Jeff Ream Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 1 hour ago, bluecoats88 said: you know I bet every year you can probably predict who the top 5 or 6 College Football teams are going to be also, and I'm guessing not once does Ball State, Maryland, Rutgers, Duke, or Minnesota ever get mentioned. i hate logic used to rebut an argument. it can kill half of the fun of DCP 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craiga Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 I think the entire equation circles back to the financial solidity of the organization. A corps which is in a strong financial position can, through hiring, planning, writing etc ensure a great member experience, which will inevitably lead to strong member (and staff) retention. For more than 25 years, Boston found itself somewhere between 13th and 25th. Some years were competitively better than others, and the kids and staff harnessed the 'This Corps Will Never Die" mantra to the point where it never did. BUT, it wasn't until a group of people who marched during that era focused on the financial piece in a huge way in or about 2014 or 15. Until then, BAC survived despite the financial picture. Ironically, it may well have been the G7 scheme from GH that pushed some BAC alums over the edge. Some felt it was imperative to change the way drum corps in Boston was done...or perhaps not survive. The results of this new focus have been substantial and not yet reached its peak. I think that some of the struggling corps this season on the field are having some off the field (see: financial) struggles as well. While money doesn't cure everything, it sure does help. As the member and staff experience improve, so does the retention, which in turn should help placement. Call it the BD model if you want, but it clearly works., 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfirwin3 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) Just to be clear, drumcorps choose their approximate scoring range mostly in design. Also, kids that march in corps that place outside of finals enjoy marching in those corps. Additionally, having kids that desire more competition and leave is not a 'problem'... It's merely another form of 'aging out'... but it's not an issue of 'age', it's an issue of compatible philosophy. Championship corps will always have members that have previous marching experience and want 'more'. If a drumcorps in the nonfinalist range wants more, then they will change their philosophy to achieve it over time. But the short answer is that most corps aren't trying to contend (that's not their mission) and they are not served well by a membership that is discontented with that mission. It is better for members that want to contend to go to another corps that upholds that motivation. Nothing's broken here. Edited July 23, 2019 by cfirwin3 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAvery Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 2 hours ago, craiga said: For more than 25 years, Boston found itself somewhere between 13th and 25th. Some years were competitively better than others, and the kids and staff harnessed the 'This Corps Will Never Die" mantra to the point where it never did. BUT, it wasn't until a group of people who marched during that era focused on the financial piece in a huge way in or about 2014 or 15. Until then, BAC survived despite the financial picture. Ironically, it may well have been the G7 scheme from GH that pushed some BAC alums over the edge. Some felt it was imperative to change the way drum corps in Boston was done...or perhaps not survive. The results of this new focus have been substantial and not yet reached its peak. It is true from 1972-1998 BAC generally placed from 13-25th (when the went to DCI), but they first made finals in 99 and placed 5th in 2000, thier highest placement ever. My guess is there must have been a few very smart managment decisions made in the 90's to bring that kind of success. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePlanets Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) 29 minutes ago, cfirwin3 said: Just to be clear, drumcorps choose their approximate scoring range mostly in design. Also, kids that march in corps that place outside of finals enjoy marching in those corps. Additionally, having kids that desire more competition and leave is not a 'problem'... It's merely another form of 'aging out'... but it's not an issue of 'age', it's an issue of compatible philosophy. Championship corps will always have members that have previous marching experience and want 'more'. If a drumcorps in the nonfinalist range wants more, then they will change their philosophy to achieve it over time. But the short answer is that most corps aren't trying to contend (that's not their mission) and they are not served well by a membership that is discontented with that mission. It is better for members that want to contend to go to another corps that upholds that motivation. Nothing's broken here. I think there is a big hole here too. There are a lot of kids that aren't from a BOA culture but would love to be in drum corps and don't know enough about it. I always identified as a good marcher and good musician but not a great or elite one. The problem was up until I was 20 years old I was only aware of the top of the crop (out of my league...i.e. the Cadets) and corps like Lake Erie and Capital Regiment- which I wasn't interested in. I would have loved to March with a corps like today's SOA, or Music City, or Legends, or maybe tried out for the Bluecoats (I am in my 30s so they were good but not elite yet) but I knew nothing about it and I think there are a lot of kids in this boat... The following year I had to do prep work for grad school so it was out. These middle of the road corps do certainly have a place- I just wish more people knew about them. Edited July 23, 2019 by ThePlanets 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den8uml Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) . Edited July 23, 2019 by Den8uml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den8uml Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 This is one of the most cordial and interesting topics full of ideas on this site today! well done everyone 🙂 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRapp Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 5 hours ago, cfirwin3 said: Just to be clear, drumcorps choose their approximate scoring range mostly in design. Also, kids that march in corps that place outside of finals enjoy marching in those corps. Additionally, having kids that desire more competition and leave is not a 'problem'... It's merely another form of 'aging out'... but it's not an issue of 'age', it's an issue of compatible philosophy. Championship corps will always have members that have previous marching experience and want 'more'. If a drumcorps in the nonfinalist range wants more, then they will change their philosophy to achieve it over time. But the short answer is that most corps aren't trying to contend (that's not their mission) and they are not served well by a membership that is discontented with that mission. It is better for members that want to contend to go to another corps that upholds that motivation. Nothing's broken here. That’s quite interesting. I wonder, though, how much of the staff of noncontending corps are happy and content being a forever non contender. Does Blue Stars, for example, truly have no goal to win medals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfirwin3 Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 22 minutes ago, MikeRapp said: That’s quite interesting. I wonder, though, how much of the staff of noncontending corps are happy and content being a forever non contender. Does Blue Stars, for example, truly have no goal to win medals? When I attended a Bloo camp in 1996, they were explicit on day one that "...if you are here to win... you are in the wrong place. That's not what we do." That's a direct quote from the assistant director at the time. All of the organizations are part of a competitive circuit and each corps has competitive goals, no doubt (like being a finalist, or semifinalist). But many corps keep their priorities firmly focused on the experience of marching a performing arts program for spectators and learning discipline through preparation. I would imagine that Blue Stars absolutely has the goal to win medals (they act and they work like it). The assumption is that some members will leave Blue Stars for BD or SCV to get medals... but... It's also true that members of other finalist and nonfinalist corps are leaving FOR the Blue Stars for the same reason (and Blue Stars will benefit from that). But the lion's share of members seek out corps for other reasons. Many members go to the most geographically convenient corps (I did). Some go to the most affordable... or follow family tradition or their friends (I compelled 2 friends to march Bloo back in the day). Many will align with the corps that fit their preferential style (I guarantee that the kids at Surf love what they do). Members move from open class to world class because that satisfies their goal at the time. For BD and SCV, some of their members are cultivated in their secondary programs. None of those reasons are competitive goals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 1 hour ago, MikeRapp said: That’s quite interesting. I wonder, though, how much of the staff of noncontending corps are happy and content being a forever non contender. Does Blue Stars, for example, truly have no goal to win medals? I doubt the marching members of the Blue Stars start spring training with the goal of winning a medal. Does the organization want to work there way there? possibly. Does the Surf organization want to work its way toward winning medals? I don't think so, though I'm sure they would like to move solidly into the top 25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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