ChicagoFan

Since the downtown area is fairly small and most of the hotels are concentrated within a few square blocks, I think you'll find that prices are pretty similar from one hotel to the next. Also consider that DCI week is a pretty big event for which hotels can charge premium rates. Don't expect to find any bargains unless you're willing to stay farther from the city center.

Since this diatribe was addressed to me, I feel I should respond. Then again, why bother? Anything I could say would obviously be lost on someone who mocks my education yet, in the very same sentence, misspells "college." Sincerely, Robert E. Lee

I'm going to have to disagree with this. I have three degrees in music and teach at the college level. I think that would qualify as having "artistic sense." And for the record, I well appreciate the work that goes into this activity and am fully capable of recognizing and understanding the complexities of what I see/hear on the field. Nonetheless, I'm often bored. What I feel for many of the shows this season is anything but love. Like the OP, I've recently begun to question why I feel this way. Am I too old? Has drum corps passed me by? Am I stuck in the past? I was somewhat heartened (or disheartened depending on how you look at it) on Saturday in Kalamazoo after talking to several friends and corps alums who expressed similar feelings. Among the group were former Cavaliers, Scouts, Cadets, Crossmen, and Troopers and, to a person, all of us felt that something is missing -- that the excitement we once felt for and about corps isn't there. I'm saddened by this.

I teach at a university in the Chiago area that does not finish its quarter until June 12. Many area high schools have a similarly-late graduation date.

Having had several cancerous growths removed -- likely the result of spending too much time in the sun -- I can attest to the importance of covering up and wearing sunscreen at all times.

Indy is not without the school issues found in KC and elsewhere. Several corps, including the Cavaliers, have yet to secure housing for finals week due to Indy area schools starting classes the same week.

Are they booing, Smithers? No sir. They're saying 'Boo-urns. Boo-urns.'

I marched guard at the time when many of the all-female guards began to go co-ed and, as a guy, I was grateful for that change. However, I still miss the mystique and unique beauty of an all-female auxiliary.

At the risk of sounding rather snide: We are to trust a group of people to completely restructure DCI who can't even put together a cohesive, organized Power Point presentation/proposal? If they can't arrange and articulate their thoughts clearly enough to put forth a polished, carefully conceived professional presentation, how will they handle the far more difficult task of actually bringing their vision to fruition?

Even the women?

Great music but the story seems overly contrived and silly. Hopefully, this will be a production in which the narrative isn't essential to the overall understanding and enjoyment of the program.

Whether or not DCI is purposefuly trying to eliminate older fans is debatable. What I don't think is debatable is that the legacy fans, though maybe not as numerous as the young band kids in the stands, are unfailingly loyal to the activity and regularly make a significant financial contribution. How many 15 year olds can afford the steep costs of tickets to multiple events? How many routinely donate large sums to individual corps? How many sponsor corps members year after year? (My own financial support -- through ticket/merchandise purchases and donations -- totals several thousand dollars each year.) To ignore or even unwillingly alienate these people seems rather foolhardy.

If the proposal is accepted, I expect this is exactly what would happen.

Several people have surmised that this new model will somehow strengthen competition by inspiring the lower-ranked corps to up their game in order to achieve "membership" in the newly created elite 7. This would suggest that all the Troopers need to do to win the DCI title is try a little harder; that it was a lack of effort and inspiration that kept them out of finals for the last 17 years. I do see some advantages to the ideas that have been put on the table but, in the long run, I think they will only serve to bring about even greater division amongst the corps and, ultimately, to the demise of the activity that we now know. For example, should this proposal work as planned and, in fact, strengthen those few select corps that are lucky enough to participate, the results will only give them more incentive to move further away from the DCI umbrella and the other corps which now make up that organization.

1. The crowd began to react as soon as the corps came out of the tunnel. 2. Brandt Crocker announced them thusly: "After a 23 year absence, please welcome to the field, from Casper, Wyoming, THE TROOPERS. The whole stadium stood and gave them an extended ovation. That was a special moment. 3. There was a semi-sunburst by the brass line. 4. The ovation after the performance was another extended one. 5. When final scores were announced, the crowd gave Troopers another standing ovation. 6. Depends on the wind conditions. Seeing the Troopers make it back into finals was the highlight of the week -- even the season -- for me. Congratulations to you all!

I've attended finals since the 80s, and have only missed only a few. I was not pleased with the Indy experience for several reasons: 1. The sound in the stadium was poor, at best. From my vantage point, I had a very difficult time hearing anything other than a muffled roar. 2. Sound aside, I was not impressed with the ammenities of the building. For a brand new facility, I found it rather lacking. The concourses were rather narrow and crowded, food choices were limited, and access to the various levels was restricted to only one escalator. 3. The terraced nature of the seating design doesn't contribute to feeling part of the crowd. In the 500 level where I was seated, there were only 5 rows of seats. We felt very isolated 3. Even though I pre-purchased my tickets over a year ago and paid top-dollar, my seats were on the 20 yard line. Everyone in my section had the same complaint. 4. Indy is a perfectly nice city, with everything centrally located, but it doesn't offer much in the way of entertainment. By Saturday, I was bored. Plus, the area around the stadium more or less shuts down at 5:00. After Thursday's show, we searched in vain for a drugstore or convenience store to buy snacks. On the plus side, Indy is an easy drive from Chicago, there are plenty of hotels within walking distance of the stadium (mine was about 5 minutes away), and you don't find the exhorbitant prices of a tourist city such as Pasadena or Orlando. However, in my opinion, the negatives outweighed the positive.

Brandt is also married to a former rifle captain of the Troopers. As I recall, they met when he spent a summer in Casper working with the corps.

I don't think the present can be considered a "Golden Age" particularly when: -- every year sees the loss of yet another corps -- the competitive season grows shorter -- the number of shows continues to decline -- we move farther and farther from the traditions of the activity Certainly, to those currently on the field and to most younger fans, there's no time like the present. But, when viewed from a broader historical perspective I would not consider this a "Golden Age."

As an instructor, I think your goals are a bit ambitious. To take a rank beginner -- who has never spun before -- and bring him to the level of achievement you desire, will take far more time than a single weekend camp. The basics might be put in place and the mechanics demonstrated, but it takes many, many hours of repeated practice to toss and spin with any kind of consistency.

I guess I'm a little confused... If some of the practices have, as someone mentioned, been open to the public, then what's with the secrecy?

Raises hand. This will be my 20th year of attending since aging out.

I've always walked from the Riverwalk area over to the Dome. It can be done in about 15-20 minutes. There is usually a pretty big crowd of walkers headed back into town after both shows, so safety isn't an issue. You can also take one of the city trolleys that cover the downtown area, though I'm not sure they operate at night. Ask at your hotel about which one goes to the Dome.

I don't really understand the purpose of the trunks. At first, I thought they might be used to hold props or be the focus of some sort of drill move or special effect but neither is the case. To my eye, the simply clutter up the field and don't add anything significant to the show.

My first two viewings of this show left me a little cold. However, last night in Kalamazoo it really came alive. This seemed to be the one show of the evening that made much of an emotional impact on the crowd, myself included. I may end up liking this one.

We always go to Dairy Queen before the show but, perhaps, I'll head over afterwards.