CSGreen Posted November 10, 2006 Share Posted November 10, 2006 I agree on all counts...however, while I may offer the sanctioning rule change proposal, I am definitely NOT the proper party to bring this to the table...it would best be a joint proposal by the western and posisbly southwestern corps who would be most affected. Email has been sent to Renegades... Discussion to ensue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted November 10, 2006 Share Posted November 10, 2006 Ok,I will give you some support for my argument.2005,,WS NC drew something like 3500 plus in attendance during the fall out of a hurricane.We fell short 1000 in ticket sales when a phantom number of 4500 was imposed upon us.Where that 4500 figure came from,,no one is really taking credit for.Had it not been for the hurricane I have no doubt the walk up traffic would have been much higher. I didnt see 3500 people in the stands during the fall out from the Hurricane at Rochester.Looks like there are hard corps fans outside of the NE to me. :) Argument supported!Ignore at will! B) walk up traffic with $45 finals ticket prices...or higher... is going to decrease big time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff DeMello Posted November 10, 2006 Share Posted November 10, 2006 Hi Mike,Maybe it is because you guys haven't gone yet, but there is a magic around DCA Championships that is undeniable. Being around many generations of folks that love drum corps and performing is very different from what we get at DCI shows on the West Coast. It's awesome, actually. Funner than DCI in some ways. Wow ... something I can agree with Chris on! :P I invited Jerry Seawright (founder of the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps) to DCA a few years back. He came out. He told me that DCA was the best show that he saw in a long time, as it had the 'feel' of Drum Corps that DCI had lost, it was fun, and "I wish all drum corps shows were like this". The next year, he brought out "Pop's Ott" (father of Jim & Bonnie Ott), and Pops has been coming ever since, even after Jerry passed away. I know that that all the fans, members of DCA, and DCA itself know this feeling. I would hope that a "spread the love" type of attitude will prevail that would encourage participation and attendance, rather than any type of exclusionary vote. I too, have been lurking on this topic. It's been a very healthy exercize, and I hope that the voting members of DCA have been reading it. Bottom line ... I would hope that the voting members of DCA would see the value in promoting DCA across the continent, to provide assistance (or at least not make any roadblocks) to any and all new All Age / Senior Corps just starting up (or have been around for a half a century), and to embrace the promotion of the AA/SC activity... anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted November 10, 2006 Share Posted November 10, 2006 walk up traffic with $45 finals ticket prices...or higher... is going to decrease big time. You get what you pay for is how the saying goes. IF you are paying $25 bucks a ticket for finals in a sub par stadium with sub par acoustics,sub par food vendors and inadequete field conditions,,then you are probably getting your monies worth. Now pay $45 tickets for a stadium built for corps acoustics..great food and service and a REAL FOOTBALL field,seats in your face,A dome to shelter you in horrid weather conditions ,then you are getting your monies worth too. Its all in how you look at it. :P If you have to travel any distance at all,,another 20 bucks in tickets is nothing ! :P :P :P :P :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted November 10, 2006 Share Posted November 10, 2006 Email has been sent to Renegades...Discussion to ensue... Hey Chris,,I love the bill board.Is that a real bill board or is that a photo shop sort of thing. I am thinking that would be a good form of advertising and recruitment,,especially if you are hosting a show in your area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euphscott Posted November 10, 2006 Share Posted November 10, 2006 (edited) That is the real deal - a really for real billboard in Grand Prairie (suburb of Dallas), Texas. Edited November 10, 2006 by Euphscott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altorawker Posted November 10, 2006 Share Posted November 10, 2006 DCA needs to decide whether it will become a national-level circuit, or remain a NE-centric enterprise. Given the proposal DCA has on the table now, that decision has to be made within the next two months. DCA seriously needs to look it and decide so it doesnt waste corps time.... What a shame. DCA has made several positive steps supporting the development of activity in other regions - yet, each one of those steps has been accompanied by a bylaw or policy change designed to preserve the Northeast as the region of focus and governing control. The demands on non-NE corps have been increased several times. The non-NE corps have risen to the task and earned voting memberships under these increasingly difficult requirements, only to find more changes awaiting them. Clearly, DCA has not yet committed to being inclusive to corps of other regions. I think those corps have given DCA enough time to ponder that concept (while taking on five and six-figure travel challenges each year to meet DCA requirements). If DCA cannot commit to making membership available to these corps, then they are fully justified in taking their five and six-figure travel budgets elsewhere. From what I understand DCA didnt put this policy change out there.. Our peers did ie the " voting member"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Periphery Posted November 10, 2006 Share Posted November 10, 2006 (edited) DCA is an office and some people, if you want to look at it that way. I do not. To me and many, many others DCA is actually made up of all of the voting and non-voting corps that compete in DCA shows. DCA is an idea, a movement if you will. The voting members make the rules and DCA (the office) provides rule enforcement and a clearing house for what the voters wish to do. Again, WE are DCA (the idea). Even non-voting members are part of DCA through association. The audience sees a bunch of corps on the field and to them that is DCA. While we all know that in reality this is not the truth, it is in its own way a sort of de facto reality. Too many here are trying to shift blame for this. WE are all taking part in this whether we vote or not merely by being a part of DCA (the idea). Therefore, if WE are all so unhappy with how things are decided for the rest of us AND an environment that squelches "inclusiveness" is coming into existence, then maybe it really is time to change things. If the NE wishes to do things this way and they have the votes then more power to them; they indeed have the votes and the power. But the hard feelings generated by such actions will split the "membership" of DCA (the idea) right down the middle. And that might be a very good thing based on the recent growth of the Senior Corps movement. I see no problems with any of this. I just want to see those accountable for the vote own up to how they voted and be honest about why things are headed the way they seem to be. This is all part of growth, people. It is normal. I just hope that our voting members, which are part of DCA (the idea) will take all of the non-voters into consideration. Otherwise, a lot of money will probably migrate to other coffers this Spring and Summer. I think that transparency and honesty are the safest policy, and any sort of exclusionary stuff is pretty stupid and 8th grade-ish. As far as having a voice audible to the Cabs et al, I have zero say in this; my voice is next to nonexistent in DCA (the organization). But I, along with many others that are not members of DCA (the organization) "Member Corps" (yet still view themselves as a part of the DCA fold) will be watching how this pans out. I will make my decisions accordingly when the DCA (the organization) voters make theirs. Again, WE ALL are a part of DCA (the idea). DCA (the organization) seems prepared to have a circuit of only ten groups to FUND an entire season of shows. That would probably be just fine, too; it would work great for them, I am sure. I am not being facetious here. If this is not what is going on right now then I am sorry for my comments. But this is what seems to be going on to those of us on the outside of that closed door. Another circuit or two would be great by my way of thinking. We are funding this entire activity out of our own pockets, folks. Daddy does not generally cough up the money and the equipment for us anymore. Keeping circuits regionalized with total fiscal and scheduling autonomy and exclusivity would sure bring down some costs. Helping developing corps in our own backyards can only make for more local competition, intense local rivalries, and local fun. Maybe what we need is several DCA-type groups that can meet informally to keep judging standards and competition rules as standardized as possible. The organizations could be totally separate but would be free to invite outside corps to compete at shows nearby, and a single, North American Championship could be held each year, the championship show being governed by a totally different body that does no other shows at all. One set of show rules and sheets, set by the championship group, used by each regional circuit, might allow for far more growth in areas where interest is strong. There would be no member corps; just a winner, finalists, and everyone else. Rules would be determined by everyone participating in the previous year's contest. New competitors would have to actually compete in this championship before having a vote. No one gets any sort of appearance fee, that being left to the regional groups. Remember, there is no "membership" and this group would only be responsible for the so-called NA Championship. Funding for such a pie-in-the-sky organization would be left up to people who care about such things and can actually do it. I cannot and do not care. I am only putting forth an idea or two, not a business plan. After the ball is rolling, maybe DCA corps could be invited to participate in this North American Championship. Then, a few weeks later, somewhere in the Northeast, "The 10" could have their little "World" Championship all on their own. And all ten could be finalists! (Just yanking a few tails, folks. Put down the flame throwers!) Let the activity grow unfettered, I say! I bet DCU could end up becoming such an umbrella group since DCA has had the opportunity to do so and has apparently balked. But I know what Lee said about a DCU and what it would be for, so maybe another group then? Can we rent out Don Pesceone's old garage for this? If this post of mine has seemed like a bunch of maybe decent ideas that are really poorly organized, chalk it up to the medicine I have been taking for the last three days . . . I am home sick! Please do not flame me. Read and consider. Then argue your points. But do not flame. This thread is turning out to be a very good place for us all to talk out some things and a flame-fest would be very counterproductive. I as yet have no firm opinion about all of this. I would be happy going to DCA-S shows in the future. I would also be happy having a Championship that falls on a date that is not a month after our schools start up (actually, now five weeks!) and excludes me totally because of this. Since this is a growing problem a new organization running a NA Championship could be lobbied to take this into consideration. DCA (the voters) seem to genuinely be unconcerned about the debilitating costs and insurmountable scheduling obstacles faced by many corps. So a change might indeed be a good thing. Oops! Time for another pill and a nap. See you all later! Edited November 10, 2006 by Periphery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Periphery Posted November 10, 2006 Share Posted November 10, 2006 I heavily edited the above. If you are going to respond or quote me I hope that you refreshed your page first. Sorry. Again, good drugs. Nap time!! Bye! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted November 10, 2006 Share Posted November 10, 2006 Great post Periphery. DCA and the voting members really need to work together strong over the next few weeks and months to find some middle ground in all of this.A split for the activity would work but in the long run will just weaken the activity as a whole. The growth and development outside the normal boundaries in DCA cannot continue to be ignored and treated like a second class citizen.Middle ground must be found and soon.There are too many people with power and influence on the outside looking in and they are ready to make some changes. I hope the voting members will see it that way too and find that middle ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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