Raise the Age Out Limit to 24

[Jeff Ream]

To the people who say "DCA exists for a reason."

DCA exists because some people can't dedicate their entire summer to tour. DCA is "part-time" drum corps. DCI is full-time drum corps.

I say get rid of the age-limit for DCI. If some 40yr old can hang with the physical aspect, and has no other life, why not?

In reality, you'd get more 22-25 yr olds (grad school types), maybe a few 26-30, and hardly any 30+ (but you know it would happen.)

All it would do is improve DCI. I see no downside. Protecting the age limit is silly, unless we're determined to "sell" the "youth" aspect to the public and the politicians.

actually DCA exists because when it was formed, it was for people too old to do junior corps. Senior corps originally started for war vets and adults. It's far more than just people that can not commit to a full time tour.

Yes, DCA has some high school kids in there. The DCA champ this year had some high school kids. I also had a guy in his 50s with a fake knee running his ### of in the baritone line.

i am so sick and ####### tired of the misconceptions people have about DCA. Maybe if people actually took the time to learn about it before they spoke and made ##### of themselves, they'd be shocked to see how good DCA corps can be and how many people of ALL AGES it benefits.

[Scout]

I want to get on with my life!!!!

THIS.

[Jeff Ream]

Id say raising it a year or two wouldnt be a bad idea. A LOT of ageouts spend their next summer doing nothing and still have school the next fall (i was an example of this... i graduated in 4.5 years and spent my last summer before graduation as an intern for Blue Stars). I dont know if expanding it to 25 would be a good idea though... yeah, itd allow grad students and such, but then i think youre going a little too far away from 'youth' activity.

For those that say 'theres DCA for this', youre flat out wrong. DCA exists to allow people to march and not commit to a DCI schedule. It has a good purpose, but its not going to be the same experience.

no one said it would be. but it's for more than just people that cant commit to a full time tour.

[summernowplease]

Someone will know how many members of WGI guards are beyond a certain age. When I was in Dayton this year for the guard weekend, I was told there were very few that would fit that criterion. Does anyone know how many?

I don't know of the actual total number, but over half of the IW guard that I march would've been aged out. Out of 30, only 8 of us were still eligible to march in DCI. I would imagine that this is the case for most other IW color guards, too. In some areas where there are multiple World class guards to march, there may be one that is mostly geared towards younger kids. But, in color guard there are usually plenty of IA, IO, or scholastic guards to participate in before you age out... I believe it's different with DCI as there are limited spots and the audition process is much more competitive for the top corps, which is why I would disagree with raising the age out. Plus, I hope to have my summers filled by the time I am 24 -crosses fingers for a job- if not, I can always teach. And my body will be so happy when I don't make it do this everyday for three months anymore.

[Galen]

I want to get on with my life!!!!

I don't. But fortunately, there are senior corps, so I don't have to.

[JimF-LowBari]

Senior corps originally started for war vets and adults. It's far more than just people that can not commit to a full time tour.

LMAO 'cuz when Drum Corps started big time after WWI there wasn't a Junior corps circuit, just a few corps here and there. In the late 1930s, the American Legion started the Sons of the American Legion (SAL) to get the vets kids involved as the vets were getting older. One of the things the SALs sponsered were Junior Drum Corps.

Yeah, big time Junior corps was started by Senior corps......

And double oh yeah.... DCA is a few years older than DCI.....

Just tired of the BS that Jr corps was always the top dog and the Seniors came along later because they wanted to imitate the Jrs success. Maybe the mindset that a Junior corps has to be the "ultimate" or else it's #### is the reason why there are less and less Juniors anymore. Yeah the corps at shows are better, but first you have to find a show nearby (what's that?).

PS - Saw a lot of the younger set in the Class A (aka small) DCA corps. Maybe having a higher age in DCI would help DCA Class As as the "kids" seemed to be enjoying themselves. And that includes the corps who didn't make Finals *gasp*.

Edited September 18, 2009 by JimF-3rdBari

[SPINCYCLE]

Someone will know how many members of WGI guards are beyond a certain age. When I was in Deyton this year for the guard weekend, I was told there were very few that would fit that criterion. Does anyone know how many?

Well I can tell you probably alot would be over 21 I know I taught a world guard that had an average age of I think 26....and I have a friend who also teaches a world guard with someone 40

[PepsiTwist]

this is a "youth" activity. You might say that those who march a div 1 *world class corps are actually more adults than anything though. This age limit is something that has been with the activity for so long, it would be stupid to change it... no matter what. There will always be a limit of 21 or 22 if you turn 22 during the summer. I was very pleased to hear about the rule change that you could still march if you turned 22 in the summer. That would now have affected me, but I knew of several people who literally "lost" a year of marching before that rule was in place.

I aged out 17 years ago. I never did DCA. I never wished I could have marched until I was 24 or 25. What I do wish, however, is that I could have gotten involved with the activity a little sooner. I believe that those who wish they could keep marching until they are 23 and up are those who started around the time they were 20 or 21. I understand the feeling. Trust me. And I also understand that when you are younger, it's harder to come up with the money to AFFORD to march drum corps. It was a bit different in my day... not nearly as expensive as it is now.

But... the ageout rule is just one of those things that will always remain. It is always going to be a youth activity and I feel that extending the age limit would ruin *take away that experience for many young adults. Adding a few 24-25 year olds in a corps removes a few 16-17 year olds. If anything, we should try and attract more younger students that may not know of drum corps. Encourage them to try out and be a part of it. And better yet, help sponsor them so they can have some of the same experiences we did and without having to beg their parents for thousands of dollars to march.

* edited for clarity... strike through text was edited for mistakes.

Edited September 18, 2009 by PepsiTwist

[84skyrydr]

Okay, let's drop the age limit.

Then, let's wait for the first rape or sexual assult lawsuits to come out when a 14 year old and a 26-28 year old have sex on an extended summer tour and it ends badly.

Once we get a few pieces of bad press along those lines (whether it be older male/younger female or older female/younger male) that become difficult to sweep under the rug, then it becomes tricky for whoever it happens to to raise funds . . .or find members . . . and then they have to go inactive.

Not to mention that DCI would be a real hard to sell to the NAMM's and the music education crowd when there's no more youth aspect and "shiny happy family fun" to market to high school bands and others.

DCI has to fit in a very precise little niche now . . .wedged in-between WGI and BOA in order for it to try to market itself as some sort of legitimate music education experience. Having 34 year olds in your horn line next to 15 year olds doesn't say much to that except "Uh, why is this old dude marching in junior corps?"

DCA does exist for a reason . . . and that's to provide an outlet to those people who want to move on from full time touring and have a career, family and the like while still pursuing drum corps as an affordable weekend hobby.

Let me get this straight. You are implying that people in corps have ......SEX.... while on tour? Wow, do I ever feel cheated, all I ever got or saw was a kiss.

[DCIHasBeen]

Okay, let's drop the age limit.

Then, let's wait for the first rape or sexual assult lawsuits to come out when a 14 year old and a 26-28 year old have sex on an extended summer tour and it ends badly.

Once we get a few pieces of bad press along those lines (whether it be older male/younger female or older female/younger male) that become difficult to sweep under the rug, then it becomes tricky for whoever it happens to to raise funds . . .or find members . . . and then they have to go inactive.

Not to mention that DCI would be a real hard to sell to the NAMM's and the music education crowd when there's no more youth aspect and "shiny happy family fun" to market to high school bands and others.

DCI has to fit in a very precise little niche now . . .wedged in-between WGI and BOA in order for it to try to market itself as some sort of legitimate music education experience. Having 34 year olds in your horn line next to 15 year olds doesn't say much to that except "Uh, why is this old dude marching in junior corps?"

DCA does exist for a reason . . . and that's to provide an outlet to those people who want to move on from full time touring and have a career, family and the like while still pursuing drum corps as an affordable weekend hobby.

The first?

Not even. Try Star of Indiana early 1980s ... An instructor in his forties with a 16 year-old. These kinds of unfortunate incidents have been going on for years ... Let's not even get into a certain NY-based corps director who made the front page of the NY Daily News when charges were brought against him stemming from his role as a school administrator and improper relations with a student.

Not a valid argument ... If it was, DCA could have been impacted by this years ago as there always been wide age disparities in senior corps.

While the age limit started out having NOTHING to do with this being a youth activity (do some research as to why there was an age limit put into place ... the answer will surprise you.) Also, any of this stuff about "reaching an age when you have to move on with your life" is irrelevant.

The only valid answer is that DCI, and the member corps, have boxed boxed the activity into a corner using the educational provisions in the IRS code to gain tax exempt status. Changing the rules would force a major change in the business model, everyone who got their 501©3 using youth activity to define their charter would have to go through the 501©3 process again, and the junior activity would have to sigificantly change its marketing approach to account for not being strictly a "youth activity".

There would be both real and intangible costs associated with this that just aren't in the best interests of the DCI activity.

Edited September 18, 2009 by DCIHasBeen