Would if DIV 1 had no age limit only a age minimum like a pro sport?

[dcf06]

People over 21 = out of college, away from the support of their parents, in the real world. In the real world, you usually can't stop working for 3 months and blow $2000+ in that same period.

God I know what you mean. if there was only a world of drum corps ... no worries... ok now I am sounding alittle obsessive. Dang threads rubbing off on me...

[Einstein On The Beach]

I didn't even make it to my age out year, I don't understand why someone would do drum corps for that long, go to school.

[TopBass]

This is really one of the most ridiculous threads I've read. Check out the Reading Buccaneers and go march All-age corps. It's not as slow as you think.

I'm 32 and too old and fat to march corps anymore in the drumline. You'd be surprised how quickly age creeps up on you when you're wearing a drum.

[Tekneek]

Suppose the concept of "junior corps" holds little significance to some.

[marimbaman89]

Hmm...all valid points. I suppose it would be a very hard idea to make work, I understand that if DCI were to ever eventually be able to pay performers, it would take a lot more than just eliminating the age cap to make it work.

But still, if DCI ever was able to pay performers, then these problems about being away from parents and having to support yourselves would probably resolve themselves.

As for no longer being a youth organization and no longer being junior corps, I would have to look back on my statement about the age limit on II/III and change it. II/III members could have the option of competing in II/III until age 21...in essence, II/III would be about what Div I was today.

As for never having any rookies...well, one of the points is to make it more competitive. Of course it would be harder to get spots. However, as others have pointed out, people aren't going to march corps forever. There are some people who would just grow tired of it, and some people who would be too old for it. Also, I think if DCI were ever to pay performers, it would make things a lot easier on some of the lower tier Div I corps. They would be able to pay for top notch staff and I think that we would see full corps across the board, so it's not like people wanting to march Div I for the first time would have nowhere to go.

A note, I'm just brainstorming here, guys. Obviously there are a lot of issues that would need to be worked out, and obviously I don't know everything there is to know about the activity.

[kansasDC]

The minimum age limit is ridiculous too. There have been some fabulous 14 and 15 year old performers in Div. I corps for years. Not allowing them to march in these "supercorps" is like saying, "Sorry Mr. Marino, your son, Dan, is just too young for our activity. Yes, I know he will be the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, but he's not old enough to be great yet". I think people like Michael Terry of The Cadets (just aged out after 8 years) and my son, Kris, who both marched Div. I as 14-year-olds were both talented enough and mature enough, so why should they be ineligible?

[Tom D'Bomb]

Obviously not everyone will be able to do it. But yes the teachers and people who are in law school med school or just Teach alot of marching band in the fall and write drill for a living. Lets remember not all the staff in drum corps right now are just teachers. they take the summer off too. If you had peformers like that the music world would not call drum corps amatuer hour anymore and would have to give it its due as a profesional group.

The shows would be rediculous and longer by the way like 15 minutes instead of 11 or 12 minutes.

In a lot of states new teachers spend the first few years of their career getting their mandatory Master's degree.

If they can squeeze marching a DCI tour into their summer, AND budget the extra several thousands of dollars into the their budget, AND factor in the opportunity cost of going ANOTHER summer of not making money, then your idea is fool-proof.

PLUS - after a certain age it's hard to find so many skinny kids. Just natrually, even very fit 28 yr olds aren't going to be too pumped up about getting starved into that beautiful uni.

[X DM]

They have DCA for this.( for those over 22 that can can do part time drum corps around jobs, family responsibilities etc )

If you're a parent do you really want your 18 year old daughter on a non stop 9 week summer tour from June to August with guys that could be 24-30 ?

And any Corps member in a Junior Corps that is traveling from June to August and continually away from home and work doing full time drum corps during this 9 week period and is 24-30 years of age, is a person that has no life other than drum corps and that signals a" deadbeat " to me. That's my 2 cents worth on this anyway.

Edited August 26, 2007 by X DM

[DCIHasBeen]

DCI is popular, and thrives BECAUSE of the age limit.

No, but it would require both DCI and all the corps to entirely re-think their marketing strategy and probably have to re-certify their 501©3 status ... Most of these organizations have set themselves up as tax exempt educational organizations specifically including youth in their filings as their primary objective.

More than that, there's gotta' be a time that one just moves on with their life and embraces adulthood. I would have marched junior corps forever if I could, doubt I would have achieved much out side of that if I did.

[KingJoeVII]

More than that, there's gotta' be a time that one just moves on with their life and embraces adulthood. I would have marched junior corps forever if I could, doubt I would have achieved much out side of that if I did.

so could the same thing be said for all of those Broadway actors/actresses? Should they stop with their silly singing and dancing and get a real job?

or what about those animators at Disney...isnt about time they stopped drawing cartoon characters and grew up?