kevingamin Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 We've seen what SoundSport, DCI Open Class corps, competitive marching bands, and indoor units can do with a weekend only schedule. All-age corps can take the lessons which led to the success of these groups and apply them. Groups not from the northeastern United States now have a chance to build and improve. If you saw Minnesota Brass at SoundSport in Indy, they provided an example of what is possible in the new DCA paradigm starting next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 18 hours ago, kevingamin said: We've seen what SoundSport, DCI Open Class corps, competitive marching bands, and indoor units can do with a weekend only schedule. All-age corps can take the lessons which led to the success of these groups and apply them. Groups not from the northeastern United States now have a chance to build and improve. If you saw Minnesota Brass at SoundSport in Indy, they provided an example of what is possible in the new DCA paradigm starting next year. SoundSport has gained a LOT of ground on the units outside the NE. I am not sure how the units that have made the move will feel about coming to DCI All Age. Alot will depend on how the changes really are. Who is really running? Will DCI really have full operational control over everything? And if its really a departure from the Same ole Same ole its a NE activity BS we have all heard from year to year. Probably a wait and see approach by many on the outside looking in to see if there are some real changes. Or if its just more of the same BS dressed up in a new costume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 13 minutes ago, camel lips said: SoundSport has gained a LOT of ground on the units outside the NE. I am not sure how the units that have made the move will feel about coming to DCI All Age. Alot will depend on how the changes really are. Who is really running? Will DCI really have full operational control over everything? And if its really a departure from the Same ole Same ole its a NE activity BS we have all heard from year to year. Probably a wait and see approach by many on the outside looking in to see if there are some real changes. Or if its just more of the same BS dressed up in a new costume. there;s so much unknown yet...it'll take time, but i think there will continue to be changes. but as a positive i've seen more PR for all age from DCI this year than i've seen from DCA in many years combined Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Holland Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Star United and Rogues Hollow both were soundsport groups. And both know how to program. Each has found their success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumlaw80 Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 (edited) Putting all "could have, should have, would have" aside, it's unbelievable and a little sad that the DCA journey as we all knew it our whole lives is coming to an end. It seems only yesterday, we were in Scranton, trying to get Renegade's foot in the door for the 2002 season. Or, when I was seeing my first drum corps show ever (1980 Reading Buccaneers, in Scranton). I see people say they miss Renegades. But we all do. Ditto for Brigs, Minnesota Brass and the rest. It was a very special couple of decades, a wonderful world within a world. I had more fun in Renegades than I ever did in SCV. Truth be told, even if we had successfully gotten DCA to level the playing field the bring about parity, I'm not sure DCA could have survived Covid, and maybe society changing in general, the growth of indoor etc. It's hard enough to keep the momentum going in a senior corps, let alone wit a few years taken off the field by a pandemic. To all my DCA friends out there, I miss you guys and hope you are doing well on your life adventure. Play LOUD. Lee 7 Edited September 2, 2023 by drumlaw80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Holland Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 Last years DCI finals attendance was a little over 20k paid and 6k in comps. (Staff, members, admin, volunteers) if all-age can sell even 3k one year and 6k the next, it’s a win. Heck, as long as it covered staffing costs of the operations for the event (since the stadium is already paid for the week) it’s a win. seeing the marketing, spellchecking, and operations of dci applied to dca groups can only improve the brand. Seeing dca “Info” posted this week for schedules and the amount of errors in names, and haphazardly thrown together presentation and social media posts just looks mom and pop, and this is for the flagship event. Cmon man. Having a full time staff to do this work is only a good thing. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 7 hours ago, C.Holland said: seeing the marketing, spellchecking, and operations of dci applied to dca groups can only improve the brand. Seeing dca “Info” posted this week for schedules and the amount of errors in names, and haphazardly thrown together presentation and social media posts just looks mom and pop, and this is for the flagship event. Cmon man. Having a full time staff to do this work is only a good thing. Not to mention the totally unprofessional treatment the alumni show is getting. I could not believe that announcer yesterday basically saying on his way out "oh, I forgot, there is an alumni show tomorrow, and I am only telling you that much because numerous people complained". He could not even tell us who would be performing - probably neither knows nor cares. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Holland Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 2 hours ago, cixelsyd said: Not to mention the totally unprofessional treatment the alumni show is getting. I could not believe that announcer yesterday basically saying on his way out "oh, I forgot, there is an alumni show tomorrow, and I am only telling you that much because numerous people complained". He could not even tell us who would be performing - probably neither knows nor cares. Well. Yes. That MC should be selling every possible thing they can. That’s the MCs job. Shame that they announced the event that way. Woof. But There’s two sides to this. One is an event that piggybacks on the operations of the flagship event. It’s a bunch of unaffiliated groups with no standards who show up on occasion and expect to play. They have no stake in this beyond their own once a year performance opportunity. They don’t bring much a crowd on their own. Do they send their own organizer or simply expect DCA to make it happen? “We want to do this so you need to make it work”. It feels like they just expect it to happen with no help from them. They don’t often stay for the flagship event everything is centered on, and they need that flagship event to be successful for the continuation of what everything else the weekend is based around to exist. The other is a mom n pop operation that does all the leg work from a part time volunteer office. It’s a circuit that needs at least a few full time staff to generate revenue, handle marketing and operations, but is stuck in a decades old method mindset of “every show and every corps for itself”. And sometimes this worked, until it didn’t. And as organizers retired, as corps operators retired (sometimes with debt, sometimes with legal issues, other times with no one wanting to take over the corps or show) the lack of an actual central full time office wasn’t able to keep these old show relations going. And then everything about the flagship weekend gets put on hold until the very last minute. Which if you haven’t at least worked out time constraints and sequencing of your events in time to market them, why would anyone show up to buy a ticket? At what point does the low bar discourage people from buying tickets? so these two things can’t be successful if everyone isn’t willing to put a real stake in the game. Which for dca it’s felt like no one has had a real stake in the game for a very long time except for a few choice groups. But they only want their success, not anyone else’s. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Windish Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 There is truth in your assessment, Chris. My brief tenure on DCA Staff (2006) revealed much the same roadblocks. While I thoroughly enjoyed DCA and its people in that capacity, the reality was most impediments to my strategy came from DCA itself, and its corps. But, I wanted to “give back,” so was determined to complete the season. It was clear, the chance for improvement was limited, so I walked away. Perhaps, the link-up to DCI helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 26 minutes ago, Fred Windish said: There is truth in your assessment, Chris. My brief tenure on DCA Staff (2006) revealed much the same roadblocks. While I thoroughly enjoyed DCA and its people in that capacity, the reality was most impediments to my strategy came from DCA itself, and its corps. But, I wanted to “give back,” so was determined to complete the season. It was clear, the chance for improvement was limited, so I walked away. Perhaps, the link-up to DCI helps. DCA is the corps just as dci is. The president or ceo or whatever term used isn’t an all powerful dictator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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