Bad experinces Finals week, and good ones .

[User412]

I find YOUR comments depressing. Cut the faux hypersensitivity. I have 4 kids and all have been to numerous drum corps shows. I would NEVER tolerate their being a disturbance to others around them. As a parent, you quiet them immediately, or you GET UP AND LEAVE THE AREA. My rights stop where yours begin, and I don't have the right to mess up your viewing of the performance. Parents who allow their children to become a disturbance are self-centered twits and should be ashamed of themselves. It's NOT the child's fault here, it's the parents.

Okay

[vkdad]

Penalize the corps for having overage members!

and for having underage fans, too, i guess. this sure isn't the "family friendly" section today!

anyway, a shoutout for Columbus -- a nice little town with all the necessary amenities for a short trip. the drive into Bloomington on 46 was beautiful.

as for the event site itself, very adequate: the parking was sensibly priced and accessible, there were plenty of places to eat well (if you looked), i had a very good line of sight from my seat, and the performances were inspired. i was able to buy all the junk i could carry.

my favorite experience: wandering through the woods east of the stadium, and stumbling upon corps after corps playing for small groups of fans. i get goosebumps thinking about it.

i'm sure sorry to hear about all the problems some folks had. i think it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my 55 years sucking air.

[sdlaw2]

where did you stay in Columbus? We were at the Holiday Inn Convention Center. As I pointed out in an earlier post, we too enjoyed the easy ride from the hotel to Bloomington. Getting to Indy was easy too so we might stay there again if the hotels in Indy are too pricey.

Overall the good outweighed the bad for a first time drum corps finals experience.

[vkdad]

where did you stay in Columbus?

Days Inn, just off I-65. Yeah, very easy access to Indy. Nothin' fancy, but nothin' missing. A decent free breakfast, ethernet in the room, all the cable channels i could stand. they said they had a pool (and i saw a fitness room), but i was just there to sleep and wash up.

[User412]

where did you stay in Columbus? We were at the Holiday Inn Convention Center. As I pointed out in an earlier post, we too enjoyed the easy ride from the hotel to Bloomington. Getting to Indy was easy too so we might stay there again if the hotels in Indy are too pricey.

Overall the good outweighed the bad for a first time drum corps finals experience.

Also note that the city itself is a big as the county. Many will try to get hotels downtown, but try the many they might have only 15-20 minutes away from downtown. Yes Columbus would work, however, there are several cities that lie next to or close to Indy that might have cheaper rates.

[vkdad]

Overall the good outweighed the bad for a first time drum corps finals experience.

oh, and should mention one more thing: GO VK! do i recall correctly that i've seen your posts on this forum, and that you have kids who march VK? wasn't the season a blast? although my son marched just this one year with VK (he aged out in Bloomington), and they missed finals, i feel as if he and i and our family were caught up in something really special. i will follow the corps closely, and support them, and i expect to see great things.

dancing zombies, sharks saving the day, precision folding chairs, and a very sharp needle popping the balloons of stuffed-shirt convention....that's entertainment!

[Matt_S]

re: Indy being known for conventions

Only if you consider racing a place for conventions. San Diego, NY, LA, Chicago, Las Vegas are more known as convention destinations. Indy is a small town city

Super Bowl XLVI

NCAA Final Four every five years

Gen Con

Those two races you might have heard of

And oh yeah, Grand Nationals

[JoeW]

Disrespectful corps members at Retreat (thankfully not the norm). BD turning their backs on the stands after scores were announced, brass members making a mess of America the Beautiful.

Please tell me the BD members turning their backs isnt true....if so, what an embarrassment for those members

[sdlaw2]

Fraid its true about the BD corps members turning their back. Not to mention that corps members from Crown, PR, and Cavaliers all identified poor sportsmanship, foul language and rude behavior from the BD corps following the 2nd place announcement. I didn't personally witness the behaviorother than watching them turn their backs so the rest is just hearsay but it was the same story from each corps.

VK dad - yes, my sons both marched VK (cymbal line (first to die) and guard.) It was their first year and the cymbal player turned 14 in Feb so he can be there for a long time. Its funny that you mention the special feeling of the season. Our family enjoyed following VK and the heart these kids put into the show and the reaction of so many of the other corps who unanimously and warmly welcomed our boys every where they went. I don't think I would be this interested if it was any other corps. Watching the evolution of the fan favorite not only of open class but many of world class was quite an experience and kudos to Mayra, the staff, techs, Drum Major of the Year Blair Lezcano, and the entire VK corps for putting such a wonderful show on the field. Hopefully we will be in finals next season.

To the person defending Indy - You have misunderstood my intent so I will explain one last time. Indianapolis is a very nice city. I am sure that we will find some wonderful things to do which impress us the next trip out and I will take you up on the advce if you read my advice post next year. I am just disappointed that, with all the other wonderful cities available why DCI would lock in 10 years of shows at the new stadium (although I am impressed by the new stadium). It means that for the next 9 years, west region corps will have the highest travel costs, fans of the corps will likely stay home and miss out on chances to see the Cavaliers, Cadets, Crown, Colts, and other great East Coast Corps, and after the first or second trip back the trip will become just a drum corps trip and not an explore the city trip since there is a limit to the number of activities in any city to keep people busy year after year. The kids should be exposed to different cities the way every single event that you mentioned other than the racing moves around every year. Again other than the racing, virtually every major city gets the other events. San Diego has had superbowls, all star games, bowl games, comic-con, regional basketball etc and I don't think San Diego is as big a sports venue as Indy. Last year's show in Pasadena was the first time in many years and the last time for at least 9 more that some of the corps will get out to California. We are very glad that Phantom Regiment made a west coast trip as we got to enjoy the early form of their show which made us enjoy the finals even more.

[Phillygwm]

To the person defending Indy - You have misunderstood my intent so I will explain one last time. Indianapolis is a very nice city. I am sure that we will find some wonderful things to do which impress us the next trip out and I will take you up on the advce if you read my advice post next year. I am just disappointed that, with all the other wonderful cities available why DCI would lock in 10 years of shows at the new stadium (although I am impressed by the new stadium). It means that for the next 9 years, west region corps will have the highest travel costs, fans of the corps will likely stay home and miss out on chances to see the Cavaliers, Cadets, Crown, Colts, and other great East Coast Corps, and after the first or second trip back the trip will become just a drum corps trip and not an explore the city trip since there is a limit to the number of activities in any city to keep people busy year after year. The kids should be exposed to different cities the way every single event that you mentioned other than the racing moves around every year. Again other than the racing, virtually every major city gets the other events. San Diego has had superbowls, all star games, bowl games, comic-con, regional basketball etc and I don't think San Diego is as big a sports venue as Indy. Last year's show in Pasadena was the first time in many years and the last time for at least 9 more that some of the corps will get out to California. We are very glad that Phantom Regiment made a west coast trip as we got to enjoy the early form of their show which made us enjoy the finals even more.

Moving to a single city for the next 10 years is a double edged sword.

The positives are, presumably, a sweetheart deal for DCI, including a new headquarters. There's also the ability to build some long term relationships with schools, hotels, daycare etc. That aspect had to be a drag when we were going to a new venue every year. Plus, with the heavy concentration of midwest corps and fans, a large percentage of folks will be able to drive it. And also, with a retractable roof, the weather is guaranteed to be rain free (though nobody wants a dome championship if it can be avoided!)

Of course, the downside is that familiarity breeds contempt. We saw that in Orlando with decreasing attendance each year, though a large part of that may have been because people got sick of Orlando weather. And we don't know what the acoustics will be like.

I don't know what the contract looks like, but if people do stop coming after the first couple years, I'm not sure what DCI will need to do to get out.