SCV Decades Project: 2003, Pathways

[Vuitton]

On 3/23/2024 at 7:30 AM, scheherazadesghost said:

Thanks for the lore, friend.

I'm actually hesitant to speak for the members I marched with in this way. My motivations were different those two years as what amounts to a double rookie, 03 on flag and 04 or sabre. But I'll try...

I can say that 03 finals was strange. We were rained out of our final rehearsal runthru, for one. The age outs felt robbed and that was a major factor in the final performance despite some hefty magic extended to us by Myron. We weren't sure, even to the last minute, that we would even have a final show. I was just happy to be there, flying by the seat of my pants, having no frame of reference for how things are supposed to be. Same with my rookout seat partner, who was awarded rookie of the year that season.

Too many challenging things happened to the membership btw 03 and 04 that distracted us from the grit you're imagining. Those things may not have affected everyone directly, but the chain reactions are something I still consider often. I think that grit was likely there for the drumline though, but they were tighter than the rest of us: solid, alumni staff; moved-in in Jan; already had a strong 03 season together where they had carried the rest of us like a boss. And not just in score, but literally, the opener wouldn't have been possible if they hadn't been so tight. But they literally always had fire in their eyes... that never changed based on placement or competition. They were our heartbeat in every possible way. You'd have to ask one of them for more clarity on that tho.

You didn't ask, but I'll take it a step further to describe why I think we didn't place higher in 04. I think the staff and alumni were motivated more than membership in the way you were referencing. We, as members, were stoked on the show in 04, for sure, and it was seen universally as not only highly competitive, but a vehicle for a first place finish. No pressure lol just jump from 5th to 1st, amirite? This perspective is what may keep me in hot water with the org and alum but it's what I believe: in that way, the staff pushed us too hard. Particularly in visual and guard. I still think that just a little more rest both years would've been the key to greater competitive success. Instead, they did the opposite and that's why Vanguard had the rep of the hardest corps back then, even giving Cadets a run for their money. That's why there were silly drops on both finals years. That's why there were still drill mistakes from all sections. That's why a rookie horn soloist cracked in 04 finals when he nailed it consistently leading up to that point, poor thing. When mistakes in such amazing shows happen that late in the season, and when everything else is so pristine, it's not on the members, it's on the staff's ability to motivate appropriately. One of the previously mentioned drops from the sabres was actually 2 drops on finals night from our most reliable, consistent spinner. Our elders, alumni, and staff let us down in that way. Contrastingly, I eked out a sloppy finals but didn't drop. There was a lot of that among the weapons because we weren't confident, we were still trying. And we still had to save juice for the 1st noncompetitive TOC after that. It made things weird again.

The difference is that the drumline could get comments from their finals on-field judge describing how art isn't always perfect if it's truly expressive. Their mistakes were forgivable given the artistry they had captured. The rest of us had staff that found our mistakes consistently unforgivable and "motivated" us accordingly. "The Way" with all its many flaws was in full effect back then.

All that said, IIRC, competition was a motivator for staff and alumni. Myron always wanted members to focus on ensuring we were aware that we were trying something new and breathtaking and to keep our focus there... competitive success would fall in place after we got that. It was the higher calling he always pushed. He always iterated that shows took up a fraction of the summer and that the rest of our time together was much more valuable, so many of us took that to heart. That was my motivation more than anything else. I don't think I was alone in that.

I'm the biggest Vanguard fan. Was at the show in Seattle in 2004 and jumping out of my seat when you all beat BD. It was such a great show.

[scheherazadesghost]

14 hours ago, Vuitton said:

I'm the biggest Vanguard fan. Was at the show in Seattle in 2004 and jumping out of my seat when you all beat BD. It was such a great show.

IIRC, Myron cried for us that day. Also IIRC, it was the last time we beat our friends from across the Bay until 2017. Corrected below.

Very very cool that we shared that moment in time and space, V. Many sacrifices were made to bring both shows to life.

Edited March 29 by scheherazadesghost

[Chief Guns]

29 minutes ago, scheherazadesghost said:

IIRC, Myron cried for us that day. Also IIRC, it was the last time we beat our friends from across the Bay until 2017.

Very very cool that we shared that moment in time and space, V. Many sacrifices were made to bring both shows to life.

SCV beat BD June 20, 2007 in Bakersfield CA. 

That would be the last SCV victory over BD until June 23rd, 2018 at Stanford. 

[scheherazadesghost]

8 minutes ago, Chief Guns said:

SCV beat BD June 20, 2007 in Bakersfield CA. 

That would be the last SCV victory over BD until June 23rd, 2018 at Stanford. 

I stand happily corrected.

For someone who pushed us not to focus on scores as much as other things, Myron seemed deeply affected by them. Many an alum have been, to strange extents.  Fortunately, I retain my lack of cares for the judging system to this day. ROFLOL at "scoring" art.

Besides, the years in between those competitive wins were rough in various ways. It doesn't determine their worth to me one lick.

[IllianaLancerContra]

9 hours ago, scheherazadesghost said:

I stand happily corrected.

For someone who pushed us not to focus on scores as much as other things, Myron seemed deeply affected by them. Many an alum have been, to strange extents.  Fortunately, I retain my lack of cares for the judging system to this day. ROFLOL at "scoring" art.

Besides, the years in between those competitive wins were rough in various ways. It doesn't determine their worth to me one lick.

The thing w/r/t ‘scoring art’ in DCI is that the higher your score, the more $ you get in performance fees the next season. I know that this is calculated in groups of placements- 1st to 4th(?) get most $, 5-8 second most, etc (someone pls correct me where the placement breaks are).  
 

So, there is a financial incentive to score well.  An alternative I suppose DCI could make performance fees uniform, but as they say in Texas (& I know you’re originally from Texas) - That dog don’t hunt.  No way the top Corps are going to agree to lower their performance fees so the 19th place Corps can have higher performance fees.  

Edited March 29 by IllianaLancerContra
More better English

[scheherazadesghost]

3 hours ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

The thing w/r/t ‘scoring art’ in DCI is that the higher your score, the more $ you get in performance fees the next season. I know that this is calculated in groups of placements- 1st to 4th(?) get most $, 5-8 second most, etc (someone pls correct me where the placement breaks are).  
 

So, there is a financial incentive to score well.  An alternative I suppose DCI could make performance fees uniform, but as they say in Texas (& I know you’re originally from Texas) - That dog don’t hunt.  No way the top Corps are going to agree to lower their performance fees so the 19th place Corps can have higher performance fees.  

Heard. That's how the art is corrupted... and will remain corrupted (corrected below.) I'll be a good little alum in this thread and keep the rest of my opinions on the matter, as they relate directly to my corps, to myself.

Alternatively, I can elaborate further on the pathways conceptual idea, as I lamented that my fellow alum didn't dive into it deeper in Decades. 

Freddy was spot on in hinting at how the show represented the different pathways we can take in life. But this was very literal in Myron's drill:

Opener: before the big unison hit, there are two corps racing toward each other and toward unity... but there are also outliers all over the field taking their own paths. Even in the unison hit, my seat partner cymbal player is separated from the drumline in the middle of the horn block, crashing away. The outliers are never fully separated though, and always find their way back to the group, even if they seem displaced from their section. For the rest of the opener and ballad, we were a unified corps.

Ballad: it's all about unity and agreement on our pathways together. Ends with the guard duet separating, their paths taking them oppositionally apart.

Anima Mundi: disunity and chaos. Pathways are rarely drawn out in the drill, instead individuals and small groups trace their own. This movement is bleeding with outliers from each section all over the drill. Our silly green maze pieces constantly trapping other guard members. During the drum break, the hornline traps the giant rifle line and even plays violent here and there, taking swings at them with their horns. Ends with a lone rifle escaping entrapment.

Closer: mostly back to unison here and reincarnations of major drill ideas. Oh the rewrites we learned of this dang closer. As it settled, there was only one outlier, Chris, the cymbal player who was interviewed. Just before the big hit, he beautifully high-marks time at the unison hit where eventually the rest of the corps meets him.  The whole corps realigns to one of our most iconic, historical images. I loved my part in this moment, but that drill idea is golden. (A precursor to 09's company front if you ask me... and there have to be others before and after 03, but my historical understanding is still emergent.)

I'll note too, that for the years I marched, Myron really really took creative care with the cymbals. They played significant roles both years. Their charge thru the corps was not in the first iteration of that closer. The show needed to cook a bit before he found that final idea. The man at the center of it all, not my ex, is a friend to this day. Love those guys.

So Freddy was right, but the metaphors in the drill are exceptional and they were strong again the following year. Numerous creative iterations of a single word/ idea. Beautiful to track as a young person in the corps. Still relevant to this group of individuals to this day, as bringing this project to life was quite the challenge. I pushed some of that challenge, knowing they could take it. ❤️💚🤍

Edited March 29 by scheherazadesghost
typos

[Slingerland]

Performance fees in WC are the same regardless of scoring these days. That was changed several years ago. If the TOC shows are still going, those offer a price bump for the competing corps that night (residual of the G7 situation).

Edited March 29 by Slingerland

[IllianaLancerContra]

35 minutes ago, Slingerland said:

Performance fees in WC are the same regardless of scoring these days. That was changed several years ago. If the TOC shows are still going, those offer a price bump for the competing corps that night (residual of the G7 situation).

So BD & Jersey Surf both get same fee at Annapolis this summer?   Cool.  

[dcsnare93]

10 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

So BD & Jersey Surf both get same fee at Annapolis this summer?   Cool.  

Yes.

World championships pay is based on final placements and mileage based on the corps’ home base. The WC allocation is based on historical placements.

[Chief Guns]

16 hours ago, scheherazadesghost said:

IIRC, Myron cried for us that day. Also IIRC, it was the last time we beat our friends from across the Bay until 2017. Corrected below.

Very very cool that we shared that moment in time and space, V. Many sacrifices were made to bring both shows to life.

FWIW, I thought you guys were underscored Finals night in 2004. You guys should have been in the mid 97s at worst. Just a phenomenal show.