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

[marimbaman89]

Fencing is an Olympic sport, and I don't see many fencing contests on ESPN, or curling for that matter. Just because something is in the Olympics doesn't mean it'll automatically be more popular. Drum corps is a niche activity, and I honestly don't see too much of an increase in popularity in the future.

I'm not saying it'll automatically be more popular, but I think it would be worth the effort for DCI to try to get in the olympics. Everyone who I've ever actually really introduced to drum corps who doesn't know what it is was really amazed by it (I haven't introduced too many, but still). If it doesn't become too popular, then so what? At least they gave it an effort.

A lot of people don't like sports, but watch the olypmics anyway (such as my mother). Well, how many people in the world don't like music? I think people who watch the olympics who don't like sports would be very happy to see a break from sports at the olympics, and as such DCI could appeal to many of those people. I think DCI has a much better chance to appeal to people than, say, fencing.

Edited August 27, 2007 by marimbaman89

[piperguy]

I'm not saying it'll automatically be more popular, but I think it would be worth the effort for DCI to try to get in the olympics. Everyone who I've ever actually really introduced to drum corps who doesn't know what it is was really amazed by it (I haven't introduced too many, but still). If it doesn't become too popular, then so what? At least they gave it an effort.

A lot of people don't like sports, but watch the olypmics anyway. Well, how many people in the world don't like music? I think DCI has a much better chance to appeal to people than, say, fencing.

You make some good points, but there is a huge difference in the cultures of the various countries that participate in the Olympics. Not every culture is going to embrace drum corps like the USA, Japan, and a few other countries. Most countries of the world would look at a video of DCI and go....Huh??? Cool idea, but I don't see it going anywhere.

[marimbaman89]

You make some good points, but there is a huge difference in the cultures of the various countries that participate in the Olympics. Not every culture is going to embrace drum corps like the USA, Japan, and a few other countries. Most countries of the world would look at a video of DCI and go....Huh??? Cool idea, but I don't see it going anywhere.

Yeah, you're right about that. There wouldn't be too many countries to participate in the olympics for drum corps, so it would be hard to get it into the olympics.

Basically, what I'm saying is, if DCI got a lot more media coverage, I think it would generate a lot more interest and a lot more revenue...and all of my other ideas could take off from there.

[Martybucs]

Right now DCI makes a lot of it's revenue on the labor of unpaid volunteers both on the field and off the field. In a professional situation where labor laws and child labor laws would have to be enforced then DCI would have to close up shop. It just wouldn't work.

It needs to be the way it is because the money to support it professionally just isn't there. There is only enough money to give a comfortable living to a select few.

DCI provides an atmosphere and a security much like that of academia. Paying the kids and volunteers like professionals, because they are the actual workers, would make the whole house of cards fall down.

[marimbaman89]

Here would be my full plan for DCI to abolish the age limit and become more popular...

First, DCI would have to start marketing more to the general public. Try to get more than just one broadcast on ESPN a year, maybe get some commercials on TV, just for people to start actually knowing that DCI exists. Then, maybe we would get a little increase in revenue, and DCI would then try to get more involved with ESPN. Get some coverage on the bottom line during the season of the current standings, occasional updates on sportscenter or something, and a full live broadcast of quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. That way, DCI would get even more attention. With more increase in interest and more possible revenue increases, after a couple years DCI could announce its intentions to abolish the age limit and become akin to a professional sport, paying its members and such. That way, people would become even more interested in DCI...and, because of the increase in quality which would occur due to more people being able to participate, people would be viewing a high quality product and I think DCI would become even more appealing. DCI might garner as much attention as some professional sports, probably not at the same level as football or baseball but maybe as much as, say, the MLS or something.

My view is, if this all were to happen, another issue completely unrelated to DCI would be improved...and that is, increasing the support for music in schools. Schools would be more willing to spend money on music programs because music is represented as somewhat of a "sport".

[Martybucs]

Here would be my full plan for DCI to abolish the age limit and become more popular...

First, DCI would have to start marketing more to the general public. Try to get more than just one broadcast on ESPN a year, maybe get some commercials on TV, just for people to start actually knowing that DCI exists. Then, maybe we would get a little increase in revenue, and DCI would then try to get more involved with ESPN. Get some coverage on the bottom line during the season of the current standings, occasional updates on sportscenter or something, and a full live broadcast of quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. That way, DCI would get even more attention. With more increase in interest and more possible revenue increases, after a couple years DCI could announce its intentions to abolish the age limit and become akin to a professional sport, paying its members and such. That way, people would become even more interested in DCI...and, because of the increase in quality which would occur due to more people being able to participate, people would be viewing a high quality product and I think DCI would become even more appealing. DCI might garner as much attention as some professional sports, probably not at the same level as football or baseball but maybe as much as, say, the MLS or something.

My view is, if this all were to happen, another issue completely unrelated to DCI would be improved...and that is, increasing the support for music in schools. Schools would be more willing to spend money on music programs because music is represented as somewhat of a "sport".

It hasn't worked for soccer, women's basketball, arena football, etc. It wouldn't work for drum corp either. To most people, it just isn't a relevant or real sport. To most people that watch sports, drum corps = band geeks, no difference.

BLAST got a lot of positive exposure and won a 2001 Tony award on Broadway. You couldn't tell from the reviews. At least half of them didn't care for the show, didn't hate it mind you, just not their cup of tea. One review called it torture to sit through and called it something like, "the revenge of the band nerds on steroids.", and advised skipping it.

The simple truth is; the money and interest isn't there to make it happen, professionally. There will never be enough interest and money to pay everyone involved because of the lack of interest which equals lack of sponsorship.

Granted it would be cool and 30-40 years ago the people that marched dreamed of the same thing. Reality sometimes sucks.

I think abolishing the age restriction would be detrimental to DCI, however, I could see the age out being raised to 23, about the time you would probably be ready to move on with your life after college.

DCA would remain a viable outlet for those wishing to continue to march until they die. It really isn't filled with a bunch of drunken perverts, as many on the DCI side, seem to portray DCA. Just drum corps folks that have a day job.

[CVQuesty]

DCA would remain a viable outlet for those wishing to continue to march until they die. It really isn't filled with a bunch of drunken perverts, as many on the DCI side, seem to portray DCA. Just drum corps folks that have a day job.

Thanks for reinforcing that fact.

Too many staffers at the Jr. level perpetuate an old, tired view of DCA corps that just isn't the case. Moreover, in some stories I've heard, it never was.

I don't know if it's a threatening presence to them or what, but I've heard and seen more strange stories come back to me that it can't be a fluke. Staffers out there still bad-mouth DCA.

I don't fault them, as I see the same issues in the band irector community, albeit an older one. You see, I don't fault today's band directors for perpetuating the stories. Many of them really do believe that Drum Corps is STILL all rote learning of music, stomp and blow, and on and on. TO me, this is just ignorance that needs education. I've personally brought band director friends with this view to a DCI show, and they were floored. They had kept this 1965 - 1972 idea of drum corps in their heads, and just decided then it wasn't something they wanted their kids associated with.

I find that many times the old stereotypes perpetuated about DCA corps are similar. Someone went to a DCA show, 7 corps were there or so, 3 were DCA top-ten and they were turned off early in the program because it wasn't what they were used to in the DCI realm, and painted the whole All-age (then Sr.) activity through this experience. Maybe they went to horn arc and saw people half dressed and non-uniform. Maybe smoking in uniform. Maybe changing in the parking lot, harming the mystique many people still hold regardng a corps in full uniform coming around the corner to throw down.

Just in the 5 years since my joining DCA, the corps have progressed AMAZINGLY. It seems that the All-age staffers are not just satisfied with the status-quo in All-age corps, and with the infusion of recent DCI ageouts, and the incoming staffers from DCI corps, the face of DCA is changing.

Our upper tier certainly looks a lot different than DCI, but the difficulty of what we're attempting now is rising, the quality of the instruction we're getting is rising, and our little corner of the activity is growing. No longer are our ranks content with "stomping around and blowing" as I've heard quoted before, but a good majority of all-age corps are trying to push the activity further than it has ever been at the DCA level.

In DCA shows these days, you see jazz running more than you would've seen in a 1990 show in DCI, programs of very difficult material (as well as some classic drum corps literature), full visual programs with organized, directed, quality instruction. You see brass teams from the DCI side starting to work in and around DCA, bringing the overall state of the all-age activity higher.

A part of the all-age activity many seem to pass over, though, is the freedom to share dinner with other corps, hang out with other corps, and make it a truly social interaction as well as a competitive one. Moreover, I know a LOT of DCA corps members that support kids in DCI (sometimes several at once). Speaking for my corps, we caught up with Teal Sound on their tour this summer and threw them a little chow (with Meat!) and hung out together before the show. That was a highlight of my summer. I know that we have a really good scholarship program that supports DCI students and is awarded to them yearly based on an essay application. I like being "with job" and still competing. It allows me to pay my tuition, and support someone else in theirs in the Jr's. (my kid is auditioning this year, so a lot of that will probably go to him this year, as he is a 2-year Corps Veteran at 15 years old, auditioning for DCI for the first time)

I hope that with all the rumors, conversations over adult beverages, chat, and guessing going on, that it brings all areas of the activity together, forming a symbiotic relationship where everyone benefits together by the state of the activity. There's no reason why DCI should be implying that drum corps stops at 21, because it doesn't. The old, bitter few don't need to dis on DCI for doing amazing feats of athleticism and musicianship (because they still wish they could), instead they should help further the Jr. activity, as it is the future of their own.

Sorry for the soapbox, but I really think the entirety of the drum corps activity can benefit from one another, perpetuate and support each other, and ultimately everyone wins. It's a pet belief of mine, and my hope for the future of drum corps.

[crown1993]

This is nice for the fantasy board maybe.

I hate to disappoint you folks but, most people who age out.......GO GET JOBS. I can not think of any job other than SOME teaching jobs that would let anyone off for a summer tour. You would have to pay these guys, and well to make it worth their while. The ones that stay in music usually become band directors and how many of them have the time to march corps (full-time in summer, not senior corps) while simultaneously preparing for their upcoming year?

Junior drum corps is great because of the age limit. Leave it alone. <**>

[tubacurt]

DIV 2 and 3 would be for kids under 18.

You would have to be 18 or 18 by the first performance in order to March DIV 1 open class,however each section meaning brass,drumline,pit and colorguard would be allowed to have one underage member that is obcourse if they could make it.

Corps would be aloud to have 150 members.

The season would be a bit shorter only two full months 4th of July weekend would kick off the season and extend through all of Aug meaning the championships would be the last weekend of AUG.

The whole month of June would be for spring training and preparation for the season.

That whole month would also inlude a judging school which like a boot camp for judges. With that said there would also be two panels of judges judging every corps at every show. Less room for error and favortism.

You would have injured reserve, Retireees, and season Vets and 20 year allstars along with hall of fame performers not just teachers. IF DCI wants to make it Music Major League this is what they will do.

do you realize that this is just senior corps with paychecks?

[Martybucs]

do you realize that this is just senior corps with paychecks?

Yeah, I remember my years in Buccaneers senior corps. It sure was nice to just show up in June to get ready for the season and have all those injured reserves to rely on. Yessir, taking it easy all year and then sauntering on the field to do a few shows.

NOT!