The Staff Merry-go-round

[Chief Guns]

5 minutes ago, copyright said:

Also going on last every night.

While this might be true for 2023, over the last 11-12 years BD has proven multiple times they can get the job done from any performance slot, whether they go first, or go last. 

[fighterkit]

On 8/13/2023 at 2:19 PM, ContraFart said:

They got a sweetheart deal on those horns since the owner of the company is an alum. I think they also make the bugles for the Marine Corps. 

I think Gino will have some input on improving the horns. In 2002 with Magic, he had Dynasty send all new lead pipes for the trumpets (I think Dynasty was just bringing out Bb lines at the time) 

I can promise Gino has a long essay to send to Mike about the horns and the changes that need to be made

[BlueStainGlass]

8 minutes ago, Chief Guns said:

While this might be true for 2023, over the last 11-12 years BD has proven multiple times they can get the job done from any performance slot, whether they go first, or go last. 

Finals night should be like boa top/bottom 6 randomized so judges don't know which is in which spot. 

[fighterkit]

7 hours ago, ContraFart said:

Would the longevity argument still work if Keith Potter and Leon May were still at Crown, or Gino and Colin never left Cadets? To me a HOF designer/instructor is a HOF designer/instructor. It only took JD Shaw and Michael Gaines 2 years to bring a title to SCV and Gaines did not even write the drill his first year. 

Also if you look at BD, besides Chandler, Johnson and Glyde, everyone else in high positions have not been in those positions very long. At the same time, what BD does so well is cultivate their future leaders from inside the organization. Downey got to train his successor and still stick around as an advisor. I am sure whenever Scott Chandler retires, he will do the same. 

Longevity can be a reason for BDs success, but its not the only reason. If adding Shaw and Gaines can win you a title in 2 years and adding all the names at BAC can bring you from 12th to 2nd in 4 seasons, then maybe its more about quality than longevity. 

The difference is SCV was already in the upper echelons when they joined. BAC had been fighting to stay into finals

[fighterkit]

11 hours ago, BlueStainGlass said:

Not a change but assuming Travis Larson sharing auditions for Blue Stars he will be back next year. Now give him a book he can cook with 🔥

With Ryan Williams out

[jwillis35]

6 hours ago, saxfreq1128 said:

BD’s penchant for hiring from within the family is part of the longevity of the organization, IMO. The people you cite who haven’t been in their positions very long are often still people who were trained by Chandler, Johnson etc — that’s longevity. That’s institutional wisdom in a nutshell. 

Good point, but they haven't always hired from within. Two of their most important instructors right now are Scott Chandler and Todd Ryan. Both are Madison Scouts alumni from the 1970s. Also Michael Cesario has had a hand in the look of BD and some of the ideas behind many shows. See the interview Scott Chandler does with Michael. I actually just posted a link to it on the BD 2024 thread. In the early days of bringing BD to prominence many of their staff were Santa Clara Vanguard alumni. Wayne Downey marched with SCV for a few years and won a ring with them. 

But you're right in that as the program became so strong with staff and design teams being there for many years it allowed them to train others and pass on the wisdom and experience of how to run things and how to design and teach. 

[Chief Guns]

6 minutes ago, BlueStainGlass said:

Finals night should be like boa top/bottom 6 randomized so judges don't know which is in which spot. 

That would be fine by me. But I would certainly hate to have to go on after BD, or one of the other big dawgs. 

[Jurassic Lancer]

4 minutes ago, Chief Guns said:

That would be fine by me. But I would certainly hate to have to go on after BD, or one of the other big dawgs. 

I was thinking about that … Bloo went after Boston on Thursday and Friday and after Crown on Saturday … it really didn’t matter to them … just do your thing and it shouldn’t matter.

When I marched in 27th, I didn’t care who we followed.

Edited August 15, 2023 by Jurassic Lancer

[ftwdrummer]

3 hours ago, Chief Guns said:

While this might be true for 2023, over the last 11-12 years BD has proven multiple times they can get the job done from any performance slot, whether they go first, or go last. 

True, but I think it's less from a strictly performance order perspective, more of an 'amount of time' perspective. Later performance means later EPL, means you can start the day a bit later...

Though as I'm saying it I'm having to remind myself that encores aren't really a thing anymore outside of home shows (as I understand it), so there's slightly less of a discrepancy on timing than there was, say, in the era of full retreats everywhere when every corps stuck around until the end.

[DCI-86]

Can we get back on topic!  Staff changes...