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What if there was a drum corps season and no one knew about it? Sad to see what has become of this organization in the last 20 years.

It all changed at Whitewater that year.

I'll take your word for it Jeff. I haven't attended Championships or thought about doing so since 2009. The new leadership will definitely have a huge hill to climb.

Was '06 the hurricane year? The talk after that year among some in the know was DCA could well go belly up if the Championships ever got washed out. We're about to find out. I wish no ill to anyone who is fighting to keep it alive but the declining participation, declining attendance, nearly non-existent public profile and anecdotal evidence - like the lack of activity on this board - all point to an activity in a nose dive. DCA cannot be saved if there is not a product anyone is interested in buying.

I remember that. Frankly, DCA wasn't ready for the (outside) growth it experienced in the early 2000's and many of the new corps that jumped in didn't fully appreciate what they were getting into. Much DCA business was done based on winks and handshakes at the bar the night before a membership meeting. The old rulebooks had been written (sloppily) with the understanding no one outside the NE, except MN, would come to the party. Kudos to Gil Silva for his efforts in tightening things up and making DCA more corporate and professional but he faced some strong headwinds. I don't know if DCA would be in better shape if it had done things differently back then but it's hard to believe it would be worse.

The corps with voting rights are in effect "DCA." Some (not all) corps did not like the idea of sharing political power with new kids on the block. There were at least enough to get the rule changed. My sense at the time was that some in the DCA adminstration were cautioning corps about this pettiness but it fell on a lot of deaf ears.

If I had the rule book from about 12-14 years ago I could quote it. If I remember correctly, there was a rule that gave voting rights if a certain number of shows were attended, plus championships. MCL's decision to attend shows in MN that year was motivated in part by a desire to qualify under that rule. I think the rule had been put in place to help some struggling NE corps who had lost their seats at the big boy table. When a young, outsider corps took advantage of it, the rule was changed to voting rights based on placement only.

A subject which I can speak on with a little authority. Generally speaking, issues MCL had in staying afloat included money, recruiting (warm bodies aren't enough; bodies committed to the corps and willing/able to meet their obligations were needed), lack of a cohesive long-term vision among the leadership and several broken backs among those who carried the corps for many years. Eventually other things in life become more enjoyable and important. One other point. The way DCA was set up back in the day, if you didn't come to Championships, you essentially had no voice in the organization. And when MCL briefly got a voice it proved too threatening for some and the rules were changed.

The hard truth is much of DCA's fan base that was there in the 90's and early 00's is dead (literally) or too old to get out much now. I don't know that I ever saw a Championship crowd bigger than 5,000 - 6,000 and much of that crowd was made up of alumni and their families. Few people with no direct connection to DCA were being pulled off the street. DCI has the advantage of a limitless farm system of high school and college band kids with parents willing to do and pay whatever it takes to let Jack or Jill live out their DCI dreams. And every town DCI goes to has high school bands who want to see what it's all about. I remember being starry eyed when the Scouts, Bridgemen and Suncoast Sound came to my high school. Which name would pique the interest of a high school kid more, Blue Devils or [insert name of DCA corps here]?

I've stayed away from drum corps for 9 years and haven't seen a live show since leaving Rochester in 2009. I have seen a few DCA videos and a smattering of DCI YouTube video but that's it. Fill me in. When was the last time a DCA corps fielded 128 (or is it 135?)? The videos I've seen of some of the top corps look like they only have 80-90 members. Does DCA even record its Championships anymore? I see nothing on its website indicating it has any products for sale. How can it be expected to survive when it has no marketing materials and its history is essentially erased each year after the Championship victory concert? I recall the recording and mechanization rights becoming a huge and expensive headache about 10 years ago, but surely there are more smart folks out there who can build a better mousetrap.

The fact only 34 people have registered an opinion on this topic, during what should be DCA's time to shine in the run up to the Championships, is an indicator of where things are going. I wish DCA the best and would be sad to see it go but economic reality and societal changes have put the handwriting on the wall. Corps are folding when there is a strong economy. How will they do when there is another downturn? More will disappear when the current generation of leaders and administrators retire or otherwise decide the activity is no longer worth their time and effort. I don't foresee the next generation running with the torch. IMHO, the best lifeline for DCA would have been a loose confederacy of strictly regional circuits until it was ready to be a national organization but that ship sailed long ago.

Bingo, John. There are many who want a corps but few want to do what it takes to sustain a corps. I salute all those who can make it happen year after year in these difficult times.

Sad news indeed. The corps was ready to take flight again with re-invigorated leadership, money in the bank and a fan friendly program. Unfortunately, making a drum corps work requires a lot of people to give their word, commit to being unselfish for the good of the corps and act honorably. That is a hard thing for many people to do these days. P.S. For the paranoid, my comments are not directed toward any individual or specific group of individuals. It's a general observation from running a drum corps for 6 years. Best wishes to all corps in 2011.

My deepest sympathies Fran. What a wonderful lady...