New Additions to DCA?

[Jeff Ream]

Psssst! a little secret

Just meeting 35 bodies, is, not, enough. With a small group or any group, the quality of the membership is important. You need 35 dues paying, fundraising, parade doing and always at practice, always recruiting, members. Start up groups don't have that.You attract all sorts of people from gung ho's to maybe I'll go to practice, if I don't have anything else to do, types.You need money. It costs the same pretty much for every corps,for circuit fees,insurance,copyrights etc. That's a big expense right there and its really hard to get people to understand that. Divide that up by 35 and its expensive with out even playing a note.Making that work is tough,extremely tough.Getting it going requires alot of personel time, most will not commit to.And even when you think its working, it is still a fragile balance, of many facets, that any one, can cripple you. Is spending 90% of your budget, on one weekend, the most important thing. The hard answer is NO! If you 'think' you can go to DCA's don't, make sure you 'know' you can. Learned that the hard way! So to get back to the subject, Good luck to all new and emerging groups. We'll let everyone know what we're doing as it happens!

[Shadow_7]

Because you don't understand the DCA community

Of course not. 90% of the local corps has never been to DCA. And may never go under current rules(although likely will, eventually). The closest we came to DCA last year was a DCA judge at a non-local DCA sanctioned show. Who didn't give us a score and ran away when approached. What exactly constitutes the DCA community? A link to your corps on dcacorps.org? A mention in a score recap on dcacorps.org? A performance slot at the DCA championships?

It's not so much about spending a wad to go to DCA. Which IMO is a much larger wad per member to go as a minicorps. Sure, not going saves us a wad. But if that translates into reinvesting the savings into audio gear last year, video gear this year, and photo gear next year. At the end of which we've grown used to NOT going to DCA. Which translates into what for DCA? Local non-DCA corps with local non-DCA shows, with potentially better media coverage than the DCA championships?

[Gary Matczak]

Of course not. 90% of the local corps has never been to DCA. And may never go under current rules(although likely will, eventually). The closest we came to DCA last year was a DCA judge at a non-local DCA sanctioned show. Who didn't give us a score and ran away when approached. What exactly constitutes the DCA community? A link to your corps on dcacorps.org? A mention in a score recap on dcacorps.org? A performance slot at the DCA championships?

It's not so much about spending a wad to go to DCA. Which IMO is a much larger wad per member to go as a minicorps. Sure, not going saves us a wad. But if that translates into reinvesting the savings into audio gear last year, video gear this year, and photo gear next year. At the end of which we've grown used to NOT going to DCA. Which translates into what for DCA? Local non-DCA corps with local non-DCA shows, with potentially better media coverage than the DCA championships?

One Note Samba

[Jeff Ream]

Of course not. 90% of the local corps has never been to DCA. And may never go under current rules(although likely will, eventually). The closest we came to DCA last year was a DCA judge at a non-local DCA sanctioned show. Who didn't give us a score and ran away when approached. What exactly constitutes the DCA community? A link to your corps on dcacorps.org? A mention in a score recap on dcacorps.org? A performance slot at the DCA championships?

It's not so much about spending a wad to go to DCA. Which IMO is a much larger wad per member to go as a minicorps. Sure, not going saves us a wad. But if that translates into reinvesting the savings into audio gear last year, video gear this year, and photo gear next year. At the end of which we've grown used to NOT going to DCA. Which translates into what for DCA? Local non-DCA corps with local non-DCA shows, with potentially better media coverage than the DCA championships?

allow me, yet again, to spell it out slowly for you.

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next time, if needed, i'll use caps

[84BDsop]

next time, if needed, i'll use caps

You could use a tire iron and it wouldn't make much differance....

[jeff danchik]

Wow! 3 's, I'd have given it 2 at the most! Anyhoo! First staff meeting today.We will have first corps rehearsal November 30th and first indoor concert drumline December 7th.This tuesday we will finalize our schedule with the City of Pittsburgh for gym space.Right now numbers are enough for a mini-corps, open class concert drumline and a novice(maybe A) guard. More info after the first rehearsals and we will then determine the programs direction.

[CVQuesty]

To help minimize the possibility of smaller corps forking off from the larger corps (alliance / fusion core / gulf coast sound / ???). Not realizing (or caring) that it does affect the formation of smaller corps completely unrelated to existing corps. If it's there to appease some show sponsors, then there's other ways to handle that, without blackballing ALL small corps at ALL shows.

Hey, man, why don't you keep your nose over in Texas? The Atlanta folks/situation didn't even come close to what you're insinuating, and it's clear you have no internal knowledge of what has passed/gone on here. I'm sure you *think* you do, but you weren't on the board of either organization here during that time. You weren't here when both organizations were navigating uncharted waters and new territories. We have reached a place and a point in time where we all get along and enjoy each others company and competition, and are glad to have all kinds of drum corps right here in Atlanta.

Today, Terry has built a fine Drum Corps, so much so they can walk in and take a caption from us at our own show. They are a quality drum corps with a quality program, overcoming obstacles and pushing on like every one of us have had to.

I don't think they've ever had the problems with membership that would cause the 22-35 rule to affect them, so I don't see your logic here.

Stick with Texas stuff, and leave us all out of it.

[Fran Haring]

I don't think they've ever had the problems with membership that would cause the 22-35 rule to affect them, so I don't see your logic here.

Remember, Jerald, that the "logic" from this one particular poster on this thread goes like this:

IF, say, a corps has 45 members... well over the 35 limit.... and 12 of them suddenly drop dead three days before DCA Championships, then that corps could not compete. And it's DCA's fault.

Or..... IF a corps has 52 members, and 20 of them suddenly decide to stay home and do housework over Labor Day weekend, then that corps could not compete. And it's DCA's fault.

Or.....IF a corps has 60 members, and 35 of them disappear in the Bermuda Triangle on the Thursday before Labor Day weekend, then that corps could not compete at the championships. And it's DCA's fault.

Or..... IF a corps had 42 members, but 15 of them decide to hitch-hike to Rochester for the championships and don't make it there in time, then that corps could not compete. And it's DCA's fault.

If, if, if, if.

And if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a car.

Fran

Edited September 29, 2008 by Fran Haring

[brassomaniac]

Remember, Jerald, that the "logic" from this one particular poster on this thread goes like this:

IF, say, a corps has 45 members... well over the 35 limit.... and 12 of them suddenly drop dead three days before DCA Championships, then that corps could not compete. And it's DCA's fault.

Or..... IF a corps has 52 members, and 20 of them suddenly decide to stay home and do housework over Labor Day weekend, then that corps could not compete. And it's DCA's fault.

Or.....IF a corps has 60 members, and 35 of them disappear in the Bermuda Triangle on the Thursday before Labor Day weekend. then that corps could not compete at the championships. And it's DCA's fault.

Or..... IF a corps had 42 members, but 15 of them decide to hitch-hike to Rochester for the championships and don't make it there in time, then that corps could not compete. And it's DCA's fault.

If, if, if, if.

And if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a car.

Fran

Almost wet myself on that one!

Edited September 29, 2008 by brassomaniac

[Gary Matczak]

Remember, Jerald, that the "logic" from this one particular poster on this thread goes like this:

IF, say, a corps has 45 members... well over the 35 limit.... and 12 of them suddenly drop dead three days before DCA Championships, then that corps could not compete. And it's DCA's fault.

Or..... IF a corps has 52 members, and 20 of them suddenly decide to stay home and do housework over Labor Day weekend, then that corps could not compete. And it's DCA's fault.

Or.....IF a corps has 60 members, and 35 of them disappear in the Bermuda Triangle on the Thursday before Labor Day weekend, then that corps could not compete at the championships. And it's DCA's fault.

Or..... IF a corps had 42 members, but 15 of them decide to hitch-hike to Rochester for the championships and don't make it there in time, then that corps could not compete. And it's DCA's fault.

If, if, if, if.

And if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a car.

Fran

Fran, please stop,................I can't laugh this hard and eat my potato chips too.......................