kaseyW Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 (edited) (not the Astos or Padres, they flat out suck every year) I'm from Houston, and I take offence to this ! The Astros haven't sucked every year! The early 2000's and in the 90's were some of the best years for the organizations. The Astros went to a World Series, and the year before that they almost went to a WS. Edited July 13, 2012 by kaseyW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackstar Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 I'm from Houston, and I take offence to this ! The Astros haven't sucked every year! The early 2000's and in the 90's were some of the best years for the organizations. The Astros went to a World Series, and the year before that they almost went to a WS. You're right, I apologize for the Padres and Astros remark. LOL I do remember when they were pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmFlag61 Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 As I've posted elsewhere, Regional shows may be a Solution. Cutting down "Tour" costs & saving the $ for the "Big" shows and Finals. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaseyW Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 A regional circuit would be perfect. I can honestly remember that while my corps toured nationally, you didn't really get to "see America". I pretty much got to see a lot of different football stadiums and different middle schools, high schools, and colleges. Yeah there were a few cool sites, like going to San Francisco, seeing Mt. Reinier at one of the show sites, and going on the Chesapeake Bay bridge (which goes under water). Besides that, a lot of the "seeing America" is done at night, when the corp travels. Plus, touring nationally can be stressful on the members. The progression of audition camps, rehearsal camps, all-days, pre-tour (where the corps travels during all-days), regional tour, and then national tour, seems like a more "natural" progression. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I was told by a source who claimed he was in-the-know that the activity had five years left, max. I was told perhaps a handful of years after I aged out in 1977. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecamburn Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 (edited) Back in the 90s, when reading RAMD on a UNIX box, I remember reading threads like these. I'd estimate that approximately 33.56 percent of all DCP topics predict the demise of drum corps. I'm with Boo. Five years and you can turn the lights out. Edited July 13, 2012 by ecamburn 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookies Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I seem to have made an enemy in this thread.. First off, if you are going to -1 my posts because you don't like the idea, grow some balls and tell me why because guess what: you're being childish and your actions are not wanted in a brainstorming thread. Secondly, I'm sure you are the BEST coworker to work with EVER! Thank you to those who have identified what they see wrong with the salary cap idea. In a dream world, DCI finals would rotate from area to area though... no more echo chamber =) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 How many other activities are there where one group has 14 championships in a span of 40 years? The NBA's Boston Celtics. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacrificialclown Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 (edited) Did I just see the mother effin rangers mentioned in the same breath as the Yankees and Sox in terms of greatness? Think about what you just said, and wonder aloud if you would have said it four years ago. Secondly... People aren't as interested in community as they were, and that's been in rapid decline for a while. At this point you're either looking for the local corps for experience or shooting for Blue Devils (insert top 8 corps here), and not marching if you don't make it. Maybe that can be fixed. Maybe. At the end of the day you don't have as many people wanting to gear up and play with the little guy. Maybe it really does all boil down to a lack of parity, but that can't really be fixed in an amateur environment. *edited to note, I realize there are those people that choose to stay with the smaller groups because of the more personal experience it offers* The fact that there are only 3 corps in Texas, when Texas floods all of the top 12 with talent, is absolutely indicative of everything that's currently wrong with the activity. The mentality went from ... "represent your city/area/county/state" to... "You gotta march Cavies." (again interchangeable with Devils, Cadets, Phantom etc etc etc) Is it doomed? Probably not. The people really buying stuff are STILL the band kids that hope to march, the parents that will FIND A WAY to make it happen, and the few hat have ties to both of those groups that are just along for the ride. Third: I absolutely think WC status should only be awarded to the top 17 every year the way it used to work with quarter finals. Maybe that was a bad idea from a financial stand point, and maybe you restructure open class fees/rules/payouts to make it attractive to everyone that isn't WC. I don't know. Fourth: I still don't think woodwinds fixes it, but I see where his thoughts lie. Edited July 13, 2012 by sacrificialclown 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ordsw24 Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 (edited) I'm a bit of an outsider b/c I marched a while ago but I hardly see the activity as hanging by a thread. In the past 10 years, DCI has introduced Fan Network (watching live shows and downloading shows -- not sure if these are marketed and branded under separate names), a very novel approach to reaching out to audiences. If a Regional approach to the tour schedule were to be introduced, the FN could play an even bigger role in engaging audiences throughout the country who are unable to see the a more full slate of corps. Furthermore, the whole idea of expanding the movie theater concept is relatively new (past 10 years?) and innovative. As I have experienced w/ WGI, it's much easier to download shows as opposed to ordering bulky VHS/ DVDs and waiting for them in the mail (not that DVDs aren't still an option), and DCI developed and powers the system WGI uses, so they have obviously done something right. Also, the pageantry arts appear to be growing in other parts of the world -- videos posted to Youtube prove this to be the case, so DCI has room to expand internationally even if its domestic operations is strained by current economic conditions. Opportunities have to be created, and this is one area of potential. Technology and growth overseas are just two areas of potential for growth and stability in DCI. As with everything else, the drum corps activity has an optimum, or equilibrium number of member corps. Someone mentioned that no new corps were formed over the past year, but that no corps folded. Perhaps 45 corps is exactly the optimal number of corps the activity can sustain right now. I believe 20 or so World Class corps is totally viable. WGI World Class Independent has held steady around this number give or take 3 units for many years. Some groups fold, others take their place. There is only so many instructors, talent, resources, and membership interest to go around. Just like w/ an organism in nature, before DCI dies any sort of outright death, it will attempt to evolve in order to survive, and DCI appears to have been doing this. People make it sound like a dinosaur of an organization. With the development of the Fan Network, increased corporate sponsorships over the past 10 to 15 years, changes to the touring schedule and scoring system, and rule changes regarding electronics, it has shown it can evolve, innovate, and adapt to changing circumstances, so there is every reason to believe it can innovate and evolve going forward as needed. I am usually a fairly pessimistic person, but if THE worst economy in the history of the activity AND near record high gas prices haven't crushed DCI and member corps by now, barring a bigger economic crash, I don't see DCI dying anytime soon. In fact, if and when DCI does die, we will all have much bigger things to worry about because it will probably mean the end of the dollar and wide-scale economic collapse. Edited July 13, 2012 by ordsw24 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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