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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...

So I hear.... Music City Legend. See for yourself.

Thank you to everyone who voted for Music City Legend and all the other drum corps. It was an extremely close competition with very few votes separating the charities who made the top 200 and those who did not. Every vote indeed counted. The drum corps community came together and got 2 DCA corps into the top 200 and, I think, another 5-6 DCI corps. The grants will be much appreciated in these hard fundraising times. Look for future Chase competitions and support your fellow corps. Past grant recipients cannot compete again so that will allow us to throw that much more help to competing corps.

I have a feeling we're going to see a lot of refreshing of the Chase threads over the next 4 days. Thank you to all those who have voted for any drum corps. If the activity is going to thrive, we have to work together and support each other.

Back to the topic at hand. Music City Legend will resume rehearsals for the Baltimore 4th of July parades on June 5 and June 19 at La Vergne H.S. Directions are on the website. Rehearsal hours are 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. All performers welcome. Get on the bus on July 2 for Baltimore.

Tom, it will be that much better to see you in Scranton next month. Not everyone gets a second chance. Thanks for sharing the good news. Best wishes to you and all your loved ones.

Sad news indeed. I remember many CV rehearsals when Bob and Annie would come out just to listen and enjoy. It made those hot summer days in Georgia a little more bearable when you had fans at practice expressing their appreciation. Very good people.

MCM IV: Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010 The more, the merrier.

Sun Devils fans should be proud of them. I was very impressed by the program this corps has put together in only its second year. John & Co. have it going in the right direction.

Time for a Smoothy. Polls Schmolls. If you want to see it live, tickets will be on sale at the gate starting at 6:00. $15 VIP and $10 for all others. Afterwards, facials are guaranteed in the parking lot jam.

Wow. Go away for vacation one week and come back to the drama that is DCP. Fun and funny way to pass a few idle moments. Quite cool to see some extra attention to what's going on down South. And it has been coming for a while. CV is having its best year to date and Alliance is coming out strong. MCL hasn't been slouching either. The chips will fall where they fall and your favorite may have a lot to do with what "style" of drum corps you like best. These will probably be 3 very different kinds of shows. And to those who think the southerners are plotting to radically change DCA, how 'bout talking to us instead of making assumptions? Might be surprised. We may talk funny, but dumb we are not. See you in ROC!