Dan Detweiler

By the way BigW...just re-read your post to see that you are going to be in Baltimore. If we don't meet up in person this time I am going to start griping all over DCP that it is an anti southern drum corps conspiracy! ;) Dan

Just curious... Do you buy a ticket to a show to watch the corps give the best performance they can at that point in the season, or do you buy a ticket to see a number at the end? If it's for a number why not save the money and see the numbers posted here 10 minutes after they are announced? If it is to witness the corps giving the best they can at that point then the numbers don't matter anyway. The entertainment value is always subjective to the person that is paying the money but the level of completeness or performance quality is never less than the very best those members can give at that point. We haven't marched in their shoes. We haven't been subjected to their individual circumstances so who are we to judge? I am pretty confident that nobody walks onto a field and gives anything less than the best they have to offer. Is that worthy of your dollars for the ticket? Nobody can answer that but the person sitting (or not sitting) in the stands on any given night. Personally, I feel that witnessing the best efforts of individuals that have given their time and money and sweat to try to create something of value with other like minded individuals has value in and off itself. Just my $.02 as always. By the way, on a personal note, I can't wait to see everyone in Baltimore in a few weeks! Dan

You can pester me any time! Dan

I totally understand that the season is only two months long. That being said however, you shouldn't look at how long the season is but how short the amount of rehearsal time is available to the corps to prepare a modern competitive show by the middle of June. As was stated earlier, I would venture to guess that almost all corps these days are a revolving door of membership up until June. Kids come in...kids go out. whether it is school, vacation, college auditions...whatever. The membership is constantly in flux until much later in the spring and early summer than many realize. You spend much of your time re-teaching music and drill to get the latest batch of newbies into the show. It's just a fact encapsulating modern DCA drum corps. Perhaps it is different for Bucs, Cabs, Minnesota, C2, etc. but it is certainly a fact of life for us in CV. Not an excuse...not going to cry in our beer over it...just a fact that we struggle with. Dan

As to why corps might not be ready by mid June... It's nobody's ###### business. Sorry, but corps work off a schedule that works for them, not what works for a given crowd at a given show. We all work within the known limitations of our own circumstances. We all do the very best we can with the members, staff, rehearsal sites, and schedule that we have to work with. The fans at that show are going to get the very best of what those corps can offer at this point in their season. Any numbers that are put out there this early in the season are pretty much meaningless anyway. The staffs will bet feedback and a critique where they can hear about what is working and what is not. That is all they can hope to get at this point. I know this is probably not what fans want to hear but I will always side with what is best for the marching members and the corps as a whole. If those that are performing have deemed that a judged exhibition is the way to go then that is what it should be...in my humble opinion. Dan

Spirit of Atlanta for obviously biased reasons (I hear their tuba section is smoking this year! ) Blue Devils again for obviously biased reasons and Phantom because I have been very impressed with them over the last several seasons. Dan

We're having a blast with it! Dan

Rythmos...come check us out. https://www.facebook.com/AtlantaCorpsVets/ Dan

My very first drum corps experience was with Crusaders back in 1980 when I was still in high school. Didn't march the summer but attended several winter camps. My favorite Statesmen memory has to be the mass corps performance with them after the Hornell show in 2013. Too much fun! Dan

Can't do anything until the members meeting and I think that is in May. Dan

No, they are specifically written for a gym sized performance area. The shows of today are very creative and beautiful to watch. You should check one out if you get the chance. Dan

Just a quick and general shout out to all the DCA members and staff that will be participating at all levels at the WGI World Championships in Dayton this weekend. We all would love to have you at corps rehearsals but your commitment to excellence throughout the year is one of the things that make you all so fantastic. Good hair and good shows to one and all! See ya at corps camp soon! Dan

I don't see how this process sucks in any way. Everyone wins. The company gets its name out in the market place. The corps gets new state of the art equipment on a regular basis. The bands/corps that buy the old equipment get great horns they would normally not be able to afford. How does this suck? Dan

...and I'm sure it is. Doesn't mean it has to be public knowledge. Dan

Santana...no they probably just don't care to tell anyone what they are up to, and that's fine. Many corps choose to keep their cards close when it comes to programing. To each his/her own. Dan

Over the years I have witnessed the other side of the activity as well. Members being verbally abused, pushed beyond reasonable limits, beat down over the course of a summer for whatever reason. Can't be good for the long term health of the organization or retention and recruitment of members. Counterproductive in the long run. Don't work harder...work smarter. Dan

I can't speak for the way thing run today since I haven't been around a DCI corps for any length of time for 25 years. However, in the 80s I have strong feelings about this very subject. I think one of the reasons Blue Devils was so successful back in the day (and I am sure this weighs in to this day) is the way the members were treated during the course of the season. I had friends in other corps that couldn't believe our daily schedules. We ALWAYS got 8 hours of sleep, regardless of show logistics. If that meant we didn't rehearse on a show day after a particularly long bus ride the night before then so be it. We ALWAYS go three hot meals a day. Sometimes we even fed other corps in the parking lot! As a member we always felt like our needs always came first. By the end of the season we were fresh, excited and enthusiastic about what we were doing. Others?....well, perhaps not. I think the Blue Devils organization has this down to a science. It is one of the big reasons, I believe, that they have been so successful. Dan

Tear it up John! Wishing you nothing but the best. Dan

Any show that is held in a public school stadium is a dry show now. Championships is really the only venue in question at this point as far as alcohol sales goes. Dan

When we changed our name back in 2012 we changed many of the policies regarding drinking and the like. Buses are now completely dry when traveling, and there is an 8 hour "bottle to throttle" as pilots would call it, policy in regards to rehearsals and everything else. Members also sign an alcohol policy agreement when offered a contract that states these policies. Yes, DCA has changed a lot in the last few decades. Dan

Wow, really? You know we tend to forget that these are 20 and 21 year old kids. They are under immense pressure and retreat at the World Championships is the ultimate pressure cooker. I just watched the video of retreat in '84 and my heart started racing again 30+ years later. Yes, you are correct, it is Blue Devils "style" if you will to celebrate a world championship on the field. It is also Santa Clara's to not. Both have the utmost respect for each other, both would never have it any other way. Both could also care less what others think for the most part. Their actions speak for themselves. So do their championships. If I hadn't marched in Blue Devils I would have gone to Santa Clara. Two completely different approaches but both nothing but class and excellence from top to bottom...in my opinion. By the way, I marched with Gary Zinter. Gary Zinter was a groomsman in my wedding and I call him a good friend to this day. He is everything that is, was, or will be good about this activity. To look at that 10 seconds of video and make character judgements based solely on that is unfair and completely incorrect. Yes, we were all shocked and disappointed in the heat of the moment. I think anyone would be under the same circumstances. Doesn't, nor should it, define a person or an organization. Dan

Now Sam...why did you have to go all political. I don't think Donald has much to do with conducting. In direct response to the question though, I agree that what happens off the podium is far more important than what happens on it...HOWEVER, I do find it interesting that so many corps today take open auditions for DM regardless of the individual's experience or lack thereof with the drum corps. Actually seems to be a pretty common practice these days. As to what you do on the podium, it seems to run the gamut. I would say that the majority of corps seem to be looking for the "human metronome" style with little to no emotion in the conducting. Not good or bad...just a style thing. And again, I am not trying to pigeon hole everyone into this, it's just an observation on my part. Good Luck! Dan

Went and saw their rehearsal and end of camp performance yesterday. No question that there is a positive buzz surrounding the corps this year. After conversations with Chris Moore (corps director) and Jeff Nelson (president of the board), I walked away feeling like they are approaching this in a very healthy, intelligent way. Very organized about everything. Entertaining new ideas regarding management and administrative responsibilities as well as financial stability. The overwhelming atmosphere around the organization is that everything is about giving the kids a fantastic experience this summer. Yes, I am biased (my son is marching there this summer), but as a parent, staff alumnus, and drum corps fan I can find nothing but positive things to say. If there is one thing I have learned over the years in this activity it is that haters are going to hate...regardless. I get it. But...I really think people will feel that baby blue is on its way back. Dan

The worst part about this is that the corps seem to be doing everything right. Obtaining permission to arrange, etc. It seems the governing bodies (DCI, DCA, BOA) are the ones that have dropped the ball. The real losers in this are the members that will never have the professional recordings to remember their hard efforts by. DCI may still hold out hope, but for those of us in DCA, the memories of last year's performances will remain forever lost. Dan

Perhaps not relevant but last year if you look at our (Atlanta CV's) run at the DCI regional in the Georgia Dome, it was horrible. Everyone came off the field bummed. We didn't understand what our purpose was. In the month between then and DCA Championships the corps did a complete 180. Now, we didn't end up winning, but I don't think there were many believing we would ultimately be in the top 5 based on those early showings. Like I said, perhaps this isn't the best example but it is the most meaningful to me. Based on our winter and early spring it would have been easy to write us off. I am sure there are examples on both sides of this fence, but for me, I am not writing ANYONE off based on January YouTube posts or recordings. Nor am I ready to hand a title to anyone. Too many variables. Do the work...focus on your own preparation...see what the cards hold come Labor Day weekend. Dan