges, either. I thought they would win without it, and I think the judges probably felt the same. If a corps does add something, hopefully it adds to the entertainment, and not something they throw in just to raise the ante, if you will." This sir is a quote that has to do with scores...so when you say it's not about winning and say it doesn't matter??? but then you post this...??? you can see where the confusion lies. No. What I was trying to say is that the BD, and their fans, all they care about is winning, not about the activity in general and everything else that goes with it. Yeah competition is a part of it, but for most other corps, it isn't the most important thing. With the Blue Devils, it IS the first thing. And yes, I am daring to contend that the Blue Devils staff only cares about trying to win, and cares nothing for the other aspects of the drum corps experience. That's why they create shows that are boring and tedious to MOST people, but cater to judge specifics. They don't give a flying f* about entertaining the crowd. I thought maybe this year they had a change of heart. So I reserved judgement until I saw their show. And then I saw their show, and it was the same show they've done the past 4 years. Anyways, I shouldn't have gone off track. If I could take over a corps and money isn't an issue, well I guess at this point I probably would pass up the opportunity. Drum corps is incredibly stressful on a daily basis for the ones who run them. Edited August 7, 2014 by BoyWonder1911 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I would bring back VK. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 No. What I was trying to say is that the BD, and their fans, all they care about is winning, not about the activity in general and everything else that goes with it. Yeah competition is a part of it, but for most other corps, it isn't the most important thing. With the Blue Devils, it IS the first thing. And yes, I am daring to contend that the Blue Devils staff only cares about trying to win, and cares nothing for the other aspects of the drum corps experience. That's why they create shows that are boring and tedious to MOST people, but cater to judge specifics. They don't give a flying f* about entertaining the crowd. I thought maybe this year they had a change of heart. So I reserved judgement until I saw their show. And then I saw their show, and it was the same show they've done the past 4 years. Anyways, I shouldn't have gone off track. If I could take over a corps and money isn't an issue, well I guess at this point I probably would pass up the opportunity. Drum corps is incredibly stressful on a daily basis for the ones who run them. 1. Care to back your claim up with some actual evidence instead of speculation? 2. If you're claiming that this show is the same show that they've done the past 4 years, I question whether you've actually watched BD's shows the past 4 years. Maybe, just maybe, BD is providing a product to the kids that will help them learn best. They're providing an environment that allows the kids to succeed and learn effectively. GE (design of the show) is only a part of the overall score. Music and Visual are execution based (for the most part) and atleast in visual, not many come close to them. Hey, maybe your claim is true, but you better have more than speculation when making a serious claim like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesKPolk Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I wouldn't take anyone from BD's staff...I'd want to take them down while they're at full strength Good luck with that haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyboy Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I would take over the Blue Devils organization. I would disband the A corps and let the staff fall into various corps across the country. I would take the B corps and make it world class, as is. C corps as is. I would then take the A corps budget and start about 5 Open Class corps. I would funnel a few million dollars into supporting the corps movement via education and knowledge seminars, and help on the paperwork end. The hard work would be up to the local corps directors. It was a great run fellas, but time for a shake up at the top. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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