Ghost Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Would it be hard for all directors to agree not to allow a person to march until the check clears no matter how talented they might be? If corps are burnt by a mm, would it be worthwhile to send out an APB to all corps the info about the person prior to the next audition period? If a corps can eat a mm free ride, I know even when I was of marching age, I would have been pisssed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) Maybe because it is in BD's interest to be part of a viable collection of corps? A reasonable investment (or call it a tax if you like) in the drum-corps ecosystem would seem to benefit BD and any other corps. I edited this post to make it more generic and not specific to one corps, as my question was broader to the activity than one corps. Your reason is surely a good one. Another might be that it's to the corps' benefit it spend money first on financial reviews instead of what it might cost to clean up a mess after it happens (Glassmen, Teal, etc). I think if there were a standardized financial review form that was required before the corps leased its buses, it wouldn't cost very much each year to have them reviewed. Several hours of review time by DCI staff might surely be cheaper, and would certainly be preferable, to coming to the financial rescue of a corps that's stranded on tour. Edited July 25, 2015 by garfield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) Fiscal responsibility should be one of the lessons taught in Drum Corps. Should we show (by example) that it is OK to go and buy stuff on credit, horns, drums, etc, ] put fuel in the tanks & feed the mouths on a tour that a first or second year corps has no business being on? This is in part DCIs fault - they drove local circuits like DCM into extinction. In 1985, a kid could march one of 20+ corps in the midwest, compete 2x every weekend, and be at home during the rest of the week. That is what we did, and no one had more fun than I. Edited July 25, 2015 by IllianaLancerContra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortAndFast Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I edited this post to make it more generic and not specific to one corps, as my question was broader to the activity than one corps. Your reason is surely a good one. Another might be that it's to the corps' benefit it spend money first on financial reviews instead of what it might cost to clean up a mess after it happens (Glassmen, Teal, etc). I think if there were a standardized financial review form that was required before the corps leased its buses, it wouldn't cost very much each year to have them reviewed. Several hours of review time by DCI staff might surely be cheaper, and would certainly be preferable, to coming to the financial rescue of a corps that's stranded on tour. You read the 990s. What happens when that financial review says that a crowd favorite former champion can't afford it? Who at DCI is going to tell them they can't perform? I also think the activity would be stronger with financial bars the corps must clear, but I think it is very hard to get there with the current governance model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Would it be hard for all directors to agree not to allow a person to march until the check clears no matter how talented they might be? If corps are burnt by a mm, would it be worthwhile to send out an APB to all corps the info about the person prior to the next audition period? If a corps can eat a mm free ride, I know even when I was of marching age, I would have been pisssed. in theory sure. Directors have contacted other directors about certain MM who owe sometimes many other programs ( winter ) and some always get around it. The entitlement. Sometimes often the smaller or bottom corps see this that the kid ended up paying close to nothing only to have the same kid go to a top corps with money in hand. It's been an ongoing issue for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyboy Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 in theory sure. Directors have contacted other directors about certain MM who owe sometimes many other programs ( winter ) and some always get around it. The entitlement. Sometimes often the smaller or bottom corps see this that the kid ended up paying close to nothing only to have the same kid go to a top corps with money in hand. It's been an ongoing issue for a long time. This happens a lot. I think some smaller corps are so desperate for players and the potential $$$ that they overlook the signs of someone about to take advantage of this. The kid doesn't have camp fees, they are short on payments, they end up not having money for tour but are allowed to march based on an empty promise. The kid soon learns they have sway and are valued for their body, and the money dries up. The situation isn't that they go to a big time corps with money in hand, the point is the big time corps don't put up with this nonsense. Kids are told the costs up front, they are questioned when they don't make payments and they are not offered a spot when they ignore their financial responsibilities. Big time corps also have ways of helping marchers out, but letting them ignore payments isn't one of them. Lots of corps rely on dues for a large percentage of their budget. They don't give tee shirts away for free and they don't let you have your drum or bugle for free at the end of the season. Why would you give away 10 weeks of food/room/board/instruction for free? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 This happens a lot. I think some smaller corps are so desperate for players and the potential $$$ that they overlook the signs of someone about to take advantage of this. The kid doesn't have camp fees, they are short on payments, they end up not having money for tour but are allowed to march based on an empty promise. The kid soon learns they have sway and are valued for their body, and the money dries up. The situation isn't that they go to a big time corps with money in hand, the point is the big time corps don't put up with this nonsense. Kids are told the costs up front, they are questioned when they don't make payments and they are not offered a spot when they ignore their financial responsibilities. Big time corps also have ways of helping marchers out, but letting them ignore payments isn't one of them. Lots of corps rely on dues for a large percentage of their budget. They don't give tee shirts away for free and they don't let you have your drum or bugle for free at the end of the season. Why would you give away 10 weeks of food/room/board/instruction for free? All true, except for the big time directors who do take some of these kids knowing others suffered. it has happened with at least 3 top 12 in recent years. Why who knows, for them there's always more kids BUT you are pretty much right about everything. winter programs as well as summer ones, good ones folded for this very reason. Of course not the only reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totaleefree Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 (edited) On the not paying dues/tuition I believe that now a data base is maintained and shared by the corps, to insure that if money is owed to one corps the marcher does not just jump ship and go to another. Going back to the late seventies I remember DCI saying that it is about looking out for the interests of the member corps not starting new corps. Part of that was because of limited resources and sponsors. The recent situation with CS probably shows some of reasons for that philosophy. Last year when they had their crisis I donated some money basically to help the kids. However that money that I and I am sure others like me gave would have probably gone to a different Corps to help then. So there is a good chance that the money they raised at the last minute last year may have cost other corps that money. The same go for the volunteer work put in to help. While it was generous on the part of those who contributed, that help could have helped another corps. So not only does a poorly planned Corps tour disappoint the marchers in some ways it takes away from other Corps who may have needed that one extra volunteer who was cooking in SC instead of with a Corps that really could have used the extra help. A lot of us who marched with some now deceased Corps want to help the underdog, and give to these small start ups who want to tour like all the other corps but supporting someone who doesn't have a solid plan sets back the activity as a whole. I found it interesting that when Cadets decide to add Cadets2 that they took it to DCA, rather than have a touring open class corps. Whatever people think of that organization looking at how keeping that part of the organization to weekends only and somewhat local seems to be a good model for a Corps. Even with all the resources that YEA has they realized big tours are not always the best thing for all units. Edited July 27, 2015 by totaleefree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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