Dale Bari Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Does DCA as we know it work that well that it cannot withstand change? Or perhaps it's better to asak the question in the opposite direction: Would changing DCA as we know it into something else stand a decent chance to make it something better, more effective, than it is now? I don't conveniently ignore anything; to say so is to ignore a large part of what I've said, as well as being more than a little insulting. What I've said is that DCA IS the corps; in other words, for DCA to do this, the corps would have to approve it from the first. How is that a dictatorship? Anything DCA does on this level is done with prior ratification by the members. If the member corps decide to tap the Midwest market, then those corps must also commit to doing so; it's a joint decision, and the organization aspect is carried out by the organization known as DCA at the will of those corps, which are, in the end, what DCA IS. You assume a logical fallacy. The final thing I'll say on this subject is to address your point of "upsetting the apple cart". YOU conveniently ignore the fact that upsetting the apple cart, aka rocking the boat, aka promoting change is not merely a chance to fail, but a chance to succeed. Being afraid of change is natural, but to thrive, we must adapt. A mentality of stagnation will kill DCA far faster than taking a risk and changing with the chance to do the activity some good. That which does not evolve, dies. It's axiomatic. Being afraid of change is what got drum corps into this mess to begin with. I love drum corps, and change for the sake of it (amplification springs to mind) is counter-productive. Change to achieve a result, with a goal in mind, however....that's how we survive. Adaptability made the human race what it is. To avoid change out of fear is to become old and afraid of everything, and eventually, it ALWAYS kills - because things always change. What "mess"? Who's afraid of what change? What exactly are you seeing that the rest of us don't? I see an organization of all-age drum corps that as recently as 2001 had only 11 Open Class corps, and as recently as 1993 numbered only 13 corps total. As of last season, there were 27 corps in Prelims and, what 14 Open class? In 1993, all of those 13 corps fit into a small geographic area. Now the membership stretches from coast to coast, from So Cal to Minnesota to New England to Florida. DCA adapts as time goes on. It has survived 44 years without your help or mine, and it is in as strong a position as it has ever been. Look, if you think that DCA is in some need of a major overhaul, join a corps, get elected director, then make a proposal to change the Board and/or the bylaws. If DCA had wanted to operate as you suggest, they would've tried it at some point. Remember, DCA was created to give the corps autonomy from the ruling organizations running the shows way back when. Why would the corps vote to reduce that autonomy? Each corps is a business (non-profit though they are) but DCA is really a cartel, more like OPEC than the BOD of a corporation. It controls the rules of the game, but does not control the game itself. Yes, there is a brand to promote, but that is done through the collective force of all corps doing their individual things at once. As I recall, there once was a corps in Ohio, called the Ohio Brass Factory. It's base, Alliance, OH, was not too far from Pittsburgh, which was the home of the Pittsburgh Rockets and then the Steel City Ambassadors. At the same time, the Erie Thunderbirds were in full flight as well. As of the end of 2008, there was no competitive corps in any of those areas. Why did that area become fallow? Was that DCA's fault? If so, then how does DCA choose what areas are "worthy" of intervention, to "invest" in, and which are not? If not, then it wouldn't be DCA's responsibility to grow those corps back, would it? DCA provides the venue and the network. The rest is up to the corps. It's that simple. There's no "assumption" on my part because that is fact - that's how DCA operates. If I make any assumption, it is that the people who run the corps and DCA know their business better than I do. If DCA wishes to change to meet some new need, it will. It will, because it already has. That's not my decision or even yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_B Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 (edited) nm Edited April 4, 2009 by Mike_B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_B Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 (edited) nm Edited April 4, 2009 by Mike_B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 OK guys... let's switch to decaf you all have good points - you all have some misconceptions and yes, 3 corps constitute a dca show not 4 and yes, DCA is the member corps - it is the farthest thing from a dictatorship - this is part of the reason for its conservatism and notorious slow to change attitude, but ironically, that same slow to change attitude has us standing pretty well today while the economic and political situation may have taken down a "lessor" organization... now if anyone has any direct questions - ask, but let's be civil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brassomaniac Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 The results speak for themselves. More, and much stronger corps' than ever. Plus a larger geographic area served. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Does DCA as we know it work that well that it cannot withstand change? Or perhaps it's better to asak the question in the opposite direction: Would changing DCA as we know it into something else stand a decent chance to make it something better, more effective, than it is now? I don't conveniently ignore anything; to say so is to ignore a large part of what I've said, as well as being more than a little insulting. What I've said is that DCA IS the corps; in other words, for DCA to do this, the corps would have to approve it from the first. How is that a dictatorship? Anything DCA does on this level is done with prior ratification by the members. If the member corps decide to tap the Midwest market, then those corps must also commit to doing so; it's a joint decision, and the organization aspect is carried out by the organization known as DCA at the will of those corps, which are, in the end, what DCA IS. You assume a logical fallacy. The final thing I'll say on this subject is to address your point of "upsetting the apple cart". YOU conveniently ignore the fact that upsetting the apple cart, aka rocking the boat, aka promoting change is not merely a chance to fail, but a chance to succeed. Being afraid of change is natural, but to thrive, we must adapt. A mentality of stagnation will kill DCA far faster than taking a risk and changing with the chance to do the activity some good. That which does not evolve, dies. It's axiomatic. Being afraid of change is what got drum corps into this mess to begin with. I love drum corps, and change for the sake of it (amplification springs to mind) is counter-productive. Change to achieve a result, with a goal in mind, however....that's how we survive. Adaptability made the human race what it is. To avoid change out of fear is to become old and afraid of everything, and eventually, it ALWAYS kills - because things always change. Harry, One thing to consider. While DCA may not grow as fast as you and others may like, their IS a method to their madness. If you start forcing longer trips on corps, it raises costs for the corps. which raises costs for the members. In this economy, you cant do that, especially as the average of DCA gets younger. these arent your drunk and stumble corps anymore, a lot of em are kids who need sponsorships just to march. DCA growing slowly, yet smartly, has us on the threshold of more corps at prelims than ever before, a mere 10 years after never really cracking 18 corps. Remember this...the NE was built before DCA came to be. Then we had the south start to grow...then midwest...then the west. now texas too. growing too fast and making people do anything in the long run, hurts DCA. Kinda like it did with DCI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 ok, now you're just pissin me off dude relax. no one is bagging on your corps. but also realize for 16 years, nothing out your way was going on. hence Dale's comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_B Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 (edited) nm Edited April 4, 2009 by Mike_B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefoh Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Has anyone considered the fact that the tri state area is on the fringe of all three circuts? If Cincinnati Tradition wanted to compete against a dca corp we would have to travel the farthest to DCA east, DCA south or DCA Midwest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Hey , thanks for at least acknowledging our existence. I was starting to feel invisible. Instead of rehashing the past over and over, lamenting the corps of yesteryear, how about joining a corps like Cincinnati Tradition or Thunder for a season and help build them into open class corps. The reality is that these are the corps in this area now. Talking like we are not here isn't helping either corps. Problem is Mike, people either don't realize or forget that corps exist until they see them. Personally I know about Thunder because I get mail about it every now and then. As for Tradition, I don't even know the current status. Joining or helping out somehow is a great idea and hope both corps will soon make a DCA show appearance to get them in the public eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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