Marty

My son kept me guessing. Auditioned all over creation, signed up for the University of Maryland, got a gig playing for a broadway touring company instead and skipped a year of college, came back and auditioned again, went to James Madison for a year, auditioned again in the Summer and ended up at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. All through this he played for Santa Clara Vanguard and aged out the same year he graduated. My head is still spinning! Lesson learned = expect the unexpected.

So in baseball, you have two leagues - each of which plays by slightly different rules. After reading Hops' ideas for changing DCI even more, here's a thought: Allow each Div 1 corps to slect a "league" depending on the rules they like best. Those in favor of amps, prop people on the field, longer set up times, older members, less travel, etc etc. could be in the "National League". Those in favor of simply laying it all on the field with no excuses could be in the "American League". Every once in a while during the season the two leagues would meet in competition, but not ususally. There could even be an "All Star Show" where the best six corps from each league (as selected by fans!) compete on one night - the scores are accumulated, and the overall league with the most points wins the competition - and home field advantage at finals. (This time - it counts!) At finals, it's an all out battle. A mixed set of judges from both leagues takes the field, and whatever happens, happens. No doubt a serious stretch here, but to keep changing the rules seems to me a recipe for losing fans over time. If they just kept the rules the same for 20 or 50 years, we might just be able to focus on what's great about this activity: the performers. I fear that every time something new is introduced, everybody thinks: "that's new = that's cool = that must be really good = I can do that = I can do that better than they did it = what were we talking about?" My son aged out from SCV a couple years ago. I'm glad he was in the American League.

Another parent perspective - albeit a few years old already: I had no real concept of Drum Corps - had never been to a live show or even seen one on the tube - when my son mentioned he was going to try out for Jersey Surf - a couple hours up the road from Baltimore. A friend from school was involved, and he thought it would be cool. The Surf is a weekend corps, so no big deal I thought. He got in (front ensemble) and started the routine of carpooling up on a Friday, back on Sunday. Well, one thing lead to another... Once he got a taste of that, his connections with the community of drum corps grew. His travels gave him the urge to travel more. His performances gave him the urge to perform more. His skills improved, and gave him the urge to learn more. In the "off" season - back at high school, he started performing in local theater productions. His growing confidence lead to an opportunity to play as a percussionist with a touring Broadway theater company. That, in turn, lead to the urge to re-join DCI at the Divison 1 level. Traveling the country with the theater group made it easier to feel OK about trying out for the most remote Div 1 Corps from the Baltimore area - SCV. (Besides, they were the reigning world champs - why not join the best?) The routine now meant a cross country plane ride for camps. (By the way, surprisingly pretty cheap from Baltimore to the West Coast) Once he had spent some time in CA, the idea of going to school there (college by now) was not so out of the question. In part, the inspiration and excellence of the SCV staff lead to an opportunity to audition for the Conservatory of Music in San Francisco. The chops and the musical maturity he had developed by then got him accepted. The next three years it was Summers with SCV, and the "off season" with the Conservatory. Each complimentary to the other. Each equally challenging, each equally rewarding. He graduated and aged out the same year. I got to see some incredible shows. (Trust me, SCV 2000 was unreal from start to finish.) I'm still not sure I have a real concpet of what goes on out there, but I had a blast watching my son get involved. He paid me back simply by embracing the opportunity and demonstrating that it would make him a better man. It did. After all, I can honestly say he was the one that made it happen. And I think that's as it should be. The only advice I have for anyone out there (especially the parents) is this: Expect the unexpected. This activity seems to take people to places they never thought they would be. One thing will most likely lead to another. Drum Corps becomes a thread in the fabric of life, no more or no less important than a thousand other things that must be experienced to be understood. Be open to it all. A month from today my son gets married to a wonderful woman. A woman he met on tour. A woman he marched with. Expect the unexpected.

Insane Crown Posse

Walter Turner of SCV took first in Multipercussion with a 99.00. SCV has his solo on video: http://www.scvanguard.org/on_the_road/inde...74-6744c14aa729

My son aged out in 03 - one year Div II, four years Div I, (top 5 corps) and graduated from a well known Conservatory of Music in 04. (percussion performance) Kudos to the staff at the school for viewing the activity as valuable, and allowing him to experience the widest possible range of performance opportunities without feeling like he was somehow cheating himself.

Divine Wind? Would they be serving Heavenly Beans at the concession stand?

Be sure to spend some quality time with all the audio and video SCV has posted on their site. Full coverage of I&E performances is an absolute must see. Just sit back and enjoy the hard work, passion and fun these performers exhibited off the field during finals week. http://www.scvanguard.org/on_the_road/index.php

Big Twist? Sounds like (from SCVs site coverage) she shows up again at the end and walks off with the corps. Yawn.

Just talked to a member as they pushed back from the stadium. This was absolutely their finest performance all year, and regardless of the scoring, SCV has left an indelible mark on the 2005 competition. From the corps re-warming in the tunnel after the lightning threat, (hmmm, the closer SCV got to the field, the more electricity in the air!) to the pit performing solo for the crowd as they re-entered the stadium, this perfect final performance will be talked about for years. SCV - you really lit it up tonight, congratulations on an amazing year!

Saw the show in Indy, and it struck me that it's one of the few shows I've seen that actually comes together as a whole, as opposed to a series of cool moments or extreme hits. Maybe balance is taking a back seat this year. Watching other shows reminds me of watching a poorly edited movie - way too many quick cuts and clever effects, way too little thought given to the total production as a whole. This is one show I'll remember in its entirety, not a few fleeting memories of a moment or two that blew me away. IMHO, putting together a show like SCV did this year is a sign of maturity and self discipline, regardless of what the box scores show. Can't wait to see them again in A-town.