San Antonio Crossmen

[BigSev]

Check your sources. Population of the SF bay area is over 7 million.

Actually, if you put Bexar (San Antonio) and Travis (Austin) Counties together you have just under 2 million people.

[MikeD]

I didn't waste my years in a senior corps. I was 19-22 years of age when I marched. I could have done junior and almost did so, but it was not to be, and I have not regretted it.

I don't feel that any of the Bucs alumni who marched Crossmen, and vice versa, would say it was wasted time. Either would the staff of both corps. Many of them were/are/have been the same people...

Sounds as if he wants a div I touring experience.

[ACustom19]

I did at the time. I tried out for SCV in 2004 and was cut. I did not go out for a junior corps in 2005 (my ageout). I have not regretted not doing a junior corps that was closer...

I taught for Jersey Surf this past summer. I have gotten my DCI experience.

[Kamarag]

I would not want to march in a Senior corp if I were 15 - 22 years old. You only get to be in DCI until 21 or 22, Why waste those years in a Senior Corp??? You only live once, so go for a DCI Corp when you are young and save the DCA corps for the later years in your life, if you must.

I'm sure you didn't intend your post to sound insulting. You might have considered it a waste, but there are many in the DCI age group who would argue with you to the death.

There are a lot of DCI alumni, and Crossmen alumni, that would argue that ther DCA experince was a better one.

Different? Yes. Better or worse? No. Then again, the Buccaneers didn't just move across the country...

[musicdesign]

With my background in being involved in drum corps on the east coast I can understand the emotions the crossmen alumni and fans are having to them moving operations to San Antonio.

In the end though this will be a good deal for Crossmen. Being free from YEA will be a good thing in the long run competitively and financially. I don't know if I agree with them moving to Texas, as I believe YEA could have found a new home for them on the east coast but I do understand the move and there is alot of potential in Texas for this corps.

I will be interested in seeing the developemnt of the Crossmen once they're Texas operations get underway!!!! Good Luck!!!!

Actually, if you put Bexar (San Antonio) and Travis (Austin) Counties together you have just under 2 million people.

[Piper]

Sorry, but I disagree. I'd hardly call Spartans, East Coast Jazz, Jersey Surf and Raiders "backwater". Sure they are in Div II and III, but have you seen them? Spartans and ECJ would be fighting for a spot in semi's most years if they were in Div I. Surf is amazing for part time drum corps. Raiders have been a fantastic Div III corps for years, and the past two years marched part of the season without a DM (very successfully too). No, there are not as many Div I finalists from the east coast as there once were, but there are some very competitive units in Div II/III. There is also some amazing all-age corps there as well.

1) Yes I've seen them.

2) Yes they're good.

3) Yes I know about the "invisible" DM.

4) Yes there are many good corps still in the region.

5) Yes I know about DCA. I can recite chapter and verse from 1964 onward.

6) BAC + Cadets = 2

[SCVsopAaron]

Removed out of respect for Crossmen alumni, members, and voluteers...

Edited September 23, 2006 by SCVsopAaron

[SaraNYC]

I know all too well :( , but I would've supported moving Star to Communist China to keep them on the field.

I don't know about China.... Cuba maybe? Then the bari section would have a good supply of cigars! ;)

Hope you're doing well BTW! You would have been proud of the gang at DCA.

[Lancerlady]

And what is the bigger picture? I think people are just looking for another reason to slam YEA! and Hopkins, so they spin things however they see fit, WITHOUT ANY PROOF, just to make the situation look bad or to cry foul.

Come on folks, most of you do not know all the details. I didn't exactly see a line of people offering to house the Crossmen prior to this deal, and I am sure YEA! has been looking longer than just the last 5 minutes.

Simply put, most corps will not be owned by millionaires. It takes hard work, sacrifice, and excellent business leadership to run a corps, and it takes lots of hard, cold cash. Today's corps must find a place where they will be supported and where they have a chance to grow, become financially healthy, and competitively strong. All of you complaining about the move have not proposed any better solutions, you are simply telling us what is wrong.

Sounds logical to me. Why not move a corps to a location where there is great talent and enthusiasm for the activity? I know, perhaps we should move them to some town that hates the activity and the bands are really bad (hand slaps forehead). Just because we recruit from great bands, whether they be BOA or otherwise, does not make us BOA. We are what we are, and, yes, the activity has changed. So has the band activity, and largely because of drum corps. You know, it is possible for the two to work together. But I digress, personally I think we should go back to the good ol' days when we hated bands and they hated us, and we never recruited from them, and they only copied us, and we only taught music by rote and played real bugles, and they just did their swing band routine to "Hang On Sloopy." Boy, those were the good ol' days.

Oh, and by the way, research the comment "Mr. Hopkins said drum corps = band" before you use it incorrectly.

Ah, another one who believes that there are alterior motives. I wonder what those would be. Read the following in your best sarcastic George Carlin voice:

"Well, we just had to get rid of the Crossmen because they were too darn good." "No, actuallly we shipped them across the country so we could take all their kids." "No, that's not it either, what we really wanted to do, because we were feeling really rotten and scoundral-like today, we decided that we would alienate them from YEA! so we could steal their money, destroy their equipment trucks before they leave, and most importantly we could screw the kids over by giving them nothing to do next summer." "Yeah, that's it."

You got it, it's written all over YEA's face. I mean, how dare these people actually do such a good thing like absorb literally $200,000 in debt, and then after all that was paid for, actually buy the Crossmen two new trucks while funding them for 11 years so they could mutilate all that is right with the Crossmen in roughly 1 day.

Honestly, I fail to see any alterior motive! You guys must be smarter than I am. :)

Cheers!

It's ULTERIOR motive..okay now I feel better, (not just you but everyone who was doing that. :P Now where have I complained? No, I think I was just expressing my opinions about the matter...how many FRICKIN' times do I have to say that? I am not a Cadets hater, I am not a Hopkins hater but I don't personally enjoy watching the activity changing into something else. I also never professed to offer any kind of solution to their problem, I just simply gave my opinion about the matter.

After I went to the BOD meeting in Orlando a couple of years I got a different perspective of what is going on and seeing as someone on the outside looking in, I do see the "big picture". I also saw Hopkins' power point presentation when he was saying that most people think that DCI =boa argument. I understand where he was coming from and I never said that although others have taken his comments out of context. I have come on here to say many times that is not what he was doing in that presentation. He was saying usually when you have to explain to an every day person what DCI is they usually say, "It's like band, blah, blah"..etc..type argument. That is what he was referring too. Now I may not always agree with things Mr. Hopkins does but I won't sit here and rag on his decisions, those are things he will have to live with. But as far as that TIRED argument is...that is what he said.

And last I checked, I have the right to not agree with a millionaire coming in and buying a top division 1 corps and relocating if I want to, without having to offer any solution. I just do..DANGIT. Sheesh..come on, let someone have their opinion without trying to shove yours down their throat all the time by saying "you're wrong and I'm right". Nobody is really... we all just...have opinions. So try to respect each others. Isn't that something drum corps taught you (all of you)? Or did we miss that lesson along the way somewhere?

If you go back and read a few posts I mentioned what I thought was the "bigger" picture, after others "on que" I might add came after me with their torches, instead of just seeing that some people have OPINIONS on the matter.

You know it's amazing to me how when some of us come on here and "God forbid" give our take on how we see things going down the future road, we always get slammed or categorized by y'all, I'm frickin' sick of it. So please think before you go and put people in a category just because some of us are seeing the big picture.

Which is, DCI is turning into BOA right before our eyes. This is just the first step of it. That is MY opinion, now if you don't agree with me fine. But it doesn't mean that I hate George Hopkins or the Cadets.

Now I'm off my soap box...for now or until someone comes after me again... :ramd: I don't want to be accused of getting this off topic...so Good luck Crossmen.

Edited September 22, 2006 by Lancerlady

[SCVsopAaron]

Removed out of respect for Crossmen alumni, members, and voluteers...

Edited September 23, 2006 by SCVsopAaron