Indianapolis

[mingusmonk]

I don't want to go to the same city ten years in a row no matter which city that is.

I DO always extend my trip and explore various attractions in the local area (and I often tend to avoid the "most popular attractions" and look for more uniquely interesting things to do). If I'm paying many hundreds of dollars on a flight and rental car, I want to get something out of the trip in addition to the drum corps shows I'm also paying hundreds of dollars to see.

What direction are you coming from? What kind of stuff interests you? Have you already researched your travel and sight-seeing options in and around Indy? As with most of these threads, I will repeat ... I'd be more than willing to lend you a hand and help you discover some things.

[silvertrombone]

I guess "dirty" would be a much better word than "suck".

Think about it from members' standpoint..."We go perform in these little podunk stadiums in th middle of nowhere until the last week...and Finals crowds...wow!"

Dirty and Suck don't apply...Finals is exciting! Period. You build up to it for a year or years and finally here it is...members get jazzed! And then they blow our faces off. You've been there...me too!

Benefits / drawbacks. I'll probably go a few times...looking forward to it. Not going b/c its Indy, going TO Indy b/c its Finals! Won't go looking around Indy, going to watch corps rehearse and perform!

[zachariaswmb]

Think about it from members' standpoint..."We go perform in these little podunk stadiums in th middle of nowhere until the last week...and Finals crowds...wow!"

Come again? I know that, as a performer, I go out there at every show an lay it all out for the crowd.

[Triple Forte]

AND, "believe it or not," it is quite possible that DCI is not going to wear out its welcome with the local schools.

I've spoken to a few band directors there and they want the corps at their schools for their kids to watch for inspiration.

There is no much negativity when we should be focusing on the potential.

I'm not saying you're part of this group, but sometimes I wonder if there are some who hope this thing fails, if for no other reason than to pull up old posts to say, "I told you so."

I have no reason to hope this Indy decision fails. Like another poster explained "I go to DCI Championships for drum corps". Any additional site seeing is bonus.

I always thought the three or four rotating DCI Champs sites was/is a good idea. Another hobby of mine does this with their national convention. They started on the East and move the show accross the country. After three years the show/convention is back on the east coast again. Works well.....

I am sure the band directors are thrilled at the opportunities of DCI being in their hometown for many years. But how does the sports organizations feel about this? Did DCI talk to them? I don't know what its like in Indy, but where I live the music/arts programs always have to bow to the sports organizations. The sports org's have the power.

Parting thoughts.....

1. I don't automatically cheer and rah rah for all choices/decisions DCI makes. I guess I am not their model fan. (AND DCPer).

2. I am a realist by nature. Unfortunately that sometimes comes off as being "negative".

Sorry for any typos :)

Edited November 24, 2007 by Triple Forte

[Michael Boo]

...I always thought the three or four rotating DCI Champs sites was/is a good idea...

I liked that idea, too, when it showed up as "Master Scheduling" several years ago. The DCI staff visited all the cities that were asked to submit bids to be one of the four rotating sites, with occasional "Wild Cards" thrown in. (One "Wild Card" was "West of the Rockies" for 1999. Well, we didn't make it there until this year.) The four cities chosen were East Lansing, Michigan (never made it there), Buffalo, New York (we did make it there), Jackson, Mississippi (and we're still hearing about 1993) and Jacksonville, Florida. The Jacksonville site died when the city got a professional football team and the stadium was torn down to the very foundation and rebuilt...the year we were to be there.

After all that, DCI went back to the old way of going here and there...until 2008 when we'll be in Indy for ten of the next eleven years (except 2014, which is when the GenCon convention already has the hotel rooms booked up for the same weekend).

[ScribeToo]

wouldn't it be nice if DCI could please everybody all the time?

now, here's why I've been laughing for the last 10 minutes while I read through this thread:

1. cowtown and I have never so completely agreed on anything since the inception of this site. I doubt it will ever happen again.

2. people (on both sides of this argument) have a full blown erection over slapping labels on you if you do or don't like something.

3. people (on both sides of this argument) need to grow some stones and stop being so sensitive about when others do or don't like something they disagree with.

I'm not an "Indy Hater" because every time I've been there, I've had a worse experience than the last time I visited, despite my high hopes that it must have improved by now.

I'm not hoping DCI fails because I think it's a bad decision to hold finals in the same place for 10 years (no matter where it is).

You're not a toothless inbreeder because you like Indy.

Can't we all just get along?

[kansasDC]

Hey, I'm in Indy right now.

For all of you haters: it's cold and it's dark (of course, it is winter and nighttime :P ).

For all of you lovers: There's drum corps here this weekend b**bs .