Performer safety

[RContra]

Safety is one area where all corps should benefit from a shared knowledge base.

I feel like this is the angle that really hits the nail on the head.

DCI really couldn't reasonably set up safety standards. Why? Because New things are invented every single year. This season, we had trampolines at Crown. We had essentially movable mini-stages at BD. I'm sure we'll see even more new things on the horizon. The creative and ultra-variable nature of the activity makes it nearly impossible to really create safety standards that wouldn't either be too constrictive or too porous.

That's where RickCogley's post comes into play.

What Crown did on its own with bringing in professionals for training, setting up usage guidelines, etc. was brilliant. And now, if someone else in the activity uses trampolines for whatever reason, there's a knowledge base and a group of people who I'm sure would be happy to spread that knowledge and provide guidance for groups.

I got to see Blue Stars' tarps up close in La Crosse and noticed that their outsides were all lined with what seemed like thin chains on the inside to weigh down all the edges. That's smart, and I'm sure an idea that's either been done before, or will be done by others in the future.

DCI staffs mostly all know each other with one or two degrees of separation at most. Regardless of competition, when it comes to member safety, we all want to share with each other for the sake of all of the members and the activity as whole. I'd be shocked to find anyone currently involved who would speak to the contrary.

As for technique safety, that's a whole other can of worms. I have a couple of exercise physiology research buddies who attended the La Crosse show with me this summer. Watching some of the high-velocity direction changes and all of the counter-indicative movement that every drum corps utilizes, they were cringing almost as much as they were applauding. Then again, every major sport has that element, whether it's hard cuts in basketball or bringing down a running back on the goal line in football. It's inherently risky to be involved in those high levels of athleticism, and instructors do what they can with technique to minimize that risk. If we wanted it to go away completely, we'd all march drill at 120bpm and use the floppy leg technique that was so prevalent in the 80s. Since visual demand calls considerably for more than that, we do our best to balance that performance with member health.

[Tim K]

I can't believe that DCI does not have a risk management person and a policy is not in place, if for no other reason that liability. If not, safety standards could possibly be an area where BOA could assist DCI. Schools always have safety first policies and often base these policies on the potential of what could happen.

[Sideways]

Think of all the plumes that have been shaken apart by stiff legged back-up techniques in the past. We must remember the plumes.

[OrlandoContraAlum]

Think of all the plumes that have been shaken apart by stiff legged back-up techniques in the past. We must remember the plumes.

[Kamarag]

I can't believe that DCI does not have a risk management person and a policy is not in place, if for no other reason that liability. If not, safety standards could possibly be an area where BOA could assist DCI. Schools always have safety first policies and often base these policies on the potential of what could happen.

You're absolutely correct, and DCI does have a risk management policy. When I was teaching, it was always covered with the staff early in the season by the director. There's also a poster that DCI sends to the corps that's a sort of reminder for health, safety, and behavior policies. We stuck it on the door of the equipment and food trucks so anyone could see it, kind of like a business would do in a break room.

[GUARDLING]

You're absolutely correct, and DCI does have a risk management policy. When I was teaching, it was always covered with the staff early in the season by the director. There's also a poster that DCI sends to the corps that's a sort of reminder for health, safety, and behavior policies. We stuck it on the door of the equipment and food trucks so anyone could see it, kind of like a business would do in a break room.

drum corps may be more active now than ever BUT it's never been more safe. BITD it's a wonder we all may it out alive...lol

[Sideways]

I don't think anyone goes for multi hour blocks without water breaks anymore. I remember that back in the mid 90's, particularly when visual rehearsal were not going well.

[luv4corps]

As a member of the audience at large, and a parent of a MM, I agree that at times, I find myself more concerned with the safety aspect of things happening on the field than how the corps are performing. I can't even count all the times I asked myself "Oh my God, Is that safe?" as I watched all the shows. One mistake could spell disaster.

This is a legitimate topic. I think a detailed discussion of just how safety issues are handled would be productive.

Sports, cheerleading, all of these activities have to adopt a set of best practices regarding safety. Drum corps is no different.

Edited August 11, 2014 by luv4corps

[Kamarag]

This is a legitimate topic. I think a detailed discussion of just how safety issues are handled would be productive.

No question. Unlike the old days, most corps have a full-time athletic trainer with first aid and CPR certification on the road with them (sometimes as a member of the teaching staff). Some even carry a registered nurse or EMT (one corps I taught had an EMT on the visual staff). Every corps staff I have ever been on has had some kind of emergency action plan.

I'll relate a story from 2009. Anyone on the road that year will remember the crazy sickness that hit several corps that summer. Crown and Cadets marched with a slew of holes for a few nights, and I think Crown even pulled out of one show (someone can correct me on that if it's wrong). Mandarins actually parked the corps in place for a couple of days, missing a show or two. The corps I was teaching with got hit hard as well, but while we were parked in place for a week of rehearsal. The corps director at one point shut everything down and the entire corps was bused to an emergency clinic for testing, treatment, and flu shots. Those medical release forms sure did get put to use that day.

DCI was involved in every decision, and was kept abreast of the situation by the corps. The health of the members, staff, and volunteers of the various corps was paramount.

[Henson]

Risk mitigation and risk management are not new fields. There are well defined best practices that can and should be used in the identification and mitigation of risks. Frankly, I trust the modern DCI groups to implement a lot of these practices, though there should be strong incentive for the organization itself to either clinic some procedures and sell them to the groups, or even mandate some type of performance and rehearsal risk analysis.

This, and other issues of liability, will be the next "copyright/permissions" problem faced by the marching arts world, and a lot of people are slow to wake up to it because they're chasing after the newer, bigger, better thing.

The people that concern me aren't the DCI staffs. I think they have the right people and procedures in place to do the right thing by the kids. My concern is the high school groups that try to emulate them. Someone brought up the example of tarps, and how much thought has to go into safely integrating them into a performance. Now extrapolate that out to the hundreds of high school groups who are using tarps on football fields around the country every fall - do you think they are making that same kind of effort to get it right, or even know to try? I don't think they are.

I don't mean to get preachy, but I've worked as event staff for BOA for a long time, and some of the crap I see high school groups try to pull makes me sick. If it were up to me, I'd ban tarps in high school competition entirely the way we've banned animals, pyrotechnics, props over 12', people standing on props without a safety rail, etc. I'm terrified to see how many middle-tier high school groups try to emulate the end of Tilt this fall, or Boston's pyramid. The effectiveness of communication in show design is important, but the kids and their safety are way, way more important. Those relative values need to be carefully weighed when you want to integrate some of these massive props and tarps in an outdoor environment, because these props are inherently dangerous.