Troopers removed from DCI Membership Status

[audiodave]

Maybe it was the Troopers that wanted out......

hehehehe....^^^^starting trouble.

[Logan313]

Were Troopers represented at the BOD Meetings?

Is the Board made up of all Div 1 Directors, or a smaller group? (top 12)?

It would seem odd that a unanimous vote would occur if the Troopers were represented and had a vote to place along with all the others??

Not trying to incite anything, so if you must flame, please be gentle

T

Last time I checked, a VOTING member on the BOD was the director of a corps that had place in the top 12 for the past 3 consecutive years. All directors are on the board, but not all are allowed a vote.

[arno0940]

Ah I don't thats true....Voting members of the BOD are the corps directors of the Division 1 member corps (top 21). Correct me if I'm incorrect.

[glory]

...This is my point – DCI and the Board are trying to protect the members and the reputation of every corps past and present. If this activity degenerates into unsafe conduct (bus maintenance, medical care, demands on the members in adverse conditions, etc.) or disreputable business practices (legal issues, debt, fraud, etc.), then the entire activity could come crashing down. Give DCI the benefit of the doubt until you KNOW the facts because they stand to lose as much as the Troopers and their fans.

Is everyone listening to this man? DCI, as any decent parent knows, sometimes must apply discipline in the best interest of the child and the community both.

HH

[2CoolVK]

Reading through this entire thread, I think I have something to add. First a disclaimer –I do not have any understanding of the Troopers specific position nor do the specifics of the situation that I am about to describe relate to the Troopers’ specific condition.

We have lived through this before and I have lived through it personally. My son was a member of the Magic of Orlando in 1998 and 1999. I had no complaints about the Magic from a performance level, but the care of their performers deteriorated to the point of dangerous by the end of the 1999 season. There was a period of three days where he did not have clothing and personal articles due to poor bus maintenance. The food was very poor and many members ate by going to other corps’ food trucks. Most lost astounding amounts of weight. Medical care was very limited. Fortunately the corps folded before DCI could take action to shut them down.

After his experience with DCI touring I was concerned that this was typical of the corps. Only because there were several other kids from our high school that were in the Cadets, Blue Devils and other corps who did not have this type of experience, did we agree to pay for him to try out with the Cavaliers. He won a spot and toured with the Cavaliers in 2000, 2001, and 2002. You may think championships, but I think about the care that this corps gives to their membership. I was stunned by the level of alumni interaction, the attention to medical issues, and the attention to details. They care for their members and unlike with the earlier Magic, he returned healthier than when he left, both physically and mentally.

Many were upset when DCI required the Magic to reenter through Division 2 when they returned in 2002. Many made the same accusations then that we are hearing now; the big corps are keeping them out of Div 1, DCI is punishing them for folding, this is because they missed finals several years in a row, etc. DCI was correctly watching out for the health and well being of the corps membership. It was not fueled by DCI’s need for money, but rather DCI’s and the Board’s interests in the integrity of the activity off the field.

This is my point – DCI and the Board are trying to protect the members and the reputation of every corps past and present. If this activity degenerates into unsafe conduct (bus maintenance, medical care, demands on the members in adverse conditions, etc.) or disreputable business practices (legal issues, debt, fraud, etc.), then the entire activity could come crashing down. Give DCI the benefit of the doubt until you KNOW the facts because they stand to lose as much as the Troopers and their fans. I always make it a point to arrive early enough to see the Troopers perform because I respect their history. I look forward to them getting their act together and being welcomed into the activity once again at any level. We are better off with them participating, but only when they are making the activity better with their presence. We need the Troopers, but not at all costs.

Excellent post.

[gls]

We have lived through this before and I have lived through it personally. My son was a member of the Magic of Orlando in 1998 and 1999. I had no complaints about the Magic from a performance level, but the care of their performers deteriorated to the point of dangerous by the end of the 1999 season. There was a period of three days where he did not have clothing and personal articles due to poor bus maintenance. The food was very poor and many members ate by going to other corps’ food trucks. Most lost astounding amounts of weight. Medical care was very limited. Fortunately the corps folded before DCI could take action to shut them down.

After his experience with DCI touring I was concerned that this was typical of the corps. Only because there were several other kids from our high school that were in the Cadets, Blue Devils and other corps who did not have this type of experience, did we agree to pay for him to try out with the Cavaliers. He won a spot and toured with the Cavaliers in 2000, 2001, and 2002. You may think championships, but I think about the care that this corps gives to their membership. I was stunned by the level of alumni interaction, the attention to medical issues, and the attention to details. They care for their members and unlike with the earlier Magic, he returned healthier than when he left, both physically and mentally.

As a potential Drum Corp parent, I thank you for reminding us about what is really important.

[MikeD]

Thanks, Chuck. That was the most straightforward and informative post on this thread. Ever consider becoming a corps director?

Gee, I thought you LIKED Chuck! :P

Mike

[trooper11]

QUOTE(Long Time Fan @ Sep 27 2005, 04:03 PM)

Reading through this entire thread, I think I have something to add. First a disclaimer –I do not have any understanding of the Troopers specific position nor do the specifics of the situation that I am about to describe relate to the Troopers’ specific condition.

We have lived through this before and I have lived through it personally. My son was a member of the Magic of Orlando in 1998 and 1999. I had no complaints about the Magic from a performance level, but the care of their performers deteriorated to the point of dangerous by the end of the 1999 season. There was a period of three days where he did not have clothing and personal articles due to poor bus maintenance. The food was very poor and many members ate by going to other corps’ food trucks. Most lost astounding amounts of weight. Medical care was very limited. Fortunately the corps folded before DCI could take action to shut them down.

After his experience with DCI touring I was concerned that this was typical of the corps. Only because there were several other kids from our high school that were in the Cadets, Blue Devils and other corps who did not have this type of experience, did we agree to pay for him to try out with the Cavaliers. He won a spot and toured with the Cavaliers in 2000, 2001, and 2002. You may think championships, but I think about the care that this corps gives to their membership. I was stunned by the level of alumni interaction, the attention to medical issues, and the attention to details. They care for their members and unlike with the earlier Magic, he returned healthier than when he left, both physically and mentally.

Many were upset when DCI required the Magic to reenter through Division 2 when they returned in 2002. Many made the same accusations then that we are hearing now; the big corps are keeping them out of Div 1, DCI is punishing them for folding, this is because they missed finals several years in a row, etc. DCI was correctly watching out for the health and well being of the corps membership. It was not fueled by DCI’s need for money, but rather DCI’s and the Board’s interests in the integrity of the activity off the field.

This is my point – DCI and the Board are trying to protect the members and the reputation of every corps past and present. If this activity degenerates into unsafe conduct (bus maintenance, medical care, demands on the members in adverse conditions, etc.) or disreputable business practices (legal issues, debt, fraud, etc.), then the entire activity could come crashing down. Give DCI the benefit of the doubt until you KNOW the facts because they stand to lose as much as the Troopers and their fans. I always make it a point to arrive early enough to see the Troopers perform because I respect their history. I look forward to them getting their act together and being welcomed into the activity once again at any level. We are better off with them participating, but only when they are making the activity better with their presence. We need the Troopers, but not at all costs.

Being a current member of the troopers i can assure you that we were taken care of with top priority. We always had more food than we needed, to buses were clean, and when we had an injury it was the priority. In 04' i flared up a knee injury and they took me to the hospital, just to make sure it wasn't anything too bad. When i was there i got re-directed to another sports medicine doctor and they took me with in the next two days, it was the weekend when i went to the hospital. When i went i found out that my knee needed some minor surgery to fix what was causing me knee to flair up. It was devestating because i thought that my season, which had just started was over. My parents drove up 4 hours to casper for my hometown longmont colorado to be there and eventually take me home. When this was all going on the former director, matt crumb, offered to support me however and set it up so that when i was ready to some back in the summer they would do what ever it took to get me, if it was an airport pick up, they would do it. I ended up driving 13 hours to charles city iowa to meet up with the corps. When i arrived the staff was very supportive with me and were excited to see that i had jumped back on tour. It is the most that i've ever elt excepted in my whole life and i don't think any other corps could give me that same feeling.

The point i'm getting at is that it wasn't an issue with the administration not supporting their members, it was probably their highest priority because getting members to join us was and still is a constant battle, so it was their priority to make every member feel like they were at home away from home, and they did very well at it. Talking with Jason Buckingham, one day in a park, he said that things back in the glory days, 84-87, when he was a member of the A corps, conditions were way worst than today.

[BlueDevil9499]

I find it somewhat funny (if not unpredictable) that people here have no idea what they are talking about.

Troopers had money problems. It should not be rocket science to figure this out. Furthermore, they had some "fuzzy" issues regarding their status as a 501-C3.

As a member of a parent organization (in tax statute law, DCI would be seen as the parent organization), the parent organization is REQUIRED to ensure that respective members of their organization follow GAAP and tax regulations.

Troopers were not doing this.

From a liablity standpoint, DCI had to "cut bait" because they could/would be ultimately responsible.

On a side note, Im a tax attorney, and I never thought that my career and one of my passions would intersect....

[kdaddy]

Reading through this entire thread, I think I have something to add. First a disclaimer –I do not have any understanding of the Troopers specific position nor do the specifics of the situation that I am about to describe relate to the Troopers’ specific condition.

SNIP SNIP

\

For all those participating in the typical DCP knee-jerk reaction of bashing:

1. DCI

2. Dan Acheson

3. George Hopkins

4. Amps

5. Saxophones, etc

The post by Long Time Fan is a must-read. Thank you very much for your thoughtful post.