cmchandler

The corps had a tire blowout overnight with one of the buses, and the changed arrival time put us over the allotted amount for DOT regs. DCI and Spirit graciously adjusted the schedule to allow us to go on a bit later to meet DOT requirements for the bus drivers.

Yep! It’s actually his primary instrument. Bari was him being a boss and filling a need.

Shall we go for three?

He’s a trumpet this year. :)

Wish I could see this show. So excited for the corps tonight.

Hope you all enjoy it. I’m astounded by the level of difficulty of this show and how well they’re performing it already.

I was personally told by FloMarching last year that if Open Class Prelims and Finals were well-watched, they would look into expanding into Open Class shows/performances this season. Yeah. I guess that was just lip service. I'm probably not re-upping my yearly subscription, especially since I'll be in Michigan City and Indy this year. WGI and the indoor stuff just wasn't enough for me to get my bang for my buck.

I don't know what the announced numbers were, but having performed in Buffalo, Dallas and Madison (and Boston in '94 as well), I can tell you the most well attended one from a crowd/fan standpoint was definitely Madison in '92. There seemed to be more competing corps in Buffalo, though, especially in class A and A-60. That's all anecdotal, though, and from my personal perspective and experience. I don't have the recorded hard numbers.

If you're willing to spend extra money on shoes (and if there were ever a reason, drum corps is it), go to a specialty running shoe store (there are different ones all over the country). You'll know you're in the right place because they will inspect your gait by making you walk, jog and run while watching how you move, they'll look at the shape of your foot, and they will probably place you on a special machine that gauges the amount of pressure you place in certain areas of your stance. Then they'll pair you with the brand most likely to meet your needs. I used to run quite often and I was developing shin splints. Being fitted by a store like this made ALL the difference, and I won't buy another cheap pair again as long as I'm remaining highly active. It costs money (usually just over $100 per pair or so depending on what you get), but it's money well spent to keep you from injury. And yes, don't wait to break them in. Get them and start using them often enough that you won't be hurting when you're using them all the time.

For the Board Consortium portion, most definitely. There was a lunchtime presentation for all combined attendees (directors, drum majors, board members, staff and judges) on Saturday where we were told the top item of concern that came out of the DM workshop on Friday night was how to handle harassment issues brought to them as corps/member leaders. I can't speak for what happened on the directors' side of things, but it completely refocused the Board Consortium. We set aside our original agenda and spent the rest of the weekend working as a united front on changes we wanted to encourage the DCI board to implement across the activity. The letter that Cavies mentions was one of the items to come out of those initiatives. As a consortium group, we all provided input that was placed into a template letter that board consortium attendees had access to that compiled the measures we wanted DCI to officially implement. At least nine corps boards (including ours) have sent letters encouraging DCI to create a uniform policy for harassment issues. And not just sexual harassment, but also bullying, etc. Other things the BOD Consortium wanted to do was a media campaign fighting harassment for FloMarching airings and the theater broadcasts, and we all made commitments to put strong policies in place with our own organizations as an interim measure until DCI's board next met to vote (which has not occurred yet - my understanding is they have quarterly meetings). The Troopers were especially helpful, having provided an attorney-vetted set of policies that other organizations can use as a template to get started so that our own houses would be in order prior to what we hope DCI will implement. I'm very proud to say these commitments were the Southwind board's first priority when we got back home. Before the end of January, we had initiated a whistleblower reporting form and policy, and we strengthened measures we already had in place with firmer policies and created a Compliance Committee to follow through with reported incidents. We were already doing background checks on staff, so that was nothing new. We did expand our background checks to include all volunteers (and strengthened our volunteer policies along with them). Our corps director gathered everyone at our January camp and we had a serious talk with all of the members, parents and volunteers (and a separate, even more serious talk with the staff) so that they all were VERY clear on our policies. Everyone was required to sign off as having read and understood them as a requirement of their employment or member contract status. Whether or not corps have made public statements, many corps already had a lot of these items either in place or in the works. I think there is a misconception out there that DCI boards are hands off or only care about the competitive aspects of the organization. My experience with the board members I've had the pleasure to meet the past few years at Consortium is the exact opposite - we are all passionate about bringing as many people as possible to the activity that we all love so well, and we are equally as passionate about protecting the youth we serve so that they can gain all of the benefits (work ethic, leadership skills, learning you can exceed your own expectations) that many of us were able to gain when we were their age as participating members and/or fans. Most of us try to work as a team across the activity because we want to see it thrive, sharing ideas and best practices with each other freely - and we leave the competition to the directors, the creative staff and the kids on the field. Sorry that I'm posting a novel, but it's been on my mind.

We sent it to the news address but it may take them a minute so feel free! It’s a camp weekend for us and my Internet is spotty here so if you want to assist, I won’t hate.

Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps is seeking two musicians, a guitarist and drum set percussionist, for its 2018 production. The guitarist must read music (not just tablature) and be versed in classical acoustic guitar. Prior drum corps or marching band experience is desirable but not required. The percussionist must be able to read music. Experience performing with marching ensembles is preferred. Both individuals must be able to meet the time and financial commitments required for a touring DCI drum corps. Rehearsal and touring schedules are available upon request. For more information and audition packets, please mail southwind@southwind.org.

Here is a list of Cavaliers collectibles I found in a quick search. I definitely recall the rainbow patch pictured at the end of that section - it was pretty much on everyone's jackets back in the day as the universal sign of drum corps friendship - but I don't ever recall seeing one with a bluebird on it. So maybe not prevalent in the late 80s/early 90s. IIRC, Cavies and Sky Ryders both sold the rainbow patches back then. Some of the Cavies members had really large rainbow patches they'd place on the back of their jackets. Everyone else placed them on the front pocket area (above where most corps had members' names embroidered).

Southwind has an open application process here.

That's a shame. It's always good to see drum corps growing and sad when it doesn't work out. I'm glad their org is healthy and sticking around, at least. Maybe they'll come back later.

For those in the various performance threads who were interested in buying a "Toxic Mind" tour shirt, we're taking orders! We received so many requests for shirts after the season (and our stock was so decimated) that we decided to print another run. If you would like to order one (or two or ten!), please email Jeremy Johnson at jeremy@southwind.org with the quantity and size that you need so he can get you squared away. Thank you all again so much for all of the support this season. We are beyond proud of what the corps accomplished this year and can't wait for next season. ETA: Only taking orders through Labor Day (Monday)! So if you know someone who was interested, please pass along the word.

They would also get no money for their shows and lowered recruitment. It's very unlikely they'd choose to go that route.

I should have been more specific. What I'm basically saying is that the judges were likely slotting the Open Class corps with lower scores but then several of them outplayed Pioneer, which made Pio's score lower than it probably would have been without those corps in the mix.

There is some give and take that can be done on both sides here. I've always felt it ridiculous that a performing SoundSport group is forced to purchase tickets for its members and aren't even given wristbands for events. So basically they're acting as a performing ensemble that people are paying to see and they aren't even given the nosebleed seats in return. While they're not ideal, at least they're free.

They WERE on my favorites list. i was a fantastic show.

Streaming copyright licensing. OMG, that alone is probably ridiculous for Thursday. If DCI isn't covering it, then FloMarching must be.

Jolesch Enterprises handles all official photography at DCI Finals.

My guess is this had more to do with the prior-performing/scored Open Class corps being stronger than expected less than Pioneer performing any worse in the judges' estimations from Allentown to Indy. There was a strong Open Class field in the mix this season that simply displaced several WC corps.

I swear, today has been one of the most interesting days for this corps on record. ALLLLLLLLL good stuff.

I was out of the activity for a while, so I'm not sure when exactly it shifted, but I know back when I marched in the early 90s, a) we were paid for shows, and b) DCI membership was obtained if you made the top 25. Division II corps could be given a seat at the table if they did well enough, and they were making money either way so there wasn't as much incentive to jet upward and onward. So there was likely a better variety of stronger, smaller corps who were making it happen year after year without the end goal of going WC. That is decidedly no longer the case. I was just a teenager then, so I can't say when all of that changed (if 2008 was the magic year). I can tell you two things: money DOES make a big difference, and it's definitely been a learning experience being on the admin side of things since getting involved again four years ago.