The future of the Cadets

[garfield]

On 4/20/2018 at 4:31 PM, Icer said:

Who exactly protected the director and rapes?  The members at the time?  As far as we can tell, no one is alleging that any of them knew other than the victims.  Other staff?  Perhaps, but you should be specific.  The board?  From all of the accusations that have been made to date, it was all before their time.  The victims?  I don't think so.  While we hope that victims will come forward quickly, it is their right to wait until they feel it is their time to tell the story.  The current members?  Of course not.

Unless you are prepared to name names and be specific, the responsibility for all this lies with one person who has exited the scene.

(Still catching up...)

Let me tell you a story... direct first-hand from the person to whom it happened ("Tom", I'll call him).

Tom was working at Cadets on staff - in the Zingali era.

Tom, a married, good-looking man, was standing in a crowd of staff and members when George Zingali approached him and said, directly to his face: "Are you married?".  When Tom answered that yes, in fact, he was married George Zingali said to him "Well your wife should loan you to me for just one night".

Tom, a God-honoring man and sincere band-geek was appalled and approached other Cadets staff after GZ "swaggered" away.  The answer he got was, essentially, "Oh, that's just George.  That's standard fare around here.  We're pretty loose with the talent".

So, who, EXACTLY?  Well, there's one for whom I have first-hand knowledge.  Others here have made contentions and repeated rumors, but the staff "culture" was very real for Tom.  In today's world such admission and acquiescence that it was "just the way it was"  is tantamount to standing by and witnessing a rape.

I don't think Cowtown is alone in his opinion that it's possible that other admissions need to happen to "clean house".  But I think it's pertinent to ask how far back in time we're going to sweep before we're satisfied, in today's society, that we've "rooted it out".

Maybe simply healing and moving forward, and spending less time on finding past perps, would be helpful.  But I've not been a victim of such acquiescence, either.

 

Still catching up...

 

 

[garfield]

22 hours ago, GUARDLING said:

No, sorry, This is an iconic corps, NEVER even in not so great years has this corps just felt it was acceptable " just to get on the field" I would encourage any corps of this status for this long FIGHT, prove you are more than 1 sleazy person, that your history minus 1 person is greater than ever, that there are thousands of alumni who weathered alot for them to be there today, that NOTHING will keep them down, EVEN FOR THE VICTIMS, who obviously loved their corps maybe even to a fault with their director.

YES, simply keeping a corps together is not a bad thing BUT this corps as well as others with long histories even in lean years fought to be the best and I believe ( and I've known several over the years ) never looked at themselves as just making the field.

I hear you, I can see where you are coming from BUT encouragement is needed and if they are even remotely close to where they have been even in these past years which some talk as if they were 10 points lower than usual could easily hit those heights. 

Of course, no matter where they end up will be an accomplishment but we are judging a corps, not their director. If fans will judge these members based on the sick actions of an individual ( and I have no doubt many might ) who cares what they think. I have to believe the judging community will not.

Sorry for the rant...lol..... No matter who the corps I would be saying the same, and have over the decades

Yes.  ######-straight.

 

[garfield]

22 hours ago, Eleran said:

I'm reminded of my final season in high school in the '80s.   I was the returning drum major looking forward to a great senior year, but in June as my Junior year ended, our band director handed in her notice.   With no band director and the school district having a long process to find a replacement, and the outgoing director not having made any plans for the upcoming season before leaving, everyone thought the marching program was gonna have to take the year off.   And in those days, the director was the entire staff, only having the drum major(s) to help - no assistants, techs, volunteers, etc., like today.   We didn't even have an organized booster program for parents.

In late June I chose music for the show from our library and got the sections rehearsing.  In July I went to another year at George Parks' camp, starting to design drill during the evenings.  In August we upperclassmen brought in our freshman to teach them how to march, and then the returning marchers came in for the start of our regular camp.  Two days into camp, we finally got a new director (who even had a wife with DCI color guard experience to work with our guard).   We ended up having a fine year.  I don't remember how we did in competition that season, any more than I remember how we did the prior three years. 

Moments like these can be opportunities.

I lived this.  Almost exactly.

So true.

Creative destruction is hard.  And rewarding.

[garfield]

14 hours ago, 2000Cadet said:

 

 

It's pretty much pointless to try reasoning with him. Cowtown has always shown his bias against Cadets so it's nothing new. It's funny how one can sit anonymously and judge others because they chose to become part of an organization with which he disagrees. 

Regardless of what GH did to these people, he neither defines Cadets nor does he define the people who marched, instructed, volunteered, and donated to the corps. To sit behind the comfort of anonymity and judge us, call us "borg" or whatever Cowtown wants to do, because we love that organization does nothing but bleeds judgment and sanctimony, in which case, doesn't even deserve the time wasted on even reading that post.

I wonder how many Harvey Weinstein movies Cowtown has seen. I wonder how many politicians for whom he has voted who have done the same thing. I wonder how many Kevin Spacey movies he has watched. I wonder if he still "supports our troops." The sad fact is, this problem of sexual assault/harassment is pervasive throughout many sectors of our society. Cowtown wants to imply that anyone who has ever been associated with the Cadets are complicit; I hope he is willing to look himself in the mirror and ask if HE is complicit given his constant commenting on Cadets threads. Cowtown's moral superiority is irrelevant since I'm sure there is at least one organization he has supported in which this crime has been committed. 

 I marched Cadets and I am PROUD of it. I am not going to get bent out of shape  because some random internet person wants to judge me for it. He's never marched Cadets so he does not have first hand knowledge of what it is like to be part of that organization. Regardless of what GH has done,  I will never regret my decision to march there and will never be ashamed of it, Cowtown's judgment notwithstanding. 

To answer the poll, if this story had come out while I was of marching age, I would only march there if they made the necessary changes to ensure they were trying to prevent this from happening again. I am sure my parents would definitely have a say in it. They would probably have their qualms about it, but they have never prevented me from following my dreams. And although they would be more involved if they had this information, they would have still allowed me to march there. 

GH is gone. The old YEA board is gone. Cadets are rebuilding. I am looking forward to see what happens with them in the future. 

Once a Cadet...

 

[garfield]

19 minutes ago, BigW said:

Don't forget the very mid-heavy Cadets ensemble sound which is very recognizable. GH didn't create that for sure. Certainly wasn't his idea.

THIS   THIS   THIS  

Darned-straight

[IllianaLancerContra]

1 hour ago, garfield said:

(Still catching up...)

Let me tell you a story... direct first-hand from the person to whom it happened ("Tom", I'll call him).

Tom was working at Cadets on staff - in the Zingali era.

Tom, a married, good-looking man, was standing in a crowd of staff and members when George Zingali approached him and said, directly to his face: "Are you married?".  When Tom answered that yes, in fact, he was married George Zingali said to him "Well your wife should loan you to me for just one night".

Tom, a God-honoring man and sincere band-geek was appalled and approached other Cadets staff after GZ "swaggered" away.  The answer he got was, essentially, "Oh, that's just George.  That's standard fare around here.  We're pretty loose with the talent".

So, who, EXACTLY?  Well, there's one for whom I have first-hand knowledge.  Others here have made contentions and repeated rumors, but the staff "culture" was very real for Tom.  In today's world such admission and acquiescence that it was "just the way it was"  is tantamount to standing by and witnessing a rape.

I don't think Cowtown is alone in his opinion that it's possible that other admissions need to happen to "clean house".  But I think it's pertinent to ask how far back in time we're going to sweep before we're satisfied, in today's society, that we've "rooted it out".

Maybe simply healing and moving forward, and spending less time on finding past perps, would be helpful.  But I've not been a victim of such acquiescence, either.

 

Still catching up...

 

 

'Tom' potentially dodged a bullet

[totaleefree]

Saw this It doesn't say it is an emergency or they won't march if they don't raise the money, but apparently they need or would like to have 250k in donations to get the corps started in the right directions with new leadership. I am clueless as to what their finances are right now.

https://yea.org/index.php?option=com_civicrm&task=civicrm/mailing/view&id=2916&reset=1

[Tim K]

8 minutes ago, totaleefree said:

Saw this It doesn't say it is an emergency or they won't march if they don't raise the money, but apparently they need or would like to have 250k in donations to get the corps started in the right directions with new leadership. I am clueless as to what their finances are right now.

https://yea.org/index.php?option=com_civicrm&task=civicrm/mailing/view&id=2916&reset=1

Where it does not say “we need these funds or we’re doomed,” as some drum corps plea for funds has been in the past, I would not automatically assume the corps is in trouble financially. No doubt the funds are needed if for no other reason than contributions are down, but asking alums to donate a specific amount as this pitch asks is often used by private schools as a way of determining support. 

[corps8294]

I still remember a very angry parent on here, some years ago, telling everyone that was "saying mean and nasty things about George Hopkins to write him a letter of apology." I wonder how many people actually did it. 

[ShortAndFast]

I think it's a good ask. They unquestionably are going to need the money - all of the cleanup, lawyers, pr, investigations, audits, etc. doesn't come for free - and more strategically, it's a great idea to ask people who had stopped supporting over the years to contribute once again now that the org is under new leadership.