40 year dominance

[MikeRapp]

13 minutes ago, ShortAndFast said:

Great MMs are necessary but not sufficient to win.

The very word Great can be defined in many very different ways. All of these kids are great by my definition. But some are more musically and athletically capable than others. Some are on a music career path in which marching in a dci corps is one of the steps. Some are in it to win medals, mostly. Others, not as much.

All of these kids are great marching members. 

But winning even one medal takes far, far more than great marching members. It’s the very nature of this activity. If you don’t like the combination of amateur with professional, then this isn’t the activity for you.

[skevinp]

1 hour ago, jwillis35 said:

?????????????????????

you baffle me...

The meaning is always there and I can usually, though not always, find it if I look hard enough.  

I think Bluzes is actually a very smart poster who thinks much faster than he can type.

[ShortAndFast]

17 minutes ago, MikeRapp said:

The very word Great can be defined in many very different ways. All of these kids are great by my definition. But some are more musically and athletically capable than others. Some are on a music career path in which marching in a dci corps is one of the steps. Some are in it to win medals, mostly. Others, not as much.

All of these kids are great marching members. 

But winning even one medal takes far, far more than great marching members. It’s the very nature of this activity. If you don’t like the combination of amateur with professional, then this isn’t the activity for you.

I mean great as in experienced & talented. You probably aren't going to win DCI if your members are (on average) significantly younger, less-experienced and less-talented than what BD recruits.

But just because you have talented MMs, you still might not win. I think of Crown 2016 as one example of an extremely talented corps (won 3 of 5 caption awards) who finished 3rd.

[ContraFart]

I believe that the talent level of the top 5 or 6 corps is pretty equal and only differs by degrees. What BD has that other corps do not is a staff that has been together for 30+ years. Bluecoats are second in staff longevity I believe. SCV is up there with some of their staff but the Rennicks haven't been there super long and this is Gaines' first year as lead drill designer.

[MikeRapp]

9 minutes ago, ContraFart said:

I believe that the talent level of the top 5 or 6 corps is pretty equal and only differs by degrees. What BD has that other corps do not is a staff that has been together for 30+ years. Bluecoats are second in staff longevity I believe. SCV is up there with some of their staff but the Rennicks haven't been there super long and this is Gaines' first year as lead drill designer.

Having established, proven, well paid staff is, unfortunately, a rarity in this activity. I would imagine that nothing taints the energy and commitment of marching members like seeing and hearing how their educational staff is taken advantage of, especially financially. You can’t hide much when you share the same buses and gym floors for three months.

How can corps become organizations? To me, this is what DCI needs to be very serious about going forward. Perhaps they are. But it would be great if the established top eight organizations did more to help out their competition.

[Ghost]

20 minutes ago, ContraFart said:

 and this is Gaines' first year as lead drill designer.

Maybe, but his resume is pretty dam good.

[Bluzes]

1 hour ago, MikeRapp said:

All of these kids are great marching members. 

Very well put. I stole an education by being in a drum corps. Should still be paying off the student loans. And here I go bragging again. In 1965 I was a one stick drummer in the last place corps in Boston. Arguably (at least I hope someone does). I was the least talented mm that year, guess some things never change from reactions to my posts. That experience lends itself to many successful accomplishments since then. Been very grateful everyday. I do have tunnel vision when it comes to the MM's and knows that many of us are like that.

Edited August 5, 2018 by Bluzes
typo

[snake33]

What happens when SV and BD cadets make the top 12 in World Class bumping out Phantom etc. ?

Will that be fair? What next BD SV cadet C? By 2050 they'll have all top six spots covered.

[E3D]

[Box5Opinion]

On 8/3/2018 at 10:11 AM, snake33 said:

How can a 40 year dominance in two divisions be good for any activity? BD and to great extent California is DCI. They started out in the 70s with a large initial advantage and that advantage has built upon itself over decades. Subjective judging has leaned primarily towards one style and now rule changes are proposed to make that subjective bias even worse.
DCI isn't a sport it is an exhibition with BD and sometimes SCV the featured act. If everybodies OK with that, carry on.

Consistent STAFF and IDENTITY! The stay true to themselves! I 

All of the corps voted to change the current scoring system (no it doesn't favor one style) it's primarily all about GE!!!! If the show is designed good and executed well then the corp does well. That's all! 

Cavaliers, Phantom, Crown, Bluecoats, Cadets, Boston Crusaders, Blue Stars need to have better designed shows and execute them in ALL cylinders (brass, percussion, guard). Don't hate the player or the game! It is what it is! Dot your I's and cross your T's = Blue Devils know how to do this (consistently), Santa Clara Vanguard - are getting there (they haven't won a championship since the tie in 1999). That's all, I can carry on, but I love to ##### about it! :)