treadstone Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Somethings worth thinking about with Surf: They draw from an area heavily influenced by past and present drum corps. The age has not slid that much and last I checked, 14 year old competitors have won gold medals in the olympics. Are there uncertainties in the transition? Well, of course there are - that is a sure bet. As long is you are looking at data though, something to consider is how well the top 3 open class corps did against Teal Sound last year - and Teal Sound had a more "World Class Schedule." Ironically, Surf seems to have a better time avoiding injuries as well - possibly due to the breaks in their schedule. There are more than a few World Class Corps who have an age average around 19/20 years old that seem to struggle. A lot comes down to the chassis of the organization. We may all find that Surf's model, while posing some challenges, allows for more vibrant survival of their organization than others - only time will tell. I sure hope most folks on this thread aren't judges, because you're supposed to judge the corps DURING THE SHOW, not before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Listening to the Surf's Up field pass they said that the average age is around 17 this year. Is this a good thing or a bad thing going from Open Class to World Class and losing experience? Good news is they have 145 marchers. 145 marchers ? How come no pit ? ( rim shot ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 last I checked, 14 year old competitors have won gold medals in the olympics. right. Possibly they have been doing their activity longer than someone who marches drum corps at the age of 14. Just a guess though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver_King Posted May 29, 2009 Author Share Posted May 29, 2009 I sure hope most folks on this thread aren't judges, because you're supposed to judge the corps DURING THE SHOW, not before they dont judge they slot (insert smiley hiding behind wall) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaners Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 this is a big "it depends" situation. True, older and experienced members make for better marchers/players a majority of the time (not always). But ALOT depends on the STAFF. You might not realize it, but we have all seen young corps do really well in world class. Other factors include the difficulty of the show... Again, this goes back to STAFF which have a great influence on the product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 with an average age of 17 this year... They are destined to do great things in the future This is assuming that most of these members stay with their Corps 'till age out. But the statistics are not on their side. 'Here's hoping they buck the trend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow_7 Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Didn't some of the early DCI champions have average ages near 16-ish? There's nothing wrong with a young corps IMO. Although a lot of the strength of many corps is the returning veterans who have a few years of corps and therefor the physical conditioning to perform well. So it's not always the staff. Although a lot of the success of a corps depends greatly on the early season. If they've had these 145 members from day one, I'd expect great things from them. If they just signed up last week, maybe not. Factor in a well designed show performed well and there's no reason why they couldn't do well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDBaritone Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 (edited) The average baritone is aging out at Surf this year. Lots of 4-5 year vets in that section. Edited May 31, 2009 by MDBaritone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMH Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 What is the average age of all of the "bottom 12" corps? I'll bet it is the same as Surfs. Very common for kids to "jump up" as they gain experience. Most of the really "hard corps" kids are in the game to push themselves to their personal best. This usually means "refining" their environment to surround themselves with others of similar intent. I remember hearing an instructor at a Cadet's camp comment "they couldn't possibly push the kids harder than the kids want to be pushed". This type of individual generally wants the "full tour" experience at the highest level they can achieve. My personal opinion is the focus DCI puts on the "TOP" corps helps to undermine the concept of "corps loyalty" and instills a feeder system type of mentality with regards to the "BOTTOM" corps. SO MUCH emphasis and attention is put on winning that the concept of "family" seems to have had a big muzzle strapped on it. Surf will continue to operate as it has always done, attracting younger performers with the offering of a friendly environment and just enough competitive edge to make it interesting for those that wish to stay. Two of my favorite Bob J quotes: "The journey is more important than the destination" "Winning isn't everything, but it sure is more fun" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 The average baritone is aging out at Surf this year. Lots of 4-5 year vets in that section. Hmmmm......sounds like good news for the rookie class of 2010. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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