TuoKaerf

That is absolutely valid. My one caveat would be to ensure people don't see this as required. If you have a 20 person hornline with 6-7 frontline members, you can get away without amps. With a 60 person hornline, there's a big difference in balance between them and 8-9 mallet instruments.

Pits have been used for primary melody for two decades now. While this can be made work OK in WGI, there's major issues with this. Cymbals and concert basses typically are not close mic'd (you do see some contact mics inside concert basses) and rely on direct sound. Lining this up is a nightmare from back sideline up front. It's rare for the marching ensemble to be playing for any length of time that far back. It just sounds like you don't like pits, or any relevant show from the mid 1980's to today.

Modern front ensemble books are quite different today than they were 20 years ago, even in DCA. While DCA is known for "traditionalists", the top handful of shows over the past number of years are not traditional drum corps shows. They're not yet designed to where DCI and BOA have been lately, but they're slowly moving that way. Arranging techniques change along that time as well and there's a big demand on the front ensemble from a music contribution standpoint that's expected from the judges. To be competitive, you have to write pit books that do not lend well to un-amplified sound. To match dynamics with the rest of the corps, you're playing at your head and using much harsher techniques at lower heights to project sound. This is really hard on the instruments and hard on performers' hands. This is something that should have been done years ago, WGI and BOA figured this out well before DCI even. As for cost, it's quite low. A workable set of mics, board, amps, speakers and cables can be done reasonably. Most high school winter lines and bands can afford the equipment, and their operating budgets are a fraction of most DCA corps.

WGI has no age restriction for the winter guards, however the drumlines are 22 and under. I think Aimaichi is the only exception to the under 22 rule for the drumlines.

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Scroll back a few pages.

Bluecoats 2005 and this year.

Hmm, not that I know of. However, corpsreps.com has a pretty good picture index for each corps over the years. Also, check out each individual corps' website. They usually have fairly large picture archives.

I'm seriously debating sending some resumes around for next year. My profession is audio engineering and live sound. It seems like we're going to have to live with amps, so why not do it right?

Sometimes the show staff or whoever owns the field will cancel the use of the field due to possible damage from marching on it when the conditions are less than favorable, so then it has to be moved indoors.

Sorry no one consulted you. I'm sure they will next timew they order new unis.

Yes, D2 and D3 sheets are the same.

I dont remember as much from 2002, but here's a general idea of what we (Blue Stars) had in 2004- Breakfast-Cereal, fresh fruit, juices, milk. If the cooks had time (depending when we'd get into the housing site) we'd have pancakes, french toast, and sausages/bacon. Occasionally fried eggs or omlettes cooked when ordered. Lunch-Cold cut sandwiches, fresh fruit, PB and J's, nacos, tacos, usually a "lighter" meal. Dinner-chicken patties, tacos, pork chops, hot dishes, and so on. Usually a big, hot meal. Snack-left overs, or more sugary/salty snacks.

Nacho cheese anjd pasta....Meal of champions. We ate great in 2004. I ate better on tour than I did at my apartment lol.

Only if you can't get a job teaching, or BOA turned you down.