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An odd observation about DCA...


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... suddenly skewing the average weight of DCA membership.

Hey, I helped skew it in 08 & 09. :tongue:

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Fast Facts At a Glance:

About Drum Corps Associates (http://www.dcacorps.org)

Year Founded: 1964

Base of Operations: Barrington, RI

Number of Corps in 2011: 22, in 2 divisions (Open Class –11) & Class A –11)

Average Number of Participants: more than 4500

Average Age of Participants: 21 across both divisions

Number of Events in 2011: 21, plus World Championships Weekend

There is no way some of these stats can be correct.

22 groups with 4500 participants or an average of 204 participants per corps?

Average age of 21? If you have been to a DCA show or have seen photo, you have seen that there are plenty of older folks (define as you wish!) in DCA. If you think through the math, logic would imply the impossibility of such a statistic.

That number doesn't take into account the mini-corps, i&e, or alumni corps performers.

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and with a big morsel of snark, too.

i give what I get :tongue:

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Hey, I helped skew it in 08 & 09. :tongue:

LOL not sure about MCL but when some people talk "young" in DCA corps they're not talking college young.... they're talking High School young....

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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LOL not sure about MCL but when some people talk "young" in DCA corps they're not talking college young.... they're talking High School young....

Legend had a plethora of students from LaVergne HS in the corps. Easily 15 at least.

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  • 9 months later...

DCA still has corps in G

DCA corps don't use amps

DCA corps are more community based than DCI corps

These are all things that we have been told on DCP, by DCI, by DCI Corps Directors---that are things that are "killing" drum corps and holding it back.

The biggest problem with that theory... attendance at DCA events is going up and the number of DCA member corps is, too. If DCA is the "crustaceous period" for the old farts, full of the things that drive people away from drum corps... why is it growing faster than DCI---who isn't growing at all?

Can you please show some figures to back up these statements? It's really hard to believe your comparisons without statistical figures. Personally, I don't think you can even compare the two circuits. It's like saying that the Major League ticket sales are not growing at the same rate as community soft ball. Two completely different types of fans (even though some of that fanbase may be shared). Also, two very different types of ticket prices (if some community softball events even have ticket prices at all).

Lets be real here, DCA crowds are by in large people who are connected to the DCA activity. DCI crowds, while still largely made up of people from within the activity are also made up of actual "fans" from outside of the activity. Example, a huge number high school band students in America cannot WAIT for that "local DCI show" in their area. However, very few (in many or any at all) have the same drive to go to a local DCA show. It's just not where their interest is. Frankly, me neither. Not that I have a problem with DCA. I think it's great for those involved. I'm just more interested in DCI World Class and if I have to choose between one or the other, the money inside that very tight budget of mine is going to be spent on DCI, not DCA. Nothing personal. I just don't have a vested interest in DCA at this point in my life. Neither do I for DCI either, and that's the difference. DCA crowds are largely made up of those who have a vested interest. DCI crowds have that PLUS those who don't.

All of that to say, I think you are grasping at straws with your statements. But I'll eat my words if you can show me some figures.

Edited by JBman
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Can you please show some figures to back up these statements? It's really hard to believe your comparisons without statistical figures. Personally, I don't think you can even compare the two circuits. It's like saying that the Major League ticket sales are not growing at the same rate as community soft ball. Two completely different types of fans (even though some of that fanbase may be shared). Also, two very different types of ticket prices (if some community softball events even have ticket prices at all).

Lets be real here, DCA crowds are by in large people who are connected to the DCA activity. DCI crowds, while still largely made up of people from within the activity are also made up of actual "fans" from outside of the activity. Example, a huge number high school band students in America cannot WAIT for that "local DCI show" in their area. However, very few (in many or any at all) have the same drive to go to a local DCA show. It's just not where their interest is. Frankly, me neither. Not that I have a problem with DCA. I think it's great for those involved. I'm just more interested in DCI World Class and if I have to choose between one or the other, the money inside that very tight budget of mine is going to be spent on DCI, not DCA. Nothing personal. I just don't have a vested interest in DCA at this point in my life. Neither do I for DCI either, and that's the difference. DCA crowds are largely made up of those who have a vested interest. DCI crowds have that PLUS those who don't.

All of that to say, I think you are grasping at straws with your statements. But I'll eat my words if you can show me some figures.

ok if you want to be real here,let's use some facts. The DCA game is similar, and yes it has some differences...like the schedule and the age things. Easy enough, everyone can agree, so let's get past those.

Many DCA fans are connected to ALL aspects of the activity...DCI, DCA, and Alumni corps. I know if I go to DCI Finals, I'll see many faces again a few weeks later at DCA finals. Even better, some of them I'll see on the field performing at DCA...even better!

Your mileage may vary on kids attending shows, mainly because of the regions involved. I attended two regular season DCA shows last year here in PA, and there were a ton of kids in the stands at each show. Sure, many had connections to teachers that may have been marching. You may not see that elsewhere because the regions outside of the NE are relatively new, minus the upper midwest.

So, while you say DCI will have people who care about DCI and DCA and those who could give a #### about DCI, DCA will have the same thing, they just could give a #### about DCI.

the DCA game has been changing rapidly...and some DCA events even have hgiher pricing than you'd expect. Now it doesnt cost as much to run a DCA event as it does DCI, and that will reflect in the ticket prices. Then again, many DCI shows don't cost what a YEA show does either.

Both DCI and DCA have plusses and minuses. It's best to have an understanding of both instead of coming out here, making assumptions and bashing one another. Remember, for the most part,until the late 90's DCA was primarily North East only plus Minnesota and some years another corps coming in ( Boys of 76, Kilties, Chicago Vanguard, Chichago Connection). The real growth in All Age corps has not even been happening for 20 years yet, and the numbers have leveled off a bit recently, but it's showing more growth than the DCI side because of the opportunities availale outside the NE that didn't exist 20 years ago.

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If C2 is still around in 2015, I'd put money on it being in DCI, not DCA.

I just don't see it working out, as I don't see the DCA community really ending up embracing them... particularly when they are going to absorb a good amount of the young talent in the region.

Also, C2 is not going to DCA because of the circuit, but because it is an easy entry for their them with a sort of weekend model. If finances improve, they would likely adjust the model, which would mean changing circuits.

since someone revived this thread, this poststruck me as the one with the most fallacy.

why? As I talk around he DCA world, it seems no shortgage of eligible kids are in Bucs, Cabs, Fusion and others. Yes C2 has bodies and presumably talent. But they haven't quite killed everyone off the way you assumed.

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Cool. I'll match to the DCA corps of your choice if I'm wrong. :-)

(btw - I don't know that they would move to open class, specifically... who knows what open class will actually look like in 2015 or if there might be other options by then).

the $300,00 question is first if they are still around. Was C2 evaluated by DCI like other DCA corps have been?

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