Being Cut because you're fat?

[Kansan]

I don't know what part of the Country you live in and how much time you have left to participate in Jr. Corps.

It's not like it was when I marched. You could find a middle of the road Corps that could be a contender for finals, make the line and have fun.

I don't know if weight was an issue back in my day but I do know that by the end of finals everyone was thinner. Our tour was also longer.

I'd say either try a corps that is in the bottom 3rd of World Class or go Open Class. You'll learn a lot and maybe you can go for your "dream corps" after.

You might look at a corps you think could use some help and audition there. You might make a positive difference.

That's kinda the thought I had when I joined Sky Ryders in 85. They really sucked and I thought I could march well enough and play ok enough to help out a little. I called them up got the invite and joined them between tours. We didin't make finals but we were in the hunt and that was exciting. I also remember it was a lot of hard work in sometimes really hot temperatures playing from early morning to at least 9pm daily.

Looking back I probably couldn't have honestly made the line if they didn't need bodies a the time but I learned enough to march again in 87 and I honestly made the line then through the audition process. I also made it again in 88 but could not march due to lack of funds. (parents would not finance me and I was broke)

So, my experience in 85 prepaired be to make a finalist corps in 87. It was the same organization with more talent.

[soccerguy315]

a) find another corps that is more suitable to your level (i.e. one that accepts you as a member)

Seriously, go march somewhere else.

I'd say either try a corps that is in the bottom 3rd of World Class or go Open Class. You'll learn a lot and maybe you can go for your "dream corps" after.

You might look at a corps you think could use some help and audition there. You might make a positive difference.

just so you 3 know... the OP did mention that he has found another corps, and he will be on the field this summer =)

Edited January 16, 2009 by soccerguy315

[ostinato]

The whole problem with your thesis is that you define success as competitive success. Not that you're alone in that, as it's a school of thought that has come to dominate the activity.

IMO there are dozens of things about the drum corps experience that are far more important in terms of the lessons the activity has to offer. The competitive aspect of the activity is destroying it, and the prime motivation causing the leaders of the activity to be unwilling, or unable, to make the necessary changes in direction that are needed to prevent the activity from imploding.

I aged out this previous summer in a World Class corps where the staff made it more than clear that competitive success was only a facet of our organization's mission, and it was clear in my experience with them that it wasn't just talk. I marched my 5 years surrounded by people of vastly differing body types, social classes, and cultural backgrounds.

You say there are dozens of things that drum corps can teach us that are more important than competition (and I agree!!)- but the fact of the matter is, if DCI member corps made their first priority teaching THESE lessons, they would come off as cheesy Hallmark-card feelgooderies and not the enduring truths that mark us. In my opinion, the only effective way to learn the "drum corps lessons"- that the race is more important than the finish line, that hard work can forge eternal friendships, things like this- is incidentally, in other words, these things occur to you as you are working towards competitive success.

ANALOGY: If great literature blatantly hit you over the head with what its deeper meanings actually were, it would be cliched trash. You pick up the real value of these great works incidentally, while following the surface plot and characters.

And as a side thought, the only way I think drum corps is successful in even doing that, is by providing an environment that stands in stark contrast to the pop-sociology of there being a "million equally right answers", of "everyone being special in their own way, just as they are now." The simplest and most enduring drum corps lesson perhaps might be "you can't reach perfection, but you can sure as heck chase it." Unfortunately, if you aren't open to the idea of there being things about your body, fitness, skill level, attitude, or personality that need optimizing, that lesson will go right over your head. It certainly isn't being taught via mainstream education, is it?

If this be elitism, make the most of it.

[DCIHasBeen]

Great response.

Well, snooze through this: DCI Drum Corps will be gone within 5 years. The excess and elitism having long surpassed its value. (As it is it will be a crap shoot to see if DCI can wrangle the funds they need to get through the upcoming season.)

After that, you can snooze all winter and all summer long ...

Edited January 16, 2009 by DCIHasBeen

[CloudHype]

just so you 3 know... the OP did mention that he has found another corps, and he will be on the field this summer =)

Cool, I didn't read the entire thread but now have.

[leadsop97]

I didn't bother reading all 16 pages of this thread. I'm glad the OP found some place to march.

I feel that corps have a responsibility to turn away people who are not physically fit. Many of us have seen the video where the hook up some device to a tenor player to monitor heart rate and such, correct? Drum Corps is a physically demanding sport, one that can in some ways be harmful, especially for those of us overweight. I know I've had major problems with my knees since I was about 17 or 18. I'm only now 21, and although I carry my weight very well, I am still waaaay too heavy for my liking. If a corps turned me away because of my physical stature, I would expect that it's in both party's best interests. With the pacing most corps are utilizing now, I could see how being overweight could be a problem.

[VOReason]

Bottom line...fat people do not look good in spandex. If you should need convincing, go see a DCA show....

[luvs me sum mello!]

Great response.

Well, snooze through this: DCI Drum Corps will be gone within 5 years. The excess and elitism having long surpassed its value. (As it is it will be a crap shoot to see if DCI can wrangle the funds they need to get through the upcoming season.)

After that, you can snooze all winter and all summer long ...

Oh give me a break....

Your crystal ball, can I have it?

[salad315]

Great response.

Well, snooze through this: DCI Drum Corps will be gone within 5 years. The excess and elitism having long surpassed its value. (As it is it will be a crap shoot to see if DCI can wrangle the funds they need to get through the upcoming season.)

After that, you can snooze all winter and all summer long ...

I snoozed because it was late. What I wanted to say was what ostinato said, but i didnt take the time

You say there are dozens of things that drum corps can teach us that are more important than competition (and I agree!!)- but the fact of the matter is, if DCI member corps made their first priority teaching THESE lessons, they would come off as cheesy Hallmark-card feelgooderies and not the enduring truths that mark us. In my opinion, the only effective way to learn the "drum corps lessons"- that the race is more important than the finish line, that hard work can forge eternal friendships, things like this- is incidentally, in other words, these things occur to you as you are working towards competitive success.

ANALOGY: If great literature blatantly hit you over the head with what its deeper meanings actually were, it would be cliched trash. You pick up the real value of these great works incidentally, while following the surface plot and characters.

This is so true - i didnt join a drum corps to learn the lesson you so valiantly preach, but i did anyway. Those things like dedication, teamwork and whatnot, are all a part of it, but you get that as part of the process. You dont sit around blabbing about it all summer - it just happens...well at least it should. To draw an interesting parallel, thats one reason i disliked the cadets 2007 show. Yeah, all that stuff about teamwork, unity, hard work and progress is great, and yes its all important to drum corps....but dont expect people to understand that because you said so in a show. By the same token, people in a corps are working to perfect a product - regardless of placement, they want to be as good as possible. If they buy into that, they'll usually pick up on the other things along the way.

[DCIHasBeen]

I snoozed because it was late. What I wanted to say was what ostinato said, but i didnt take the time

You say there are dozens of things that drum corps can teach us that are more important than competition (and I agree!!)- but the fact of the matter is, if DCI member corps made their first priority teaching THESE lessons, they would come off as cheesy Hallmark-card feelgooderies and not the enduring truths that mark us. In my opinion, the only effective way to learn the "drum corps lessons"- that the race is more important than the finish line, that hard work can forge eternal friendships, things like this- is incidentally, in other words, these things occur to you as you are working towards competitive success.

ANALOGY: If great literature blatantly hit you over the head with what its deeper meanings actually were, it would be cliched trash. You pick up the real value of these great works incidentally, while following the surface plot and characters.

This is so true - i didnt join a drum corps to learn the lesson you so valiantly preach, but i did anyway. Those things like dedication, teamwork and whatnot, are all a part of it, but you get that as part of the process. You dont sit around blabbing about it all summer - it just happens...well at least it should. To draw an interesting parallel, thats one reason i disliked the cadets 2007 show. Yeah, all that stuff about teamwork, unity, hard work and progress is great, and yes its all important to drum corps....but dont expect people to understand that because you said so in a show. By the same token, people in a corps are working to perfect a product - regardless of placement, they want to be as good as possible. If they buy into that, they'll usually pick up on the other things along the way.

I find the nature of the "Looks and Appearances" argument distasteful and wholly unacceptable for units who have obtained tax-advantaged status on the basis of being educational organizations. That's not a matter so much of philosophy as a matter of saying that if DCI Drum Corps wants to run itself as a semi-pro activity, then it shouldn't benefit from tax advantaged status. That's all.

Outside of that I preach nothing. The activity can do whatever it wants, run itself however it wants, and pursue whatever core values it wants. It won't materially affect the quality of my life in any way. I had my drum corps experiences, benefitted from them as I did, and while I'd like to see a more diverse group of kids have the same type of experiences I was able to enjoy, that activity doesn't exist anymore.

DCI World Class drum corps has, by the nature of its cost, and elitist values that result in an activity that benefits a privileged few, has turned itself into a white elephant. That, along with DCI's multi-million dollar debt have pretty much insured that it won't be able to sustain itself in its current form. That's fact, not a matter of conjecture or opinion.

Edited January 17, 2009 by DCIHasBeen