N.E. Brigand Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Actually aren't they already using some version of a phone voting app for the mini corps contest? As you describe it for your karaoke league, it seems like all that would be necessary. I mean it's not like you can do anything with the score sheets after the show anyway. A crowd vote will always be a popularity contest, but in a one-show season isn't that all there is? Sounds like a good idea. Mike Covell, Ghost Riders They did the past two years. I was late getting to Rochester this year, so I only caught the last two corps and the awards, but now that you mention it, I don't remember hearing any fan award announced, just the judges' scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Actually aren't they already using some version of a phone voting app for the mini corps contest? As you describe it for your karaoke league, it seems like all that would be necessary. I mean it's not like you can do anything with the score sheets after the show anyway. A crowd vote will always be a popularity contest, but in a one-show season isn't that all there is? Sounds like a good idea. Mike Covell, Ghost Riders Corps would just cheat. Well some of them might. I think it was 2007 or 2009 at the Almuni Spectacular that someone stole a good portion of the programs or the thing the vote for the best Alumni corps form was in. I think because of that they would not give out the fan award that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Hard to believe I am going to say this, but here goes. Want to see more mini corps? Make it an exhibition and take the judging out of it. It takes too much hard work to compete for second, and even though I can say that I programmed and performed in the only show that ever beat Star United, it is so much work to get a group that good, that it becomes almost unhealthy. I came over to the venue after finally going to the WDHOF banquet. I have missed the banquet every year except the year it was on Friday because of a parade downtown cause I and E to moved to Saturday. Many people were asking of course about why the Ghost Riders weren't there. I won't be ashamed to say that the show needed that group and maybe a few more. The vibe for me was not what I expected. Less fans than usual as well. Star was great as usual, Sacramento was very good, the rest were also good. But there was something missing. I know I missed doing it, but I did not miss how hard we worked to get to the level we had to achieve to compete with Star. I will imagine that this response will take some heat, but it is fine if it does. I got to go to someone's induction that I sponsored into the WDCHOF, Rick Rogers, who I wrote many shows with and worked with on many projects. I have been missing the banquet every year because it is at the same time as the mini corps show. Maybe if that they didn't collide, that may bring some more interest. In the meantime, RIP Mass Brass, Golden Eagles, Erie Thunderbirds mini corps, Minne Brass, Skyliners mini corps, Crossmen Extreme et al. Donny WDCHOF Class of 1995 I don't know what would help it. The fan base is shifting. Many of the diehards that attended Finals have either stopped going or have died off. The "YOUTH" have not seemed to gravitate towards the mini corps venue or the I@E. Until they can figure out a way to capture that new "youth" audience they keep talking about I suspect mini corps is all but dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErieSopMike Posted September 8, 2016 Author Share Posted September 8, 2016 I don't know what would help it. The fan base is shifting. Many of the diehards that attended Finals have either stopped going or have died off. The "YOUTH" have not seemed to gravitate towards the mini corps venue or the I@E. Until they can figure out a way to capture that new "youth" audience they keep talking about I suspect mini corps is all but dead. This is what I'm trying to mount a movement to fix. I'm only one person, but I'm trying, lol. In the sense of a competition, it's unlikely Star United is going to be beaten anytime soon, so the question is, how do you still have a minicorps portion to the event that rewards in some way, shape or form. Technically, if the powers that be wanted to, they could say that Star would have to perform in exhibition since they've won so many years in a row, to give someone else a chance to take the top spot. It's not the greatest idea, but it's an idea. But you hit the nail on the head about the fan base shifting. The older fans/members are hanging it up, not going, whatever anymore. Corps are dying off because those older members don't want to hand the corps over to a younger group, they just want it to end on their watch and have the good ole days. Sean and crew in Erie had this struggle, obviously they were able to work out something because here they are, with Thunderbirds reborn and competing (this is why I say it isn't impossible). I know the struggle is there though and to basically have the infrastructure of an existing corps in place would help immensely, but you again run into that problem of "we went out with our best and that's the way it's going to be." and that's fine, but work with a new set of "owners" who want to make their own legacy: Work it out to change the name of the corps, new identity so that those leaving the activity have their glory and those coming in have their future glory to look toward. Maybe something that could be done is some sort of DCA initiative that for up and coming minicorps that have an endgame to wind up on the field, that there be an award that helps a corps make that transition from minicorps to Class A or something and instead of medals, there's something done with Class A membership or whatnot to help that transition. Would that work? I dunno, but it's an idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 In the sense of a competition, it's unlikely Star United is going to be beaten anytime soon, so the question is, how do you still have a minicorps portion to the event that rewards in some way, shape or form. Technically, if the powers that be wanted to, they could say that Star would have to perform in exhibition since they've won so many years in a row, to give someone else a chance to take the top spot. It's not the greatest idea, but it's an idea. Wasn't it proposed just last year on these forums that Buccaneers ought to be forced to go exhibition-only for a year and give other corps a chance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErieSopMike Posted September 8, 2016 Author Share Posted September 8, 2016 (edited) Wasn't it proposed just last year on these forums that Buccaneers ought to be forced to go exhibition-only for a year and give other corps a chance? It probably was. Obviously they're human and can be topped. Same can be said for Start United. I like the idea of removing the actual judging from minicorps, but in the end, you don't get a winner and the point of a competition is to have a winner... so back we go to think of other ways to help the activity. Maybe a bounty of sorts to the minicorps that can beat them? I mean, the winning minicorps does get to play at Finals before the awards, maybe have something like their minicorps entry fee waived for the next season to defend their title? Edited September 8, 2016 by ErieSopMike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justMike Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Moving a mini corps onto the field has actually happened twice as I recall. When the San Francisco Renegades first came east, they were here for the mini corps contest (which they won). The other corps was the Atlanta CorpVets who may have started in DCA as a brass ensemble, then to mini corps, then to class A, then open. Oh, and a quick word about the "good ole days." Next time you're talking to Gibbons or any of the other guys from the old T-Birds, ask 'em about marching the mini corps show on a dark parking lot in Scranton, or on the street in Allentown where the crowd was closer to me than the other contras in Ghost. Those days certainly were "ole" if not always "good." Not for nothin' I still think the phone app thing has some merit and might be worth pursuing. Mike Covell, Ghost Riders 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErieSopMike Posted September 8, 2016 Author Share Posted September 8, 2016 (edited) Moving a mini corps onto the field has actually happened twice as I recall. When the San Francisco Renegades first came east, they were here for the mini corps contest (which they won). The other corps was the Atlanta CorpVets who may have started in DCA as a brass ensemble, then to mini corps, then to class A, then open. Oh, and a quick word about the "good ole days." Next time you're talking to Gibbons or any of the other guys from the old T-Birds, ask 'em about marching the mini corps show on a dark parking lot in Scranton, or on the street in Allentown where the crowd was closer to me than the other contras in Ghost. Those days certainly were "ole" if not always "good." Not for nothin' I still think the phone app thing has some merit and might be worth pursuing. Mike Covell, Ghost Riders I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking that things can be done. It gives me a glimmer of hope. The only issue with the phone app is that, even though everybody has a cell phone, not everybody has a cell phone, lol. There are a lot of older age people that have phones that have no idea how to use the internet or features other than just making phone calls (who makes phone calls anymore right? lol). So you'd still need a paper ballot of some sort to ensure everyone gets a vote. As a fun side contest, if the contest were to continue with a traditional scoring method, you could have a fan contest to place the Top 3 in minicorps competition in order(win a prize) and for a bigger prize, guess the correct scores for those corps (field pass for Finals awards maybe? Help present the minicorps award to the minicorps champion at retreat?). That could all be done via the app thing/paper ballot as well and you'd have 15 minutes after the last minicorps performance to register your answers. This way you're involving the fans and rewarding their attendance at the event (and you could have some weird Captcha thing at a certain point that has to be entered on the app/ballot to know that the person was in attendance at the event. Edited September 8, 2016 by ErieSopMike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny Drum Corps Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 The winning corps gets to perform at finals? All except in 2013 when the Ghost Riders won. Thus, more that adds to the frustration of why work so hard. DA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 They did the past two years. I was late getting to Rochester this year, so I only caught the last two corps and the awards, but now that you mention it, I don't remember hearing any fan award announced, just the judges' scores. Correct... there was no fan-voting thing this year at mini-corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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