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How do the Cadets right the ship?


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I think before “the ship can be righted,” we need to identify the problem accurately.

For me, righting the ship is getting the corps in order so it will survive in the future. There are many things involved such as getting the finances in order and regaining trust. This seems to be happening. 

Now if we’re talking about this year’s show not being as successful as shows of the past as to why the ship needs to be righted, is this the result of poor management? It may just be a miss which happens from time to time. I know this is easy for me to say. I am not an alum, I am not a marching member, and I am not a parent. For a fan, an off year is an off year. For those more closely associated with the corps, especially where this is a competitive activity, there are alarms going off. This does not mean that moving forward  the corps may need to look at design and instructional staff and make some changes, but it does not mean the ship is sinking.

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1 hour ago, George Dixon said:

Again - as an outsider - I feel they wanted to give the folks who stuck through the very tough 2018 a chance to lead and teach without the last minute nature of it all and without GH. 

I have a tremendous amount of respect for this philosophy.

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To me, it is not a case of The Cadets having an off year. It is the rise of all the corps in their neighborhood that is muddying the waters, an overall good thing. These corps are just darn good these days. 

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I am also an outsider...but...I can see how this can be very frustrating for the Cadets community. 

I personally considered the Cadets to be THE MOST elite corps up until 2016. Now BD is the only consistently elite corps- and as someone who isn't into BDs style and lives in EST- this is very disappointing.

And in 2016...I was like "wow a down year" I loved the Pines of Rome...but the show was just...off.

Then 2017 happened. Many staff left and the show was extremely WTF with a reboot of Mass but it was...not the Cadets. I couldn't help but notice the extremely hard work that the MMs put into this mess of a show- how they still had the cleanest feet and classiest sounds in DCI.

Then in 2018 the s### hit the fan and probably the most well known name in DCI history was exposed. Damage control ensued and the Cadets did really really well... considering. 

Now they are looking at 4 straight years at being 6th place or lower and 6 years without a medal. (2014 show was a snoozer too...). Since then BD has continued their absolute dominance, Crown has hung around, SCV has regained their elite status, Boston will likely make the top 6 for three consecutive years, the Cavaliers finally look to be back on the right path and the Bluecoats have medaled every year but one.

Cadets are at a crossroads- the ship can be "righted" much like Cavaliers and SCV have done, which will take time, the right choices as an organization, and patience, or they can continue a downward trajectory like Madison and Phantom have done.

The important thing is after all they have been through as an organization their placement is relatively consistent this year.

Edited by ThePlanets
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46 minutes ago, MikeD said:

To me, it is not a case of The Cadets having an off year. It is the rise of all the corps in their neighborhood that is muddying the waters, an overall good thing. These corps are just darn good these days. 

I was just thinking this for many of the corps that would be considered having "down years." 

There are still the more prominant corps, but I feel like the playing field overall is becoming more even because there are so many very good corps.

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4 hours ago, George Dixon said:

I know the adults in charge want it to get better and QUICKLY - the corps is fully funded at the same level as the very top corps 

This cannot possibly be true. Take a look at our electronics, and then take a look at Bluecoats' electronics. We're a kid in his bedroom with a Casio and a tape deck, and they are a Skrillex show.

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2 hours ago, MikeD said:

To me, it is not a case of The Cadets having an off year. It is the rise of all the corps in their neighborhood that is muddying the waters, an overall good thing. These corps are just darn good these days. 

Don’t be fooled. They are now living in a completely different neighborhood than the one they were used to living in for a long time. Some of those corps in this new neighborhood have been  there for a while, some have risen, but let’s be real. The Cadets have fallen. 

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16 minutes ago, seen-it-all said:

Don’t be fooled. They are now living in a completely different neighborhood than the one they were used to living in for a long time. Some of those corps in this new neighborhood have been  there for a while, some have risen, but let’s be real. The Cadets have fallen. 

No doubt they are not in the top medalist tier, and they have not been for a few years.

However, to think they are falling off the edge of the earth, as seems to be the case being made by some here, is just, IMO, not true. The rise of a bunch of corps has made the area the Cadets are in very crowded, but it doesn't mean that they are falling...give the others credit. 

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2 minutes ago, MikeD said:

No doubt they are not in the top medalist tier, and they have not been for a few years.

However, to think they are falling off the edge of the earth, as seems to be the case being made by some here, is just, IMO, not true. The rise of a bunch of corps has made the area the Cadets are in very crowded, but it doesn't mean that they are falling...give the others credit. 

IDK, man. Usually I'm upbeat, but design- and talent-wise, we're playing checkers and everybody else is playing 5D chess. If we make it back, it's gonna take a very long time and a huge amount of money and energy.

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Just now, exitmusic said:

IDK, man. Usually I'm upbeat, but design- and talent-wise, we're playing checkers and everybody else is playing 5D chess. If we make it back, it's gonna take a very long time and a huge amount of money and energy.

Oh, moving up will be tough...those above them are not likely to decline. But I for one am very happy with where the corps is today after 2018. There could just as well be NO Cadets right now.

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