FanLib

I don't so much have a problem with the top 12 being in finals, but the problem I have is with finals being on Saturday (although not opposed to some expansion). Many fans are dealing with band camps during the week and cannot get to prelims or semi's. Finals is their only option, so they can't see everyone or most everyone. Have they ever had a Friday through Sunday set up?

Crown Bluecoats Colts Academy Blue Stars Honorable mention to Mandarins

Perhaps the question is, how many times does one need to see a show before it makes sense? I saw the BD show in late July and it made no sense to me whatsoever. After seeing it again in Indy, I caught on to the story, but I was not familiar with the music. I can honestly say I've had this happen with other corps, even with shows I really loved. I've had it occur at WGI a lot, where I'd watch a performance and say, weird, I have no idea what I just watched, but they performed it well, even after seeing a show multiple times in a season. I think this is a valid question to ask if you expect to grow the fan base of DCI beyond the junkies on this forum. Not everyone spends their free time reading up about corps' shows. They just want to go watch and be entertained. Perhaps there is a magic balance that exists between abstract and overt?

I am under the impression that Mark Sylvester left the Colts mid season. No idea why.

They're also human beings who would like to know that their efforts are being appreciated, not only by the fans, but by the judges. They'd like to experience finals without ever questioning politics of DCI judging, Sounds like it's been top 12 for many years, but why 12? Why not 15 or even just 10?

Cadets guard is definitely busting its butt moving all over the field. So they're doing their part.

w/r/t Colts: Seriously? Bad guard? Bad show? No brass? I think many would disagree with you, including me. I'm hoping they surge and beat BAC. Like the Cinderella team in the final 4 kind of thing. Doesn't DCI need a story like that?

Colts got rained on tonight. That could have affected them a little.

Someone needs to start this thread. Would be quite interesting.

As a parent of a MM who is not in a top 7 corps, these statements, while I believe them all to be true, disgusts and saddens me. Too much money and time, too much pain and suffering occur in a season for this to be acceptable, especially the "no matter how well executed the show becomes." The comparison of the Ivy League seems appropo, unfortunately.

I don't mind some of the singing, but Lay Me Down (Colts, sung by Sam Smith out there is the pop world), IMO, would be much more effective ballad without the singing or at least with less of it. The song is fantastic and a big hit with the younger crowd, so why not really take the opportunity to the max? You know, as in, give me chills Colts brass! It has the potential to do that.

As a WGI fan, 10s or 12s seem like a stretch to me. I'll look closer the next time. I'm distracted by the very long hair from BD guard. Same as last year. I did not understand their show concept at all. Only realized what some of it meant after reading on this forum. Loved Bluecoats though (guard and everything else), and thought Blue Stars guard was great too. Colts guard was in good shape I thought and would be even better if a few of their flag bits were more solidly in unison, but Troopers....not a fan of their guard/visual thing. Personal preference probably, but just not my thing. The thing with the Bluecoats is, I can't tell if they're brass is giving all that sound, or if it's a mix of electronic stuff and brass. I guess getting it mixed that well is the point (to the point you're not sure), but I'd like to know it's them and not a speaker too. Otherwise, wow, cool show.

I'm curious how most corps handle injuries during the season, and I'm also wondering if injuries are pervasive in certain corps but not others due to better training regimens. I've heard of kids getting sent home because they have a certain overuse injury (stress fracture, feet problems, other things like this). While in the case of a stress fracture, they're likely not going to heal in time to compete, some of the other injuries seem like a few days rest would do them good. It's made me wonder about overtraining, as is seen in elite athletes and whether the lack of down time is harming corps rather than helping. I've not seen the threshold for injuries causing a MM to be sent home articulated anywhere, but perhaps it is for some corps. I don't know if certain corps have different schedules than other corps that allows more down time or not, and whether that helps/hinders in any way. I will say I've heard rumors that a top 5 corps had more downtime because the members were just better to begin with and fewer hours (relatively speaking of course) were needed to clean the show. I don't know if it's true or not. Anyone have knowledge of or experience with this? Thoughts?

@BlueStainGlass do you know what part? I see auditions to be in Ft Wayne.

Agree! Please Glassmen organizers: get some more definitive info out there soon. Location of practices and practice schedules/travel expectations will be critical for college students who might consider your winterguard. Ohio has competitive winter guards (notably Onyx in Dayton, Pheonix in Toledo, Juxtapositon in Central Ohio, Artistry in Blue in Akron/Canton, Pride of Cincinnati) but they'd welcome another option.

Fan perspective only, not an expert, only my opinions. I was at this show. Pio is definitely better than last year. Colts show is very entertaining, still evolving, but in my opinion, their brass is stronger this year, and their guard is good. Troopers: why did they perform after Colts? Isn't order based on last year results? Right now, I think their guard looks rough and the overall show idea isn't moving me, but thought they sounded good. A lot of white fences across the field. Blue Stars: liked the show mostly, but I think I need to see again to take it all in. Their guard is great and the juggling guy is fantastic. Bluecoats sounded great. I can't help but see similarities between their guard stuff from last year even though using different equipment. I like Bluecoats, but I didn't feel the, omg that is awesome feeling. Scouts...meh....IMO a fairly classic type show but they seem to perform it pretty well. I was surprised they'd not been scoring higher. Overall, perfect weather and enjoyed the show. Wasn't high enough to see formations well (it's a relatively small stadium anyway). Can't wait to see how they improve by the time I see them next.

Agree 100%. And WGI starts with auditions in September followed by their own camps in November. So guard members are juggling that time with corps auditions as well as expenses. And the thing is, they could very well audition for the very same staff at WGI as DCI.

Time is money too. If you drive and it takes 9 hours to get there, that's 18 hours of your life gone, on the road, sometimes in the dead of winter and snow. It sounds like many of us are lucky enough to be able to foot the bill for these things, and that's wonderful. But, when a kid is in college, I think I might view the bill differently. We have different levels of expectations for adult, college students. Not the same as mom and dad are going to support your competitive sport so you stay out of trouble, stay active, have goals, etc. But, I have been that kid who wanted to do something bigger and couldn't because of cost and access (and controlling parents too, but mostly cost). It's not fun. Or fair. I guess that's why I tend to ask the questions about how to make things more accessible, especially when I know they can have a positive impact on those who participate.

Whether it's half the cost or the whole cost, the price tag is the price tag. I am glad to hear that some corps are reducing the number of camps. Definitely a good step IMO. I agree with you! BTDT too (with gymnastics)! At least drum corps has a down time, unlike most sports these days. I still support looking at how things are done in order to save time, money, resources.

That's pretty cheap. I'd add that there are other expenses that are not easily calculated, for instance, getting to and from band camp/practice in the summer, esp. if there is no parent home during those hours or the kid doesn't have a ride. And sometimes band camp itself, the instrument and its upkeep (although that's relatively minimal usually), food at competitions or other events (yes, you could pack, I know), uniform items like shoes, gloves. I know some of this may be one-time, but for a kid without means, those upfront costs can be prohibitive.

I realize drum corps does not appear to be for those without disposable income, despite the fact that some MMs do work hard to make the money for the summer and/or crowdsource, etc. But, have there been many discussions about the costs associated with drum corps, especially the cumulative nature of them for mostly (relatively) poor college kids? I'm thinking of the costs to go to repeated camps. There's the cost to travel there and the cost of the camp. So, let's figure a tank of gas at least, sometimes two, plus camp fees. Camps seem to occur at about a monthly rate. That adds up. If you're a college kid trying to work to pay the bills, it's very hard, and yet, they love drum corps and feel pressured by staff to attend the camps. Not to mention this is right before and after the holidays when perhaps the kids and the parents are shorter on cash (not to mention, near crunch time and final exams for colleges). I feel for these members. As a parent who is planning right now for college expenses within the year, who is counseling her child to minimize debt in college, I guess I find some of this setup a bit elitist, though that's a strong word and I don't find the people of drum corps I know to be elitist. Yes, of course there are costs involved. I'm not saying it should be free. But I am saying, is it all necessary? Seems like this would be a wonderful place to start using some technology for virtual camps and whatnot. No, it's not like the real thing, but if it saves the kid $200 or more for a weekend, then maybe it's worth exploring. And as a side note, even high school marching band costs seem to be escalating beyond a typical kid's means. I really hate this. I've supported my local HS band generously, but I do think that curtailing some costs just to make the activity an option for those without independent wealth would be worth it.

I'm talking about OSUMB, not high school.

I saw the Oz show in person last night, since they performed at the end of the Buckeye Invitational band comp. It was very entertaining. I don't care for the UM references and think OSU and their fans take it way too far, all the way to obnoxious. That said, they did a good job. However, the way the announcer talks of them comes across as the OSUMB way is THE way of doing MB in college. It felt condescending to me. As an educator, I think requiring MB kids to practice 25 to 30 a week is ridiculous. I would prefer simpler shows and kids spending that time learning their discipline rather than complex shows with memorized music. It's out of balance to me. To Brad T., when do you go to class if you spend nearly 70 hours per week either working or in rehearsal? I'm sorry to say that some folks attending the show said that some OSUMB parents were attending that night to see their kid because they could not afford tickets to a football game. Again, IMO, out of balance for higher ed in general.

You are right for sure. But truth be told, this is a teenager whose brain is not done baking yet. Many of them don't see things at this mature of a level when they're 16 or 17. Us older folks realize these things. And thus, my comment about approaching from both sides: corps members AND band instructors. So aside form corps members "sucking it up" and being the bigger person here, what could high school band directors and guard instructors do better to deal with the situation of a returning corps member in their band?

I think it's the desire to keep growing that is possibly the most frustrating part. When you feel like you're not progressing or growing because of the quality of your band/guard, that is hard to swallow. Edited to add: quite possibly, the tone the very young new instructor takes and the differences in how he runs the guard versus the former instructor may be making the situation worse. Besides asking the corps members to think about how they act when they return, perhaps the high school directors/instructors also need to consider their responses to these kids. Surely there is some decent middle ground that would work in many situations.