Salas OUT as Director of Scouts!

[Jim Anello]

You folks really don't get it do you...NO ONE HAS FLAMED THE SCOUTS MARCHING MEMBERS...ONLY THE STAF, PROGRAM COORDINATOR, SHOW DESIGN, ETC...UNDERSTAND???

And where do some of you find the time to post here all freaking day long???

Good, FlamMan, why don't you email Scott Boerma and some other alumni who served on the staff and tell them what you thought of their efforts in the same tone you've posted here? I'm sure they'd just LOVE a dose of your brotherhood.

[mobrien]

Geez, is this horse dead yet?

The Board has decided to make a change, and it appears that there were issues that had nothing to do with their onfield product the last couple of years that went into the decision. Someone else either has been hired or will be hired. The Scouts will be on the field again next summer, with 135 young men who'll be happy to be part of the organization.

Oh, and the 70s, 80s, and 90s in drum corps are gone and aren't coming back. Shows are different now.

Past that, is there really anything to discuss anymore?

Edited August 25, 2006 by mobrien

[Tom Brace]

Why did Madison's Board rush to announce Sal's departure?

Would it have been better to wait until they could fully announce the new direction?

Who benefits from the lag between this announcement and subsequent announcements regarding the future direction?

Marketing and PR 101...CONTROL THE MESSAGE

[masterfitter]

Why did Madison's Board rush to announce Sal's departure?

Would it have been better to wait until they could fully announce the new direction?

Who benefits from the lag between this announcement and subsequent announcements regarding the future direction?

Marketing and PR 101...CONTROL THE MESSAGE

Exactly.

As the head seamstress for the corps for the past two seasons (and unofficially for the year prior to that), I have no idea whatsoever what is going on other than having received an inpersonal e-mail from the new president of the board asking us to not act quickly and to remember why we worked for the Scouts to begin with. Well...HELLO...it was Sal and Michael that recruited me so, what does that mean?

Here I sit, with 100 or so pairs of cleaned by me at my home at my expense last week gauntlets in my basement, ready for the next stage of repair before the 2007 season, a bunch of my personal sewing belongings still on the equipment truck that I basically allow the corps to use since the budget is tight and the sewing crew needs this stuff to function effectively, WONDERING what the heck is REALLY up. Whatever this new direction is, I'd like it to also include the cleaning of the uniforms that are sitting dirty on a truck trailer in a parking lot in the sun, whether I continue to be involved with the corps or not. I realize this is fluff considering all that is happening - however, it's the fluff I was charged with taking care of and who even knows to think about the condition of uniforms during this crisis (feels like a crisis to me). I doubt the Board is going to discard the 1 year old uniforms in an effort to make that disgruntled batch of alumni that hates the new look happy...I mean, that wouldn't be fiscally responsible.

Not at all a happy camper here in Kaukauna, Wisconsin!

Mary Keller

[ssorrell]

Like I said before, if this corps has lost it's identity...or it's tradition...then who's fault is that exactly?? is it the member's fault, OR the fault of the alums that don't come around and work to instill that tradition...? I lump myself into that category before anyone thinks I'm stepping on toes. I, for one, have a renewed desire to be a part of the future of this corps...and I would challenge all alums who care about the direction of the corps to back up their words and do the same! :D

Allow me to share a very similar scenario...

Although my corps, Spirit, doesn't have as lengthy a history as the Scouts, what you and many others describe in these pages have a very similar feel to what we've experienced down south throughout the years. When Spirit first formed, we had no alumni, yet the corps rocketed to the top quickly because of a stellar staff and some very talented members. When many of those staffers moved on in the next Spirit era...my marching years in the early to mid 80s...we did have a few alumni on staff in various roles...drivers, mechanics, M&M instructors, but there was not a unified "association" of alumni. We were indeed still a young corps. By the time we had a few years under our belt and we felt the need to form an official alumni association, the corps had fallen on some hard times on the field. As probably most any corps can attest, when your corps begins to slip in the rankings, alumni seem to fade away quickly...sad but true. some go kicking and screaming, while others simply move on. Of course it didn't help that we were no longer very "southern" any more, as we had recently brought Stravinsky and a space themed show to the field. We had a small nucleus of alumni that worked in the alumni association, running bingo and other things, for a few years. Then, major changes came. Our founder and long time director, Freddy Martin was replaced as the director. In came a yankee...someone that none of us knew. For the majority of the 90s, alumni were never made to feel welcome. There was even a bit of hostility between the members of that era and members from my era and before because in the members eyes, we had abandoned them. There was no sense of history whatsoever. The director had even destroyed (yes destroyed) ALL corps records of prior members...rosters, audition forms, music scores...you name it...gone. Spirit of old was indeed dead in his eyes and that attitude trickled down to some extent to many of the members. The corps didn't even look like Spirit, from a traditional sense. In 1999, as tour finished, many current members began to return home and flood our unofficial Spirit alumni discussion forum. They began to share stories of their experiences on the road, many of which some of us long time staffers and former members questioned. So, in an effort to begin a unified front to possibly address some of these issues, I and a handful of other key alumni began to re-organize our inactive alumni association (luckily, the former Treasurer of the organization had continued to pay our annual fees to the state of GA, essentially keeping the SOAAA legally alive). However, we began to hit brick walls. It became clear that the director only wanted us to give money, but still not have any kind of association with "his" corps. We didn't go for that. Disappointed, we set out on a new direction with our alumni association...to simply be a social group that provides communication of former members. But what a difference a few days make. In May of 2000, the SOAAA was basically a bunch of drinking buddies that got together, watched old videos, and remembered good times from the past. In June of 2000, we were called on to help save the corps. The SOAAA went from being nothing in the eyes of the corps, to one of the saviours. The yankee director was out, and in came an influx of former members, directors, managers, and the like. The corps was in danger of folding, so we set out to stop that. In just 48 hours, I had received pledges of nearly $20K from alumni all over the country to help pull Spirit up. That's a drop in the bucket to what was needed, but without it, Spirit would never have experienced a complete summer. In 2001, with the corps ASKING for the alumni to help, not only did we assume responsibility of running the business of corps souvenirs (a business that is to this day still operated 100% by the SOAAA) but we also provided a majority of the funds needed to return the corps to its original baby blue uniform. Since that time, an alumni presence is evident at all Spirit camps, rehearsals, shows, etc. The souvenir booth is manned by former members for the duration of tour. With all of this show of support, the corps began to find it's way to honor the former Spirit members with little snipets of previous Spirit charts within their arrangements...Let It Be Me, Old Man River, Blues in the Night. We have an annual picnic at the Memorial Day camp which is a huge success. Current Spirit members get to meet many former members from some of the great Spirit corps from yesterday. Stories are shared and history is learned. The members of Spirit for the past few years have a keen sense of Spirit history. They know where they came from and how the corps came to be where it is now. Even though the corps seems to have a lock on 12th place currently, you never see a Spirit alumnus publically ridicule their corps. We don't like 12th place year after year no more than Madison likes 9th or worse. And believe me, we love our old Spirit style and sound, but we also accept that this isn't our era of corps anymore. We've tried Old Man River, LIBM, and other Spirit classics, and we've tried the newer wind ensemble stuff like Holsinger and Whitaker. We understand that the corps must search for its place in the drum corps world, and that might involve straying from the tried and true southern theme from time to time.

My advice to Madison alumni...get behind your corps, particularly in the tough times (and I mean tough on and off the field). Your presence and your support means more than you can ever know. I've witnessed it, and I can only imagine that in a corps such as Madison where "brotherhood" seems to take on a stronger and more significant meaning, that your presence and support would provide a greater pay off.

However, don't get behind the corps ONLY if your intentions are to move the corps into a particular direction on the field. I'm sure many alumni and fans would love to see/hear more latin jazz, etc, that many expect to hear from Madision. But for every person that would love to hear that, there's another that will claim that that identity is tired and boring. Get behind your corps for the right reasons...erase any generation gaps that might have formed. Solidify the corps so that every member from the 1930s to present can feel a connection. The Scouts used to have that, or at least that is the way it felt in the 80s when I was around them daily, and they may still do have that connection, but from these pages it doesn't seem to be as strong as it could be.

Don't expect anything in particular from the Scouts. One thing I've learned is to not expect corps to be what I want them to be. There is not one single corps that hasn't strayed from their roots a bit. I never thought Phantom would stray from their usual classic repertoire, yet in 2004 they brought us music from Astor Piazolla...a composer whose works I would never association with the Regiment. The last decade has proven that corps will deviate from the norm, not only from what we expect from them as a corps, but what we expect from drum corps in general. But that does not mean that each corps does not need the support of their former members, particularly one with such a rich history as Madison...even if those former members are not satisfied with the competitive direction a corps may chose and eventually find themselves in. Don't be fair weather alumni...get out there and show those guys that they are an important part of your family. Wipe away any disconnect between your generations. It can and will pay off, I guarantee it.

Edited August 25, 2006 by ssorrell

[Tom Brace]

Mary:

From someone who has been involved with drum corps operations in the past...What YOU do...and the hundreds of seamstresses, cooks, drivers, bus moms...remember the days of bus moms? Every volunteer is a priceless resource to each drim corps. We do it to support the marching members. I'm sure you found that Michael and Sal appreciated your efforts. I've watched sewing people in the past...1994 to be exact...with Phantom Regiment...perform the most amazing tasks...beyond what anyone expected, because Michael asked them to, empowered them to, and appreciated them for doing it.

What you do is not fluff...and I'm sure you know that. Organizations have their us and downs...but one of the life streams of any drum corps is their volunteers.

What we all have in common is...we do what we do for the kids.

Tom Brace

[Orpheus]

You folks really don't get it do you...NO ONE HAS FLAMED THE SCOUTS MARCHING MEMBERS...ONLY THE STAF, PROGRAM COORDINATOR, SHOW DESIGN, ETC...UNDERSTAND???

And where do some of you find the time to post here all freaking day long???

This year's show design was fantastic. Until I saw all the complaining on here, I couldn't have imagined that anyone could have had a problem with it. God forbid they play something besides Latin jazz, huh? It just seems to me like when an alumnus says the corps has "no Scout tradition or sound whatsoever," I'm sure a member is gonna think, "Well, that's okay, he's not bashing *ME*." A touch of a difference between saying, I didn't care for the show versus no Scout tradition, don't you think?

I find a lot of time to post on my days off, in the mornings and afternoons. This month, I'm off on Thursdays and Fridays. I was working around the house, like I am today, so when I feel like a break, I sit at the computer for a while and check out DCP. Is that okay with you? If it's any consolation, you probably won't hear much from me for the next week or so.

.

I wish I had the time to give your question the proper response. In short, Madison tradition = entertainment, melody, emotion & goose bumps. The 2006 Scouts show was not very entertaining, contained little melody, little emotion, & no goose bump moments...pretty much a ho-hum for me & most in the crowd.

Maybe I shouldn't say this because of my opinion on the Blue Knights ... but I really think you're projecting your personal opinion of their show onto everyone else. If you didn't like it, just say so. Fact is, every single person I've spoken to who got to see the 2006 Madison Scouts, whether live or at the movie theater, seems to have really loved them, with the exception of a small handful here on this forum. I'll have to listen a couple times more to become familiar with the melodic content of the show, but I got loads of emotion, entertainment, and goosebumbs from it. I probably had the best reaction to this show than any Scouts production since 1999 and it was one of my favorites of the summer, alongside Crown, Glassmen, and one or two others.

Edited August 25, 2006 by Orpheus

[masterfitter]

Mary:

From someone who has been involved with drum corps operations in the past...What YOU do...and the hundreds of seamstresses, cooks, drivers, bus moms...remember the days of bus moms? Every volunteer is a priceless resource to each drim corps. We do it to support the marching members. I'm sure you found that Michael and Sal appreciated your efforts. I've watched sewing people in the past...1994 to be exact...with Phantom Regiment...perform the most amazing tasks...beyond what anyone expected, because Michael asked them to, empowered them to, and appreciated them for doing it.

What you do is not fluff...and I'm sure you know that. Organizations have their us and downs...but one of the life streams of any drum corps is their volunteers.

What we all have in common is...we do what we do for the kids.

Tom Brace

Thanks for the kind words Tom. Yes, Michael and Sal have always been VERY appreciative.

FYI - I was one of those PR bus moms and seamstresses in 1994 - for the entire summer (plus pre-season). Who will ever forget making a flag finals week in the tiny teacher's lounge in the Boston area. I still have the sticky note drawing from Michael - it travels with me to this day. LOL Nothing, however, will ever outdo the making of those animal skins for Madison this year. My, oh my...

Mary

[ScribeToo]

Even though the corps seems to have a lock on 12th place currently, you never see a Spirit alumnus publically ridicule their corps. We don't like 12th place year after year no more than Madison likes 9th or worse. And believe me, we love our old Spirit style and sound, but we also accept that this isn't our era of corps anymore. We've tried Old Man River, LIBM, and other Spirit classics, and we've tried the newer wind ensemble stuff like Holsinger and Whitaker. We understand that the corps must search for its place in the drum corps world, and that might involve straying from the tried and true southern theme from time to time.

Thank you, Steve. Your insight -- while I suspect for at least ONE poster will go underappreciated -- is priceless.

[Orpheus]

Thank you, Steve. Your insight -- while I suspect for at least ONE poster will go underappreciated -- is priceless.

Agreed. Great post, Steve.