Santa Clara Vanguard 2023 Announcement Thread

[Jeff Ream]

Just now, craiga said:

For all the talk over the last several years of BAC allegedly overpaying its staff, it turns out that Boston's payroll isn't even in the top two.   Interesting. 

Right?

[Keith Hall]

Move the Vanguard to Florida!

[scheherazadesghost]

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Edited June 13, 2023 by scheherazadesghost

[JimF-LowBari]

To go with “bus realities”: health of drivers to consider. No idea what the rules are but in best interests of bus company to have drivers without a hint of an issue. Especially so when driver will be on tour and not just a one day trip.

Also didn’t see anything about number of hours/day and rest hours/day as required by law. When my corps did a 24 straight drive from PA to New Orleans we had to change drivers twice (2 buses so 6 drivers). We also had overnight drives and soon as we got to rehearsal site drivers would take a bus to a hotel for their sleep time. Never did find out how corps on long tours handled the mandated hours.

Edited December 14, 2022 by JimF-LowBari

[scheherazadesghost]

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Edited June 13, 2023 by scheherazadesghost

[OG84]

On 12/12/2022 at 9:54 PM, TRacer said:

Bruckner8 and I performed that show the summer you were born. Heck, we stood pretty close to each other in the hornline. 😊

I was in that horn line too…..blowin’ notes on a soprano bugle. I have one tattoo, a Vanguard shield encircled with the lyrics from the Hoedown; “the air is free, the night is warm, the music’s here, and here’s my home.” I had it inked when we did the 50th Anniversary Alumni Corps.

What has yet to be acknowledged are the costs of running any organization in the Bay Area, and the exponentially higher costs of starting tour from the West Coast rather than, Rockford.

I was just commenting, last night, to my family, “I mean, who plays Bingo? Where is there growth in Bingo? Young people don’t even play board games or cards, much less Bingo.” I’m not criticizing VMAPA for continuing to operate Bingo when able, because I don’t see any obvious ways to generate revenue sufficient to “move the needle.”

I want to Believe that my beloved Corps has not entered the field for competition for the last time.

 

-OG 

[MarimbaManiac]

55 minutes ago, scheherazadesghost said:

The impact made by SCVC members when I marched was huge. Can think of many exemplary SCVC marchers who taught me what's what.

Then there's patch culture which has a variety of positive and negative outcomes. Suffice to say that SCVC patches mean different things to different alum. To me, a patch was a patch and I honored them all the same. I don't think that's universal. And some folks used their patches as justification for treating others poorly. It goes both ways.

And... it's complicated.

I've been made aware of alum circles who profoundly resent non bay area alum because we can't contribute to the locality or community. That often left SCVC alum as underappreciated stewards. I've tried to tell them the work I put into trying to make my life in the bay work but I'm still part of the problem they see. I can't be upset about it. Many non local alum like me just aren't involved anymore.

I would agree that pre-2011 the pipeline from SCVC to SCV was much clearer, and the progression was more expected. Post-Rennicks the percussion section sent more vets to the Mandarins, Blue Knights, and BDA than the Vanguard. Beyond that the communication and knowledge sharing between the Rennicks and the cadets corps was nonexistent, as well as equipment sharing, including stuff that the A corps wasn't using and was just sitting in the attic. 

As for the resentment for out of state students, I never saw that at the member level. The resentment was more pointed towards the Vanguard's business practices than the students who were coming from out of state. That's just my experience though. 

 

[seinphan]

14 hours ago, MarimbaManiac said:

Thanks for your opinion, but I was there to watch first hand while they torpedoed the relationship with the cadet corps and the local community. Not to mention running Vanguard winter percussion into the ground in a few short seasons. They have no interest in the bay area community, nor the SCV traditions that created the platform that they stand on top of. They made it very clear that they didn't consider the cadet corps as part of the same organization and it's led to them having no footprint in the bay. 

Again, blaming them for everything isn't fair either, but their hands are NOT clean. 

You clearly have an axe to grind with the Rennick's, so I'm gonna let you grind it (if that makes you feel better). I don't think this whole thing can be laid at any designer or staff members feet, nor can it be laid at any one directors feet. I think that each of the last 5 directors walked into a worse situation than the previous one did and it finally became too much to fix. 

But, hey, let's blame the Rennick's and the pile of trophies they brought to SCV.

[JohnZ]

55 minutes ago, JimF-LowBari said:

To go with “bus realities”: health of drivers to consider. No idea what the rules are but in best interests of bus company to have drivers without a hint of an issue. Especially so when driver will be on tour and not just a one day trip.

Also didn’t see anything about number of hours/day and rest hours/day as required by law. When my corps did a 24 straight drive from PA to New Orleans we had to change drivers twice (2 buses so 6 drivers). We also had overnight drives and soon as we got to rehearsal site drivers would take a bus to a hotel for their sleep time. Never did find out how corps on long tours handled the mandated hours.

IIRC bus drivers must hold a Class B CDL license which requires passing a relatively rigorous biannual physical exam. even common long term illnesses can disqualify the driver.

[scheherazadesghost]

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Edited June 13, 2023 by scheherazadesghost