irishbugle Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 (edited) I don't think that would ever happen, would it? I will say, the new uniforms bug me. I love looking at the alumni's uniforms... those would be the original? The competing corps kick pleats were made smaller, but they don't look right, some aren't hemmed right and sit 5 inches off of the ground. Just confirmed with a friend of mine who marched that no changes to the uniform were made this year. The last change to their uniform, which is when they shortened the kick pleats, was 2006. I don't recall seeing any member with uniform pants that out of wack but I didn't see the corps from your perspective either. I don't see how their uniforms hold them back (especially since visually, they scored consistently well all year) other than the fact they are not designed to hide anything unlike most other corps uniforms. Cabs will, at times, look visually dirtier than their competition even though their actually cleaner. Others just hide it better. Edited September 9, 2011 by irishbugle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 I just remembered that according to the Mayan calendar, the world is going to end in December 2012. The 2012 drum corps season will end before that. So we have that going for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithHall Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 The South shall rise!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 No kidding. But- at the risk of being sacreligious, maybe that's not such a bad idea. With visual programs starting to become more modern and more demanding having a uniform that would hide bad feet and make the performers look taller would help. (Of course black and blue is taken) They will have to come up with a great uniform, while still staying true to their heritage. Than they can pull out the traditional uniforms for their anniversaries. As much as I love kick pleats, they don't do a whole lot to hide bad feet. That's probably why they put such an effort into actually having good technique, since they can't hide it otherwise. Going back into a safe place now so. Making sure I'm not grounded so Coz's lightning bolt wont hit me. As far as staff- Hiring and firing isn't always the answer. When the design team is meeting in September and October, they just need to think REALLY outside the box and be creative. When a designer thinks... no way could we pull that off, maybe you need to stop and think..... well, can we??? What Bucs and MBI have done is taken that creative line between whats possible and whats not, and pushed it further towards whats possible. Couple that with a deep theme that offers a continuing story throughout the corps performance and you've got a show with championship potential. Step 2 is making sure you get and keep as many members as you can during the winter months. Be it a strict attendance policy, winter appearances that the corps proper performs at, or just an overall enjoyable atmosphere... corps win championships in the winter, not in the summer. ($1 to a great man who used to say that a lot) change change change...cha cha change change change change,...oooo thats the rumps...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrassMan Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 It is real great to see everyone here looking forward to DCA 2012. With the cost of just moving a corps to a contest and the money the contest sponsor pays them, it's a losing situation. Talking to one of the directors after Sunday night, who states that after this season the corps is in debt in the amount of over $50,000, you will probably see a few corps not make it to the field in a few years. They can't operate every year and keep losing money. Something has to be done. DCA (the corps) have to reach out and bring in the younger audience to help the sponsors pay to have the corps compete. It's not easy for a corps to spend upwards of $5000.00 per contest, just in travel expenses and be paid $1800.00 and then only perform to 250 people. I'm pretty sure the corps members are not happy about perfoming to small crowds after many hours of practice. I know there are shows that have large crowds, but I would guess many wish they could have a great crowd. If DCA is to suceed they need to fill the stadiums, make the shows interesting and entertaining to the genreal audience (not just the judges, playing for the judges is just going to make this art form disappear. And I hope the judges realize that if they don't start rewarding the corps that entertains they won't have a judging job any longer). DCA has to start thinking outside the box and make DCA an experience for people to enjoy. Contest sponsors should be looking to have a corps do a clinic like the DCI corps do and have the high school students watch the clinc and the show at a reduced rate. I would venture a guess that many high school band students know what DCI is and have no idea what DCA is. The Edge of Empire (the GE packed stage show after the mini-corps contest) is a start. Who ever thought about doing that was thinking outside the box. It's additions like this that might start bringing people to see a DCA contest, but, again, we have to get the people to realize there is competitve drum corps after DCI. Once they see DCA they might get hooked, not just as a spectatot but as a perfomer. I'm off my soapbox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixtysomething Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Just confirmed with a friend of mine who marched that no changes to the uniform were made this year. The last change to their uniform, which is when they shortened the kick pleats, was 2006. I don't recall seeing any member with uniform pants that out of wack but I didn't see the corps from your perspective either. I don't see how their uniforms hold them back (especially since visually, they scored consistently well all year) other than the fact they are not designed to hide anything unlike most other corps uniforms. Cabs will, at times, look visually dirtier than their competition even though their actually cleaner. Others just hide it better. Kilties have the same visual issues with their black shoes and the white spats. Even if there is very little phasing, it sometimes looks that way. And the kilt itself contributes as they don't all fall back and/or move the same with different shaped marching members. (Not to mention some have bigger "sporans" than others LOL)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron H Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 The actual loss itself will have no impact on Reading at all. They are not angry, they do not believe "we got screwed", or any of that nonsense. They know they were beaten by a superior corps in Minnesota Brass. You also might want to remember that while Minnesota Brass beat them, no other DCA corps was really all that close. So *that* undefeated streak is still very much intact. ... I agree. I look upon Reading much the same way I look upon the Blue Devils, Cadets, Cavaliers, etc. Those corps may or may not win in any given year but for going on 25 years now they have been playing at the top. Getting a ring or not appears to have little effect upon how they run their corps. Among the Open Class corps, MBI, the Caballeros and Empire and perhaps the Hurricanes also seem to be in this zone of stability. Excellence off the field translates into excellence on the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trumpetkilla Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Imagine Fusion finally pics Open class.... I feel they could upset some people next year if they did... And as everyone witnessed how they did not win Class A.. Size doesn't matter within a class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amysnook Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 (edited) It is real great to see everyone here looking forward to DCA 2012. With the cost of just moving a corps to a contest and the money the contest sponsor pays them, it's a losing situation. Talking to one of the directors after Sunday night, who states that after this season the corps is in debt in the amount of over $50,000, you will probably see a few corps not make it to the field in a few years. They can't operate every year and keep losing money. Something has to be done. DCA (the corps) have to reach out and bring in the younger audience to help the sponsors pay to have the corps compete. It's not easy for a corps to spend upwards of $5000.00 per contest, just in travel expenses and be paid $1800.00 and then only perform to 250 people. I'm pretty sure the corps members are not happy about perfoming to small crowds after many hours of practice. I know there are shows that have large crowds, but I would guess many wish they could have a great crowd. If DCA is to suceed they need to fill the stadiums, make the shows interesting and entertaining to the genreal audience (not just the judges, playing for the judges is just going to make this art form disappear. And I hope the judges realize that if they don't start rewarding the corps that entertains they won't have a judging job any longer). DCA has to start thinking outside the box and make DCA an experience for people to enjoy. Contest sponsors should be looking to have a corps do a clinic like the DCI corps do and have the high school students watch the clinc and the show at a reduced rate. I would venture a guess that many high school band students know what DCI is and have no idea what DCA is. The Edge of Empire (the GE packed stage show after the mini-corps contest) is a start. Who ever thought about doing that was thinking outside the box. It's additions like this that might start bringing people to see a DCA contest, but, again, we have to get the people to realize there is competitve drum corps after DCI. Once they see DCA they might get hooked, not just as a spectatot but as a perfomer. I'm off my soapbox While it would be great for a sponsor to be able to pay each competing corps $5,000, if a drum corps itself is sponsoring a show and invites five other corps to compete, you've already got yourself committed to a $25,000 layout months before you've sold a single ticket. Add to that stadium costs, practice field costs for the five corps, judges fees, advertising costs, DCA costs, the cost of a top notch exhibition like the Marine D&B, plus more, and you've got quite a lot of tickets to sell to cover all this AND try to raise some funds for the host corps. Throw in a hurricane that cancels the show and a year's worth of work goes down the drain. Your fundraiser nets no funds. You're lucky if your fundraiser doesn't end up in the red after ticket refunds. We've been graced with good crowds at Big Sounds (presales this year surpassed all to date) and the spectators have shown their appreciation for every corps, no matter which class they're competing in or how recognizable or eclectic the show. DCA corps are astonishing in the imagination used in coming up with show concepts each year. The mere variety is vastly entertaining. As for offering clinics, when I first took over as Chairman, I sent a letter to every band director in the county offering heavily discounted tickets for band members and listing practice sites for each competing corps. Not a single director took me up on the offer. Sometimes you can't even lead a horse to water. I agree that an idea needs to be hatched to better compensate corps for traveling to shows. It's extremely difficult to get local sponsors when there's only one competition close to home. They'd rather sponsor the local legion baseball team where their outfield fence sign is seen several times a week. This is an issue no matter where you ended up at finals. Edited September 15, 2011 by amysnook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 While it would be great for a sponsor to be able to pay each competing corps $5,000, if a drum corps itself is sponsoring a show and invites five other corps to compete, you've already got yourself committed to a $25,000 layout months before you've sold a single ticket. Add to that stadium costs, practice field costs for the five corps, judges fees, advertising costs, DCA costs, the cost of a top notch exhibition like the Marine D&B, plus more, and you've got quite a lot of tickets to sell to cover all this AND try to raise some funds for the host corps. Throw in a hurricane that cancels the show and a year's worth of work goes down the drain. Your fundraiser nets no funds. You're lucky if your fundraiser doesn't end up in the red after ticket refunds. We've been graced with good crowds at Big Sounds (presales this year surpassed all to date) and the spectators have shown their appreciation for every corps, no matter which class they're competing in or how recognizable or eclectic the show. DCA corps are astonishing in the imagination used in coming up with show concepts each year. The mere variety is vastly entertaining. As for offering clinics, when I first took over as Chairman, I sent a letter to every band director in the county offering heavily discounted tickets for band members and listing practice sites for each competing corps. Not a single director took me up on the offer. Sometimes you can't even lead a horse to water. I agree that an idea needs to be hatched to better compensate corps for traveling to shows. It's extremely difficult to get local sponsors when there's only one competition close to home. They'd rather sponsor the local legion baseball team where their outfield fence sign is seen several times a week. This is an issue no matter where you ended up at finals. Amy, send me an email. I may be able to help with some band contacts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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