Santa Clara Vanguard 2023 Announcement Thread

[Terri Schehr]

2 minutes ago, corps8294 said:

I can give you the name of one corps that folded and persevered through reorganization...The Blue Stars. The Blue Stars were one of the founding corps of DCI back in '72 and came pretty close winning it, that year. They had a lot of success in the Top 12 during the '70s. They were also sponsored by a bank. They were known as "The First Federal Blue Stars." '82 proved to be a very challenging year for the corps both competitively and financially. When the sponsorship went away; it was tough going for the corps. That same year, the Cadet corps was reactivated and competed at CCI. The Blue Stars folded shortly after DCI in '82; but the Blue Stars Cadets were going to carry on the corps legacy; with the hope that, someday, the organization would return to Open Class, Div I, World Class (whatever title you choose). A lot of the members of the Blue Stars Cadets had friends and family that were a part of the Blue Stars. A lot of the instructors were former Blue Stars. The corps competed for three years in CCI before making the move back to DCM. In '86, the corps would also return to DCI; competing in Class A-60. The following year, 1987, was a special year; the debt from the '70s era Blue Stars was paid off and the Blue Star Cadets became the Blue Stars. The corps had a very successful year at DCM and DCI; the cherry on top was scoring high enough to qualify for Open Class quarterfinals. The corps would continue from there to be a powerhouse in A-60 and Div II and III all the way up through 2005. There were definitely some hard years during that time; but the goal remained the same. Along came 2006 and the Blue Stars returned to Div I competition with an extremely powerful corps as they finished in 14th place their first year back competing for a Top 12 spot. After finishing in 14th in 2007; they finally made Top 12 finals with a jump all the way to 8th. Since there return; they have only missed finals once.
So, what's the moral of this story? Sometimes corps that fall on hard times can actually turn things around and regain their former glory and success. It just takes time, pride, dedication, passion, and learning lessons so as to not make the mistakes of the past.

Eric Miller
Blue Star Cadets/Blue Stars member (1982-1994)
Blue Stars instructor (1995-2007)

How in the world could I have forgotten about them? They did what my corps couldn’t do.  Of course, I think Blue Stars cultivated a relationship with their alumni. 

[scheherazadesghost]

7 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said:

 Of course, I think Blue Stars cultivated a relationship with their alumni. 

👀This is all I ever asked for.

[flugelswerebugels]

3 hours ago, RiverCityAndTroopersFan said:

Blue devils 1979 and 1983

A lot happened to cause me to imagine things when I marched BD '78-'81, but I'm pretty certain the '80 & '81 seasons were not hallucinations.

[scheherazadesghost]

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Edited June 13, 2023 by scheherazadesghost

[Bob984]

2 minutes ago, TOC said:

Do you think M. Gaines is at fault here also?

 

17 minutes ago, 2muchcoffeeman said:

One can support, or not, the Rennick way of running the perc program at SCV, but I'm having a difficult time grasping how the perc program has enough mass to singlehandedly drive the VMAPA bottom line into the red.

It's not as if SCV was filling its line with kids from Modesto before the Rennicks came along.

And financially, it doesn't matter. Tuition money from New Jersey is just as green as tuition money from San Jose.

The perc section typically is the smallest of the 3. It feels like a bit of the tail wagging the dog in all this focus on the Rennicks' influence on the overall financial health of the organization.

 

Many corps have some high profile staff members who are well-paid.  Boards negotiate salaries with staff members, and the board controls who they sign and how much they are paid.  You can not blame someone with a great track record for going for what they are worth.  If the corps had sudden difficulties, did the board ask the staff to take a pay cut?  Did they even consider knocking a week off of tour or rehearsal camp?  As some have pointed out, you have many costs that are nearly uncontrollable....buses, fuel, food, fields, insurance..........but some can be limited.....staff, props, uniforms, equipment...maybe go out with one less bus (ie a still full sized corps, but not gigantic), one less truck......it all adds up........and I think DCI will need to plan out regional contests where corps tour and compete within a region, and don't meet fully until Indy....I think that actually creates some additional competitive suspense, and would save some significant money........

[sanjoseDCfan]

Spartans took a year off and are now healthy financially

[oldbandguy]

4 minutes ago, Bob984 said:

 

Many corps have some high profile staff members who are well-paid.  Boards negotiate salaries with staff members, and the board controls who they sign and how much they are paid. 

Can you name a corps that operates this way?  Isn't that the job of the CEO and not the board?  And yes, the board hires the CEO.

[squarepush]

I’m a know-nothing with this, and I may have my histories mixed up, please be nice. But if California isn’t the state for vanguard given how expensive it is to do anything there let alone fund a drum corps… would a last attempt move to another state like crossmen did to San Antonio be at all a beneficial move for them? Talent will go where the education goes, you can see this a lot in college football. I was just wondering. Very upset to hear this news. 

[Bob984]

30 minutes ago, oldbandguy said:

Can you name a corps that operates this way?  Isn't that the job of the CEO and not the board?  And yes, the board hires the CEO.

I think that it varies from corps to corps.......the CEO may or may not "have the checkbook".  Even if they do, usually they may have to pass expenditures, including staff salaries, in front of the board before any contract is signed/agreed on.  I am sure that some corps' boards will say, "you have x amount of dollars for the design team and instructional staff"......and as long as that total number is adhered to, they may give the CEO or someone else the authority to hire staff......but I think in many cases, at least with the design team (where the brunt of that money goes) the board is made aware of all offerings before an agreement is reached.  Also, just like athletes....some design/instructional personnel negotiate a multi-year deal, and some are single year deals.  The board has every right to question every single expenditure of the drum corps, and whoever writes the checks has to be accountable for each one, if everyone is doing their job.  Keep in mind if the corps makes a stop to gas up the buses, and the director uses a corps credit card for that, they most likely will not be calling board members at 3 AM to ask if they can put gas in the vehicles.   However, if somebody decides they want something new in the visual program for the 2nd half of the season, and it costs 25K, the board certainly should know in advance, and should have the right to axe it...........Obviously if someone writes checks without oversight, that is a problem.........many a corps has spent far more than they had, and now they may be starting the following year significantly in the red...........I would bet the farm that was the case....

[Terri Schehr]

1 hour ago, flugelswerebugels said:

A lot happened to cause me to imagine things when I marched BD '78-'81, but I'm pretty certain the '80 & '81 seasons were not hallucinations.

I seem recall them being in the field in 78.  😂