kusankusho Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 (edited) Hi all. I was reading a post in one of the other threads – could have been the Renegade search for snares, and somebody said that even in senior corps the battery was a young man’s game. Is that true? Reason I’m asking – I’m 51, haven’t marched since DCA 1982 (snare, Niagara Regionnaires). The last 4 years I’ve been teching bass in div 3 DCI and fell in love with the instrument. I don’t care what kind of chops I could get back, I’d want to play bass, maybe positions 1-3. I’m not teaching this year. As summer approaches and I become more and more bored, the thought of marching again is starting to swirl around my probably defective head. It’s too late for this season but maybe next year. Is this a dumb idea? Is it really just a young guy/girl thing with the drills out there today? I haven’t seen DCA in a while but the thought of marching the shows I see in DCI makes my body ache just watching it. Is DCA an option or, if I do this at all, should I confine myself to alumni corps? Just curious – I’ll appreciate any opinions….. Cheers Jim Edited May 24, 2006 by kusankusho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storkysr Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 (edited) Depends on how old your 51 years have made you. We have an older guy or two to balance our predominately 16-17 year old battery and I marched snare until the age of 41 but it DOES take more stamina and conditioning than it did twenty+ years ago. Start out in winter and take it slow. You'll know by June, if you survive.LOL. BTW how about a tymp spot for this year? PM if interested. Edited May 24, 2006 by Storkysr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Percussion827 Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Actually, some drills are made for the more active/ younger generation. But, DCA is an actual option. More often than not, the drill is written with respect to 3 things. Those are size, balance, and how far the performer can push themselves. Shenandoah has some difficult drill because we can push ourselves but can't expand because of size. While Bucs can fly on the field because they have the size, and the willingness to push is off the charts because most of the corps are either DCI hopefuls or recent age-outs (I'd say 18-25 yrs old roughly). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CozyChopsCom Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Hi all.I was reading a post in one of the other threads – could have been the Renegade search for snares, and somebody said that even in senior corps the battery was a young man’s game. Is that true? Reason I’m asking – I’m 51, haven’t marched since DCA 1982 (snare, Niagara Regionnaires). The last 4 years I’ve been teching bass in div 3 DCI <snip> Just curious – I’ll appreciate any opinions….. Cheers Jim Jim, I could say lots on this subject. Geoff A., contra, marched for about 32 consecutive years, took one year off, was bored, and came back. Later, he switched to sop, doing a superb job. Ace Peterson, sop, now with St. Joe's, marched competitively until he was about 63. Frank "The Beard" L. has marched over 50 years!, granted on sop. Work on getting into even better shape. I know there aren't a lot of older battery, but there are some. Bob S. marched beyond 47 on a deep bass. There are plenty of others. They should jump in here, stroll in here, and add their testimonials. Man, you should take the pit gig on tymp. After a DCA summer in the pit, you'll know if you want to march again. Pit looks like a blast to me. I just can't do that double-mallet stuff. Time for pushups, situps, aerobics.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.C. Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Jim,I could say lots on this subject. Geoff A., contra, marched for about 32 consecutive years, took one year off, was bored, and came back. Later, he switched to sop, doing a superb job. Ace Peterson, sop, now with St. Joe's, marched competitively until he was about 63. Frank "The Beard" L. has marched over 50 years!, granted on sop. Work on getting into even better shape. I know there aren't a lot of older battery, but there are some. Bob S. marched beyond 47 on a deep bass. There are plenty of others. They should jump in here, stroll in here, and add their testimonials. Russ Trawicki is still marching snare with the Kilts. He's 50 (give or take a year or 2) and 2006 will be his 14th in a row on snare with Kilts. He keeps himself fit, which is key. Russ looked great crabbing at 160 beats per minute in Norwegian Wood last camp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shenandoahsound Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Is DCA an option or, if I do this at all, should I confine myself to alumni corps? Depends on your desire and condition. If you want to do it, you can do it. Can't tell what part of the country you're in, but if you are near Northern VA, we'd be glad to have you try it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percguy Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Go to Brigadiers, I heard they have a bass spot, plus their drill is very much designed towards older members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrishDish1002 Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 wow... Go to Brigadiers, I heard they have a bass spot, plus their drill is very much designed towards older members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniSopGuy Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Jim, I am sure you can find a place/corps to fit in. As many have said, it really depends on your fitness. If you are a young 51, harness up and go for it! If maybe you question your current ability to hang with a marching line, join a pit this season and see what happens in DCA competition. Someone else posted up an invite to play tymp in the pit.....not knowing where you are from, I will toss out an invite also. SoCal Dream is also looking for members to fill the front ensemble. Playing in the front ensemble this year would really give the opportunity to meet people and see DCA up close and personal. Whatever you decide, enjoy the experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kusankusho Posted May 25, 2006 Author Share Posted May 25, 2006 Thanks all for the input and especially the invitations to march! I've got a few things to think about. I wasn't actually thinking about marching this year as I was really wanting bass and it's too late to jump into a bass line at this time of year. I thought I'd go see a few shows and figure out if I could handle it. BUT - I have contacted Cru about the tymp spot. They are about the closest corps to me, it just sounds like too much fun to miss out on, and they are playing some music I really love - Firebird, Academic Overture, I've been a Led Zep fan since the '70's, and we played School's out at Dutch Boy two years ago, so there's lots of hooks there. There are a couple of hurdles to overcome because our whole summer was built around nobody marching (my daughters both marched in the guard at Dutch up to this year) but I *might* get to be down there on the field for the first time in 24 years this summer - OMG I'm excited! b**bs Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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