The San Antonio Crossmen

[kbmartin]

"no longer in YEA!" option

Um... they aren't leaving YEA!, so I don't know why thats a choice.

I wonder how many people actually read the whole announcement. In two years' time, YEA! will have divested itself of Crossmen.

[dckid80]

Reading comprehension seems to be a problem. Here is the announcement. See the bold section.

_____________________________________________________________________________

BREAKING NEWS: Crossmen Move to San Antonio, TX

Thursday, September 21, 2006

The Lone Star State Gains Division 1 Corps of its Own

After a series of discussions, Youth Education in the Arts (YEA!) announced on September 21, 2006 they will be fielding the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps through a new management team located in San Antonio, Texas beginning with the 2007 season.

The director of the corps will be Mark Chambers, current band director of Ronald Reagan High School. The management team’s leadership will include Fred and Maureen Morrison, past co-presidents of the Reagan Band Parents Association, and other supporters of the Reagan group.

The San Antonio leadership team will be charged with all educational and programming functions, including staffing, camp management, and the tour; while YEA! will execute the back office operations for 2007. YEA! will provide mentoring for the new team in the fine art of running a premier drum corps from holding camp rehearsals, to food preparation, volunteer coordination, merchandising, marketing and more. Staff from YEA! will be at all camps, and Mark Chambers and YEA! are jointly recruiting an experienced tour manager to assist in carrying the summer load.

As a charter member of the Crossmen, George Hopkins, Executive Director and CEO of YEA! provides a unique perspective on the relocation of the corps. "From the day the Crossmen were formed, I have been privileged to play a role in this wonderful youth organization as a marching member, competitor and advocate. Today, as we sit on the brink of a new tomorrow for the corps, I am excited and thrilled to be part of the next phase in the life of the corps. Mark and his Texas team are great people and they can count on YEA! to guide and assist them for as long as they desire. Mark has been a successful band director, VERY successful, for years now and is well respected in Texas and across the country. His access to top talent, his personal ability, and the support he has of both the local San Antonio and DCI the community will make for a quick success"

Andrew Silverstein, Chairman of the Board of YEA! adds, "The Crossmen have been an integral part of YEA! for over a decade and we are proud that we have been able to stabilize and field a world class ensemble. As the program offerings of YEA! are more and more focused on supporting activities for high schools across the country, the reality is we simply do not have the resources, to give the necessary time, attention and financial support to two Division I DCI corps. Texas is a state strong in music education and now can proudly boast they have the Crossmen and can strengthen and build on the long heritage, success and traditions of the corps. The organization’s commitment is that for two years, YEA! will assist and support the Crossmen through this San Antonio leadership team. The long range goal is to once again return the Crossmen to independent status"

Mark Chambers, the new director of the Crossmen enthusiastically states, "It will be our goal to engage every one of the current and future members of the Crossmen, the fans, volunteers and alumni into becoming a part of this very exciting move. Our intention is to continue to uphold the long standing tradition of the corps as one of drum corps activity’s elite groups. When you see the Crossmen on the schedule, you know it will be something special! "

YEA! assumed responsibility for the Crossmen in 1996 and immediately absorbed several hundred thousand dollars in debt and has since successfully retired those debts and brought the Crossmen to the field for eleven consecutive years. Two sets of bus upgrades, new food and equipment trucks, uniforms, brass and percussion instruments have all been acquired for the corps during this period and have positioned the corps for a successful transition to their new home and their new future in Texas.

Current and prospective members of the corps are invited to the first rehearsals for the 2007 season to be held November 24-25-26 in San Antonio at Reagan High School. Information and registration materials can be found on the website at www.yea.org/crossmen.

All current endorsement agreements with YEA! partners will continue and the Crossmen will perform exclusively with Yamaha brass and percussion instruments, Avedis Zildjian Cymbals, Remo Drumheads and Vic Firth Drumsticks.

More details will be forthcoming as the Crossmen announce staff appointments for each of the captions and program details for the 2007 season. Stay tuned to www.yea.org/crossmen for the latest news and updates regarding the Crossmen of San Antonio, TX. In addition, a more detailed report on rationale, future programming, and expanded planning will be available.

YEA! is a non-profit 501c3 organization based in Allentown, PA. The mission of YEA! is to support the development of young people into magnificent human beings through their participation in the arts. Program offerings of YEA! are the 9-time World Champion Cadets, the 22-time World Champion Finalist the Crossmen and the US Scholastic Band Association. More information on YEA! and its programs can be found at www.yea.org.

[Tony Flores]

Luckily for the Crossmen, there's a difference. The pilgrims had to face starvation and death when the winter months came around, but here in Texas, we don't believe in winter. It just doesn't happen. San Antonio will always be hot. And starvation will never be a problem because of Bill Miller's BBQ :P

...And all the Las Palapas you can eat...MMMMMM LAS PALAPAS....

Ok...I am going to use some of my professional experience in Casino Gaming and the like. To me, the fundraising will be much easier in San Antonio than in A'town, PA. Why? Particularly with the large number of casino's coming to PA, allentown in particular. The fund raising via bingo, cookouts, etc. will be easier to do in SA (due to no casinos in TX, and there wont be any in the near future). Like I said in the other major thread dealing with this move: The recruiting and the talent pool that they may have access to will be much larger for them. I am rooting for them as always.

[EMStar85]

There's a minimum 3-year waiting time (from the date you form a TX corporation) to start bingo operations.

But yes, you're right Tony: bingo can be fairly lucrative in TX if done smartly (not as lucrative as some would believe, but still enough to help the bottom line considerably.)

[84skyrydr]

Texas will be great for the Xmen and not so great for the other big corps who HEAVILY rely on Texans to fill out their membership ranks. Why pay all that money to travel to camps when you can easily go to San Antonio to a potential top 12 corps?????

[triplefunk]

Texas will be great for the Xmen and not so great for the other big corps who HEAVILY rely on Texans to fill out their membership ranks. Why pay all that money to travel to camps when you can easily go to San Antonio to a potential top 12 corps?????

Well, in rebuttle, I know that there is more than half of the brass in the Cavaliers that come from University of Houston. not saying this resembles every texan music player,but why would you leave a program that had a great year, other than the fact the money is a little out there for trips, to risk it with a local corps which has been in the top 12 but in the bottom for some time?

Edited September 23, 2006 by triplefunk

[jafar]

Well, in rebuttle, I know that there is more than half of the brass in the Cavaliers that come from University of Houston. not saying this resembles every texan music player,but why would you leave a program that had a great year, other than the fact the money is a little out there for trips, to risk it with a local corps which has been in the top 12 but in the bottom for some time?

i agree with you there. I dont think div 1 corps will lose there texas people. If they have been shelling out money to march with them, they must REALLY want to march with them. And i dont think crossmen will change their minds. But there is plenty of other good texans to fill the rosters

[JerseyBoy_]

Well, in rebuttle, I know that there is more than half of the brass in the Cavaliers that come from University of Houston. not saying this resembles every texan music player,but why would you leave a program that had a great year, other than the fact the money is a little out there for trips, to risk it with a local corps which has been in the top 12 but in the bottom for some time?

Now there IS a choice.

[drumcat]

Agreed. Now the kids that are just as talented, but don't have the same pocketbooks can have a choice that can be a few hours by car, instead of an odyssey by air...

[lovelytrumpets]

:(

Edited February 1, 2007 by lovelytrumpets