Eklipse_Boss

I have a great insurance comapny for you that is not Boy Scout realted. $4/kid and it covers EVERYTHING! Best liability insurance I have ever seen. E-mail me and I'll fill you in on it. Brad brad_deason@charter.net

Same to you all! There is a reason why people liek us are successful...it is our great Southern Hospitality! LOL. Serously though I didn't get to see COH either but for you all to make it out and just exist is the key your first few years. Please let us know if there is anything we here at Eklipse can ever do for you or any of our other southern brethren. Keep us in mind summer and if you all make it up our way a helping hand is always here. Brad

Spontainiously combust :angel: awe little drum corps angels.....how nice! I think this is something that DCI could think on for the future. Have a site or forum or meeting or something that will allow all corps to get together and share ideas. I want to know how Vanguard does things...or how Surf gets such great parent support. And I am sure some people would love to know how my insurance works or how to get people to teach for free. Where there is a void of knowledge there is a world pitfalls...can we really afford those pitfalls?!?! I think we are on the tip of something good here...trying to make a place of free flowing information to help everyone acheive what we all want...good drum corps that will be here forever. I don't want to see another 27th, or Bridgmen, or VK, or any of the other great corps leave us. But with a limited "learn as you go" education we are looking at every new corps starting and even some fo the big boys and saying "Come on in the water is fine...by the way would you hold my hair dryer?" Thanks to everyone that has said such nice things about Eklipse. We are very proud of what has been built and will everything we can to continue to make all of our supporters proud of us. Thanks again, Brad

There has been so much talk latley about how to help corps or how to start a corps. I had an idea a long time ago about how to do this. I am the Executive Director of the Eklipse Youth Organization. We have 2 winterguards, a winter drumline and a new Div. III drum corps. I have been asked how did you do it? Well DCI was the biggest help! When they passed the rule allowing Bb horns I knew that was my shot. I started with an indoor program in hopes to have a corps someday. After looking into buying horns (over $100,000.00) my ideas changed quickly into being happy with just my indoor program. Then the rule change happened and it opened a door. I started talking to some of my friends that operated local high school bands and started talking about this corps idea and the possiblity of using some horns. Then I had a discussion with the marching band director of a local college. He said that we could probably get some housing there at the university...in one of the unused gyms. I knew at that point that it was possible. I started asking around about interest and I struck gold...if you build it we will come! After we set up the housing and use of horns form several different parties it was time to get other things lined up. We spoke to a local director about using some of his old uniforms...he said yes! Now we had horns (Local schools and universities) drums and pit equipment (our indoor program...you could borrow them as well) and guard equipment (indoor program as well) and uniforms. You can draw up a contract with these groups to perform maintanance on this borrowed equipment as well. We had all of our paper work (non-profit designation, incorporation, bank accounts...ect.) already in order becuase of our indoor program so our dealing with DCI in that respect was very easy. I also worked with DCI in what our "season" would be like. I don't mess with high school band programs here in the state of Kentucky...we wouldn't win...so I knew our season would be done at DCI Mid-West Championships in DeKalb. DCI was awesome about working with us. Gave us more shows than what we could hope for and made the process very painless. Once the season got going we knew we had to watch our money like a hawk. We only had membership fees to work with. Always keep this in mind...it is not your money, it belongs to the kids! Now spend it on them only. Eklipse staff was totally volunteer....everyone....even me. I knew that the entire staff was teaching because they wanted to be there...not to make money. They came to teach because they believed in what it was we were doing. Plus it was in the "off season" and no one was giving up any summer money on band camps...they hadn't started yet. So by eating cheap...but good, and talking every day about where our finanaces were we were able to make it. The only down fall was the fact we had to take several days off. After each show we always had at least one day off but we mostly took off several days in a row to save on food. On those off days the students went home...98% of our kids were local. So if you don't mind starting of very low key and small (6 shows in 3 weeks of touring with 54 kids). You don't mind doing a half tour and taking some days off. Or you don't mind thinking LLLOOOOOOOONNNGGGG term about the future of your organization...then you can have a drum corps. Our tour this past year cost us $38,000.00 including transportation, food, truck (Ryder), heads..sticks...and mallets (Thanks to Evans, Pro-Mark) and incidentals. Build it and they will come...isn't it time to have a corps in every town? Thanks, Brad Deason Eklipse