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How important is the competitive aspect of Drum Corps?


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1 hour ago, BRASSO said:

  I'm not quite sure what the OP's question is for us here.  Why would anyone want to pay money to sleep on gym floors, sit cramped in busses, work at practice from sunup to sundown, to then go around the country to do what ?.... 20-30 unscored  exhibitions in a 9 week summer period ? Only totally friendless people would want to do such a goofy group thing as that. 95% of normal kids wouldn't, thats for sure. I would imagine that if we deemphasized the competition aspect of the activity, then the product itself would quickly erode in quality too. Whats the incentive for the perfrmer to get better ? There is none. They are not paid.. If they don't get paid or receive scholies,, and there is no scores, placements, grades, competition, then who cares what your youth MB/ Corps sounds like in Greensfield, Iowa on a hot, humid summer nite in front of people you'll never see again in your life in about another hour ?  I didn't join Drum Corps in my youth to do unpaid, unscored, non competitive, exhibitions for my summers. If that was the offering, I'd have decided to go paint houses to make a buck in my summers, or some such instead. Do 20-30 exhibitions criss crossing the country to towns 1500- 2,000 miles from my home ? No..lol!,... I don't think so... lol.... Nobody I knew in Drum Corps would either. So why is the OP asking us this silly question ?

Why ask what my original question Is, only to write an entire #### page answering the question and providing your feedback?

I asked the question because I was honestly interested in everyones opinion regarding the importance of competition because each corps culture is different regarding the same.

Geezzz

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51 minutes ago, Stu said:

Read the chapter called, The Meaning of Competition, in the book, The Inner Game of Tennis, by Galway. It was introduced to me long ago by a great DCI designer and caption head, and it is still as relevant today..

Thank you.  I will definitely look into it

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1 hour ago, Ediker said:

I'm sure it's a wonderful read.  Can you share the gist of it?

Wow, a short synopsis of an entire chapter; ok I will try.  The book is sort of Zen, but the chapter I am referencing can be separated out of that philosophy.

Galway was turning pro with tennis when he decided to delve into the Art of the activity; to Experience Oneness, if you will, with it.  He also knew that the major aspect of the sport was competition; so as he traveled down the path of his quest of Artistic Excellence he continued to Compete.  Yet an astonishing thing happened; he got worse, not better, and he was hating it. Also, he was now being knocked out first round where he used to win the finals.  So, he sought advice from his dad.

His dad asked why he did not play to the weak backhand of his last opponent.  Galway replied that he wanted the player to experience the pleasure of the moment, the Artistic Expression of Excellence in Motion, not frustration of embarrassment of a poor backhand.  His dad then moved to asking a question about surfing, which Galway also enjoyed, because surfers also become one with the wave in their activity. The question was, Do surfers choose any ole’ small wave to become one with?  No, was the response from Galway. Surfers choose waves which will challenge them to get better; it is the only way to really experience becoming one with the waves.  The last question was back to the tennis opponent; How then can the other tennis player, or you for that matter, truly enjoy becoming one with the activity if neither is challenged to overcome their weaknesses?

It then dawned on Galway that to actually be a true friend was to actually become, for a moment, an adversary to the other person.  Only then can the both of them challenge each other enough to become one in what they are both are doing as an activity.  That is the true Art of Excellence; and that is the true Meaning of Competition.

There is way more depth to it, and Galway describes it much better, but that is a short synopsis.

Edited by Stu
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Just now, Tone Quality Matters said:

Why ask what my original question Is, 

 

  2 reasons... 1) what your motivation was... and 2 ) it seems obvious to most ( to me anyway ) that " competition "is a most, fundamental component to DCI Drum Corps. Understood as such, by all. So I did not know where you intended to go with this thread topic.

 That said, perhaps you could respond to your own question here, and let us know what your thoughts on it are. Maybe I was a bit too abrupt with my response, and my frustration too easily showed as I was  not sure what you were asking us, and where you wanted to go with this thread topic. So I'll be still now, and allow you to perhaps respond to your own question for us...  so you go...

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I've seen corps that posted scores on their food truck dry erase boards have issues internally.  fingers pointed when its not a number they wanted.  I worked for a group where one of the caption heads used to tell the kids to "make something two points better".  those kids eventually started to blame each other when the scores didn't go up like they were hoping, never knowing they were given a turd of a show that even if it was perfect, wasn't going to compete on the same level as the rest.

While the corps i've either marched in, or taught, seemed to have much better summers (even winning a division) when scores weren't discussed with the kids or emphasized as more important than the journey.  the kids were simply expected to handle performing at their highest level every rep, and the staff need to coach/clean or rewrite to help improve the show and manage the numbers. 

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2 hours ago, Ediker said:

Scores?  Yes.  Why not?  Would it make sense to have a football team and not discuss touchdowns?

kids will want to understand why their number is what it is. should it be the over riding emphasis? No

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1 hour ago, Bobby L. Collins said:

Competition is fine, so long as it is balanced with education.  Today, education has been tossed out the window in favor of what cannot even be described as competition, but rather as an arms race to see who can blow the biggest budgets and do the most ludicrous crap on the field.

says the educator

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21 minutes ago, BRASSO said:

  2 reasons... 1) what your motivation was... and 2 ) it seems obvious to most ( to me anyway ) that " competition "is a most, fundamental component to DCI Drum Corps. Understood as such, by all. So I did not know where you intended to go with this thread topic.

 That said, perhaps you could respond to your own question here, and let us know what your thoughts on it are. Maybe I was a bit too abrupt with my response, and my frustration too easily showed as I was  not sure what you were asking us, and where you wanted to go with this thread topic. So I'll be still now, and allow you to perhaps respond to your own question for us...  so you go...

I had no motive when asking the question.  I was seriously interested to read anyones position on the competitiveness of the activity with each corps culture having different approaches. There wasn't anything nefarious with my intent.  

My personal view is that I certainly understand the need to fully develop a given show to it's fullest potential and that the learning experience is paramount, but I do believe that competition and having a competitive edge can be lost at times.  It is a competitive sport.

 

Edited by Tone Quality Matters
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