From: dawson@vdbsan (Willard Dawson)
Newsgroups: alt.drumcorps
Subject: Re: POPCORN
Date: 21 Aug 92 16:11:58 GMT
Organization: BellSouth Information Networks, Inc.

streuer_d@cubldr.colorado.edu writes:

>Boy, I was just thinking about something like this.  With all this talk
>about fixing, and lousy judging, etc. why not give a voice to the people
>who actually SUPPORT corp - the fans!  However, I would like to see this
>just not as a one time shot, but as a future judging standard.

You mean, kind of like the AllStar game for professional baseball?  If you
listen to sports announcers, you will definitely get an alternative view on
the effectiveness of allowing the fans a voice in the selection process.
What makes you think that fans will have any sort of objectivity in what
is a COMPETITIVE sport.  Are you suggesting that corps be judged on the
subjective content of their shows?  So, if a corps chooses to play a certain
style that is less favorable with the majority of fans, they should have a
lower score, or a lower weight applied to their actual performance scores?

I don't think I like where I seem to be heading with this.  Maybe you can
tell me that this is NOT what you had in mind.

>I don't know where the poster of this info felt that allowing the fans
>to participate would mean regression to past marching techniques and simple
>music.  What would be nice, and I believe is intended, is to let the 
>audience have a voice as to what they enjoy.

Obviously (to me, anyway), he feels that the majority opinion coincides with
that regression idea.. perhaps he even subscribes to it himself.

>Most people, who are not drum corp nuts, truly enjoy the entertainment value
>of a competition with the competition secondary.  For example, all this
>VK bashing is out of line, because a lot of non-corp people look forward
>to see the corp "that wears the red sneakers."  It's the entertainment value
>that draws and usually keeps the new viewer.

Is it?  How many new viewers have actually been polled for us to determine
what initially drew them to view the show?  I would be glad to see DCI,
and its member corps, have a better link to whatever it is that defines
"entertainment value" to the "average fan," as well as knowing the extremes,
ranging from indifference to fanatic worship.  However, I don't know that
that could be really separated from the need to appeal to the common
denominator, and we all know what that's done to television.

>True, after being exposed to drum corp for a while, a true fan appreciates
>the difference and stretch of the more difficult music and marching.

What the hell is a "true fan?"  Is that anything like a "real drum corps?"

>But there is something to be said
>about 'recognizing' a piece of music or seeing straight lines.  When they
>showed the clip on the DCI national broadcast of Madison's Slaughter on Ten
>Avenue, I got goose bumps.  One, because it was something from the past and
>two, you could really hear them blasting those notes and you knew it was
>good because you were FAMILIAR with the tune.

>Let's not make drum corp an elitist sport, keep it within reach of everyone.

You don't have to make drum corps an elitist sport.. it already is.  I seem
to enjoy it being that way.  Maybe that makes me a true fan.
-- 
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