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Tampa Bay Thunder moving back to DCI


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Posted on the Thunder Facebook page:

Thunder moving to new league!

The Tampa Bay Thunder Drum and Bugle Corps was formed in 1999. During the 2000 & 2001 seasons it competed in DCI Division II/III, then after a 10 year absence from the activity Thunder returned to the field in 2011 in DCA competition. DCA provided our members an opportunity to participate in the drum corps activity at a significantly reduced cost and time commitment.

We would like to thank all those at DCA for having us participate in the limited events we have done so during the past three summers, giving our members exposure to the DCA circuit. It is our belief that being a Florida based drum corps and the intermittency of participation, performance opportunities, and the extended season until Labor Day weekend is not what our members and staff were looking for.

The average age of Tampa Bay Thunder during the past three years was 16.5 years old with some older members mixed in. These individuals want the opportunity to compete at the highest level without a 20 plus day gap in between shows and the organization wants to provide such an opportunity. We have also found that operating the corps on a part time basis creates a less committed group of individuals.

The Tampa Bay Thunder will be hosting its Open House auditions in November on Thanksgiving weekend at our Home Facility in Odessa, Florida. We are currently working on the announcement of some new staff changes and consultants to help guide us into the transition of DCI competition. As like any new corps or re-emerging corps, we will be subject to a DCI evaluation in the spring of 2014 and being part of DCA during the past three years has allowed us the time to be prepared.

The corps will also have a different look for 2014 as we continue to work the show concept and those announcements will be posted shortly!

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I threw that idea out there 2 years ago while I was with SD when Teal Sound was folding. My opinion is that we would better serve the members and our mission. They all want DCI anyway and we had to sell them on DCA (every year). The big clunker in my opinion is the interference with school. We start earlier in Florida. Then add in the lack of competitions in the radius I can see having an Open Class Corps with limited schedule and probably the big show would be at Atlanta. If funds were available then on to Indy.

I do believe in the DCA concept of all age, weekend local drum corps but in Fla. it is very tough. Florida is always a good breeding ground for drum corps members but a Florida based corps has it's own unique problems. Teal Sound was a big success for a long time but I think they should have stayed in Open. Spartans do it well in Open and they even survived a management debacle.

The mission of the drum corps should be paramount and always striving in that direction.

I don't think its a bash against DCA but a move that will help TBT be a success. Florida may be more successful with one DCA and one DCI corps to satisfy the needs of all. This may also help SD as people will have a choice of direction.

Edited by paradiddle
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I believe that this is a very good decision by Thunder that will ultimately strengthen both their organization and the Sun Devils. Devils will be there for the all-age folks, and Thunder will do well in DCI Open Class. Thunder has a lot of good folks running things, and they won't grow the organization beyond its means.

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The DCA model simply is not the greatest in the Florida area, it is excellent for the Midwest and North East however. We were fortunate enough this year to have a show within 100 miles of our home base, however after that, the closest show is an 8-9 hour bus ride away. To top that off, the next show is 15-16 hours away.

The amount of time and money spent to drive to and from the standard 3 DCA South shows is enough to send a DCI Open Class corps on the road for 2 weeks, culminating at DCI Open Class Championships in Indiana.

DCA did provide a solid foundation for Thunder to get back on it's feet after taking a decade off from competition.

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You'll be missed in DCA, but I can't wait to see you perform in Indy next summer!

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Not a lot of options in Florida in either circuit. Hope they have money saved DCI's not cheap

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Not a lot of options in Florida in either circuit. Hope they have money saved DCI's not cheap

Yeah, I have to wonder about potential sticker shock myself. I have to wonder though if making one larger out and back might not cost that much more than the out and back trips and distances the corps has to cover anyway in DCA.

The thing is, if they have a committed corps of 17 year olds willing to pay up, absolutely, go for it.

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They could do a loop of 6 shows from La. Miss, Al and then Atlanta - go home - 2 wks off and then do Indy. With a lot of big corps probably 8 corps a night plus the Atlanta big show. This is what high school age kids want and can commit to. They want that DCI experience because that's what they relate to and hear from friends that already do it with others corps like Boston. Remember - they have a big connection with a bus company. Spartans used to do the same when they owned a bus company. DCI takes a different level of corp organization and experience - granted. I think TBT can handle that.

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