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Santa Clara Vanguard 2023 Announcement Thread


Toby

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7 minutes ago, scheherazadesghost said:

Naw, I know. I just always emphasize that the members are the first to feel the very issues you describe below. It's important that folks understand that. Some of us were very impressionable and naive... we expected better. The shift from 04 to 05 was intense.

There was also a certain homing missile of a leadership change that I think did a lot of damage.

Fair. Thank you for this. Of course the experience sold to members is universal no matter how hard we try to make it unique.

I guess what I bolded above is what kills me. I had a steep learning curve but I suppose I was that student too. The outsider that showed up ready to learn a show. I displaced Californians on that 04 saber line, but so did many others, which doesn't make it better.

Thanks for putting this out there. Again, this probably isn't uncommon throughout the activity though right? Not just an SCV problem?

not to be the downer here.  but filling the hole with a warm body is the absolute LAST resort of anyone in the top 12.  they'll have "subs" strung along all summer, and they'll try them. but if that sub can't actually do the work easily and jump in, they'll still look to find a performer, and adjust the show accordingly to make it happen.  None of this is new.  Its been happening since i marched in the 90s and 00s.   why do you think you'll see a post "We are searching for a ......" in July when someone got hurt, and the subs can't fit the bill.  

keep in mind, the terms are no longer "auditioning students" but instead "casting performers". That tells you the state of the activity.    

Edited by C.Holland
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2 minutes ago, JimF-LowBari said:

And pre covid DCI East had problems a few years with housing. Some of the places I saw mentioned were 90-120 minutes outside Allentown

and come Finals week in indy.  those school have been in session for two weeks already.  there's no gyms, no fields, and few facilities to use during that week unless you're out of town.  Heck, when Michigan City was used for OC, those groups stayed there as long as possible simply because they could still have use of a field. 

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46 minutes ago, C.Holland said:

if the board of an org keeps the mission at the forefront, and development aligns with it, and they live within the budget.  they'll be fine.  though the activity needs to shift to accommodate students.  

though this may need a full revamp of the ACTUAL mission of DCI versus what the actions are behind the blurb on the website.  

That means trophies have to be less important 

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2 minutes ago, scheherazadesghost said:

Thanks for putting this out there. Again, this probably isn't uncommon throughout the activity though right? Not just an SCV problem?

Right, there was at least another corps in 2022 that was looking for housing that week, and even pre-COVID housing with schools could be difficult to come by.  By no means am I an insider, and I don't want to imply such; that being said, the fact that even I know that housing is problematic (and, to be fair was problematic/sometimes difficult to find when I marched drum corps in the late 1990's) leads me to think this is a substantial hurdle.  I know the school district I work in has increased their requirements of outside groups that want to book facilities in the COVID age, and I've been told those restrictions will likely increase rather than decrease over time, making it difficult/impossible for what amounts to a traveling young adult roadshow to find cheap housing that suits all the needs a modern DCI corps has.

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13 hours ago, C.Holland said:

No. Compared to the costs to house a corps at a school those flights are nothing. Staff/admin/show designs and chatchkis (and staff flights) are combined maybe 10% of the budget. Maybe.  that’s being generous.  Sometimes air miles are donated  from board, and friends, or thanks to credit card kickbacks, air fare is sometimes a wash. 

Can confirm. The cost to move staff in and out of the corps location, from camps through August, is not nothing, but it doesn't really move the big needle much. What moves the needle is the cost to build, outfit, move, house and feed a land armada.

The irony here is that the national touring model, invented by the founding corps and the spark that ignited the advancement of the quality of the activity, has become its albatross.

It's been said a million times: Time to regionalize. Invest in A/V technology, drones and theatercasts and AR and whatever makes sense, so that fans in Massachusetts can see the Blue Devils, and fans in Oklahoma can catch the Cadets. Stage a finals weekapalooza for the regional winners -- and maybe save a few drum corps in the process.

Edited by 2muchcoffeeman
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Been looking at the ProPublica page and it’s insane how many corps are close to or are in the red. Bluecoats are only making a 10k profit, most of which is from donations 

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Just now, RiverCityAndTroopersFan said:

Been looking at the ProPublica page and it’s insane how many corps are close to or are in the red. Bluecoats are only making a 10k profit, most of which is from donations 

Every corps does its books differently, so use caution when looking at one corps vs another, but yes, this activity is, financially speaking, skin and bones.

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Just now, 2muchcoffeeman said:

Every corps does its books differently, so use caution when looking at one corps vs another, but yes, this activity is, financially speaking, skin and bones.

Got it.

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4 hours ago, fsthnds said:

 

DCI is failing in their governance by allowing the fiscal mismanagement of some corps

As one person here likes to (correctly) point out, DCI is the Corps. 

The problem is that they cannot bring themselves to discipline others within the club.  Consider what it took to get GH removed.  Yes, they handled Pioneer/RB, but that Corps didn't fit the current brand, & they didn't like RB too much, so easy decision there.  SCV is different - they are in the club.  And DCI did nothing (visible anyway (happy to be wrong here)) to stave off the implosion.

Edited by IllianaLancerContra
more better english
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