We need to rehash some items that have gotten lost by the wayside. ONE of the reasons for getting the Gulf Coast Combine started way back in the beginning was to provide enough shows for all the members to enter.

We need to make sure that any member who can afford to host a contest for 20 groups really SHOULD accept GCA members first and then add other groups once the members have. If you can't afford to host a 20 corps contest, then you should be accepting Alliance members ONLY.

Since we rely upon influence points to bring in the "fan base", it's important to work on your point levels to help other members income.

This is only a suggestion:
Division 1 should have at least 25,000
Division 2 should have at least 15,000
Division 3 should be working on influence all season , remember, your fan base is built upon influence points, if you have no influence/no fans, why accept you to shows ?

It's the give and take of building groups.

Maybe we should have a mid season Alliance contest that would indicate who is in the running for their division and those that are not ( or too far behind) should max out their influemce campaign ?

Thanks but I wish that would have been stated before I was declined from several shows.

I have always been working on influence points but still I got screwed.

I guess I'm low guy on the list.

So how do you select the board ?
Is it all Division 1 ?

Director level of 40 or higher for this year

Please explain the influence system to me and why we need certain point levels to be included. This is the 2nd season that I'm spending most of my energy on influence.

I guess everyone plays it a little different. My take on it is this:

The more points you have, the better auditions ( and score) you get at the start of the season.
The more points you have, the more fans you bring with you to a contest so the higher the level, the more people will want you in their contest.

The idea of the league is to give you X number of contests plus whatever other contests you can get invited to. If you are going to be promised a place in league member contests, you should be doing everything you can to up your points.

If I had to do it all over again I would have run the first few seasons at 60 energy on influence and just played at the lower tier of division 3, but at the time I was interested in playing for the moment not understanding how important influence points can be.

There will be seasons when you don't have time to play 6 times a day. Make sure to set your campaign at 60 for those times.......almost like a small corps that takes a season off to reorganize.

Hope that helps

What Moe said, but keep in mind that some people play the whole season going for scores while others seem to put it on cruise control and gain influence when they know they can't make top 12.

I was going to do that last season until I got called out and had to make the run for finals

Well, I "thought" this would be a good season since I had the influence points high but my show didn't make the money I was counting on to rank up. I'll see where I place at the end of the week and decide if I'm gonna make money or make a run at finals.

Who IS gonna make a run for finals ?

Not me. Not enough money and not enough points. Besides, I have some tunes to write for Emile's band. Maybe next season.

I'm gonna play at low level in the division so I can add influence, besides I really need to let the Falcon Regiment make finals at least once in awhile ! :-)

So, if I set it for 60 energy towards influence points, should I keep playing or just let it ride for a season or two and not really play to keep my director level down ?

That would keep me in division 3 with 3 seasons worth of influence built up and 2 years of show money saved up to rank up. If I didn't rank up until after the season starts I could possibly be in division 3 with 30-40,000 influence points and 20-25,000 money to rank up with and possibly dominate division 3 ( and win alot of gold medals to raise my director ranking) before beig pushed up to division 2.

Am I understanding this right ?

Iko, I think you have the right idea but keep in mind there are many ways to play the game.

I'm still not sure how the divisions work, but you idea of not ranking up as well as keeping your director level low until you are ready to make a run for Division 3 Gold makes sense.

Do you have the patience to wait it out ?

Also, I find John's idea with his band sorta interesting. He's seems to be only working on a few captions but did really well until last season when he was bunped up to division 2.

But if you've ever seen him in action at the LMEA district meeting you know he's very strange anyway.

I'm still trying to figure out who is who in the league.

I know:

Prof = M.P.
Moe= ME
Pete=Pete S.
JohnSousaJunior = Weidman ?
JNP= Jim
gai= C.J.
Marty = M.H. ? ( is he REALLY playing and how did he get stuck with GS ? )

Who is Art ?
Who is George
Who is Georgie

who are the rest of them ?

Prof, I came by school today but the room was locked and your car was gone. I thought you were having the officers come in today to do work ?

My cell is out, post here

We did work the 3rd floor storange rooms and were done by 1:30. I was at the lower school picking through items at the old office building thats being torn dowm. I'll be there ( lower school) around noon then heading for Village Inn's all you can eat fried shrinp lunch buffet. Stop by if you can.

As far as names:

Logan & Nathan are both playing. Logan is busy at Tulane's summer camp and Nathan is marching BD. I doubt either will play much this season ( you have to figure out what groups are theirs )

Stephanie is playing part time until the fall when she comes back from tour..

Karl is playing but I'm sure you can guess his group

The rest are all people you know.....just remember, some people don't want their names posted.

By the way...KARL, return that tenor sax

If Nathan is your lead trumpet from last year and Logan is the blond headed kid that played 2nd tpt part of Bugler's Holiday with Nathan year before last::

I have $20 that says:

Logan = Holy #### Cadets
Nathan= Little Geofferys band

Delta Heritage Academy was Karls first real job after NOA closed and if Belle Chasse shows up then I know BJ is playing.. who would have ever thought 30 years later Delta Heritage rises from the ashes

I have no clue who Art is. Who's that guy who helped with district 6 , wasn't he a drum corps guy who grew up in Houston ?

Is Stephanie living in Hammond ? If so I bet she's Expressions

Why not just shut up and play. I'd swear I was listening to a bunch of old ladies having coffee.

If there was a like button I would hit it right now.