Surf Organization Responds To Membership Challenges By Lowering 2022 Drum Corps Participation Expenses By $1000

[Poppycock]

1 hour ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Sounds like a thread topic “how can corps reduce costs”. But other than get rid of props with is probably a low percentage of total costs, what can be chopped or reduced.

Staff drives the budget! Performers are paying more each year, and getting less and less. What the staff wants, staff gets, or they threaten to walk.  Administration will risk everything to win regardless of incurred cost. So most don't care to mitigate risks. IMO, Surf made the wrong decision. Now it's a perceived value equation. In other words they’re not going to have any more or any less students because of fees. 

Edited March 23, 2022 by Poppycock

[cixelsyd]

10 hours ago, DrummerParent said:

Yep.  The problem is that performers want the $5000 drum corps experience but don’t want to pay $5000.  People often blame expensive props, electronics, etc. for ballooning the costs but that’s not really much (in most cases- there have been exceptions) compared to fuel, food, bus rental, bus drivers, tractor rental and drivers, housing, etc.

You sure people are blaming the entirety of increasing costs on props/electronics?  Or could it just be that props/electronics are costs that we have more control over compared to food or housing?

[DrummerParent]

47 minutes ago, cixelsyd said:

You sure people are blaming the entirety of increasing costs on props/electronics?

Entirety?  No, I didn’t say entirety but if you’ve read posts on this forum for the last couple years you know that props and electronics get blamed for rising costs, maybe because it’s one of the few things the corps have much control over.

[2000Cadet]

12 hours ago, DrummerParent said:

Yep.  The problem is that performers want the $5000 drum corps experience but don’t want to pay $5000.  People often blame expensive props, electronics, etc. for ballooning the costs but that’s not really much (in most cases- there have been exceptions) compared to fuel, food, bus rental, bus drivers, tractor rental and drivers, housing, etc.  If a lower cost experience is what would make this activity more popular, open class corps would be packed with members and world class would be looking for members.  I think corps used to foot more of the costs through donations and sponsorships in the past and now more is on the member.  The one thing that’s probably changed the most is corps moving from entirely / nearly entirely volunteer to more paid staff, drivers, etc.

Tell this to those who don't come from middle class areas.

It's sad that drum corps is this expensive now. When I marched, I could barely afford to march even a division II corps. I worked my ### off with an after-school job at McDonald's and sponsorships to help me pay for the cost to march Cadets. With all the crap going on nowadays, if I were of marching age, I wouldn't dare try to march drum corps. 

[DrummerParent]

55 minutes ago, 2000Cadet said:

Tell this to those who don't come from middle class areas.

It's sad that drum corps is this expensive now. When I marched, I could barely afford to march even a division II corps.

What are you trying to say?  I’m not saying that drum corps isn’t expensive.  What I’m saying is that people are constantly complaining about the cost yet performers aren’t choosing the lesser expensive and open class corps.  What would you change to make the activity less expensive that the data doesn’t already prove doesn’t work.  You can’t have the $5000 drum corps experience without someone paying for it.

[greg_orangecounty]

Good for them!  Hope it turns into a trend.  Not sure why it's necessary to shell out 5K for a "positive experience" in Drum Corps.

[Jeff Ream]

14 hours ago, shostahoosier said:

Fuel. food. insurance. multiple weeks sitting in spring training not making $$. 
 

these aren’t new things

no?

no. but costs keep rising.

[Jeff Ream]

2 hours ago, 2000Cadet said:

Tell this to those who don't come from middle class areas.

It's sad that drum corps is this expensive now. When I marched, I could barely afford to march even a division II corps. I worked my ### off with an after-school job at McDonald's and sponsorships to help me pay for the cost to march Cadets. With all the crap going on nowadays, if I were of marching age, I wouldn't dare try to march drum corps. 

yet thousands of middle class kids do sports camps that last a week and cost more.

[shostahoosier]

12 hours ago, DrummerParent said:

Exactly.  Lowering costs = lowering the experience / expectations.  

I don’t necessarily think this is the case.

I am amazed at how the Madison Scouts organization was able to keep costs low for so long while remaining competitive.

I attended university with a member who marched the year before and after Scott Stewart was replaced and his first thought was “we have an awesome new design team but my corps fees have doubled.”

Anyway I feel like corps fees will become a problem, especially for the smaller and middle tier corps. There needs to be a real discussion/solution and not just a “it’s cheap and if they want to march they will find a way.” 
 

[shostahoosier]

1 hour ago, Jeff Ream said:

yet thousands of middle class kids do sports camps that last a week and cost more.

The average sports camp is charging more than $5K a week? Because it seems like the average corps fee is this much.