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DCI Today and Div II/III


MCA

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I believe 2000 was the last year the top 2/3 corps got to compete in Quarters. In 2001 they started doing exhibition before Saturday Finals for the 2 champions. But now that 2/3 Finals are on Saturday morning, they stopped that as well.

2001. in 2002, if you committed to going D1 in 2003, they let you in

Edited by jeffsnewjetta
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It's not just publications that D1's seem to 'have it all'. Being on staff for a D2 this last summer gave me a unique perspective to the world outside Div. 1 corps...... alot of show hosts were less than hospitable, rules were bent for the 'big boys' (ie having to walk on the mat and not on the track when the div. 1s walked liked they owned the place) housing wasn't cute either. Yes folks, it's sad but I feel that DCI is dropping the ball on our II/III family. It's from these corps that feed into the DI corps of tomorrow or even better, develop the small corps into future DIs. A little more support wouldn't hurt.

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ok, i will play devils advocate for a second. While i wont neccessarily disagree with you, care to give specifics? we always here rumors or 9th hand versions.

since we keep hearing stuff but never specifics, care to give dates, places, hosts etc?

i mean if we really want this addressed properly, we need hard cold facts

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That's definitely true. To people that haven't actually experienced this kind of thing, it sounds like 2/3 is always just whining and complaining. But if you tell them about how in 2003, Blue Stars were housed 2 hours outside Orlando at an ant infested armory with no air conditioning, 2 working showers, with a "field" that is half sand/half grass/half fire ant hills, they start to understand a little better. Yeah, I know housing in Orlando was tough because most of the schools were in session, but come on! This was the worse housing I EVER stayed in, and we were there for a week!

When things like that happen, we suck it up and make the best out of it (like we worked it out with the school next door to be able to use their field), but it would be nice for DCI to put a little more effort into things like that for the 2/3s.

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That's definitely true. To people that haven't actually experienced this kind of thing, it sounds like 2/3 is always just whining and complaining. But if you tell them about how in 2003, Blue Stars were housed 2 hours outside Orlando at an ant infested armory with no air conditioning, 2 working showers, with a "field" that is half sand/half grass/half fire ant hills, they start to understand a little better. Yeah, I know housing in Orlando was tough because most of the schools were in session, but come on! This was the worse housing I EVER stayed in, and we were there for a week!

When things like that happen, we suck it up and make the best out of it (like we worked it out with the school next door to be able to use their field), but it would be nice for DCI to put a little more effort into things like that for the 2/3s.

My corps DCI provided housing in 03 was also the worst one I have ever had. They sent us to this really dirty school and put us in a practice wrestling room with this nasty wrestling mat on the floor and there were bugs EVERYWHERE...we only stayed there two days before our corps found its own housing site after finding that one so awful. It was by far the nastiest, most disgusting housing site I have ever stayed at.

Edited by ACM
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That's definitely true. To people that haven't actually experienced this kind of thing, it sounds like 2/3 is always just whining and complaining. But if you tell them about how in 2003, Blue Stars were housed 2 hours outside Orlando at an ant infested armory with no air conditioning, 2 working showers, with a "field" that is half sand/half grass/half fire ant hills, they start to understand a little better. Yeah, I know housing in Orlando was tough because most of the schools were in session, but come on! This was the worse housing I EVER stayed in, and we were there for a week!

When things like that happen, we suck it up and make the best out of it (like we worked it out with the school next door to be able to use their field), but it would be nice for DCI to put a little more effort into things like that for the 2/3s.

see thats the kind of specifics that need to be aired to make the powers see the issues. i dont feel it's whining if specifics are given

Edited by jeffsnewjetta
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This past year.....the DII I was with:

-Lisle, Il : There was a mat on the track that the corps 'had to stay on' when entering and exiting. I was on guard staff and had about 7 pairs of shoes in my hands (experimented with barefoot performance) and accedently stepped on the track....contest hosts/director chewed me out and spoke to me as if I were a child. I was a STAFF member for a D2. After the performance I wanted to see PR and Cavies, so I headed to the top to watch. The rest of the corps (at this time it was D1) were marching in, halfway around and ON the track, and off on the mat. Changes made to accomodate? Ok, but hypocritical.

Pittsfield, MA: I'm sure the standstill was memorable. HOWEVER, to have a show on a baseball diamond with the corps performing in the outfield was lame. All you could see was a mess of feet and frontline ensembles. Sad that this was the last show before finals week.

Finals Week: We were housed an hour north of Boston....this made our trek to shows over 2 hours in traffic and seriously trimming our rehearsal time to nothing. The site was nice, but you do realize that the corps themselves pay for the housing site that DCI gives them. The corps rehearsal site was an extreme uphill hike to an unmowed patch of pasture. I'm sure the Cavies, Southwind, and Colts didn't have to deal with this.

Theres 3 for you to chew on. Yes, theres more, but I'll stop with those at the risk of sounding crass and complaining.

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oh, I wanna play, I wanna play. As a previous tour manager, I can give an example or two... maybe.

2004, New Mexico. D 2/3 show. This show had actually gotten cancelled due to rain, but that's only the end of long problems for this show. There were 3 corps housed at the show site, Yamato, OC, and Fever. However, for one reason or another, the gym was not available for use. The hosts who I was talking too really weren't sure why, but that is what the district told them, or something. So instead, we (all 3 corps) had to use the performing arts building. Fever in one room, OC in the choir room, and Yamato in the band room. The show hosts originally wanted the drivers of all three corps to be in one room, and the staff of all three corps in another. However, none of the corps agreed to this. I ended up sleeping in a practice room with two other drivers. This was also when I dropped my phone into the toilet during a late-night relief effort.

I think the biggest specticle came with rehearsal facilities. Originally, the hosts wanted OC and Yamato to share a baseball field, taking turns per say. Again, neither corps would go for it, so our brass caption head at the time asked in his own way if Yamato could instead use the football stadium. I say "in his own way" because we ended up getting it... more or less due to... well, that'll stay in the corps.

Anywho... the hosts were having a bad weekend, plain and simple. After everything finally got settled in regards to sleeping and practice areas, one host came up to me and started complaining that they had tried to contact the DCI offices in regards to their situation well before any of the corps arrived, but no one would talk/listen to them, or suggest alternatives, or give help... or do anything I guess. So they pretty much said that they would never host a corps or show again during the summer because of this, and I don't believe there was a show last year, or is there one scheduled this year at this site.

Okay, I'm done

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This past year.....the DII I was with:

-Lisle, Il : There was a mat on the track that the corps 'had to stay on' when entering and exiting. I was on guard staff and had about 7 pairs of shoes in my hands (experimented with barefoot performance) and accedently stepped on the track....contest hosts/director chewed me out and spoke to me as if I were a child. I was a STAFF member for a D2. After the performance I wanted to see PR and Cavies, so I headed to the top to watch. The rest of the corps (at this time it was D1) were marching in, halfway around and ON the track, and off on the mat. Changes made to accomodate? Ok, but hypocritical.

Pittsfield, MA: I'm sure the standstill was memorable. HOWEVER, to have a show on a baseball diamond with the corps performing in the outfield was lame. All you could see was a mess of feet and frontline ensembles. Sad that this was the last show before finals week.

Finals Week: We were housed an hour north of Boston....this made our trek to shows over 2 hours in traffic and seriously trimming our rehearsal time to nothing. The site was nice, but you do realize that the corps themselves pay for the housing site that DCI gives them. The corps rehearsal site was an extreme uphill hike to an unmowed patch of pasture. I'm sure the Cavies, Southwind, and Colts didn't have to deal with this.

Theres 3 for you to chew on. Yes, theres more, but I'll stop with those at the risk of sounding crass and complaining.

Pittsfield has been and always will be that set up. DCI knows that when they book the show.

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