2005 DCA SOUTH REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

[TammiB]

I thought that the show and the facilities were fantastic. The hospitality was great. The band director and Heatwave allowed CV to have the band room for the entire day (air mattresses, sleeping bags and all), which made all the difference in the world after the drive down. Having the concession stand open early for us to eat dinner and the convenience of having showers so close (and available after the show).............just a great set up. By far the most organized that I've seen this year.

Thanks to Vic and all of Heatwave for being such gracious hosts. Thanks for playing for us at retreat............and thanks so much for the after party. What a great weekend!!! ^OO^

[Lancerlady]

Hey LancerLady,

How about doing a review of the show?

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Okay, I'll do one tomorrow, getting tired now. :)

I fell in love with Corpvets that's for sure. That "Open Wide' arrangement and 'Strawberry Soup...WOW! I thought the whole show was great!

[Pit_Girl_77]

I thought that the show and the facilities were fantastic. The hospitality was great.

I agree. Gulf Coast Sound was able to use a huge practice field to work out the kinks from the bus ride, and the locker rooms were very close to the show site-showers had hot water! Even though it rained buckets before the show, the field seemed to be in good shape with the exception of the 2 feet of grass next to the track.

Everyone we came in contact with was very nice and helpful. The crowd was great-many sat in cars for over an hour waiting for the rain to let up and the gates to open.

The ride there and back was long, but it was a great weekend!

Barb Wendt

Govies 1996

Gulf Coast Sound 2005-as long as possible B)

[mdsandz]

It can’t be said enough: Thank you Vic and Heatwave for hosting a great show! Great facilities, great support, great field. The band boosters even chauffeured our bus drivers to their hotel so the bus could stay at the show site. It rained like mad for four hours and the field was still one of the best I’ve ever marched on: no mud, no sponginess, nice low cut just higher than a golf green. The folks in Florida know how to lay a field to take some water!

The crowd was great and responsive. Not many audiences would stick around for an hour or so rain delay but the stands looked full between the 30’s when I was on the field. Sure, they weren’t sitting cheek to cheek but a bigger crowd than Gulf Coast Sound has seen at shows we’ve driven a lot more miles to get to.

DCA South is becoming a real community of drum corps.

Alliance: One of the best first- year DCA corps ever

Gulf Coast Sound: Bigger and better every season

Shenandoah Sound: Some of the toughest SOB’s in all of drum corps

Heatwave: Always innovating while maintaining their unique character

CorpsVets: Taking the CV style to a new level year after year

[mdsandz]

Let me preface my remarks by stating that I do not speak for the staff at MCL.These are my own thoughts/observations and suggestions.

That sounds like a really cool idea.

If that is true,,I would love to see Winston Salem be the next host.IT seems that the city is ripe for a regular circuit of drum corps show to come busting through thier town.

Heaven forbid DCA does not have championships in 2006 but if they choose not too.Having a DCAS south show there will really generate a lot more attention to WS and keep it in the minds of DCA for 2007.

The good folks at Corpsvets did a excellent job of hosting the Rockmart show.That is another good location to look at.Atlanta is also a good central meeting spot for most of the corps involved in DCAS.

I like the sound of that but Nashville is a very political town.Titans stadium would be impossible to get.Vanderbilt would be a great place but very expensive.That leaves us begging for scraps at high school stadiums.It certainly will be a challenge to find the right place but MCL has some real smart people on staff.I am sure they are up to the task of finding a suitable location in the event the finals ever finds its way to Nashville

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CorpsVets hosted the first DCAS Championships. There were some weather issues last year so all the South member corps wanted Heatwave to have a chance to put a championship- quality show together without all the wind. They did so nicely on Saturday night.

[camel lips]

CorpsVets hosted the first DCAS Championships.  There were some weather issues last year so all the South member corps wanted Heatwave to have a chance to put a championship- quality show together without all the wind.  They did so nicely on Saturday night.

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Thanks..I hadn't realized that.So there is a rotation in the venue????

[hurcwave]

Thanks..I hadn't realized that.So there is a rotation in the venue????

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At the DCA meeting toward the end of the year, the DCA-S corps sit down and discuss who is willing to sponsor a show. Its a big risk for us all. Then dates are disussed. The first year, Rockmart held the Championships....then Last year it went to Orlando as we had the August date, and also CV and Gold opted to do back to back shows in July to help offset cost issues for the corps'.

Last year, we were struck a week before with a hurricane, and even though the show went on.... it wasn't easy.

This year, originally, Heat Wave had the July date with Rockmart being August and Carolina waiting to see what was to happen with Winston/Salem. We ended with two DCA-S shows. A conflict occurred for Rockmart and CV & HW switched dates. Also, as Mark stated, the DCA-S corps' repeatedly stated dueing the January meetings, they would like to see HW have another opportunity to run the championship show with the hopes of no more wind storms knocking us around.....the rain..well we know in the South it occurs everyday in the summer.

Next year, the DCA South corps' hope another city will be added as a contest site and possibly a new championship venue will be voted on to help promote not only our corps' and our region, but DCA and the All Age movement!

Thanks to CorpsVets, Gulf Coast Sound, Shenandoah Sound, Alliance & Jackson Generals for making the trip to Orlando and providing all of us with great performances and wonderful comraderie. I do appreciate it.....next year...my hope is that all the DCA South corps are able to support the region 100% .....

[Sabrediva]

Thank you Heat Wave and St. Cloud band parents and kids! I agree with Tammi that the hospitality was wonderful. I enjoyed chatting with some of the members from other corps and look forward to continuing the fellowship in Scranton. See ya'll there!

Edited August 23, 2005 by Sabrediva

[Reed]

Vic,

I can speak for MCL, and say that we also hope to be able logistically to do that next year. This year just wasn't in the cards for us to do a long trip in the middle of August. We had long meetings about the possibility of doing it, believe me! Hopefully, as we get our infrastructure established even more, we will be able to do everything we want to do. Right now, we are focused on establishing a strong corps that will be around a long time with members who want to be a part of it year in and year out. Several of our members were simply unable to commit to two long trips within 2 weeks of each other (ie. Orlando and Scranton). Obviously, Scranton won out.

We at MCL also have a goal of the corps never becoming in any kind of debt, not even for 1 day. This has been the mantra from day 1, and will continue to be as too many corps through the years have folded due to financial concerns. We refuse to go near that scenario. Our decision to skip Orlando this year was also born out of our own anal-retentive fiscal responsibility (thanks to our hometown guru, Dave Ramsey). We might could have swung the expense, but we chose not to risk the future on one show.

Please know that we all at MCL love and respect our friends in DCA-S. We all thank you guys for making the circuit what it has become. We look forward to being an active, even vital member of the circuit for years to come. See you all in Scranton!

Jim Reed

PC - MCL