gsksun4 Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 (edited) 15 years drinking beer is still normal in NOLA haha jk...kinda Speaking of crawfish...I desperately need some crawfish in my life right now. If you ever come to NOLA there is a place called Salvo's in Belle Chasse that has great crawfish! All this reminds me of the late chef Justin Wilson. "I gar-on-tee!" Kind of miss that guy on the tube. When I first moved to Florida, I was driving along this road next to an open field and I saw a horn arc, with contras. I went, WTF??? Who are they? We stopped and got up close. It was the Suncoast Sound. It was spring, but already warm and the shirts were off and the towels were out. A few vets were telling the new comers, ya think this is hot, think Birmingham, 110 in July! Hot is hot, wherever you are and the humidity doesn't help. We usually don't see temps over 95, but that's near the gulf coast with a breeze. I wouldn't advise an outdoor show in Florida. Now, if you could hit the Lottery and rent out Tropicana Field, that's a different story. Edited May 8, 2013 by gsksun4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Just realized that there are zero Florida shows this year. Kinda sad and strange. Isn't DCI missing a huge opportunity to reach out to a ton of marching musicians in Florida? I was just reminiscing with some old friends last night about drum corps tours in FL. We all agreed it was absolutely awful in every way. Poor venues for the shows, poor rehearsal facilities, really poor housing, crappy weather, really low attendance of the multiple DCI Championships, etc. There seem to be a plethora of reasons to not have a stand-alone show in FL, or even a big regional. Sorry Floridians; my grandparents lived in FL, and I spent my summers there every year growing up and had a blast. But FL as a drum corps stop seems to pretty much suck. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 (edited) I was just reminiscing with some old friends last night about drum corps tours in FL. We all agreed it was absolutely awful in every way. Poor venues for the shows, poor rehearsal facilities, really poor housing, crappy weather, really low attendance of the multiple DCI Championships, etc. There seem to be a plethora of reasons to not have a stand-alone show in FL, or even a big regional. Sorry Floridians; my grandparents lived in FL, and I spent my summers there every year growing up and had a blast. But FL as a drum corps stop seems to pretty much suck. The summer heat and humidity could be offset the same way DCI offsets heat and humidity with their current regional summer shows in hot and humid Texas, Georgia, and even Finals Week in August in Indy, with shows in indoor, A/C, stadiums. For inclusion in the DCI summer tour schedule however, distance seems to be the biggest drawback for Florida, imo. Much of Florida is removed from many of the other scheduled DCI summer shows and logistically would stretch the geographical map of the summer tour even beyond its already stretched basis. So my guess, distance is Florida's biggest drawback to being added to the current DCI summer tour schedule. We could say the same thing about comparatively comfortable and cool summer weather Montreal, Que. too. DCI used to have shows here, including its Championships. Well attended too. But today, its too far away to make logistical sense anymore. Edited May 9, 2013 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoltonH178 Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 Orlando, 2005 has a lot of special memories for me; 2008 as well. The 2009 rainout was a crying shame. It would be great to see BAC, Glassmen, or any corps looking to maintain an active and healthy Florida presence put a little muscle behind the brand. In fact, maybe I've just stumbled across the answer...a show organized by both the Glassmen and the Boston Crusaders for the sake of Florida's competitive marching arts programs which are vastly underutilized in the DCI market. But the rot needs to stop. DCI may lose an important contributor to the creative culture of outdoor pageantry, one that has defined a very unique identity, pushed the creative envelope further than any other group, carried on the legacy of the third-longest DCI legacy, shattered Division rankings to make finals, and defined itself as a creative powerhouse at the high school and indoor levels with smashing WGI and BOA as well. Howard Weinstein, Kevin Ford, Robert W. Smith, Frank Williams, and quite a few other guys cut their teeth at Suncoast Sound, coming in 2nd in brass in '86 with a hornline that averaged 15 years old. There are many Floridian members of the Hall of Fame. I know that the generation of instructors I had the privilege of would be proud to see competitive outdoor pageantry make a stronger mark in Florida. Florida could be just as relevant in DCI as Texas, which despite San Antonio's relative distance, is no further logistically than Orlando. Not to mention that travel to Florida in the summer months is CHEAP, meaning many corps fans can consider making a real vacation out of a large central Florida show. Maybe we can talk them into letting us use the Trop At any rate, FL is a smart investment for DCI relative to where it's at now. There is a large population of high school students who could be converted to a more competitive marching arts approach, and to supporting DCI as part of that. I would love to see a smart organization take advantage of the opportunities of the 4th largest state in the union having 1 World Class drum corps rehearse in-state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlejaw Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 My drum corps experience with Florida, more specifically Orlando has actually been a pleasant one. Sure there was a need for brass arc inside the school instead of on the field but the weather was certainly not the worst we had seen all season. While the crowds were up there with the best all season, housing site was fantastic, Disney World was a plus, and the fans at practices were great in number and cheering during run throughs. Florida will be missed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoltonH178 Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 My drum corps experience with Florida, more specifically Orlando has actually been a pleasant one. Sure there was a need for brass arc inside the school instead of on the field but the weather was certainly not the worst we had seen all season. While the crowds were up there with the best all season, housing site was fantastic, Disney World was a plus, and the fans at practices were great in number and cheering during run throughs. Florida will be missed. You make it sound like an epitaph! Although I suppose that we still haven't seen a drum corps show here in four years now. Maybe it is con te partiro por amor di Orlando...which is a shame, but also an opportunity. A corps that dedicates itself to tapping some of the pent-up energy in Florida, particularly in Winterguard, will be rewarded richly. For instance, having audition camps by Phantom Regiment in Tallahassee, GlassCrossmen in Tampa, Boston Crusaders in Bradenton/Sarasota, Santa Clara Vanguard in Orlando or Gainesville, and Blue Devils and Cadets in Miami would be much more appropriate for the 4th largest state in the country--I don't see any good reason for such a large market as the state of Florida to not aspire to a level of drum corps activity comparable to a major city in the activity like San Antonio or Indianapolis, let alone the major states of Texas and Indiana. Further, the restricted market hurts the growth of professionals from a culturally unique area of the United States. I remember having a conversation with Brian Hickman where he noted the great groups and programs to come from Florida. Florida still has a role to play in the activity, and I thank the Boston Crusaders without whom Florida would be a drum corps desert, but there needs to be changes, there needs to be investment, and there needs to be competent management on a level larger than a single corps can affect in order for competitive outdoor pageantry to not lose out to Florida GatorSeminole Halftime Style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSU GRAD 82 Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Since I'm made of sugar, I wouldn't have made it. I salute your ability to deal with that. And I would think drinking would make it worse. I envision myself face down on a practice field somewhere, soaked in sweat and being eaten alive by mosquitoes.You Yanks are such delicate little flowers. BTW, we drink A LOT of water and sports drinks when practicing outdoors down here. It's not that bad if you grow up in it and are used to the heat and humidity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 (edited) You Yanks are such delicate little flowers. Our petals have the fragrance aroma of the finest French perfume, however. Edited May 12, 2013 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 My drum corps experience with Florida, more specifically Orlando has actually been a pleasant one. Same here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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