Gotta be impressed by the Bluecoats . Great work by the kids and staff in rising past judges opinions Its a great lesson for us all . There is no definitive winner in this game. There are simply scores based on the collective views of the judges for the evening Its a blast of a game - and we all want to win but the journey is where the real work is done. . As I tell the Cadets - our corps has won world championships by a tenth of a point - it can easily have gone the other way That said, it is insane to allow a group of 8 or so people whom we barely know to define success. You would do that nowhere else in your life and we all need to not allow such judgement to affect our kids or ourselves in this world . Competing is a grand lesson but it needs to be held in context. Dr Bernard Baggs, the great sage of drum corps for many decades , once told me that rules congresses, judges sheets and all of that was a waste of time and money because we were judging something that could not be judged. I was a young director and I reveled in the debate and the search for the RIGHT system. Today , well , I too agree that there is no right system. Just ---- a system. And it will change and we will grow but no matter what we do - there will always be simply the results of The Night. Never will there be the ultimate victor for as Dr Baggs explained to me - drum corps is about children and art and in that endeavor there are no losers To close this diatribe .... We are not for profit organizations not because we play instruments and march but because we affect the future of young peoples lives . We do need fans and supporters no doubt ; such is our operational model. And yes indeed the kids love a standing ovation and we love alumni and t shirt sales and filled stadiums and passion driven fans. Heck - our collective goal is to bring you to your feet and bring tears to your eyes. Every corps is doing their very best to be as entertaining as possible. Every corps ! But at the end of the day - what matters is each young man and woman on that field . Our success is determined years from now as todays performers blossom to be tomorrows teachers and leaders. What we do today does create a legacy for decades to follow, and that legacy is not based on placement . Its hard to remember in a stadium of 10000 fans or in a forum or other discussion board but indeed , because of the inherent work ethic involved in our methods, we can change lives. We do change lives. We in leadership are blessed to have the opportunity we woke to this morning and every morning . We who teach must remember we hold in our hands the hearts and souls of thousands of awesome young people. And make no mistake , these kids are the top 5 percent of the kids in the world. Bus sleep - 10 hour rehearsals - a quest for perfection when such a result is impossible . Its amazing what they do and what we all do Utterly amazing !!!!! So congratulations Bluecoats. You turned your back on the opinion of the evening and you went out and created new opinions . Which is correct ? Who knows? But why I say congratulations is for what is clearly a corps built on persistence and determination . And you have to love that - competition or no competition Now - we all have to get back to work . We have a journey to continue and by the way dont get too good Bluecoats :-) remember we all want those 8 people to tell the world we are the best. To all corps. - be fabulous - enjoy the day and this weather and tonight .... Be the best version of your corps that you possibly can be . After all, thats all you CAN do
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 15:53:53 +0000
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