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flag poles and flags


aina

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We use 5'5" aluminum poles. We did use 6' poles last year for one of our songs. I would be afraid to go much larger, I have 3 girls that are under 5'. They would be doing drop spins above their heads :P

I have not yet weighted our poles, we are starting practices for Memorial Day and have been putting some weights in the poles just to see if they like it and if it really makes a big difference.

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We use 5'5" aluminum poles. We did use 6' poles last year for one of our songs. I would be afraid to go much larger, I have 3 girls that are under 5'. They would be doing drop spins above their heads :P

I have not yet weighted our poles, we are starting practices for Memorial Day and have been putting some weights in the poles just to see if they like it and if it really makes a big difference.

Yes, I know what you mean about short girls and long poles. I have girls in the guard who are shorter than me and I'm only 5'4" but that doesn't stop them from doing what I ask. They don't seem to have trouble with the 7 foots either.....of course I don't write many drop spins in my shows.

Your girls will notice a difference as far as the weight of the pole ( with carriage bolts inside)....it will feel heavier but in time they will get used to it. You'll notice a big difference in toss rotations.....it also helps when it's windy outside.

Just to let you know, when I judge a guard, most of the time I can tell whose poles are weighted and whose aren't.. B)

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  • 3 weeks later...
Thanks for that! The bolt thing is fairly new...wonder who came up with THAT idea?

I first picked up a flag in 1970 and that's when I learned about carriage bolts (and sometimes fishing weights believe it or not). The standard then was a 7' pole with a pike on the end of it. I think there's always been weights of some kind or another ever since ... if you get those marching band catalogs you'll find that they sell flag "weights" in them but the old school hardware store variety is still my fav.

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With my guard, I use nothing shorter than 6'. 7' is what i use most of. All of my poles are weighted. It makes for a slow band camp because of the weight, but pays off in the season. My girls say they wouldn't have it any other way. I prefer the larger pole sizes because you get more bang for your buck. Little flags, if not proportioned correctly, tend to look like a paper towel on a telephone pole. As for flag sizes on each pole size, this is what I use.

5' - 30"x 48"

5.5' -33"x 52"

6' -36"x 56"

6.5' -39"x 60"

7' -42"x 64"

10' -78"x 120" to 114"x150"

Edited by phanreg
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  • 2 weeks later...

I prefer to use 6 1/2 foot poles... however, i have run into the problem of 'transitioning' my guards from 6 foot, to 6 1/2 foot poles.... it is difficult because there is always a lot of money involved in buying 500 or so poles to replace all the old ones... I don't like anything smaller than a 6 foot pole though...

and you MUST weight them! I prefer 4" carriage bolts in the top and bottom... rubber pole caps...

i have also found that taping the poles the same color at the sleeve on the silk helps to hide hand problems... for example, if you spin a yellow silk, tape the pole yellow instead of spinning a silver or white pole.. makes for a more interesting visual look also...

Silk sizes should have half the length of the pole... so for a 6 foot pole you ought to have a 36" width and around 48" to 54" length... for a 6 1/2 ft. pole i like to have a 40" width and a 50" - 54" length...

Best of Luck!!

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Do people prefer fiberglass or aluminum poles more?

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Aluminum poles are my preferences and what I have my guard use. They are 1" in diamameter and 5'.5" to 6'. I prefer the 5'.5" for the height, flexability and creativity with movement we can have with them.

Our silks vary from 36" x 45" to 42" x 54" and in different cuts and shapes. Our poles are taped to match the sleeve of the flag on the pole. ie; yellow with yellow, white with white... We use velcro to fasten the flags to the pole. No tape marks on the flags and a cleaner look to them.

All our poles are weighted with carriage bolts inside. 3" on the top and 2" on the bottom. We tape the bolts with electrical tape so they don't clang.

This year we are using 4' pvc poles for one of our numbers. They are also weighted. The flags are over sized 32" x 54", but we wanted them to be. We like them, one we are executing fast movements, two we are able to dance more with them, three allows us to do more one arm strength moves and tricks. The PVC tube is about the same weight as an aluminum pole although a tad flimsy.

We are also using aluminum T- poles and PVC 10' bungie poles. Not much you can do with them but do add colour and a big impact. The t-pole flag is 3' x 8' and the bungie flag is 5'.5" x 14'. The bungie pole is very flimsy but fun.

Thanks to the Glassmen, we were able to purchas used flags from them. It saved us a lot of money and in turn helped support another organization. We also purchased new flags and had some made for us. EXPENSIVE! In the future, we are more than likely going to stay with buying used flags from a drum corps or another guard. It's a great idea, especialy for money stapped guard.

With that being said... for those folk who are instructors / directors and or connected to a guard / corps / band... you should consider selling your old flags on your web site (descriptions / pictures would be very helpful). It's a way to make a little cash for your group.

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Do people prefer fiberglass or aluminum poles more?

I prefer aluminum poles and I believe most drum corps use them as well. I have heard some bad things about fiberglass poles.....like pieces of the flber sticking in your hand plus the fact they "wobble." You don't need that extra "bounce" unless you want the bungee effect. B)

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Do people prefer fiberglass or aluminum poles more?

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww....fiberglass!

They're heavy...they split...they splinter...they're brittle (especially when it's cold outside)...

Al u minium (as they in Britain) all the way, baby!

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Hey! A litte OT, but who cares. All my personal flags have been lost and I was wondering if someone could tell me where I could order some nw stuff. I tried FJM, but I have to roder at least 6 of one flag. So one criteria has to be no minimum. A big plus would be some old corps' flag. I've tried Cadets & Crossmen (since they seem to be the only ones selling used corps flags) but again, I need to buy the entire set - again, the no minimum thing. I also need poles - they're gone too. So any corps, website, stores, ANYTHING so I can get back to spinning! Thanks so much!

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