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Class A corps outside NE - what happened?


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Didn’t follow corps from about 1993 until 2003. When I came back there were various Class A (and few Open) Corps from outside of the NE showing up at DCA. Off top of my head Govies started showing up along with Chops, MCL from Midwest. Couple of TX Class A and think CA Dream was Class A.

Thinks looked good for the activity with new smaller corps being created and coming to DCA. Then couple of years later.... poof.... Only one still around is Govies....

So what the heck happened?

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Good question, Jim.

Had a few years there when the Class A field was pretty big and wide-ranging.  I even remember a corps from Colorado coming in for at least one year.

Also remember one-offs like the Vigilantes in 2009. Made Class A finals, never came back. Reminded me of some of the Canadian corps from back in the day... they'd make a big splash for a year or maybe a few years, then gone. Les Cascadeurs, Metropolitans, etc.

I'm guessing money was a major factor.  Big expense to make the trip to championships, or for some corps, even to regular-season shows in a sub-region like DCA Central.

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33 minutes ago, CHRISP said:

Carolina Gold.

Sure. Blame them. :lol:

Seriously... you're right, Gold and Govies in Class A.

 

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time, distance, money, getting 35 members....don't forget a bunch of NE Class corps are no longer around. Gold and Aliiance bounced back and forth between open and A. Ct is now Open Class.  the issues are myriad

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1 hour ago, Jeff Ream said:

time, distance, money, getting 35 members....don't forget a bunch of NE Class corps are no longer around. Gold and Aliiance bounced back and forth between open and A. Ct is now Open Class.  the issues are myriad

Haven’t forgotten the NE Class A corps (come back Erie) just seemed like smaller corps were helping to grow outside NE. 

Fran yes Vigilantes with their Baseball show at Finals was a treat. Think they were the ones with 2 elementary school age pit members. Kris and I talked to the parents and they said the kids (and I do mean kids) enjoyed the experience. And they did play unlike one show were a corps put their bus driver in the pit to make 35 members

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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it costs a fortune to obtain rehearsal space, and with so few shows, why rehearse?    i think its honestly tough to sell an activity in a area where there's little performance opportunity.  

California groups had either only themselves to create a show after the california corps head to texas.  With Open Class corps growing, there may be a great option to build all-age piggybacking off of those groups, and combine with their shows. 

Govies drove a good 16 hours to get to DCA finals week.  St Louis and Nashville are 12-13 hour drives.  Atlanta is probably 13-14.   Denver is 25. Houston is 23. That's just a lot of cash spent on fuel to get gear from A to B, let alone moving and housing 35 members, plus staff, admin, volunteers...etc.   And if there's few to no shows in their area already, its futile to have an all age corps.  Why practice all those hours if there's no monthly test?  

The NE corps can also logistically all make a drive for a friday rehearsal of championship weekend (or rehearse at home, then shower and bus it to williamsport that evening) while the others are all still driving all day friday into saturday.  And if weather strikes, anyone not in the NE is screwed like Columbus was. 

Edited by C.Holland
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6 hours ago, C.Holland said:

it costs a fortune to obtain rehearsal space, and with so few shows, why rehearse?    i think its honestly tough to sell an activity in a area where there's little performance opportunity.  

California groups had either only themselves to create a show after the california corps head to texas.  With Open Class corps growing, there may be a great option to build all-age piggybacking off of those groups, and combine with their shows. 

Govies drove a good 16 hours to get to DCA finals week.  St Louis and Nashville are 12-13 hour drives.  Atlanta is probably 13-14.   Denver is 25. Houston is 23. That's just a lot of cash spent on fuel to get gear from A to B, let alone moving and housing 35 members, plus staff, admin, volunteers...etc.   And if there's few to no shows in their area already, its futile to have an all age corps.  Why practice all those hours if there's no monthly test?  

The NE corps can also logistically all make a drive for a friday rehearsal of championship weekend (or rehearse at home, then shower and bus it to williamsport that evening) while the others are all still driving all day friday into saturday.  And if weather strikes, anyone not in the NE is screwed like Columbus was. 

If the long distance corps tried it and decided it wasn’t worth the effort fine. But I haven’t heard anything saying that was what happened. Wouldn’t be surprised but want to hear facts and not best guesses. Not a slam just want something concrete 

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16 hours ago, JimF-LowBari said:

If the long distance corps tried it and decided it wasn’t worth the effort fine. But I haven’t heard anything saying that was what happened. Wouldn’t be surprised but want to hear facts and not best guesses. Not a slam just want something concrete 

it wasn't worth the effort because there was little for them to do before finals. each outer region was left with a do it yourselves kids mentality

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8 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

it wasn't worth the effort because there was little for them to do before finals. each outer region was left with a do it yourselves kids mentality

Sure that’s been said somewhere by people in the non-NE corps but I can’t find it. So far on this thread it’s been NEers saying how non-NEers felt and that’s not first hand and best guessing at worst. 

IOW I can’t tell if you and CH are passing info you learned from somewhere or giving a theory on what happened. 

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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