Hulka

Fixed with the help my Cracker Jack decoder ring: Facebook just asked me how I am doing. I'll tell ya How I am doing....... As of this past Sunday, the hornline has learned and performed the first two productions CHAMPIONS and RESILIENT and the Music ensemble has "Ensembled" CHAMPIONS. These goals were set and met by the design and instructional team. Why is that worth talking about? This is different than previous years. We are well on our way to a fantastic season. What is missing? YOU!!! Through the last few years we have made it easy for people to turn their heads to us. In 2012 we set out to rectify all of the things that made it easy for people to not join The Bushwackers. We are proud to say that any reason people had to not join the corps has been dealt with. What we want to do is prove it to you. Come see for yourself what we have to offer. Best rehearsal facility in DCA An intense rehearsal experience filled with pursuit of excellence Education by driven credentialed teachers who have performed with some of the countries' top organizations We say again? What is missing? YOU!!! Skeptical? Come check it out!!! January 5th and 6th at the Princeton Day School For more questions inquire within. BUSH13:WE ARE Best of luck, Bush!

Yes, I certainly hope DCA gives constructive feedback to all the bidders and share that same data with the DCA Member Corps. Transparency can be a beautiful thing.

I'm interested as well. By sharing what cities submitted bids it'd give the ticket-buying fans an opportunity to see what cities are interested which may be a catalyst for more people to get involved. For example, if I knew a city close to me submitted I'd be prompted to contact those people and ask what I could do to help with future bids. I'm sure there are many others who'd jump in and want to help in their locales as well. Not knowing who the cities are submitting bids could possibly be limiting the grassroots efforts in areas.

I didn't realize I am held accountable for the actions of other people in my section as well as another. I thought individuals were accountable for their own actions. Silly me. It wasn't me getting sloshed on the bus and I wasn't attempting a booze fundraiser. No skeletons here. You may not have given anyone booze directly but there were underage people that got their hands on your shots. They were dealt with accordingly as were you. That was an eye-opening trip seeing so-called "mature" adults interact with high school students so we made some policy adjustments.

Ed, we did have to pay a fee to the bus company if we wanted to allow alcohol on the bus, but it was not $500. It was significantly cheaper. Many of us, myself included, thought with a single bus and such a wide age range it was best not to permit alcohol. Is the trip really THAT miserable without booze? The board did not lie. In addition to the above problems you cited we also had the little problem of you selling shots by the glass to underage members. The slope is slippery man so I'd advise you not go down this path.

Looking forward to watching the feed this evening, cheering on Star United from 600 miles away! Gotta love the interwebs. Support DCA! Go Star United!

Yep, that's exactly who I was thinking of and wouldn't be surprised to see the Renegades change their bass/pit ensemble to a full battery/pit ensemble. I think that's cool because more field corps could participate by simply playing their show and I always enjoy listening to a full percussion section play together. I still maintain the mixed ensembles should be separate from the battery-only ensembles because the criteria and effects would make it almost impossible to adjudicate fairly. To help see what we're working from, here is a copy of the 2011 I&E rules with the specifics of each percussion division: PERCUSSION INDIVIDUALS 1. Any individual DCA approved percussion instrument will be judged. 2. The percussionist may play only one percussion instrument during the performance. 3. The time limit is 1.5 minutes minimum to 3 minutes total. 4. There will be a one (1)-point penalty for each minute over or under the time limit. 5. Time starts with the first note and ends with the last note. 6. Music scores DO NOT need to be presented to the judges. 7. NO taped music is allowed. PERCUSSION DUETS 1. A duet is defined as two (2) percussionists. 2. Any combination of DCA approved percussion instruments will be judged. 3. The time limit is 2 minutes minimum to 4 minutes total. 4. There will be a one (1)-point penalty for each minute over or under the time limit. 5. Time starts with the first note and ends with the last note. 6. Music scores DO NOT need to be presented to the judges. 7. NO taped music is allowed. PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE (Mallets) 1. An ensemble is defined as three (3) to twelve (12) percussionists. 2. No ensembles with less than three (3) or more than twelve (12) will be allowed to compete. 3. Any combination of DCA approved mallet instruments maybe used, but no other instruments will be allowed. 4. The time limit is 2 minutes minimum to 4 minutes total. 5. There will be a one (1)-point penalty for each minute over or under the time limit. 6. Time starts with the first note and ends with the last note. 7. Music scores DO NOT need to be presented to the judges. 8. NO taped music is allowed. PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE (Membrane) 1. An ensemble is defined as three (3) to twelve (12) percussionists. 2. No ensembles with less than (3) or more than twelve (12) will be allowed to compete. 3. Any combination of DCA approved percussion membrane instruments maybe used, but no other instruments will be allowed. 4. The time limit is 2 minutes minimum to 4 minutes total. 5. There will be a one (1)-point penalty for each minute over or under the time limit. 6. Time starts with the first note and ends with the last note. 7. Music scores DO NOT need to be presented to the judges. 8. NO taped music is allowed. MIXED ENSEMBLE/ MEMBRANE INSTRUMENTS PLUS MALLETS 1. An ensemble is defined as three (3) to twelve (12) percussionists. 2. No ensembles with less than (3) or more than (12) twelve will be allowed to compete. 3. Any Combination of Approved DCA percussion instruments maybe used, but no other instruments will be allowed. 4. The time limit is 2 minutes minimum and 4 minutes total. 5. There will be a one (1)-point penalty for each minute over or under the time limit. 6. Time starts with the first note and ends with the last. 7. Musical scores DO NOT need to be presented. 8. No Taped music is allowed. CYMBAL ENSEMBLE 1. An ensemble is defined as three (3) to twelve (12) percussionists. 2. No ensemble with less than three (3) or more than twelve (12) will be allowed to compete. 3. Any combination of DCA approved cymbals maybe used, but no other instruments will be allowed. 4. The time limit is 2 minutes minimum to 4 minutes total. 5. There will be a one (1)-point penalty for each minute over or under the time limit. 6. Time starts with the first note and ends with the last note. 7. Music scores DO NOT need to be presented to the judges. 8. NO taped music is allowed.

The more I think about the new Percussion Battery Division, I think if it's going to be called this it should be battery only, no front ensemble instruments allowed. It'd probably be easier to just rename the existing Membrane Percussion division as this new battery division but allowing more than the current limit of 12 players. Then, simply bump the number of allowable players in Mixed Percussion Ensemble division so full battery/pit combos could compete there. Adding a front ensemble adds an entirely new element which would make it difficult for those groups that only have a battery to effectively compete.

It'll be weird going on earlier which may be cool, leaving more time to party... er, I mean get more sleep. Cool deal about the battery division. Hopefully that'll encourage more corps to participate since they could probably just come in and play some show book with a little parking lot vibe.

It'd be a tough sell for Lexington at Commonwealth Stadium. The Athletic Department freaks out about the marching band using their field and the state high school marching band finals is usually blamed for the Wildcats poor performance. Apparently Dinkles destroy a field whereas cleats don't. Kentucky hasn't had a good football team in, well... ever, so THAT couldn't be the reason. Kentucky actually has a ton of people at the football games but not to watch the team lose, rather to see and be seen during tailgating. It's quite the little party in the parking lot before and during the games. Jeff's point of no local corps in the area is kind of the nail in the coffin for Lexington, as much as I'd love for championships to only be a 45 minute drive.

To piggy-back on what Jeff is saying about how a corps rehearses, I can give first-hand examples. The most floor-time sleep I ever got on tour was '95 and that year was kind of successful. I'd also be willing to bet Star United rehearses less than most other Mini Corps, we simply come prepared and rehearse efficiently. Crap... I just gave away the secret recipe.

Good stadium for spectators but the backside doesn't offer good reverb for backfield playing. Not a deal-breaker though.

I get what you're saying Ed about the sheets. However, the activity has changed at the hands of the show designers, not the judges sheets. Programs are more sophisticated these days which are a result of designers raising the bar every year. Rehearsal time can't really be compared to corps of yesteryear anyway because the process has become more efficient for most groups so more can get done in less time. Sure, there are some corps that still do reps for the sake of doing reps but more corps have figured out that rehearsing mistakes is a waste of everyone's time. The efficiency can be attributed to better rehearsal etiquette, which can only happen when you have members coming into the program with a more mature skillset. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a top group having to teach the basic skills anymore, instead just getting everyone using the same technique of that particular corps.

Let the record state the suggestion for Indy should NOT include hosting DCA Championships in Lucas Oil Stadium. It's too big and costly to even consider it on top of the controversial acoustics. I'm thinking more like the greater Indy area like Ball State University, Purdue, or even down south in good 'ol Bloomington... perhaps the best drum corps stadium second to maybe Camp Randall.

Has nothing to do with the sheets, a full rehearsal schedule like that is what makes a field corps great. No secret recipe other than everyone showing up and coming prepared. You need the time together to gel and make consistency the norm.

Before holding Championships outside the Northeast region, it'd be a good idea to first host a "super regional" in another region first to test the waters. For it to work though, at least a few of the big name corps from the NE would need to attend to get an accurate impression of the potential success of championships. It'd be a good financial stress-test for the corps that don't normally travel that long of a distance to gauge the viability of everyone traveling to that region. Nashville, specifically Murfreesboro, embraces the DCI show really well and is a superb stadium. However, the area has been slow to warm to the idea of DCA. Although, having the really great corps come down might help make the case that DCA can be great and even be at the performance level one would expect from a top DCI corps. There's a number of people in Nashville that have gone our their way to discourage the DCA model but it's hard to argue the case when the great corps go unseen by the locals. Of course, with the marching arts so centered around Indy I think it'd make sense to consider that as an option. The big problem that already plagues DCI is housing and rehearsal space which could be an even bigger problem for the Labor Day weekend time-frame.

Having been involved with the same decision with Music City Legend in 2010 under almost the exact same circumstances, I feel your frustration Terry. It's tough coming back from a competively-inactive season but in some ways it can be easier to weather than trying to overcome the stigma of a field show that isn't up the organization's standards. Here's to a return to the field soon!

One of the most entertaining drum corps shows... ever.

Sounds great and like the new direction to add another element to the mini corps competition. Look forward to seeing you all in Annapolis! And you guys got robbed in 2010, should have placed much higher.

All the manufactures still make standard snare stands in addition to the "stadium" varieties offered by some. Unless you were looking for the functionality of being able to use the stands on bleachers I recommend buying your preferred brand's standard snare drum stand. That way it'll be universal for any brand drum.

Relisted: http://www.ebay.com/itm/120847148454?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

Only 4 days left, don't let this this historical drum pass you by!

The exhibition performance from finals night is on the Finals DVD? Cool beans. Thanks all for the kinds words. It's simply a passion the group shares and hope the audience is entertained.

Link to eBay auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120841655407 Don't miss out on a drum corps fan's ultimate collector snare drum from the 1987 DCI World Champion and High Percussion Champ Garfield Cadets! I am selling a custom 14"x12" Pearl Championship Series marching snare drum used by the Garfield Cadets in 1987. I bought this drum in 1990 direct from The Cadets when they were clearing out all their unused instruments and were selling drums from the 1987 through 1989 seasons. The corps used the same finish drum all three years which is one of my all-time favorites so I had to get one. They didn't give me a choice of drum so it was pure luck that I got a drum from the '87 season. I didn't know what I had at the time but later confirmed through studying old pictures and talking to someone that marched that era to determine what year this drum was used. Imagine my delight when it registered I had a snare drum from the fabled '87 line that received the only perfect percussion score in DCI history, to date! As much as I'd like to retain this drum in my collection due to its collector value, I'm letting it go as I'm only keeping drums around I only absolutely need these days. Some things to note on the drum: The custom lacquer finish is the original from 1987 and has not been altered in any way. There is normal wear and tear on the finish but it is in amazing condition considering having been through a drum corps tour and being 25 years old! The screws for the lug casings were replaced with what were the genuine Pearl screws circa 1990 because the original screws were brittle and cracking. The only shell defect is as shown in the close-up of the bearing edge. The hoops are original as you may have guessed from how warped they are. The Pearl die cast hoops were notorious back then for not staying straight which often times made it difficult to pry the old heads out of the hoop and seat a new head. Good times! The throw-off side of the snare strainer is missing the rubber grip around handle. The guts are in great condition and the entire snare mechanism is in working order. The tension rods are mostly missing, having been pillaged for other drum projects over the years. The rods that are present are not all alike. The dual carrier attachments are from an earlier Pearl carrier that actually attached to both clips. You'll notice in '87 the line ended up with different carriers so the drum is offset one lug from the usual position as noticeable by the off-center Pearl badge in pictures and video (see below). This drum, being manufactured in 1987, was Made in the USA! (Yep, you're old if you remember the days when the marching drums were still made stateside.) It should be noted the stand holding the drum in the pictures is NOT included with this auction. You're only bidding on the drum itself. Replace the tension rods, put some heads on it and you have a playable drum corps historic artifact! To see this drum up close and in action, check out these videos: Own this beautiful drum that has been a part of drum corps history! Buyer agrees to pay shipping of $30.00 in addition to the final cost of the drum (unless a pickup). Please contact me ahead of time if interested in a local pick-up. I'll consider shipping internationally but the shipping gets outrageous so I'll have to pass along the additional charges to an international buyer.

My thoughts and prayers are with you Dick. Please get well!