Might be worth saying this again...

[icecubeguy]

I think this rant originally lead me to draw a conclusion that the Bluecoats could be sticking around for some time. Why? Glasgow. It seems that the greatest drum corps dynasties have had one director at the helm who has kept the corps competitively successful. Fiedler, Hopkins, Royer...there is more to a corps than one director, but it seems like one director can be a great boon for a corps as time passes. That, and one well-liked director will attract a talented and experienced staff who don't much care to leave for another team.

I think we'd all like to see some shakeups, even if it does mean BD dropping out of the top five for the first time since 1975, or the Cavaliers not medaling.

I agree with the same director at the helm. Love him or hate him - Hopkins is a staff and kid magnet and my hat goes off to him every year. There is a focus and direction there - always prepare to win and have a great work ethic.

[bawker]

So, here's a hypothetical....what happens when George Hopkins retires?

Does he hand the reigns over to Sylvester? Or does someone else come up through the YEA! ranks to take over?

Not that Hop has taken the "evolution" mantra entirely on his own (he is however, the figurehead for most of it, whether that's by design or not, I dunno....), but without that continuity at the top we seem to ascribe to top corps...what happens?

A floundering of sorts for a season as SCV witnessed last year?

A multi-year drop due to staff attrition?

Would it be necessary to "reinvent" the Cadets to reflect the new directors vision?

Feel free to insert Gibbs or Fielder into this instead, just for hypotheticals sake.

[gellio]

I agree with the original poster...great post. I don't see anyone finish in the top 3 at this point other than BD, Cavies and Cadets.

What bothers me is there is almost no movement in places anymore. In 1988 Bluecoats came out and beat Cavies, Phantom and Star at the first show - two days later, they were 5th. That would NEVER happen today, and it should. SCV trailed Phantom by basically under a point all season and didn't beat them until Quarters. That was so ridiculous. If two corps are that close, they should trade victories. If Bluecoats keep pace with the Cavies all season, they will remain 1-2 points down, which is absurd. If they are 1-2 points down, then there should come a time when Cavies have a down show and Bluecoats have a great show, and should win. But, it won't happen.

I pretty much think the right corps place where they should most of time, but I'm a firm believer in slotting. It just seems like judges don't have the courage to put their own numbers up, regardless of what happened previously. I get confused, because I usually agree with almost all finals placements, but there is no flip-flopping of victories anymore.

Correction on 2004 - SCV beat BD once in June, and Cadets were not in 2nd place coming into finals week.

[Wild Nights]

Shostakovich isn't going to cut it anymore...

Burn him at the stake!!!!!

(sorting through my CD collection for a good recording of Phantom Regiment 1996...)

*Found it*

[Studio Tan]

I'm a firm believer in slotting.

You mean that you advocate it, or acknowledge that it's there? I assume the latter. COME ON. Does ANYONE honestly deny that there's slotting?

[Jeff Ream]

Stagnation (with some edits)...

WARNING: The following will likely upset some people. Read with caution.

"Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation...even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind." -Leonardo da Vinci

Stagnation is defined broadly as "a state of inactivity in which nothing grows or changes." I suggest to you that DCI has undergone a period of stagnation for several years, and may just now be snapping out of it.

From 1997 until 2004, four corps rotated amongst the vaunted DCI "elite" of the top three. Although we don't normally speak in such terms, the top three are the three corps with the best chance to win the title. We used to talk about the top 5 or even the top 6 in such a way, but it has been a long time since someone running in 4th place all year could vault every corps ahead of them and contend seriously for the title.

For a period of 9 years, 4 corps have dominated the talk of DCI: The Cavaliers (4 titles in that span), the Blue Devils (3 titles in that span), the Cadets (3 titles in that span), and the Santa Clara Vanguard (1 title in that span). Meanwhile, in 5th place -which once used to be considered elite- we have seen a revolving door of corps including the Madison Scounts, the Glassmen, the Boston Crusaders, the Bluecoats, and the Phantom Regiment. There have been some indications that things might change, with Regiment and SCV flip-flopped for 4th and 5th place in 2003, and Regiment finally breaking the stranglehold of the Top Three in 2005 by ousting the Blue Devils (with Bluecoats edging past Madison into fifth place).

Meanwhile, competition has heated up in other segments of the DCI echelons. Competition for a Finalist spot has become fierce. Competition for 5th and 6th place status has become a catfight, and overall, more corps are putting on solid performances across the board.

"Agitate! Agitate! Ought to be the motto of every reformer. Agitation is the opposite of stagnation - the one is life, the other death. " -Ernestine L. Rose

And still, I feel that there is still stagnation, and I know I am not alone. I don't expect this to please fans of any one of those "top 3" corps. Of course they are going to want to continue to see the Status Quo. There are, in fact, some people who would probably prefer that their particular corps stayed in the top 2/3 forever, and to H-E-double hockey sticks with the state of the activity.

Hey, I know the feeling. I am a Yankees fan. The Yankees have the most championships of any baseball team, in fact, they have the most championships of any major sports franchise (26). And they are universally reviled by most non-Yankee fans. Most of those revilers will tell you it's because ol' George Steinbrenner buys his teams talent and spends money to buy players...and they will conveniently forget that money is not all it takes to buy a title. They will conveniently forget that Steinbrenner has only been owner for 8-9 of those titles, and the rest came before him. They will conveniently forget that when the Yankees won the title in 1996, 1998, and 1999 they were not the highest payrolls in baseball.

No, the real reason most people hate the Yankees is because they win. A lot. Because they beat your team's butt on a regular basis, especially if you are a Red Sox fan (and no, one golden year does not reverse the trend). In many ways, the Cadets and the Blue Devils are the Yankees of DCI, and that is the main reason why a lot of people hate them. But I will get to that in a moment.

This year, it looks like there might be a new face in the top 4, perhaps two new faces in the top 5...but it doesn't look like we're going to see much change at the top three spots...again. Making it 8 of the last 9 years that the top three remins the same. Contrast that with the decade before. Between 1987 and 1996, the following corps occupied top three spots: Garfield Cadets, Blue Devils, and Cavaliers...our "usual suspects." However, we also had Madison Scouts, Phantom Regiment, Santa Clara Vanguard, and the now-defunct Star of Indiana. That means that prior to this "decade of domination," seven different corps had a shot at top three. SEVEN! That led to some fantastic competition, and some years where "anything" could happen...

Let's talk about one of those years...1990. While most people don't list 1990 as one of their favourite years in the annual top 10 lists, it was truly a fantastically competitive year... Blue Devils and Phantom Regiment spent first tour mostly undefeated...until Cavaliers beat them both at DCI Midwest. Santa Clara was the defending champion with a record high score...and finished 6th! Madison Scouts were two years removed from a title...and finished in 9th! Star of Indiana surprised everyone and finished 3rd, winning high brass! And Cadets came out of virtually nowhere, cleaned the heck up out of their show, and won the title despite losing to most of the top 6 at some point in the season...how often does that happen nowadays?

There is simply way too much domination nowadays...corps either go undefeated, or lose only a very few shows, mostly only to the same 1 or 2 corps.

Of course, change has to happen at someone's expense, and last year, it happened at the expense of the Santa Clara Vanguard, who happen to be one of my favourite corps.

And I have heard the rumblings..."it's not fair, SCV has already gone through a down period, it's time for another corps!" This might be true...it isn't fair for SCV to go through another down period, maybe they don' deserve that...but as Clint Eastwood once said in his best movie: "Deserve ain't got nothing to do with it." Nor am I suggesting that I would like to see BD, Cavaliers, or Cadets fall just for the heck of it. Those organizations have shown the model it takes to be consistent, and like the real estate motto of "location, location, location," it consists of only one word: "staff, staff, staff."

Those three corps are as successful as they are because they employ AND RETAIN (and isn't that the hardest part) the best staff. This is no different than baseball....good baseball teams employ and retain the best players...inconsistent baseball teams (like the former Expos, and the Marlins) employ the best players, but then fail to retain them. The Cavies, Devils, and Cadets know the formula to winning and being consistent, and they retain as much of their staff as they can, because they know that a competent and happy staff = top three corps.

However...other corps have begun to catch on. They understand what it takes now, and though it is a slow process, they are making strides. From 1992 until this year, Regiment has employed the following as their drill designer:

John Brazale, Tony Hall, Steve Hegemeir, Greg Cesario, Garret Decker, Brian Hildreth, Tony Hall (again), Leon May, Johnny Sanchez, and now Jamey Thompson. That's 10 changes in 13 years. Quick trivia question: What has been Regiment's weak spot the last decade or so? You got it....Visual.

But Pat Seidling understands this. Sal Salas understands this. They understand that a staff/creative team is like a garden. You must tend to it, you must water it, and sometimes, painfully, you must weed it. A lot of weeding has gone on in both of these organizations, and it has been painful to many people involved. But look now! The flowers are in bloom, and the garden looks beautiful.

More and more corps are catching on to this...in essence, the top three/four corps have shown what it takes to be at the highest level, and have become their own worst enemy. Any falls out of the top 3/4 WON'T be necessarily because Cavies, BD, or Cadets have a bad year, or bad staff changes in the offseason....but because the playing field is being leveled.

"The greatest enemy of progress is not stagnation, but false progress." -Sydney J. Harris

Now, each of those corps above have had their one bad year...Cavaliers fell to 7th in 1997. Cadets fell to 7th in 1991. Blue Devils fell to 5th in 1991. But these were anomalies. In each case, the fall of these corps allowed another corps an opporunity: In 1997, the Cavaliers falling to 7th allowed Crossmen to finish in the top 6 again. In 1991, Devils and Cadets falling allowed for three Midwestern corps to finish 1-2-3. And each case, the corps involved bounced back and recovered stronger than ever.

Don't weep for the Santa Clara Vanguard. They are a strong, proud organization. They are feeling the effects of staff turnover, something that is common in today's "free agent" DCI landscape. But they will bounce back. If you haven't read it, you should read Lee Rudnicki's story of the 1993 Vanguard sometime. By 1997, the corps was in contention for a title again.

Regiment's down years appear to be over. Madison's down years look to be over. But it will take some shuffling of the corps ahead of them to break the stagnation we have seen and experience for almost a decade.

"That which stagnates dies." -Unkown

At some point....unthinkable though it may be...Cavaliers, Cadets, or Blue Devils will fall out of the top five. And fans of those corps will weep and hate and pout and rail against the system. But none of those corps is going away for the long term. All the "sure things" in my life have failed at some point:

Cisco's stock plumetted.

The Yankees blew a 3-0 series lead to the Red Sox.

The Florida State University Seminoles fell out of the top 10.

My long-time girlfriend and I broke up.

And after each of the events above -some which obviously affected me more than others- I picked myself up and moved on. Life goes on.

So what is the point of this post? I don't know....perhaps a warning? Everyone wants change....until that change affects their corps. Everyone wants new faces in the top 3/4/5....unless one of the new faces replaces your favourite corps. It's the same everywhere...but it's coming. The stagnation of the top 3 is coming to an end soon, perhaps not this year, but soon. We might as well prepare for it now, and though we can be sad that our corps may be caught up in it, we can rejoice to know that motion equals life, and that the activity will be enhanced because of it.

And to be honest with you...I am sick of the non-competiveness that has hit out activity. Now, it's not the fault of the Cavaliers, the Cadets, or the Devils that they are good. They just are...they perform well, they program well (most years), but I cannot believe that three corps dominating the activity is good for drum corps. In fact, I believe very strongly that if this continues, the activity is going to suffer from it...perhaps it already has. It's simply much much MUCH more exciting to have a season like 1990 than a season like the past five, maybe even ten.

I don't expect many to agree with me, human being like the status quo...and of course, people like it when their favourite wins. But what good is it to thave the same three corps dominating everything if the activity falls apart around them? We're already down to 30-something Division I corps (I think, could actually be less), how much more can the activity bear to lose?

So what do we do? I don't know...certainly, corps like Bluecoats, Crown, SCV, Scouts, Crusaders, and Regiment need to step up and start challenging more strongly for spots in the top 3/4/5, but...we have to give them a fair chance...and I'm not sure that it happens as often as we might wish. Judges have to start calling what they see on that given night...and I (like many others) don't think that really happens anymore. Perhaps it is time for another revamping of the judging system. Perhaps there needs to be a "salary cap" (I kid...I think).

I just don't like seeing this sort of stagnation. If we had a season like 1990 going on, perhaps we'd all be distracted enough by the competition to silence some of the anti-amp crowd, perhaps not, who knows...

I now return you to your regularly scheduled anti-everything DCI has become rants.

i agree with a lot of what you say. it seems that certain corps get rewarded because of name and designer names.

the one thing i see is one thing you didnt point out. those that have stayed in one place for years are those very people have clamored for change due to "stifled creativity".

my question is this.......at what point will they become old hat and need weeded? for all we know, there are tons of great minds who cant get a chance, and can do it without having to change the rules, yet, because they dont wear maroon, blue, green or red, they dont get a shot.

[gellio]

You mean that you advocate it, or acknowledge that it's there? I assume the latter. COME ON. Does ANYONE honestly deny that there's slotting?

I acknowledge it's existence. I mean...definitely..otherwise scores would flip-flop more.

[90'sMelloguy]

Tsar, great post. Really enjoyed it and everyone elses too. This is without a doubt the most thoughtfull thread I have seen.

I used to be very involved in the activity now I am mainly a spectator. So I am not saying I my ideas are right but I still want to take a minute and offer my opinion based on my perspective.

I have marched and taught DCI championship corps and there is not a person out there in the activity that would like to see more corps competing for a title. When I was involved in the 90's it really was 2-3 corps competing every year for the title with everyone else pretty much a non-factor. Clearly there were some corps that were flat out better than the rest, but IMO that made the activity boring. I think the main cotribution to this has been 4 central problems.

1. A limited amount of talent which tends to gravitate to an "elite" group of corps

2. A limited amount of staff thathad any clue what they were doing

3. Most corps (with the exception of the elites) had horrible management.

4. Judging.....I will mention this one later.....

Fortunately, I think the first three problems have greatly been improved. let me explain

1. Talent: There is a lot more talent know to choose from and it is now "spreading out" to other corps besides the big names (PR, SCV, BD, CBC, Cavies, Madison) which means that other corps like Boston, Blue coats, Carolina Crown (and many others) are much more talented than they have ever been before. I think it is only going to get better too.

2. Staff: That is very similar to the Talent thing too. Alot of the big name staffs have been there forever, but alot of their former students are really smart, innovative, and talented and offer a fresh perspectives. BUT, they cant get a job with one of the big names because they are either "staffed out, " or they are going to be relegated to being the low guy on the totem pole. So alot of these young talents are going other places where they can get to use their potential. Therefore, we are seeing a lot better staffs throughout the activity tha years past....on a side note. I used to crash rehearsals of other corps 10 years ago and they were simply inept. I did the same thing again recently to a couple of the same corps and they now have staff that has a clue.

3. Management: I dont know what to say exept this has seemed to improved alot. I can tell you that 10 years ago it was a miracle that many corps even made it to finals without getting lost or completely imploding. The management for so many corps (even some finalist) was either crooked or inept. That does not seem to be the case now.

Ok, with all that being said it is obvious that I think the activity as a whole is improving. Maybe I am being too positive but I really think it is. Unfortunately, I do think that there is one huge obstacle that stands in the way:

4. Judging: I think that most of the people that are judges are qualified people that really really want to do the right thing. But they are not allowed. If they "call it as they see it" they dont get to judge at the big shows and definately not at finals. The big corps (one in particular) threaten, intimidate, belittle, and simply strong-arm judges into putting down numbers that are favorable to them. I have seen it with my own eyes more times than i can remember. I have even sat on the staff bus when they (the staff) formulate how they are going to attack and manipulate a judge before the show and I have sat there with them (staff) after the show while they laugh about how they broke that judges down. THAT in my opinion is what is killing the chance of more corps having a chance at a title. We can argue all we want about changing the way captions are broken up or adding judges but IMO as long as you have that kind of activity going on you are going to continue to see a few corps that are allways at the top.

.

.

.

I realize that this is kind of a rant and I dont offer a solution (maybe that could be its own thread), but I wanted to state some of my experiences and see if that offers any insight on the subject.

[jjeffeory]

Nikk,

Don't forget that in 1990 12th-16th place corps were trading shots too. Boston Crusaders was in 12th place during quarter finals. When the dust settled at semifinals they ended up in 15th place. When's the last time the 15th or 16th place corps had a legitimate shot at making it to finals? Maybe it will this year? Good post and I agree with ya, but I propose that we at least try to get the 13th-17th place corps close to finals level. That would be exciting too. People on here tend to concentrate on generating a new champion while letting everything outside of a finalist corps drop out of the group mindshare. Let's get a whole bunch of finalist quality designs and shows, then work on getting those 7 or 8 corps that can win on any given night!

Oh and thanks for bringing up 1990 in particular. I was talking about it on the 1992 thread and your post kind of backs up why I think 1990 was such a great year.

Stagnation (with some edits)...

WARNING: The following will likely upset some people. Read with caution.

"Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation...even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind." -Leonardo da Vinci

Stagnation is defined broadly as "a state of inactivity in which nothing grows or changes." I suggest to you that DCI has undergone a period of stagnation for several years, and may just now be snapping out of it.

From 1997 until 2004, four corps rotated amongst the vaunted DCI "elite" of the top three. Although we don't normally speak in such terms, the top three are the three corps with the best chance to win the title. We used to talk about the top 5 or even the top 6 in such a way, but it has been a long time since someone running in 4th place all year could vault every corps ahead of them and contend seriously for the title.

For a period of 9 years, 4 corps have dominated the talk of DCI: The Cavaliers (4 titles in that span), the Blue Devils (3 titles in that span), the Cadets (3 titles in that span), and the Santa Clara Vanguard (1 title in that span). Meanwhile, in 5th place -which once used to be considered elite- we have seen a revolving door of corps including the Madison Scounts, the Glassmen, the Boston Crusaders, the Bluecoats, and the Phantom Regiment. There have been some indications that things might change, with Regiment and SCV flip-flopped for 4th and 5th place in 2003, and Regiment finally breaking the stranglehold of the Top Three in 2005 by ousting the Blue Devils (with Bluecoats edging past Madison into fifth place).

Meanwhile, competition has heated up in other segments of the DCI echelons. Competition for a Finalist spot has become fierce. Competition for 5th and 6th place status has become a catfight, and overall, more corps are putting on solid performances across the board.

"Agitate! Agitate! Ought to be the motto of every reformer. Agitation is the opposite of stagnation - the one is life, the other death. " -Ernestine L. Rose

And still, I feel that there is still stagnation, and I know I am not alone. I don't expect this to please fans of any one of those "top 3" corps. Of course they are going to want to continue to see the Status Quo. There are, in fact, some people who would probably prefer that their particular corps stayed in the top 2/3 forever, and to H-E-double hockey sticks with the state of the activity.

Hey, I know the feeling. I am a Yankees fan. The Yankees have the most championships of any baseball team, in fact, they have the most championships of any major sports franchise (26). And they are universally reviled by most non-Yankee fans. Most of those revilers will tell you it's because ol' George Steinbrenner buys his teams talent and spends money to buy players...and they will conveniently forget that money is not all it takes to buy a title. They will conveniently forget that Steinbrenner has only been owner for 8-9 of those titles, and the rest came before him. They will conveniently forget that when the Yankees won the title in 1996, 1998, and 1999 they were not the highest payrolls in baseball.

No, the real reason most people hate the Yankees is because they win. A lot. Because they beat your team's butt on a regular basis, especially if you are a Red Sox fan (and no, one golden year does not reverse the trend). In many ways, the Cadets and the Blue Devils are the Yankees of DCI, and that is the main reason why a lot of people hate them. But I will get to that in a moment.

This year, it looks like there might be a new face in the top 4, perhaps two new faces in the top 5...but it doesn't look like we're going to see much change at the top three spots...again. Making it 8 of the last 9 years that the top three remins the same. Contrast that with the decade before. Between 1987 and 1996, the following corps occupied top three spots: Garfield Cadets, Blue Devils, and Cavaliers...our "usual suspects." However, we also had Madison Scouts, Phantom Regiment, Santa Clara Vanguard, and the now-defunct Star of Indiana. That means that prior to this "decade of domination," seven different corps had a shot at top three. SEVEN! That led to some fantastic competition, and some years where "anything" could happen...

Let's talk about one of those years...1990. While most people don't list 1990 as one of their favourite years in the annual top 10 lists, it was truly a fantastically competitive year... Blue Devils and Phantom Regiment spent first tour mostly undefeated...until Cavaliers beat them both at DCI Midwest. Santa Clara was the defending champion with a record high score...and finished 6th! Madison Scouts were two years removed from a title...and finished in 9th! Star of Indiana surprised everyone and finished 3rd, winning high brass! And Cadets came out of virtually nowhere, cleaned the heck up out of their show, and won the title despite losing to most of the top 6 at some point in the season...how often does that happen nowadays?

There is simply way too much domination nowadays...corps either go undefeated, or lose only a very few shows, mostly only to the same 1 or 2 corps.

Of course, change has to happen at someone's expense, and last year, it happened at the expense of the Santa Clara Vanguard, who happen to be one of my favourite corps.

And I have heard the rumblings..."it's not fair, SCV has already gone through a down period, it's time for another corps!" This might be true...it isn't fair for SCV to go through another down period, maybe they don' deserve that...but as Clint Eastwood once said in his best movie: "Deserve ain't got nothing to do with it." Nor am I suggesting that I would like to see BD, Cavaliers, or Cadets fall just for the heck of it. Those organizations have shown the model it takes to be consistent, and like the real estate motto of "location, location, location," it consists of only one word: "staff, staff, staff."

Those three corps are as successful as they are because they employ AND RETAIN (and isn't that the hardest part) the best staff. This is no different than baseball....good baseball teams employ and retain the best players...inconsistent baseball teams (like the former Expos, and the Marlins) employ the best players, but then fail to retain them. The Cavies, Devils, and Cadets know the formula to winning and being consistent, and they retain as much of their staff as they can, because they know that a competent and happy staff = top three corps.

However...other corps have begun to catch on. They understand what it takes now, and though it is a slow process, they are making strides. From 1992 until this year, Regiment has employed the following as their drill designer:

John Brazale, Tony Hall, Steve Hegemeir, Greg Cesario, Garret Decker, Brian Hildreth, Tony Hall (again), Leon May, Johnny Sanchez, and now Jamey Thompson. That's 10 changes in 13 years. Quick trivia question: What has been Regiment's weak spot the last decade or so? You got it....Visual.

But Pat Seidling understands this. Sal Salas understands this. They understand that a staff/creative team is like a garden. You must tend to it, you must water it, and sometimes, painfully, you must weed it. A lot of weeding has gone on in both of these organizations, and it has been painful to many people involved. But look now! The flowers are in bloom, and the garden looks beautiful.

More and more corps are catching on to this...in essence, the top three/four corps have shown what it takes to be at the highest level, and have become their own worst enemy. Any falls out of the top 3/4 WON'T be necessarily because Cavies, BD, or Cadets have a bad year, or bad staff changes in the offseason....but because the playing field is being leveled.

"The greatest enemy of progress is not stagnation, but false progress." -Sydney J. Harris

Now, each of those corps above have had their one bad year...Cavaliers fell to 7th in 1997. Cadets fell to 7th in 1991. Blue Devils fell to 5th in 1991. But these were anomalies. In each case, the fall of these corps allowed another corps an opporunity: In 1997, the Cavaliers falling to 7th allowed Crossmen to finish in the top 6 again. In 1991, Devils and Cadets falling allowed for three Midwestern corps to finish 1-2-3. And each case, the corps involved bounced back and recovered stronger than ever.

Don't weep for the Santa Clara Vanguard. They are a strong, proud organization. They are feeling the effects of staff turnover, something that is common in today's "free agent" DCI landscape. But they will bounce back. If you haven't read it, you should read Lee Rudnicki's story of the 1993 Vanguard sometime. By 1997, the corps was in contention for a title again.

Regiment's down years appear to be over. Madison's down years look to be over. But it will take some shuffling of the corps ahead of them to break the stagnation we have seen and experience for almost a decade.

"That which stagnates dies." -Unkown

At some point....unthinkable though it may be...Cavaliers, Cadets, or Blue Devils will fall out of the top five. And fans of those corps will weep and hate and pout and rail against the system. But none of those corps is going away for the long term. All the "sure things" in my life have failed at some point:

Cisco's stock plumetted.

The Yankees blew a 3-0 series lead to the Red Sox.

The Florida State University Seminoles fell out of the top 10.

My long-time girlfriend and I broke up.

And after each of the events above -some which obviously affected me more than others- I picked myself up and moved on. Life goes on.

So what is the point of this post? I don't know....perhaps a warning? Everyone wants change....until that change affects their corps. Everyone wants new faces in the top 3/4/5....unless one of the new faces replaces your favourite corps. It's the same everywhere...but it's coming. The stagnation of the top 3 is coming to an end soon, perhaps not this year, but soon. We might as well prepare for it now, and though we can be sad that our corps may be caught up in it, we can rejoice to know that motion equals life, and that the activity will be enhanced because of it.

And to be honest with you...I am sick of the non-competiveness that has hit out activity. Now, it's not the fault of the Cavaliers, the Cadets, or the Devils that they are good. They just are...they perform well, they program well (most years), but I cannot believe that three corps dominating the activity is good for drum corps. In fact, I believe very strongly that if this continues, the activity is going to suffer from it...perhaps it already has. It's simply much much MUCH more exciting to have a season like 1990 than a season like the past five, maybe even ten.

I don't expect many to agree with me, human being like the status quo...and of course, people like it when their favourite wins. But what good is it to thave the same three corps dominating everything if the activity falls apart around them? We're already down to 30-something Division I corps (I think, could actually be less), how much more can the activity bear to lose?

So what do we do? I don't know...certainly, corps like Bluecoats, Crown, SCV, Scouts, Crusaders, and Regiment need to step up and start challenging more strongly for spots in the top 3/4/5, but...we have to give them a fair chance...and I'm not sure that it happens as often as we might wish. Judges have to start calling what they see on that given night...and I (like many others) don't think that really happens anymore. Perhaps it is time for another revamping of the judging system. Perhaps there needs to be a "salary cap" (I kid...I think).

I just don't like seeing this sort of stagnation. If we had a season like 1990 going on, perhaps we'd all be distracted enough by the competition to silence some of the anti-amp crowd, perhaps not, who knows...

I now return you to your regularly scheduled anti-everything DCI has become rants.

Edited July 6, 2006 by jjeffeory

[Morgoth Bauglir]

One of the biggest things that help the success of a corps is past success. New members want to try out and march at the top level. So BD, Cavies, and the Cadets will continue to have more auditionees with more talent than any other corps.

And sinnce this is a non-pro youth activty, meaning non-adults paying money to participate, not adults getting paid, there is really no way to change this trend. As a amature youth activity, the members should and hopefully will always have the choice as to where to try out and where to march. The downside of that is that yes, some corps will continually get better players and more of them.

Granted that is not the only factor, but I think it is a pretty big one. A corps starting off the season with 80% collge music majors as opposed to starting the season with 80% high school band kids can make a big difference.

Edited July 6, 2006 by G-Cym