What is the most pressing issue in DCI for 2023

[ykw]

46 minutes ago, greg_orangecounty said:

Finals has happened in Texas before but it was prior to the creation of DCI.  One of the worst experiences of my life. I think it was 325 on the field - or at least felt like it in wool/cotton long-sleeve cadets, black pants, and dress oxfords. 

1991 Finals were in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

[MikeRapp]

31 minutes ago, scheherazadesghost said:

I think folks are trying to prevent rainouts?

Yes. I would imagine indoors would be mandatory.

[ediblewaffles]

I would say safety and inclusion. Making sure that ALL members feel safe in an ensemble and not excluded due to their identity is going to be extremely important in not only DCI, but the future of the marching arts in general. 

Second would be finding a way to make the southern tour less strenuos weather and climate wise. There are a good number of domed/roofed stadiums here in Texas (The Star, AT&T, NRG, Alamodome, etc.) that could be used as locations. The Texas tour is extremely lucrative and losing it is likely not an option

[greg_orangecounty]

35 minutes ago, ykw said:

1991 Finals were in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

I did not know that.  Thank you. 

[Mello Dude]

Besides safety, affordability.  People that don't need drum corps are now the only ones that can do it.

[Vidal28Rdg]

38 minutes ago, Mello Dude said:

Besides safety, affordability.  People that don't need drum corps are now the only ones that can do it.

Ooooh, affordability is a big one👀

[oldbandguy]

I don't understand the "move out of Texas" comments.  The corps are there for about 5 days.  The attendance at the shows is among the highest of the year in DCI.  

Texas marching bands, football teams, soccer teams, etc. (and their fans) deal with the conditions for 3 months...not 5 days.  

No state contributes more to DCI corps in terms of membership.  Do we really tell those kids and their families we're not coming to Texas...because it's HOT?  The corps leadership have learned and have implemented ways to deal with the weather conditions in a safe manner.

I would be shocked to find ANY corps director in favor of dropping Texas from the schedule.

[Vidal28Rdg]

Just now, oldbandguy said:

I don't understand the "move out of Texas" comments.  The corps are there for about 5 days.  The attendance at the shows is among the highest of the year in DCI.  

Texas marching bands, football teams, soccer teams, etc. (and their fans) deal with the conditions for 3 months...not 5 days.  

No state contributes more to DCI corps in terms of membership.  Do we really tell those kids and their families we're not coming to Texas...because it's HOT?  The corps leadership have learned and have implemented ways to deal with the weather conditions in a safe manner.

I would be shocked to find ANY corps director in favor of dropping Texas from the schedule.

I keep hearing people say they’re there ‘till august, it’s at most 8 days, they’re already touring the southeast, making the turn up north when the calendar hits august typically where conditions aren’t that much better in bad years especially with the humidity down there. Florida itself has already been excluded from the tour entirely iirc. I don’t recall it being because of climate and weather, but for logistical reasons, but there’s many folks that say how unbelievably humid it is in those areas, where pretty much any show in Texas, aside from potentially Houston and the new Corpus Christi show, doesn’t compare to.

[scheherazadesghost]

1 minute ago, oldbandguy said:

I don't understand the "move out of Texas" comments.  The corps are there for about 5 days.  The attendance at the shows is among the highest of the year in DCI.  

Texas marching bands, football teams, soccer teams, etc. (and their fans) deal with the conditions for 3 months...not 5 days.  

No state contributes more to DCI corps in terms of membership.  Do we really tell those kids and their families we're not coming to Texas...because it's HOT?  The corps leadership have learned and have implemented ways to deal with the weather conditions in a safe manner.

I would be shocked to find ANY corps director in favor of dropping Texas from the schedule.

As a daughter of Texas and the high caliber band system there, I'm the last to advocate for this!

I think the argument stems from the fact that global weirding will only cause hotter and crazier weather. If Texas' weather get's more Texas-y, it'll only get hotter. If it pushes member safety, it's not worth it.

I haven't seen how corps handle this now so I won't BITD anyone here. Suffice to say their records on safety don't garner my immediate trust and I think it's fair to demand transparent proof that they've improved in heat mitigation and other areas.

I don't think it'll ever happen for the reasons you pointed out. But also, Texas kids can handle that extreme heat so of course they wouldn't want to lose that part of tour. The Texas leg was always season-defining for me. But it's very Texas-centric to force that upon other MMs if it gets much worse than it is.

The point is to alleviate stessors, not maintain or increase them. If corps can (or are already) working at cooler hours of the day or are indoors, that's different. I'd argue that a LOT can be accomplished off the field on hot days.

Again, safety first. Not what people want or what makes money.

[Jeff Ream]

3 hours ago, greg_orangecounty said:

Finals has happened in Texas before but it was prior to the creation of DCI.  One of the worst experiences of my life. I think it was 325 on the field - or at least felt like it in wool/cotton long-sleeve cadets, black pants, and dress oxfords. 

you mean like 1991?