What if a top-6 folded?

[silvertrombone]

if a top 6 folded i would say "man, im really going to miss the cadets..."

Ha-ha! :) But I maintain that the Cadets will be in Bexar County (San Antonio, TX) in the not too distant future. I'm not basing this on anything but Hoppy's ego--won't like seeing Crossmen to their left in retreat. :P OK, but that's my Texas bias--sorry.

OK, guys--let's lose the "that won't ever happen" line. Just for example, and taking an extreme example, the '72 champion is gone, although I may be in their alumni thing for semifinals--fun! In addition, anybody remember how many corps in the '72 top 12 are still around?

SCV. Ironically, they're probably the closest thing to "that won't ever happen" there is.

PR has almost folded something like 4 times? Most recent '99, though I know no details and it doesn't matter.

Scouts, if memory serves, have had issues on the business side once since '92. Yes? No?

JJ--Star didn't fold. They left the activity because they wanted to, they could, and they did something else. The corps owns businesses and is cash flow positive if Blast never does anything again. This was the idea from the beginning, as I understand it, and they are the model for the activity. If people hadn't been so hung up on TRADITION and more open to Star's model, gee, maybe Uncle Jim would have been compelled to launch businesses outside of drum corps to feed cash into the activity. Think of the business opportunities the late 90's presented. Cell phone towers? Just an idea. Amazing thing is that nobody has done the business side thing they did despite being 12 years+ post-Star. THAT'S the pathetic thing. Me thinks there are a bunch of corps people who are more music than business and think the same way some have posted here: "That won't ever happen."

Really? PR had a brush with fate since Finals JUST THIS YEAR when Rockford College had some issues with rain flooding the building where PR had offices and stored its souvies leftovers from last year.

What if it had burned? Are the instruments stored there? Uni's?

OK, the brass and percussion manufacturers will supply new instruments, Freuhauf new uni's, and DCI cash I'm assuming. But what if we heard the words "Blue Devils," "Bingo," "IRS," and "fraud" all in the nightly news??? Just a wild, improvised example in an organization that has a stellar reputation on the biz side. But there are some forces in this world, like gas prices and the IRS, larger than even good 'ol DCI.

We're not talking about billion-dollar Multi-National Corporations, here. We're talking about non-profits with annual budgets of about $1.5 million, if that in most cases. Most have little or no assets, and a whole lot of liabilities. If you don't understand basic accounting terminology, that means that you better hope nobody runs off with the cash, the money keeps coming in, and insurance covers the catastrophe that strikes unexpectedly.

And we're not talking about people, or an organization in DCI, who are the most forward-thinking in the world. Remember: TRADITION! Same thing being said today was said when I started in '92, and all you marching today will say the same in 10 years. Truth be told, Bill Cook and George Hopkins are probably the most future-oriented people the activity has seen. Chew on that for a while and consider the reception the 'opposition' greets them with. News flash--I'm not a Disciple of George, but I do speak the truth.

Ever listen to the whole BCS/Bowl Game/NCAA football playoff thing? Note: Bowls are out-dated and celebrate about things from about FOUR ECONOMIES AGO!! (Cotton, Citrus, Orange, Sugar--all agronomy) We've been to the moon, for crying out loud, and we're still playing games that celebrate farming. C'mon. The NCAA basketball tourney is only huge--rivals some pro sports. And we are a football country--don't think the top 16 football teams in a knock-down, drag out wouldn't bring in more cash?

Why talk football? Oh, I don't know--maybe because DCI is stuck in the same time frame?? Shows in high school stadiums when you draw 10,000 at NFL stadiums?? Have you SEEN the ESPN2 numbers? This activity has grown WAY beyond simple parade status, yet the way the tour is handled is much closer to that era than what it is capable of.

This wasn't a pessimist being negative. It is a VERY valid question, I assure you. If this issue isn't front and center and discussed--and I'll guarantee it is discussed, in Board meetings at the corps level if not between corps or at DCI meetings--the next time PR, or your favorite top corps, faces financial ruin, which seems to be about every decade, it may be the one that sends another former champion off into oblivion.

Raphael, great comments--thanks. Stay tuned...

[contrajedi8]

Ok, this thread ticks me off.

To me, this does nothing but further the trend that only the top 6 corps matter in the activity. When a non- finalist corps folds or takes a year off to reorginize or whatever, it doesn't seem to bother anybody that much. Nobody discusses on this website ways they can help, time/ money/ things they can donate. But when it happens to one of these sacred top 6 corps, it sounds like everyone is willing to sell their souls to keep the corps on the road.

News flash folks: There is more to this activity that the Cavies, BD, PR, SCV, the Coats and the Cadets. I can already hear your replies.

As someone who didn't march a top 6 corps, and honestly doesn't care, I think this whole activity has blind faith to the top 6. I've taught for a number of years now and I have heard so many good kids that will either march a top 6 corps or they won't march at all. There are plenty of great corps out there that need good members and need support in so many ways. But whenever a corps can't come out that summer or folds, we all just say "Oh, too bad. Best of luck rebuilding." Nobody actually does anything.

But drum corps is full of that. All talk and no action.

Sorry about the negative attitude of my post but it's just really frustrating to hear this stuff. No offense to the originator of this thread.

[PR_ducky]

Losing all your horns, no matter what the cause, would not be the tragedy it once would have been.

When I marched and it was 2 valve G bugles it would have been a total disaster. It would have cost a couple hundred thousand to replace all of them.

Now with Brass valved horns in any keys, you could just have kids bring their own. Most hornplayers have their own. It would be survivable.

[Caveman28469]

Ok, this thread ticks me off.

To me, this does nothing but further the trend that only the top 6 corps matter in the activity. When a non- finalist corps folds or takes a year off to reorginize or whatever, it doesn't seem to bother anybody that much. Nobody discusses on this website ways they can help, time/ money/ things they can donate. But when it happens to one of these sacred top 6 corps, it sounds like everyone is willing to sell their souls to keep the corps on the road.

News flash folks: There is more to this activity that the Cavies, BD, PR, SCV, the Coats and the Cadets. I can already hear your replies.

As someone who didn't march a top 6 corps, and honestly doesn't care, I think this whole activity has blind faith to the top 6. I've taught for a number of years now and I have heard so many good kids that will either march a top 6 corps or they won't march at all. There are plenty of great corps out there that need good members and need support in so many ways. But whenever a corps can't come out that summer or folds, we all just say "Oh, too bad. Best of luck rebuilding." Nobody actually does anything.

But drum corps is full of that. All talk and no action.

Sorry about the negative attitude of my post but it's just really frustrating to hear this stuff. No offense to the originator of this thread.

I agree with you. I didn't march a top 6 corps, they used to be, they used to beat all of the top 6 except one of them. I had the best experince that a guy could ask for with who I used to march with before I aged out. It bothers me when people are only about the "Top 6". I am ready to see some other people come back and win honestly, it would be nice to knock some attitudes down. We, alumni members, members, and future members, should do more when some corps folds for some reason or another. We should stick together to keep this activity going for as long as we can instead of only just saying, "Oh, thats to bad, good luck to ??????, hope they are able to get back into the game."

[raphael18]

In the original poster's defense - I think they picked a top 6 corps, because it seems much more unlikely that one would not tour. I don't think it was really meant to be elitist.

[PR_ducky]

ok, I marched with a top 6 corps (ok we were 10th my rookie year), I taught a top 6 corps, but I also taught Div II and non finalist corps. The bottom line is drum corps is drum corps, whether its top 6, bottom 6, non finalist, or div II/III. I can honsetly say the most fun and satisfaction I ever got from instructing was the summer I taught Nite Express in Div. II

[silvertrombone]

Sorry guys, let me clarify. I didn't mean this post to berate non-top 6 corps, members, alumni, staff. Thank you for sticking up for me, Raphael. Jedi, I'm probably more on the same page with you than you think. No offense taken.

This thread was meant to make people think. It doesn't really phase anybody at the top any more, from what I see, to have 2-3 corps per year fold.

So what if PR was one of them next year??? That might turn some heads, huh?

And oh yeah, I second Ducky's remarks--I honestly had more fun, made more friends, and have more positive memories from my non-Finalist year with Sky than in 3rd place with PR.

RIP SkyRyders

[stockman365]

Note: Bowls are out-dated and celebrate about things from about FOUR ECONOMIES AGO!! (Cotton, Citrus, Orange, Sugar--all agronomy) We've been to the moon, for crying out loud, and we're still playing games that celebrate farming. C'mon.

Note: Do you eat? Your post is a reality check on several levels which translates to your shallow view of the world as well as perhaps drum corps.

It appears that you, like many, take for granted the celebration of 'traditions' which is not a bad word. The production of these agronomic commodities, and the resulting ancillary businesses spawned, created a ripple effect on a greatful regional economy where these bowl games are located and cherished to this day. Some have clearly forgotten or never have known the true impact of American Agriculture still found today...(You will be, or likely are already, able to drive a vehicle as a result of agronomy very soon my friend...it is called Ethanol perhaps even made from sugarcane!)

Sure I am young(ish), but I realize that without such traditions, there would be no NOKIA Sugar Bowl which now celebrates the status of a current economic force in the telecommunications sector. (Although I have a Motorolla MotoRazr ) I totally disagree with the current trendiness to hollow out any given entity in an effort to scoff traditions. Does this mean that we no longer think the name 'drum and bugle corps' is acceptable and instead should be amplification and sythesizer corps???

My point is this: Innovation will move most drum corps forward, but celebrating and tapping into traditions will keep these same drum corps rooted sustainable. (That is if they had sustainable traditions to begin with )

[madalumni]

It would be funny to see the "Moon" Bowl. :P

Edited January 28, 2007 by madalumni