Smoothy

Scores Shmores.... Still got it! Even in the Eastern Hemisphere! Go Govies! Go Spandy! Go Drum Corps!!!!!!!

Good to hear from you, Jerry! I hope all is well! When I visited Chicago in July, I saw some of the old crew from our Imperial days. No one has changed...we're just all looking more and more like our parents . (Sorry, public broadcast. Not an IM. Go drum corps!)

The whole thread read really smoothly. Looking forward to tomorrow morning's cast of finals. Great job, guys!

Hello from Suzhou, Jiangsu, China! I started at the beginning of the thread assuming the show was over and was pleasantly surprised to see it still in progress. Too bad DCA is always held during the rainy season in the NW, but it still sounds like a great time. I miss drum corps!

Cool! I live in Xiangcheng. I've been teaching at SIFLS for the past two years. I'm going to Zapata's for some tex-mex buffet. Nice speaking at you!

No surprises here. Time for lunch. ...until DCA Championships, DCP! 再见

Good morning from from Suzhou, Jiangsu! China in da house!

Good job...Minnesota sweep!

Scores shmores, my drum corps friends! I choose the Bucs and the Govies as my favorites for the titles. Whatever the judges decide...it doesn't matter (unless they agree with me). Good luck to all my drum corps friends. See you next summer when I am in from China next.

Thanks for the broadcast! It sounded like a great show. I'll keep my eyes open for drum corps here in China, but no promises. Although I did hear some kid practicing trumpet in one of the dorms two days ago, so I'm on a mission to find him or her now... It's Monday at 10:30AM here and they do not celebrate Labor Day, so it's back to work!

Hello all! Smoothy from Suzhou, China checking in. I worked with the Govies brass line this year, but had to leave ten days ago for my new job here in China teaching math in English to Chinese students in an Aussie school. Sounds like class A prelims rocked. A good luck shout out to my midwest brothers and sisters in the Kilts coming up. And of course good luck wishes to my sister Mary's corps, the Bushwackers! Great job on the commentary, guys!

Just saying... It's not like this really matters. Have fun at your gig this weekend.

I'm in Suzhou, 2 hours west of Shanghai by car (20 minutes by the "Bullet Train"). I'll keep my eyes open for it, but thus far I see lots of drums and lots of dancing, but no brass. Good luck with the big show next weekend!

Does anybody else see an advantage in slotting for the corps who performed this past weekend. It seems that if everyone was slotted according to the prior weekend when everyone performed it would be more fair. Having an extra week to raise the corps' score is kind of biased to those corps with the extra week. Just saying...

I just read this whole thread and I can't believe scores and success are being thrown around as similar meanings. A non-champion corps can be successful, hence achieving more than a champion, by just fielding a corps in some cases. I know drum corps is a competition and thus corps are compared through a scoring system, but every corps has their own story and if their story has a good ending in the eyes of the members of the corps, then the season is successful and the corps has achieved what they are doing drum corps for. If your corps wins Class X and everyone hates each other, your corps has failed. If your corps scores the lowest score ever in competition history, but the members were proud to be on the field and happy to be of the member of that corps, then that corps is successful. When scores determine the success of a drum corps, the champions are the only corps worth #### and that just ain't true. Wake up my friends, drum corps is important at all levels and just because the system labels and evaluates each of them doesn't make the accomplishments of every corps less precious. Do as Peashey says: Go support all of these wonderful organizations and remember that those not supporting drum corps are the real losers. (It's time to eat some unrecognizable food for lunch now)

Scores shmores! Have a great DCA, my friends! Enjoy drum corps! There is no drum corps here in China!

DCA-C rocks!

Great shows!

I started reading this discussion and it was getting long and redundant, so I stopped about half way. I apologize if I am repeating anyone here. When drum corps circuits, be it DCA, DCI, or whatever, legalize things, they are not requiring them. In other words, when amplification is allowed, it doesn't mean a drum corps has to use it. That eliminates all discussions based on cost. The corps with cash have always had the best equipment, but it doesn't make them the best...and never has. The rain and electronics argument is actually a moot point as well. With the advancement of weather detection and electronics that can be used underwater, it is possible to have a safe electronic experience in drum corps. If someone gets electrocuted from this, they were not safe with their electronics to begin with and are at fault. This only leaves the tradition versus modern argument that will always exist in drum corps as long as drum corps remains in a dynamic state (which is equivalent to being alive). These rule changes that occur in drum corps do not hinder the activity. The rules that were in place were the hinderance. With the elimination of these restrictions, it makes for a situation where corps can experiment more freely, but at the same time makes the evaluation and the definition of the activity more difficult. It blurs the boundaries that made drum corps drum corps. But because drum corps has always evolved and restrictions are always being lifted, one's definition of what drum corps is is a dated notion. What the concept of drum corps is to a marcher of today is different from someone who marched junior corps in the seventies. What the drum corps enthusiasts must remember is that this is not the fault of any governing body in the activity. There is nothing in the rules that ever said that drum corps cannot still perform on G-D valve-rotor bugles and force rudiments into their drum books. There is no rules that say that color guards have to dance and drum corps have to pit any of their instruments. The rule changes actually eliminate restrictions and do not change drum corps at all. Drum corps and drum corps alone elect to change drum corps. The people who design shows are defining drum corps, as they always have, with the support of people who run the corps, the people who march in that corps, and the people who pay to watch these corps. In summary: It is solely your choice whether to like drum corps in its present state or not. It isn't your daddy's corps, but it still is an amazing thing to behold. The joy of performing and socializing is still the constant and is evident among the members. Personally, if the Blue Devils or even a no name beginning drum corps is performing near my town with amplification and a reed section, I will still be there to check it out with an open mind and an eye out to see if the marchers are still digging the activity.

I take the Bears...

Oh my God! This is truly tremendous. You can be tremendous, too! Come be tremendous! It's coming fast!

Hairbear, you need to be tremendous! LaCrosse, two weekends in the future. Be there!