From: dawson@willard.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.drumcorps
Subject: Re: Who's not going to go to Jackson?
Date: 9 Oct 92 03:29:29 GMT
Organization: Willard's House BBS, Atlanta, GA -- +1 (404) 664 8814

pae@teal.csn.org (Phil Earnhardt) writes:

> No. The decision has been made to have Nationals in Jackson. It would be
> a huge mistake to change sites now. Indeed, the "proper" way to express
> my dissatisfaction is to vote with my wallet and vacation elsewhere.

Well, that's certainly your choice.  But, at least we are apparently in
agreement that moaning about the site selection process to the readers of
this group will have little, if any, effect on that process.

> What Championships have you gone to, Willard? Did you go to Miami? Were you
> impressed with the average of 3-4 kids in the Class A corps that had to
> be carried off the field at the end of their shows? Did you like the
> micro-hurricanes that blew through most every day?

Yes, I went to Miami.  I marched in Miami.  I was not bothered by the
weather in any form or fashion.  I had spent many months in preparation
for just such activities as constitute performing in just that sort of
climate.  It is the unwise who do not train themselves according to the
expected rigors of competition.

> In football, the College Bowls are held in warm-weather sites. Why? Do you
> think a Bowl would go over well in Camp Randall in Madison or Buffalo's
> Stadium? Would people spend their money in January for a nice cold-weather
> vacation? I think not.

Doesn't seem to bother the good fans in colder climes... witness Green Bay,
Chicago, et al.

> You don't have *anything* to complain about -- imagine the poor folks who
> find their seat near you. Now *they* would have a problem! ;-)

You are damned right.  They would complain that I'm so attentive to the
performance on the field.. that I'm listening, cheering, etc.  Don't assume
that I resemble anything at all in person the problem-making guy *you* seem
to have a *problem* with!  :-o

> All seriousness aside, I bet all fans have a love/hate relationship with
> the Nationals crowd. Sometimes, they are the worst fans anywhere. On the
> other hand, you would never, ever get the levels of performance that we see
> if somebody did buy out concert side. Nothing beats a spontaneous Standing
> Ovation with 30,000 people. Do you remember Scouts in 1989 at the end of
> Make His Praise Glorious? What a momemt!
>
> >Maybe I'll just not go, and say that it's because of all those.  Do you
> >think I'd be missed?  Hardly.
> 
> Please tell us what championships you've been to in the last 15 years,
> Willard. IYHO, which sites were completely unworkable for DCI?
> 
> --phil

Well, lessee.. there was B'ham (both years), Atlanta, Miami, and Madison
a couple of times.  The stadium I disliked the most was Miami, but that
was more related to my own acoustical tastes than anything else.  It was
dissappointing to see that the size of the audience was not anywhere near
what it had been the year before... and I do remember bitching quite a bit
at DCI for choosing such a "back-water" location... that in comparison with
Birmingham, even.

And, to put things on an even keel, I've never been to Jackson, so that
I cannot say anything remotely objective about the quality of the stadium,
its seating, its suitability to drum corps shows, or the tourism qualities
of the surrounding communities.  However, I'm not going to 'dis that good
town simply because there isn't a large jetplex and there might not be
enough bars for the rowdy drum corps fans to get shit-faced in...


-- 
dawson@willard.UUCP (Willard Dawson)
Willard's House BBS, Atlanta, GA -- +1 (404) 664 8814
Newsgroups: alt.drumcorps