ajlisko Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 I never got a 'release' in moving from one corps to another in the off season. I moved twice, from a parade corps to a GSC corps after the 67 summer and then from the GSC corps to Garfield after the 69 season. I can't think of anyone who did that in my direct experience, but of course that is just one small anecdotal experience. Maybe some corps or geographic areas were more stringent about them. Hey Mike ... not that I was in your 'direct' experience, but the Bpt PAL required me to get a "Release" from St. Raphael's earlier in the 60's ... both corps were in the Penn-Jersey circuit, but mainly competed in "open" shows ... I think it was a good rule ... certainly made me do some self-reflection even as a teen ... I still remember the day Fr. Yoya hand-wrote the release in front of me and wished me well ... I was pretty well know on the I&E circuit at the time and a lot of my friends from other corps were surprised when I showed up in a Buc's uni one weekend and a PAL uni the next ... for me personally, it was a good move ... met my wife in the PAL ... she came over from the CT Royal Lancers ... no release required though - they disbanded ... Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Hey Mike ... not that I was in your 'direct' experience, but the Bpt PAL required me to get a "Release" from St. Raphael's earlier in the 60's ... both corps were in the Penn-Jersey circuit, but mainly competed in "open" shows ... I think it was a good rule ... certainly made me do some self-reflection even as a teen ... I still remember the day Fr. Yoya hand-wrote the release in front of me and wished me well ... I was pretty well know on the I&E circuit at the time and a lot of my friends from other corps were surprised when I showed up in a Buc's uni one weekend and a PAL uni the next ... for me personally, it was a good move ... met my wife in the PAL ... she came over from the CT Royal Lancers ... no release required though - they disbanded ... Andy Yup...that is why I was careful to say it was my own experience/knowledge. I also wonder if the practice in general got less and less stringent through the 60's into the 70's. I don't really know. One GSC Corps I taught in the mid/late 70's in the GSC had a group of kids from another GSC corps join, but it may have been the same sitation as your wife - their own corps may have disbanded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajlisko Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Yup...that is why I was careful to say it was my own experience/knowledge. I also wonder if the practice in general got less and less stringent through the 60's into the 70's. I don't really know. One GSC Corps I taught in the mid/late 70's in the GSC had a group of kids from another GSC corps join, but it may have been the same sitation as your wife - their own corps may have disbanded. So ... not to derail this thread (although it took a left turn earlier), I remember releases mainly being required by the Greater NY Circuit ... and any corps that came under Ma Bernert's scrutiny ... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drilltech1 Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 (edited) Yup...that is why I was careful to say it was my own experience/knowledge. I also wonder if the practice in general got less and less stringent through the 60's into the 70's. I don't really know. One GSC Corps I taught in the mid/late 70's in the GSC had a group of kids from another GSC corps join, but it may have been the same sitation as your wife - their own corps may have disbanded. Two points to add to this part of the conversation. All Catholic sponsored units with any CYO affiliation had to get a release if a member switched from another CYO affiliated unit; this was true until the late '70's and was true nationwide. It was also a policy of some American Legion governance in some parts of the country. Often however, the kids had no knowledge of this and it was handled director to director. The reason for it was to prevent raiding, to maintain parish involvement, and to make sure when the bishop made transfers, that units didn't wholesale church shop following a favorite cleric who might be the chaplain, parish liasion, or even the director. I know it was true in the NY, NJ, Boston, and Chicago units until the whole issue of maintaining parish schools were given a greater priority; regionalization of programs and schools ended the demands as did the arrival of DCI. I was part of the discussions at the early DCI rules congresses and I know the topic came and went several times. The issue usually revolved around trooping after instructors, who left what corps owing them money while trying to sign up for another; the directors were more concerned about inheriting someone else's problem and not having their bills paid. Formal release requests gave way to the Corpsdata accounting method of profiling individual marchers and relying on respect unit to unit rather than a written statement. However, I think many know of ancecdotal accounts where some marching members moved and the new directors did not worry about past payments but only that their own bills would be paid. The mid-70's slew of disqualifications due to falsified birth certificates within the experience of several DCI corps got the greater priority of discussions. The release requirement gave way to the discussion of the happiness/satisfaction/education of the member and who wanted a disgruntled participant in their unit. The computer age of checking records and histories made the matter moot eventually. Edited September 19, 2013 by drilltech1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 I was part of the discussions at the early DCI rules congresses and I know the topic came and went several times. Right on. When I left Suncoast to go to the Blue Devils, I was required to secure a release. At that time, DCI had a rule requiring any corps transfers, or anyone who had attended a camp with one corps to get a release from that corps if the move was made after (I want to say) March 15th or so. In my case, I had attended camps with Suncoast in January and early February, but had already quit when I made the decision to go west. But since it was early April at the time, I had to get a release. It wasn't an issue. I couldn't tell you when that rule changed, but as you described, it did. As for DCA, I know that as of at least 2005, there were no rules at all concerning transfers. We had two folks quit Bucs that year only to appear a week later in another corps...in July. I want to say that Bucs had a case of that this past summer as well, but I can't say for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Matczak Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Right on. When I left Suncoast to go to the Blue Devils, I was required to secure a release. At that time, DCI had a rule requiring any corps transfers, or anyone who had attended a camp with one corps to get a release from that corps if the move was made after (I want to say) March 15th or so. In my case, I had attended camps with Suncoast in January and early February, but had already quit when I made the decision to go west. But since it was early April at the time, I had to get a release. It wasn't an issue. I couldn't tell you when that rule changed, but as you described, it did. Many corps still do this in a related way,...........I know the west coast corps require a release to know there are no outstanding financial obligations to other corps before being considered for memebrship,....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyGuy66 Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 In it's TRAVELS, I think this thread has lost it's way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drilltech1 Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 (edited) In it's TRAVELS, I think this thread has lost it's way Are you seeking a "release" to get back on track? Summary of thread: Northeast corps do not regularly travel to compete with Southern, Western, and Midwest corps in non-Northeastern locales. Financing questions reveal how many corps in the Northeast are barely financially sustainable. Some feel Northeast runs DCA as a cartel. MBI proposed as a financial model to consider. Changing situations offer reflections on past practices. Edited September 19, 2013 by drilltech1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 In it's TRAVELS, I think this thread has lost it's way So what if it has? It's an internet forum, not a moderated made-for-tv discussion panel. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphy00 Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 They could, or not. Why? Give me more of a reason than "Why not?" Why? No one has really made any convincing case for why. No one. Just a drone to do it. From people who would readily jump on the bandwagon when they say the touring model and travel killed so many corps, including the Kilts. The best 'why' I can think of is it's for the good of DCA as an organization, including all the member corps. If you ask around the marching arts communities (high school bands, WGI drumlines and guards, etc) in this area if they had ever heard of DCI, the answer would be a resounding "YES". If you ask that same group if they'd ever heard of DCA, the answer would be a staunch "NO". Even when I started as a marching member in MBI in the late 90's it took me a couple years to really know what DCA was. I guess the biggest question to ask is; Does DCA want to grow? Does DCA care that few people west of Ohio (outside core drum corps nerds) have never heard of the 12-time DCA champion Reading Buccaneers? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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