Thank You Texas

[azwethinkweizm]

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, DCI Championships were always held around August 20th (between 15 and 22). If they held DCI to this schedule, there would be two more weeks of drum corps this year. Two more weeks to clean shows. Two more weeks to tweak things. Two more weeks to fall from the peak.

Way way way back then, states actually help fund school music programs instead of allocating so many resources in the direction they do these days. Music was important throughout the country and DCI lived, actually thrived, without much Texas participation. If you did not know, Texas traditionally begins their school year a week or two earlier than the rest of the country. For this reason, Texans did not participate in drum corps in significant numbers since the inception of DCI.

Here's a list of finals dates through the years:

Year - Championship's date

1972 - Aug 18

skip forward because it doesn't change

1993 - Aug 22

1994 - Aug 20

1995 - Aug 12 (one less week of DCI compared to previous years, but this was an anomaly)

1996 - Aug 17

1997 - Aug 16

1998 - Aug 15

1999 - Aug 14 (a week earlier than the past)

2000 - Aug 12

2001 - Aug 11

2002 - Aug 7 (two weeks)

2003 - Aug 9 (one week)

2004 - Aug 7 (two weeks-one week due to Denver a stadium schedule conflict)

2005 - Aug 13 (one week)

2006 - Aug 12 (one week)

2006 - Aug 11 (one week)

2007 - Aug 11 (one week)

2008 - Aug 9 (one week)

2009 - Aug 8 (two weeks)

2010 - Aug 7? - I have no idea

As you can see, DCI has moved championships forward one week on a permanent basis since 2002 and two weeks forward in some cases. While Texas is probably not the only reason for the move forward, one less week on tour lowers corps' operation costs, participation in DCI by Texans has significantly increased over the past decade. I've heard Blue Devils, Vanguard, Cadets, and Boston now hold auditions in Texas.

So thank you Texas for bringing DCI to a close a week or two earlier than normal. Since Bush is from Texas, let's blame him as well.

Someone needs to lay off the booze.

I'm a Texan and you are sounding pretty stupid.

[The Other Mike]

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, DCI Championships were always held around August 20th (between 15 and 22). If they held DCI to this schedule, there would be two more weeks of drum corps this year. Two more weeks to clean shows. Two more weeks to tweak things. Two more weeks to fall from the peak.

Way way way back then, states actually help fund school music programs instead of allocating so many resources in the direction they do these days. Music was important throughout the country and DCI lived, actually thrived, without much Texas participation. If you did not know, Texas traditionally begins their school year a week or two earlier than the rest of the country. For this reason, Texans did not participate in drum corps in significant numbers since the inception of DCI.

Here's a list of finals dates through the years:

Year - Championship's date

1972 - Aug 18

skip forward because it doesn't change

1993 - Aug 22

1994 - Aug 20

1995 - Aug 12 (one less week of DCI compared to previous years, but this was an anomaly)

1996 - Aug 17

1997 - Aug 16

1998 - Aug 15

1999 - Aug 14 (a week earlier than the past)

2000 - Aug 12

2001 - Aug 11

2002 - Aug 7 (two weeks)

2003 - Aug 9 (one week)

2004 - Aug 7 (two weeks-one week due to Denver a stadium schedule conflict)

2005 - Aug 13 (one week)

2006 - Aug 12 (one week)

2006 - Aug 11 (one week)

2007 - Aug 11 (one week)

2008 - Aug 9 (one week)

2009 - Aug 8 (two weeks)

2010 - Aug 7? - I have no idea

As you can see, DCI has moved championships forward one week on a permanent basis since 2002 and two weeks forward in some cases. While Texas is probably not the only reason for the move forward, one less week on tour lowers corps' operation costs, participation in DCI by Texans has significantly increased over the past decade. I've heard Blue Devils, Vanguard, Cadets, and Boston now hold auditions in Texas.

So thank you Texas for bringing DCI to a close a week or two earlier than normal. Since Bush is from Texas, let's blame him as well.

Wow, thats interesting but, but but but

I thought the average age of marchers in DCI were in the college range ?

None of my students are planning to march until AFTER high school. Years ago they did march while in high school.

So as interesting as your thoughts and suggestions may be it doesn't float any boat I know of, well, maybe the ark in your mind

However, We don't start school till August 31 and we get out before June. I'm lucky to teach in a private school that doesn't have all those half days for record keeping.

[The Other Mike]

Someone needs to lay off the booze.

I'm a Texan and you are sounding pretty stupid.

and coming from a Texan................

[Galen]

Texas isn't the only state that's starting school earlier. Indiana schools have been moving their start date up for the last few years, and Ohio's looking at adding an additional 20 days to the school calendar in the near future.

[Octavarium]

I do agree we can all blame Bush... but that's about it, really.

Edited August 8, 2009 by Octavarium

[hsreed]

As I watched BD through Fan Network at semi's, and yes I believe I could not get much perspective over the internet, I just found it hard to believe that a corps that moved between so many measured chairs, sat down, and had so much scatter drill ad random movement could beat two pretty solid shows that had much more demand and captured my interest.

I started this analysis for two things:

1. I was wondering if there was another week until finals this year, would the results be different? I believed Cadets and Crown both had much more interesting, emotional, and demanding shows than BD this year. BD's design (I look forward to the day the designers truly challenge their members) and extreme talent (they get the absolute best year in and year out) always give them a huge head start on everyone. BD was very clean pretty much all year. Neither Cadets nor Crown could clean up their show enough to pass BD in the end. Through hard work, more demanding shows and the availability of time, other corps in the past had caught and sometimes passed BD. For example: Undefeated BD placed 3rd in 88, passed by two corps in the final week. BD was also not the only front runner to get caught the last week. SCV beat Cadets by more than a point the week before 87 finals, but Cadets won by .1 at finals. Many more times than not, BD is the front runner and they get passed in the end, if at all. Now there was some history introduced into my question, so I wanted to get some historical perspective and see what years an undefeated corps was passed in the last week or two if the season and which ones were getting closed on, but the pursuer simply ran out of time. I was gong to analyze the rate of close and a projected pass date for every year, but that would simply take more time than I was willing to put into it. You could also apply this analysis to every tier (maybe 6-9 for 1997, etc.), but I was only concerned with the feasibility of BD taking third this year had the season ran until August 22. For the historical perspective, I was going to draw upon my personal opinion and experience gathered by being a fan and participant since 1982.

2. DCI has been losing marching members or not attracting new members for several years and they've had to make significant changes to attract new blood. I know one reason the season was shortened by a week was to accommodate Texans because Texans simply did not significant participate in DCI until the last decade or so. When I marched, I knew of one Texan in one corps, SCV had a guy named Larry. That was it. Now several corps are hosting auditions in Texas and someone has responded than Boston has a significant number of Texans. I also remember Sky Ryders moved from Kansas to Texas, I just don't remember the year. If you know anything about Texas, you know it's the band capital of the US. There are two things to do in Texas, play football or be in the band. Before I joined corps, I spent every summer in Texas. Based on my own experience, schools in Texas started well before schools started in CA, usually by two weeks. Thy started school in mid to late August while CA went back to school in early September. When I marched we knew there were few Texans involved in drum corps due to the DCI finals taking place after Texans were already back in school. I just looked it up and UT students must register by August 21, a day before the old DCI finals weekend. On the other hand, UCLA enrollment begins September, 14th (but UCLA generally gets a later start than most colleges). I accepted the idea that Texas student begin school earlier than most states because that's how it was when I went to school. Clearly, while there may be variances from school district and it's not a law that Texas students go back to school before the rest of the country, it was a viable assumption. Therefore, blaming Texas for the shortened season is not unreasonable. Tour costs are also a significant reason, but I believe getting Texans involved took precedent.

I had to post my thoughts very early because I had to take my family to a birthday party. Sometimes life outside drum corps is more important than drum corps.

Anyone interested in pursuing the historical analysis?

[skajerk]

I do agree we can all blame Bush... but that's about it, really.

Now why drag an All-Age corps into this?

[skajerk]

As I watched BD through Fan Network at semi's, and yes I believe I could not get much perspective over the internet, I just found it hard to believe that a corps that moved between so many measured chairs, sat down, and had so much scatter drill ad random movement could beat two pretty solid shows that had much more demand and captured my interest.

I started this analysis for two things: [snip]

I'm still waiting for you to answer my post where I showed you proof that if anything, the TX schools (at least where I live) are starting after... that's AFTER... or on the same day as some CA districts. And districts that have large band programs at that!

I'll just pretend you missed that instead of thinking you didn't have an answer.

[IMcomguy]

2010 - Aug 7? - I have no idea

As you can see, DCI has moved championships forward one week on a permanent basis since 2002 and two weeks forward in some cases. While Texas is probably not the only reason for the move forward, one less week on tour lowers corps' operation costs, participation in DCI by Texans has significantly increased over the past decade. I've heard Blue Devils, Vanguard, Cadets, and Boston now hold auditions in Texas.

So thank you Texas for bringing DCI to a close a week or two earlier than normal. Since Bush is from Texas, let's blame him as well.

Sorry to be the bubble burster, but DCI Finals are on August 14th next year.

[saxmania2677]

I really do not understand why the original poster of this thread and several others here did not do their homework before posting and replying to this topic. Now I am not speaking for other states, but I am from texas and as of the last 2 maybe 3 years there has been a state mandate that public schools start on the last Monday of August. The time schools get out is solely up to the districts school board and the ISD's voting public. So, I think it is safe to say that TEXAS has not been the only factor in the allowance of high school students to march drumcorps. I agree with an earlier post that most students in drumcorps are of college age anyhow and school start date makes no bearing on whether or not a student will march. So, to the original poster of this thread please, in the future, do your homework before posting a polite accusation before you have your facts straight. What you have proposed, originally, is preposterous!