Jersey Surf Announces Revised Plan for 2023 DCI Summer Tour

[MikeN]

On 3/18/2023 at 7:15 AM, craiga said:

It looks like they are going into Open Class, based on their announced schedule. This makes sense.  They were pleading for money in late July last year to help feed their members. 

No corps is going to willingly give up their DCI membership and tour appearance fees.  It's *never* happened.  Pioneer, despite the grumbling behind the scenes from literally everyone in drum corps, kept their WC status until health and safety scandals hit, and the corps was expelled before they ever got to OC.  

DCI is accommodating to a fault to it's member corps.  They can rearrange tour schedules, assist with logistics, even help corps get loans if the org so chooses, in order to help build for future success. 

Open Class and SoundSport... well, if your director makes a social media post that offends, you lose your access.  (See: Arsenal)  But that's a whole other story.

Mike

[cixelsyd]

1 hour ago, C.Holland said:

here's the thing.  as a nonprofit it really doesnt matter if you collect an small appearance fee or not. (in regional theatre we don't count tickets sales into operational revenue for the season... that's spare money we MIGHT get to use next season) you still need to have a development team that's good at grant writing, finding major donors, running funding campaigns, and in general funding the machine.  

Here's the thing.  If these "small appearance fees" really did not matter, then there would be no objection to DCI sharing them equally across all participating corps, members and non-members.

[jjeffeory]

On 3/18/2023 at 8:55 AM, dcifanforlife said:

They are a World Class Corps competing in  several Open Class shows. Questions are 1)  Are they getting any appearance fees for these shows?  2) Will DCI show their score separately from the Open Class scores?  With a move in date of July 1st.  it will be difficult to have a show ready by July 16th unless they hold several weekend camps before move ins.

Tour fees appear to be $4600  which makes Surfs statement  on "Total Cost of Participation" incorrect.   The entire announcement from Surf  and DCI is nothing more than them trying placate one individual.  

 

...There is only one set of sheets now, so obviously they're on the same sheets. I don't know why it would matter to separate them from the Open class scores.

Most of us here don't have the obvious insider knowledge that you seem to have.

[IllianaLancerContra]

40 minutes ago, jjeffeory said:

...There is only one set of sheets now, so obviously they're on the same sheets. I don't know why it would matter to separate them from the Open class scores.

Most of us here don't have the obvious insider knowledge that you seem to have.

As a former member of a Corps that would now be Open Class, I will point out that we liked being on same sheets as World Class; we wanted to know how we measured up. And there was one time a judge called it as he saw it and had us 0.5 behind Phantom in percussion.  Critique was raucous that night but he stood his ground. 

[Fran Haring]

Let's just hope this works out for the best for Surf.

The last thing the activity needs is another corps on the sidelines. 

[C.Holland]

3 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

Here's the thing.  If these "small appearance fees" really did not matter, then there would be no objection to DCI sharing them equally across all participating corps, members and non-members.

its a wasteland fighting for gasoline.  And yes. appearance fees are $%&^# compared to the costs of operations.  They barely fill one diesel tank, let along pay for tomorrows school.  The idea was there's no reason to give that to a group that can't raise their own cash to even match that $500-1500 appearance fee.  

And i tend to agree.  Many of the Div 2/3 never bothered to fundraise, or understand operating within means.  and thus directors came back from a tour having to cash in their 401K to get the members home.  They couldn't create a budget, or operate within it, or worse, ignored the math and said "we'll figure it out". Its the same issue with SCV.  They can't seam to help themselves, so why should anyone else throw money or time at it when all these other groups seam to have figured out how to maintain funding? 

 

 

[IllianaLancerContra]

15 minutes ago, C.Holland said:

its a wasteland fighting for gasoline.  And yes. appearance fees are $%&^# compared to the costs of operations.  They barely fill one diesel tank, let along pay for tomorrows school.  The idea was there's no reason to give that to a group that can't raise their own cash to even match that $500-1500 appearance fee.  

And i tend to agree.  Many of the Div 2/3 never bothered to fundraise, or understand operating within means.  and thus directors came back from a tour having to cash in their 401K to get the members home.  They couldn't create a budget, or operate within it, or worse, ignored the math and said "we'll figure it out". Its the same issue with SCV.  They can't seam to help themselves, so why should anyone else throw money or time at it when all these other groups seam to have figured out how to maintain funding? 

 

 

Not all small Corps were run this way.   Illiana Lancers did not fold for financial reasons and always operated in the black. 

[C.Holland]

46 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

Not all small Corps were run this way.   Illiana Lancers did not fold for financial reasons and always operated in the black. 

sure. ECJ and Lake Erie Regiment often were in the black.  But when came time to pass them to other directors, or they couldnt fill the ranks, it no longer was viable to stay active.  I do understand this.

i also understand these examples were rare.  

[IllianaLancerContra]

27 minutes ago, C.Holland said:

sure. ECJ and Lake Erie Regiment often were in the black.  But when came time to pass them to other directors, or they couldnt fill the ranks, it no longer was viable to stay active.  I do understand this.

i also understand these examples were rare.  

For Illiana it was a fight between 2 groups of parents.  (Members got along fine.  Parents did not).  

[cixelsyd]

2 hours ago, C.Holland said:

its a wasteland fighting for gasoline.  And yes. appearance fees are $%&^# compared to the costs of operations.  They barely fill one diesel tank, let along pay for tomorrows school.  The idea was there's no reason to give that to a group that can't raise their own cash to even match that $500-1500 appearance fee.  

And i tend to agree.  Many of the Div 2/3 never bothered to fundraise, or understand operating within means.  and thus directors came back from a tour having to cash in their 401K to get the members home.  They couldn't create a budget, or operate within it, or worse, ignored the math and said "we'll figure it out". Its the same issue with SCV.  They can't seam to help themselves, so why should anyone else throw money or time at it when all these other groups seam to have figured out how to maintain funding? 

Then might as well do away with appearance fees across the board.  And there should be no objection if DCI takes that $1.5 million they will save in 2023 and splits it 50-50 with me for proposing the idea.