oldsoprano Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Two years ago I thought that Spirit was finally going in the right direction to crack the top 10. I was a huge fan of Spirit back in the 80's. I thought they were poised to move up the ladder once and for all. In 12 and 13 they finished 11th. They were brining in JW who at SCV had a great run for 4 years and had a championship. I could see him doing great things. So, I encouraged my kid to go to Atlanta. He had already planned on going to Bluecoats but he heard that great things from me and other were happening at ATL and the camp was extremely fun for him. So, he stayed. He is an extremely loyal person who has a lot of talent. There are others like him at Spirit. They stayed home when a lot of other vets looked elsewhere to march. There are also a lot of others that are in ATL that couldn't make it anywhere else besides an Open Class organizaion. I'm in a position to influence his choice of Corps next year. I could easily pull the plug on his funding for Spirit next year but pay for his fees if he goes to a Jim Ott contender. That's probably a crappy thing to do but I am like other parents who wish their child to be in a competetive situation. At this point it doesn't look like Spirit will make the finals again. Will they have another 17th place finish and place behind a higher scoring Open Class Corps. I'm not sure. But, if all they are going to do is polish and clean a failing theme then I am not sure I want him to come back for another year of mediocre. I read what others are saying and how disappointed many people are. Believe me when I say that there is no one more disappointed than me. The drum corps Spirit is competing with are "World" class. The top 15 are really good. The top 6 are great. But I wouldn't be any more proud or less proud of my kid if he was in a better Corps. But, I think he would feel a great sense of pride if the people surrounding him acheived more. Man, that really breaks my heart, because it didn't have to be this way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirrormen Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 I agree. The guard adds nothing at this point. I hate that one section is being pointed out as the "real issue." This is not the guard's fault at all. The real issue is the great failure of the administration to hire even one person on the design team that has an above average clue about putting an effective show together. Some may think that unfair, but I challenege anyone to find even one 30 second section of the show that communicates effect above a box three level. It does not exist. I find hundreds of high school band shows that can demonstarte that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcikon2 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 I saw Spirit at Brass Impact in Olathe. There are parts of the show that I really like. They have a good full sound. I did notice a flaw in the show design which I think is hurting their scores in visual effect and color guard. Atlanta is a large city with many schools in the area to support Spirit. I know many students left Texas year after year. They are now starting to stay and march with Crossmen and Genesis. Genesis is really coming up and is fielding a full size corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjyaub Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Curious to know what flaw you noticed was. I saw a pic of a guard member with what looked like a bed sheet. Wonder what that is about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterN87 Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Spirit was up and coming till the whole staff left. The corps director was given a choice to fire the staff or leave, so he left, by the president. That is when all this started. haven't been the same since. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcikon2 Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Personally, I think the guard could be staged better within the drill (show) to highlight impacts. There is one part where sabers are tossing a six, but they are on the far right back sidelines. Another time, guard members are on the ground when they are near the back sidelines. Perhaps the entire team wasn't together when planning this show. I don't want to sound negative as there are some nice moments in the show and the members are putting forth a lot of energy and effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoastblue Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I hate that one section is being pointed out as the "real issue." This is not the guard's fault at all. The real issue is the great failure of the administration to hire even one person on the design team that has an above average clue about putting an effective show together. Some may think that unfair, but I challenege anyone to find even one 30 second section of the show that communicates effect above a box three level. It does not exist. I find hundreds of high school band shows that can demonstarte that. This! Well said and I think dead on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadwick Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 On a positive note, excited to see how they do tonight after 3-full days off plus today. Last show in the Midwest before they head out to Wyoming and then DATR. Keep on pushing SOA!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirrormen Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 On a positive note, excited to see how they do tonight after 3-full days off plus today. Last show in the Midwest before they head out to Wyoming and then DATR. Keep on pushing SOA!! Do you know if they have been making changes, just cleaning, or both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadwick Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I have no idea to be honest, just assuming they have used this time to probably do both. It is a perfect time to make significant changes/additions, IMO. They should have a good idea now from the judges of what is clicking and what isn't. Whether they think it is a good idea to present changes tonight or in Laramie or wait until DATR on Saturday will be interesting to see. I'm very excited to see the scoring spreads and placements at the Laramie show - all corps performing may very well be the 13th - 17th place corps come Semi-finals (that's not to say none of these will make it in Finals). I don't think SOA will make Finals this year, but I'm hoping for them to continue to hang in there with the 13-15 pack (and maybe even finish at the top of this pack) to prove they aren't in bad times as so many seem to feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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