2012 DCA Rules Congress - Baltimore, MD

[Fred Windish]

I don't know the answer, John. But, we better start thinking of alternatives!

I assume a rink without ice is probably cheaper than a rink with ice. As for seating capacity, anything with 2500 seats on one side will work for most regular season shows. Championships? No. Maybe for that we could do a big place in a major city.

The beauty of an arena product is NO weather worries, and the ability to have a 2pm and an 8pm audience on the same day.

[JimF-LowBari]

I'd say the DCA product we see now won't exist in its present form (obviously), but what about a DCA with maximum corps size of 80 performing inside a hockey-type venue?

Fire away!

Hope the acoustics at the newer hockey places are better than the old concrete barn at Hershey. Actually played there with a corps as people were coming in. The echo (10X) went down to about 4X once the place filled up. And some rock concerts were exercises in the volume of the live sound being cranked to drown out the reverb.

[Fran Haring]

I find curling fascinating!

Me, too.

I was especially fond of the Swedish women's curling team at the last couple of Olympics.

Seriously... I'm far from an expert on curling, but from what I've seen of it, it's a great game. All sorts of strategy involved.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Fran Haring

[Fred Windish]

Jim-

Thus, the smaller corps size. Maybe even smaller than 80. When I think of arena DCA, I think of many more participating groups, less buses, more spectator comfort, special effects, lighting, shared equipment, more than one show per date, etc.

We really should examine this type of thing. Agree?

[JimF-LowBari]

Jim-

Thus, the smaller corps size. Maybe even smaller than 80. When I think of arena DCA, I think of many more participating groups, less buses, more spectator comfort, special effects, lighting, shared equipment, more than one show per date, etc.

We really should examine this type of thing. Agree?

No argument on examining, just bringing up one of the problems that might be encountered is acoustics inside. For our standstill we were in a line along the main walkway as people (YMCA athletes) came in and filled in chairs on the floor. And the audience seating got more filled in as parents came in. Corps size about 50 but been a few years and IIRC was a weekday.

Let's not forget indoor arenas like the Farm Show in Harrisburg but (hate to be a wet blanket) the cost to rent is high. But there was at least one corps show there in the 60s (Penn-Mar or Interstate Circuit?). So let's not look at hockey arenas only.

Think smaller corps may be one of the best option to survive. And reading Nancis 1960s blog 80 members would have been a big corps back then.

Edited December 18, 2012 by JimF-LowBari

[Tuokaerf10]

But if it is only amplifying sounds, that does not change the palette of sounds at all.

That will no longer be true in 2014.

That's a quite valid point. Amps can be used very poorly. DCI went through some growing pains with that early on where the pit played the same and the volume was just turned up and it was a hot mess. Synths aside, check out SCV from this past summer for how I feel amplification can really add to the pit's contributions.

Does anyone know if the rule allows for a staff member to run the board?

[Fred Windish]

Jim,

As you well know, everything is relative. It is possible to provide all the "rock 'em, sock 'em" drum corps moments in a smaller, yet more workable, setting. These are difficult times for our activity. We need to adjust. The arena thing is just one concept. A better concept could be out there. Let's hear it, discuss it. The current model is showing some cracks. What shall we do?

[donincardona]

Hockey rinks yes, but...do the have big enough spectator seating? And even more importantly, will they be available at a reasonable price? I used to play hockey...I know what rink fees are like, and they are not cheap.

back in the mid to late 60's we used to have a show at the war memorial. it is a hockey arena. it was a compition we held in the early spring. cru , brigs, geneva and some juniors would compete in the show. peashey probably remembers it. it worked fine. in the spring the corps were smaller then the summer. it was fun to do. we had a compressed drill and we sounded really loud. so when DCA is doing it's collapse they can finish up doing that. so yea it's possible.

[OldStyleCorps]

I know that in 1976 That there was a Show in Madison Square Garden, in NYC. On the Hockey rink floor. Nice crowd as I remember.

Two sub stories.

At practice while redoing drill to fit the space I got hit with a flag pole. (out side we were more than 5 yards apart. Inside a Hockey space we were just a few feet apart.

Then the sad part for us (NYC Sky) we were beat by the other local NY Corps. (LI Sunrisers) Can not remember who else was in it. I think Cabs, Hurks, RI Mattadors) Maybe someone else from the show can remember, I can not find scores even on CorpsReps.

[Andyroo]

back in the mid to late 60's we used to have a show at the war memorial. it is a hockey arena. it was a compition we held in the early spring. cru , brigs, geneva and some juniors would compete in the show. peashey probably remembers it. it worked fine. in the spring the corps were smaller then the summer. it was fun to do. we had a compressed drill and we sounded really loud. so when DCA is doing it's collapse they can finish up doing that. so yea it's possible.

Back in the Fifties and Sixties there a number of shows held during the winter on hockey arena floors - the aforementioned Rochester War Memorial, Boston Arena, Quebec City, etc. There was extremely little drill - just start from a company front, march down the floor, and line up in a concert-type formation - because a full drill show wasn't the intent, but that could certainly change. Plus... The corps then were substantially smaller than they are today.

It's certainly doable.