Capital Regiment Website

[Scerpella]

And frankly, I have seen consistently (and shockingly) good meals produced in the 'cook trucks' as you call them...they are actually mobile kitchens with food-service quality stoves, ovens, and freezers. The meals I have taken in as a visitor and host of a corps have been more than just acceptable; they have been dad-gum outstanding!

This leads me to ask whether youre saying that only corps based mobile kitchens have the capability to properly feed active young adults? To me the answer is clearly not.

Of course, this begs to ask: If a corps at the D1 level cannot provide for a full tour at the level of protection called for, then what business does it have going on tour to start with? I know that is draconian (and fuel costs do impact negatively on this), but this is the bottom line.

That would lead us into a whole nuther discussion about the nature of the activity but it does seem draconian to me to suggest that any youth activity must carry its own mobile kitchen and and food to even consider whether they should participate.

Your statement that 18-22 yr olds cant be counted on to eat right certainly also perplexes me. Evidently they are smart and talented enough to do all the things that a drum corps requires but their dietary choices must be controlled by the corps?

Edited August 23, 2006 by MantkuJPusskertant

[CapRegBariMom]

My daughter was a rookie in Capital Regiment this year. Over this season she:

~ Formed friendships that from what I've seen around DCI will last a lifetime.

~ Left a huge amount of sweat on the field.

~ Grew into a stronger young woman than the one who left home in late May.

~ Became more capable of solving her own problems.

~ Learned to eat what was given to her and to be grateful and less picky.

~ Expressed gratitude to the volunteers who worked hard and long to provide for them.

~ Extolled the value of DCT

~ Learned to sleep anywhere

~Overcame adversity and learned to deal with managment styles that will continue to pervade her life as she enters the corporate world.

~ Learned that the effort can be as worthy as the prize.

~ Did all she could to perfect a product.

I'd say that's a well spent summer.

I won't speak to admin issues other than to say I volunteered with the corps, traveled with them a bit, grew to respect the efforts from the staff that I worked with and the hours they put in and I am humbled by the sheer amount of work it takes to keep a nomadic group like this running. The corps members never treated me with anything but respect and the staff was always obliging and grateful for the time that I gave.

It is so sad to me that given all the work, the expense, the effort my daughter put into her first corps year that she expressed to me this morning that it is difficult to hold her head high and say she was a part of Capital Regiment with pride -- not because of the work she did and the fine product they put on the field but because of the reputation the corps is now receiving.

I urge you, out of respect for the efforts of those amazing kids that I was priviledged to be given the opportunity to work for this summer, show them a little dignity and stop this.

I am sure the rest of these issues can be resolved and will be through channels more effective than a public forum.

Edited to correct two typos.

Edited August 23, 2006 by CapRegBariMom

[randomnoise]

This is a digression but considering that much of the horror stories deal with not being fed, whatever happened to the corps pulling up to the area that had 3 or 4 restaurants and saying you have 60 minutes to be back on the bus? Ive never understood why corps decided to take on this added responsibility of carting around a food staff and in many cases horrendous cost of feeding the corps itself.

Having marched in a corps that did this, there were two major problems. First, it took a long time for meals. And second, we all ran out of money before the end of tour. I can recall members having to steal food on the way home from DCI.

[ScribeToo]

Your statement that 18-22 yr olds cant be counted on to eat right certainly also perplexes me. Evidently they are smart and talented enough to all the things that a drum corps requires but there dietary choices must be controlled by the corps?

Yes, they should.

Corps ask for a tour fee and accept responsibility for those young people for the period of time they are on the road.

Additionally, they are asking a lot of those same members, both mentally and physically and it is in their best interest to make sure that the nutritional basic needs are provided for during tour. The more consistent they can make their members' world, the better off they'll be in the long run. Do you also disagree with a corps requiring pre-tour/season physical conditioning, too? Lots of them require it..

Maybe YOUR kids always make great food choices on their own... but not every kid has a solid enough nutritional understanding to support being a marathon runner in training for three entire months on their own.

Aside from all this argument, it's not written anywhere they HAVE to do it this way (have a cook vehicle and a staff to feed the kids). Mostly, this has been the natural progression -- started out with a couple of moms on tour making PB&Js for the bus ride and putting out donuts and OJ in the morning.. it's become what it is out of what ultimately is a combination of convenience and smart business (It's ALWAYS cheaper to make dinner than buy it.. didn't your mom ever tell you that?).

[Ben]

Your statement that 18-22 yr olds cant be counted on to eat right certainly also perplexes me. Evidently they are smart and talented enough to do all the things that a drum corps requires but their dietary choices must be controlled by the corps?

it's a no brainer that if you want to expect the best from every member, that making sure they're fed well is a vital component to the excellence your looking for on the field.

[Scerpella]

I seem to be doing a lot of disagreeing with you these days, Dan.

Would be boring if we agreed on everything I think.

As for "most restaurants providing a more nutritious meal than any drum corps cook truck" -- well.. again, it falls to your experience vs. mine. I strongly encourage you to spend a weekend working on a cook truck (not at a camp.. on tour) and I think you'll see that most of the cook trucks are run more like a school cafeteria (albeit a travelling one) than a restaurant.. though some more closely resemble a restaurant, as well.

First of all please be less careless in quoting or paraphrasing me. I said:

And todays kids are not stupid they can be encouraged to eat right. All restaurants are not fast food in fact Id wager a fair amount of them provide a more nutritious meal than any cook wagon with a drum corps.

Not most as you wrote. Secondly I have read many discussions on DCP and RAMD about "favorite dishes on tour and cook truck favorites" and the like. Much of it Id characterize as empty carbs or high fat or full of sugar. My point being not that these are bad foods but that a young persons metabolism can operate more efficiently on pretty much anything thats shovelled into it. Its us oldsters that need to watch this or that in our diet.

I can see how your model would work in your time.. but considering some of the housing sites I've been at on tour.. out in the middle of tobacco fields with 5 - 10 miles between us and the closest "strip mall".. and how often corps are fed at show sites or at odd hours, having a cook vehicle makes the most sense for many corps today.

I dont think you really want to trade "dismal show sites or rehearsal venues" stories with people from "my time". I havent argued that cook trucks dont make any sense or that they are bad or anything like that. Just that once again in the context of this discussion, it might have been better if Cap Reg spent its money on other things and let the kids do what kids that age do which is choose their own food.. (Altho it appears that CR didnt even manage to always spend their money on food)

[Scerpella]

it's a no brainer that if you want to expect the best from every member, that making sure they're fed well is a vital component to the excellence your looking for on the field.

Its a wonder kids werent keeling over on the drum corps fields before there were cook trucks!! I think you overstate their importance Ben.

Edited August 23, 2006 by MantkuJPusskertant

[JimF-LowBari]

Two thoughts while reading all the allegations:

1) If the corps had bus drivers that were unlicensed and/or intoxicated this would be a federal offense if they crossed state lines. Who ever hired the drivers without checking (or ignoring lack of) licenses is in deep brown stuff with Unca Sugar.

1a) If the above is untrue, whoever is spreading it might end up in court too.

2) Few pages back one or two of the parents said they traveled with a carload of fluid and food for the corps for their meals. Any idea if what was brought ended up being most of the meal. Thought there was something being unsaid but can't fid the post now.

[Ben]

Its a wonder kids werent keeling over on the drum corps fields before there were cook trucks!! I think you overstate their importance Ben.

kids are different now, especially with the emergence of eating disorders. you can't just say, "that's not how we did it in the good old days" and leave it at that

[Scerpella]

kids are different now, especially with the emergence of eating disorders. you can't just say, "that's not how we did it in the good old days" and leave it at that

Good old days of eating? Again, I dont see how the human organism has changed so much that nutrition now must be strictly monitored. If anything there is a higher percentage of college kids in the activity now than when I marched, kids who I think can be counted on to be smart enough to eat more than Twizzlers and Good n Plenty.

I honestly have to chuckle because in every way todays corps kids are being billed as the best and smartest ever, but not smart enough to know evidently whats smart to eat and whats not.