Drum Corps and Skin Cancer

[zackiedude]

we wear hats too, well the hornline and drumline do, the colorguard is really dumb and just wear bandanas that don't even cover their whole head and then wonder why they get so exhausted so quickly...

At least in my experience, it's almost been impossible to wear any type of hat and sucessfully do what is asked of me as a color guard member.

Edited April 16, 2006 by zackiedude

[leadsop97]

there are a few that wear hats, but when i say bandanas that don't cover their heads I mean they have them rolled into a little strip that they tie around their heads as like a sweat band. if they even wore them like regular bandanas that would probably help the sun from beating down on their heads, no?

[uncle z]

I too have some spots I question on my legs.

The general guidelines I got from the Dermatologist was to check for spots that i) change color ii) have an irregular outline iii) become larger than 10mm.

Researchers found that people with 12 or more moles on their lower legs had 4.2 times greater risk of developing melanoma than those who had no moles on their legs. Melanoma is the malignant form. Basal cell carcinoma is the benign form. In either case, it might be judicious to get them at least photographically documented so they can be monitored.

That's the word from Dr Z. B)

[show_mellow]

we wear hats too, well the hornline and drumline do, the colorguard is really dumb and just wear bandanas that don't even cover their whole head and then wonder why they get so exhausted so quickly.

Actually, the colorguard is usually supposed to just wear bandanas or something like that...mostly because they have to watch their tanlines. They ARE the visual aspect of the show, you know, and their faces are usually in view of anybody and everyone.

As far as the sunglasses thing goes...

My corps staff doesn't allow us to wear sunglasses either. It's for the same reason somebody stated before. They need to see our eyes to make sure they are constantly moving and checking dress, DM, etc. Why? IT'S THEIR JOB.

However, I am borderlined for a serious eye condition that is accelerated by the sun, so my eye doctor has directed me to always wear sunglasses while outside. In this case, he types a doctor's letter for me to give to the corps staff and they allow me to wear the sunglasses during rehearsal.

As well, somewhere midseason, the staff finally said to the corps, "As soon as you consistently show you are always moving and using your eyes, you will be allowed to wear sunglasses."

I believe, in that case, the staff are being reasonable.

[byline]

Actually, the colorguard is usually supposed to just wear bandanas or something like that...mostly because they have to watch their tanlines. They ARE the visual aspect of the show, you know, and their faces are usually in view of anybody and everyone.

And this is another thing that I think is irresponsible, if it is a policy mandated by the corps. The guard members are required to get a tan as part of their "uniform" (or costume, or whatever)? Regardless of how attractive one may think a tan is, mandating it as part of the guard "uniform" is only reinforcing and accelerating the trend we already have toward more and more young people developing skin cancer.

Sorry, but that's just the way it is. It's already bad enough with young people--young girls, in particular--overusing tanning beds. Corps should be responsible enough to try to teach sensible health behaviors to their members. Especially since being out in the sun is pretty much a mandatory part of marching in corps. WHO Warns Teens on Tanning Beds

[show_mellow]

And this is another thing that I think is irresponsible, if it is a policy mandated by the corps. The guard members are required to get a tan as part of their "uniform" (or costume, or whatever)?

Actually.... My post didn't imply that the guard was required to have a tan. They are just required to keep the tanlines in check. In other words, they shouldn't have a half dark and half white face, shoulders, and etc.

[Vanguard07]

all i have to say is NO-AD 30 spf, hat, and a shirt at all times if you can and your good to go

[ekleve]

Sorry, but that's just the way it is. It's already bad enough with young people--young girls, in particular--overusing tanning beds. Corps should be responsible enough to try to teach sensible health behaviors to their members. Especially since being out in the sun is pretty much a mandatory part of marching in corps. WHO Warns Teens on Tanning Beds

Well, it depends how you look at it. Drum corps in general is bad for your body in more ways than just sun exposure. Being semi starved and sleep deprived for three months is stressful. While most are in the best shape of their lives in drum corps, the physical demand of the drill is extremely stressful on the body. Joints and ligaments are absolutely destroyed by marching drum corps. My point is that it's pretty much impossible not to have any negative physical effects from drum corps and acheiving 100% sensible health behaviors cannot be done. My knees get worse with every year of drum corps and I've had my share of injured groins, but we keep doing it because we love it and it enriches our lives. Sure, these other things may not be as life threatening as sun exposure, but you get the point. It comes with the territory. When you're marching drum corps out in the sun, the best you can do is wear sunscreen and be as safe as possible. If you want to completely illiminate your risk for skin cancer, get a desk job and never leave the house.

[byline]

Actually.... My post didn't imply that the guard was required to have a tan. They are just required to keep the tanlines in check. In other words, they shouldn't have a half dark and half white face, shoulders, and etc.

OK, then basically what they're saying is that if you have to keep the tan lines in check, then you either have to cover up your entire body, including your face, so that you don't have an uneven tan line, or you pretty much have to uncover everything that's going to show out of your costume in order to get an even tan line. Most people aren't going to cover up to that magnitude--though, in this day and age, it makes you wonder if maybe we should--which leaves only Door No. 2. Even if it's passive, it's still a kind of "requirement" that a guard member get a tan.

[byline]

Well, it depends how you look at it. Drum corps in general is bad for your body in more ways than just sun exposure. Being semi starved and sleep deprived for three months is stressful. While most are in the best shape of their lives in drum corps, the physical demand of the drill is extremely stressful on the body. Joints and ligaments are absolutely destroyed by marching drum corps.

I think that to some extent, this damage can be managed by several things that most corps do reasonably well: At least when I marched, we ate pretty well. The meals were balanced, and we were given regular water breaks. The reason these things happened is because our corps, as cash-strapped as it was, provided those basic opportunities necessary to keep each of us functioning to the best of our ability. I don't recall being so sleep-deprived that it was debilitating. Yes, we slept on gym floors, but my recollection is that if you're tired enough, you'll sleep pretty much anywhere. And I did.

We also did basic stretches to warm up the muscles and prepare the body for what we were going to do that day. I'm sure that corps are doing that to an even greater extent today. Yes, my knees are a whole lot worse off after marching than they were before I marched. But the difference is, having bad knees isn't life-threatening. Melanoma is. That's why I think corps need to take a good, hard look at their practices to make sure they're minimizing their members' risks as much as possible.