salad315 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 no its not, its stupid, conditioning is part of drum corps, there are a lot of skinny dudes who can't hold their horn up and a lot of fat dudes who can't run multiple reps in every corps in january, and by july they are built up into machines. short of a major handicap there's no such thing as someone who is too fat or too weak to march drum corps, just someone who isn't dedicated enough. besides, as george hopkins used to say before he went crazy and thought drum corps should go pro, there just aren't that many jobs out there for center snare players, and the point of drum corps in the end isn't about making people better snare players, its about making them better people, and you don't do that by turning away people who need to work harder at the door. you do it by teaching them how to work harder and pushing them to overcome whatever weaknesses they bring to the table. Even though you have a few good points, I cant agree wholeheartedly with your little rant. Fact is, I (and im sure corps staffers) have seen sooooo many people who were not in shape, SAY they were going to get in shape, and then show up in may having done little to nothing to meet that goal. Yeah, there is such as thing as giving people a chance, but the fact is, between auditionees of equal or nearly equal talent, something has to be the deciding factor. Yeah, conditioning is a part of drum corps - losing 70 pounds on tour is not. I know it happens - that doesnt make it good, healthy, or a positive example to follow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvs me sum mello! Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Even though you have a few good points, I cant agree wholeheartedly with your little rant. Fact is, I (and im sure corps staffers) have seen sooooo many people who were not in shape, SAY they were going to get in shape, and then show up in may having done little to nothing to meet that goal. Yeah, there is such as thing as giving people a chance, but the fact is, between auditionees of equal or nearly equal talent, something has to be the deciding factor. Yeah, conditioning is a part of drum corps - losing 70 pounds on tour is not. I know it happens - that doesnt make it good, healthy, or a positive example to follow... +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Ahh. A new year and a new thread where the everyday ebb and flow of life is a whip to flog DCI again. First of all, the OP doesn’t know why he was cut. Body shape is one possibility. So is a slip on a flag. And so are countless other unarticulated possibilities. One very real possibility is there just were better choices. It is possible the OP performed to World Class standards but wasn’t selected because other candidates performed incrementally better. The evidence on the field is irrefutable. In nearly every world class corps there are bodies outside the norm in the guard. Crown and Cadets had guard members whose presence was a distraction even. Sure there are more lithe figures than large. But you can’t deny the exception. And in an audition climate where many compete for each spot, the fact that some bigger bodies make the guard should be proof enough. Those who use this topic as an opportunity to denounce today’s drum corps are exercising selective memory. If every live body made into the incomparable corps of the perfect past – even the delinquents and the slobs – that’s only because those corps had room for more. Had there been more demand to march in those perfect corps, they too would have had to choose. And maybe they would have left a fat one behind. Skinny ones too. HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickhaltsforlife Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Have an in shape person who scored a 1 in visual and music, Have a not so in shape person with a 1 in both. I'll take the in shape person if i'm on a corps staff. That is less conditioning you have to do to acheive the goal. Face it, this is an athletic activity. Now I auditioned for my dream corps... a top tier corps, and one of the reasons why I was cut was because of my weight. Note I was auditioning for euphonium, and held up the horn better than some vets, but my weight was a concern to them... yeah I wasn't happy, but I understand their reasoning... drum corps is an athletic activity. I did audition for another corps who was in need of people and I made it in, it took a lot of conditioning for me to get into shape to get through the show.. I did lose 30 lbs during the first two weeks of spring training and over 50 lbs total for the summer. I also know for a fact, that some guards will not accept people who are not the right body type, especially in the upper tier of corps. They can do what they want, private organization, I might not always agree with it though. But drum corps will ne ver be as bad as some sports like wrestling with weight demands, and what dancers and gymnast often go through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickhaltsforlife Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 oh and what others are saying, your dream corps might not be the corps for you... that is my case, my dream corps is not for me, I have a home now, and I never plan on going anywhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXThRowTHeFlaGXx Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 (edited) Oh yea just to get this said...I have gone to another corp and I'm happy here, but Id still like to be on "their" guard :P but I'm still marching this summer :D oh and I'm not like EXTREMELY fat, yes I'm large but I'm not like....rolls everywhere hahaah I'm just wide from hip to hip...i'm actually kinda skinny from front to back....its just side to side I'm large :P I'm in good shape too, like I run and stuff but its just like.....i have big bones? i guess? like I'm not unhealthy... Like I wear an XL shirt and 40w pants....is that to large for a top-tier corp? (I keep editing cuz this is the first I've read all day and I keep seeing responses) Edited January 15, 2009 by xXThRowTHeFlaGXx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carter90210 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 There's a difference between being "fat" and being "overweight but still healthy." I've known guys that were 50 lbs overweight but at the front of running block everyday... and I know guys that are 50 lbs overweight who have a hard time climbing stairs... if you're the latter, you have no place in world class drum corps. I'm sorry, but as a person in the fitness industry, I do not buy for one second that you have known guys that were 50 lbs overweight but at the front of the running block everyday. Anyone who is 50 lbs overweight is obese and out of shape. It is absolutely impossible to be that overweight and be in shape and capable of being at the front of the block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carter90210 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 (edited) I'm sorry, but for me an overweight person in a color guard can be a glaring distraction. Color guards are become much more like professional dance units - looks are very important. It's the way it is. If it's your dream - lose some weight and go for it again next year. I was 240 pounds in 2000. I decided to go to the gym and do something about it. Within about 9-10 months I was down to 180. It can be done. STOP MAKING EXCUSES!!!!! It may sound harsh, but I have done it myself - for years struggling with weight. Believe me, when you drop that first 10 pounds, you will be thrilled. When you drop 20 pounds, you will be elated and nothing will stop you. It is much easier than you believe. Exercise 5 days per week and watch what you eat! The problem is people in the U.S. are brought up not to say things like, "Hey, you're fat!" It took my German friend who said, "Ok, I have to say, you have gained a lot of weight over the past two years and are looking fat" to get me to do something. I was shocked that one of my best friends would say that....but I'm so grateful that he did, because for the first time I thought, "Yeah I am fat!" Join a gym, limit your caloric intake and exercise. No carbs, no fat, no sugar, South Beach, Atkins - they are all fads. It's simple math - burn more calories per day than you intake and you will lose weight. Of course, taking 200 calories from fruit rather than ice cream is a better choice because ice cream is so fattening - but just figure out how many calories someone your size burns per day and make sure that at the end of the day your net calories are less than that number. Edited January 15, 2009 by carter90210 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaos001 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 (edited) If you think about dance and lines, yes, I can see that weight could be an issue for guard more than horn or drumline. Some top 12 corps appear to care less about weight in choosing guard members than others, if you look at the videos. The other area where being heavy might pose a problem in auditioning, besides just personal bias against heavy people which can't be dismissed out of hand, but where weight could pose a problem in performance, is in stamina. Can you run and can your body hold up as well over the course of a summer as well as others'? Some heavy folks can, some can't, but I could also understood if a particular corps had learned over the years that certain body types are just more prone to blowouts, which cost them lost time and heartache. I'm sorry you didn't make your dream corps, truly. If you have the guard chops you say you have, there are plenty of corps that will still welcome you. *cough* madison *cough* cavies '99 sticks out in my memory too. two LARGE men in the guard, but could still do the work. Absolutely not.Example: Mens uniforms for 2006 PR guard. If you're 50 lbs over weight and scored a 90% on your audition, but the guy next to you is in shape and scored an 85% on his audition, why shouldn't auditioner 2 be selected? is it me, but if you consider '06 and '08 Regiment male guard uniforms, do you come to the same conclusion that Sage has a penchant for BDSM? talk about losing weight, i need to drop two stone as well. i'm far removed from the late teen years of being 120 (at 6'2"!). nevermind that i was anorexic and a running freak to get to that weight. Edited January 15, 2009 by chaos001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carter90210 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 *cough* madison *cough*cavies '99 sticks out in my memory too. two LARGE men in the guard, but could still do the work. Yeah Cavies '99 and '00 - the fat guy. While I was honestly impressed with his abilities and I could see (on video) the passion he had (it was remarkable), it was a distraction. Whenever I was at a show that the Cavies were at, I spent the entire show watching him. I couldn't help myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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