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DCA AND DCI JOIN FORCES!


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Good point.

A friend of mine calls the alumni corps "re-enactment corps"... meaning they basically re-enact a given era of drum corps. Many are more old school, some are new school, to at least some degree... some are a combination of both.

so our drumline at Westshore re-enacts a DCI drumline in the parking lot today. we use stands :tongue:

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Actually, its a DCI participant show, we (SOME) sign a contract with DCI, pay a performance fee to each unit, plus the cost of housing, stadium costs, security and overruns.

When the proposal was made to move the placement of Renegades before intermission, DCI's response was negetive and felt it was in control of the show, thus demonstrates a disrepectful position toward our preference in the lineup.

In other words, pushed their agenda with power politics and weakend the ability to provide OUR audience with a variety of Drum Corps.

The issue is this, does DCI WANT Seniors as part of their experience, or is this another maneuver to make more money at DCA's expense? I am a DCA fan, live on the west coast, want seniors out here, promote its contribution to the overall drum corps experience, whenever I get anyone's attention.

If this "new" agreement is to work, DCI must be willing to share, so far its been a one-way street and I believe DCA should move with caution.

DCI only has to do what DCI wants to do. It's their show. While I understand your complaints, and even feel a little, I also understand it's their house.

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I 'd have to go looking for my copy of the charter to truly verify this. My recollection of the original conditions for membership (which could be wrong) is as follows: You had to have been a member of the competing corps (no specific number of years required). You had to be 25 or older. You had to have been out of the competing corps for a minimum of two years. (I believe this last condition was waived for members over a certain age, but I don't recall what it was -- perhaps 45 or 50?)

These conditions were negotiated and agreed upon with Jim Costello to protect the competing corps. Initially, he was against the formation an alumni corps until these conditions were adopted. When this changed, non-Caballeros alumni were welcome, provided they were 'sponsored' by a Cabs alumnus. They were considered 'associate members.'

Thanks John, interesting to me how the Alumni type movement has changed over the years.

But "Associate Member?" LMAO there's a DCA term from the 70s. Meant your corps placed 11-14 at the previous DCA Prelims... Westshore was an "Associate Member" in 76....

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Thanks John, interesting to me how the Alumni type movement has changed over the years.

But "Associate Member?" LMAO there's a DCA term from the 70s. Meant your corps placed 11-14 at the previous DCA Prelims... Westshore was an "Associate Member" in 76....

I remember that. The Chicago Connection was a DCA Associate Member, placing either 11th or 12th in the three years we were there, '77 to '79.

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I remember that. The Chicago Connection was a DCA Associate Member, placing either 11th or 12th in the three years we were there, '77 to '79.

Usually ChiConn and MBI in those years if I remember right. I could kill a lot of disk space telling the rules of inviting corps to DCA shows based on how a corps placed at Prelims. Funny thing is I hit all three in three years:

1975 - just missed any type of membership at 15th

1976 - Associate at 11th (Guelph at 12th)

1977 - finally Full Member at 10th (No more RCA shows for us :worthy: )

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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Usually ChiConn and MBI in those years if I remember right.

You remembered correctly. And if I remember correctly the CC finished 12th, 12th & 11th in those three years.

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Call me a conspiracy theorist (and I have been called that), but this sounds alot like a prelude to a take-over.

Dan Acheson's statement has the feel of someone getting a foot in the door; that this deal is only a prelude to bigger things. I think Gil Silva's statement strikes the right tone; that this is a temporary alliance that is used for mutual advantage. Nothing more.

DCI has bad-mouthed DCA (and senior corps in general) for as long as I can remember. Whenever I talked to former DCI members about joining a DCA corps, they would laugh at me. I think the general consensus was that DCA was a bunch of old, drunk has-beens that wouldn't give it up and couldn't march their way out of a paper bag. But here recently, DCA has grown tremendously while DCI has not grown as much. I think they see us as a threat to their popularity. Does anyone remember a few years back when DCI tried to raise their age-out limit to 25? It didn't work and now, all of a sudden, Hoppy wants to start his own DCA corps. Coincidence? Possibly. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em? Maybe, but I'm not willing to buy that just yet.

Gil Silva needs to be very careful when dealing with these people. I see DCI being in a posaition that, if things go south for DCA anytime in the future, they will be in a position to swing in and make DCA an offer it can't refuse. At which point, DCI will, for a few years at least, have a senior division and then will discontinue it and that will be the end for all-age corps in America. Leaving DCI as the sole competitive circuit. It happens in business all the time and when it comes down to it, at the league level, drum corps is a business.

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Lee,

With all due respect, please remove "Kilties-01" from your line listing of corps you may had been associated with. If you recall, you were in attendance at one, maybe two, rehearsals in the Fall of 2000 to prepare for the 2001 season and had to drop out due to personal reasons.

It is disrepectful to the Kiltie organization as a whole and, more importantly, to the thousands of Kilties who have donned the tartan since 1934.

Being a Kiltie is earned.

William (Bill) Roetzer

President

The Kilties

Call me a conspiracy theorist (and I have been called that), but this sounds alot like a prelude to a take-over.

Dan Acheson's statement has the feel of someone getting a foot in the door; that this deal is only a prelude to bigger things. I think Gil Silva's statement strikes the right tone; that this is a temporary alliance that is used for mutual advantage. Nothing more.

DCI has bad-mouthed DCA (and senior corps in general) for as long as I can remember. Whenever I talked to former DCI members about joining a DCA corps, they would laugh at me. I think the general consensus was that DCA was a bunch of old, drunk has-beens that wouldn't give it up and couldn't march their way out of a paper bag. But here recently, DCA has grown tremendously while DCI has not grown as much. I think they see us as a threat to their popularity. Does anyone remember a few years back when DCI tried to raise their age-out limit to 25? It didn't work and now, all of a sudden, Hoppy wants to start his own DCA corps. Coincidence? Possibly. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em? Maybe, but I'm not willing to buy that just yet.

Gil Silva needs to be very careful when dealing with these people. I see DCI being in a posaition that, if things go south for DCA anytime in the future, they will be in a position to swing in and make DCA an offer it can't refuse. At which point, DCI will, for a few years at least, have a senior division and then will discontinue it and that will be the end for all-age corps in America. Leaving DCI as the sole competitive circuit. It happens in business all the time and when it comes down to it, at the league level, drum corps is a business.

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Good point.

A friend of mine calls the alumni corps "re-enactment corps"... meaning they basically re-enact a given era of drum corps. Many are more old school, some are new school, to at least some degree... some are a combination of both.

Your friend's comment is interesting, and sort of funny, Fran, and I can see where it comes from! LOL.

I think we fit with your comment that some of them are the combination of both. We tend to be more youthful in our make-up.

Groups, such as us, are trying to exist to carry on the traditions though. We are a resurrected organization and we are simply taking things one step at at time and we don't know where the road will take us. Unlike some Alumni corps who have dusted off the horn flag or drum, our alumni only helped get us started again with financial support. Now that we are up and running they really don't have any interest in participating. That's our reality. So, we maintain the name and the colors though, as a tribute to them. (I'm the only former alumni in the corps.) Our new members are less attached to the name, logo and colors (although I think now they are slowly building devotion to it). Now, after 8 years as a resurrected corps, which due to our fate, meant mini corps, we realized we weren't really growing the group lately... so, I did a recent experiment and allowed woodwinds just for summer parades and tried being a band just for summer parades. Well it's bearing fruit, as we got an instant infusion of young and enthusiastic band kids. I think we may have transcended a mental block for them by them thinking they were doing something totally familiar to them. Already though, these woodwind players are messing with our brass instruments and have brought their brass friends and after some fun parades with us, all have expressed interest in learning brass and more challenging charts over the winter and doing the Bugler's Hall of Fame show in the late winter next season with us as a drum corps. I am now strongly considering becoming an umbrella organization for a Band and a Corps and members may float between the two. It is my intention however to make the corps version more selective, demanding and of much higher standards and keep the band part more relaxed, easier sight readable charts and fun. Long story but my point is, all the different groups starting back have to follow their own paths and do what's best for them.... these paths are usually set for them by the situations. Who knows where it will all take us but hopefully it all will contribute to the big Drum Corps mosaic!

Edited by Imperial
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Call me a conspiracy theorist (and I have been called that), but this sounds alot like a prelude to a take-over.

Dan Acheson's statement has the feel of someone getting a foot in the door; that this deal is only a prelude to bigger things. I think Gil Silva's statement strikes the right tone; that this is a temporary alliance that is used for mutual advantage. Nothing more.

DCI has bad-mouthed DCA (and senior corps in general) for as long as I can remember. Whenever I talked to former DCI members about joining a DCA corps, they would laugh at me. I think the general consensus was that DCA was a bunch of old, drunk has-beens that wouldn't give it up and couldn't march their way out of a paper bag. But here recently, DCA has grown tremendously while DCI has not grown as much. I think they see us as a threat to their popularity. Does anyone remember a few years back when DCI tried to raise their age-out limit to 25? It didn't work and now, all of a sudden, Hoppy wants to start his own DCA corps. Coincidence? Possibly. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em? Maybe, but I'm not willing to buy that just yet.

Gil Silva needs to be very careful when dealing with these people. I see DCI being in a posaition that, if things go south for DCA anytime in the future, they will be in a position to swing in and make DCA an offer it can't refuse. At which point, DCI will, for a few years at least, have a senior division and then will discontinue it and that will be the end for all-age corps in America. Leaving DCI as the sole competitive circuit. It happens in business all the time and when it comes down to it, at the league level, drum corps is a business.

Perhaps you missed the board seismic shift in DCI and many changes there. And let's be honest, for years DCA trashed DCI just as much.

This is far from a take over. Those guys don't want to run DCA. They finally both got a clue and realized they need each other more than ever.

But why let the facts ruin your rant

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