Regulation Practice Gear

[Jofus]

We had section shorts throughout the corps, and the drumline wore section hats too. I think any other uniform would be excessive and nobody would wear anything but shorts anyhow.

[Snapettes Mom]

#### sapiens has a great tool for helping to protect him from the sun: melanin. As we get more sun, our skin secretes more melanin, darkening our skin and helping to block UV light.

Oh yeah...there's sunscreen, too.

Any other bright ideas about how not wearing a t-shirt will ultimately kill you?

If you skin has turned tan that's sure sign your have done permament damage to the skin cells. = you can can find melanomia even on the bottom of your feet even if they have not been exposed directly Even if you tan easily it is equally dangerous to your long term health. Sun tan lotion has it's own set of side effects and should be used modestly.

How about a burka. I understant they are quite cool. Kidding.

BTW with all of the Nano technology underway there probably is something coming out in the not to distant future that would be self cooling and UV resistant. Let's see, where are my level 14 shorts.

Mom

Edited March 15, 2007 by Snapettes Mom

[mrshowfan]

I guess I can understand having some sort of "one mindset - one look" for members. I wouldn't have liked it, but hey, "play the game" right?

BTW, is this section short thing, some sort of quick way to do laundry? In the military we would label our first initial of our last name and the last 4 digits of our social security number. We had a couple guys do the laundry, and you always knew what was yours when it was clean. Example (T 4356)

If thats the case, and everyone for one section wears one color, that would cut down on laundry day costs I would think, and would ease up on the crowded drum corps laundromat since only one person from one section needs to go. Better yet have the staff do it...hehe yeah right.

Seriously...I know our staff dry cleaned uniforms every so often.

[HornlineDiva]

Wait a second. I think I remember something being invented-- what was it called again-- star--no--sun screen? Yeah I think that's it. I heard it has varying levels of protection to protect people from certain amounts of UV radiation when exposed to the sun. I mean, I could be way off, but I think it's been around for a while...

Sunscreen in drum corps is a bunch of crap. You apply it in the morning, and even the sweatproof stuff is gone in a few hours. There's never enough time to reapply, even during meals. There's barely enough time to even eat during a meal. We can't reapply during gush-and-gos because you basicly have to choose between water and sunscreen. You can't even do it during water breaks. Why? Because you're supposed to apply most sunblock 15 minutes before exposure onto DRY, clean skin. When is anyone's skin dry and clean for those entire 10 weeks?

I used to try to cover myself with that stuff more than most, more out of fear of wrinkles and aging than cancer. But I don't think anyone's skin stands a chance against this activity. I wear SPF 50 every day now to try and make up for it.

Edited March 15, 2007 by HornlineDiva

[JayM]

What are gush-and-gos?

I probably applied sunscreen three times a day in my marching days. I never found myself short on time to apply sunscreen. Seriously, why would a corps make it hard to do something so fundamental to health?

Sunscreen in drum corps is a bunch of crap. You apply it in the morning, and even the sweatproof stuff is gone in a few hours. There's never enough time to reapply, even during meals. There's barely enough time to even eat during a meal. We can't reapply during gush-and-gos because you basicly have to choose between water and sunscreen. You can't even do it during water breaks. Why? Because you're supposed to apply most sunblock 15 minutes before exposure onto DRY, clean skin. When is anyone's skin dry and clean for those entire 10 weeks?

[HornlineDiva]

What are gush-and-gos?

I probably applied sunscreen three times a day in my marching days. I never found myself short on time to apply sunscreen. Seriously, why would a corps make it hard to do something so fundamental to health?

A gush-and-go is when the corps puts down their equipment, runs to their water jugs, drinks as much water as they can in about a minute or two, and then runs back out to the set they last stood in, picks up their instruments and gets at attention to start cleaning again. They try to give less of those in the south, where 5 minute water breaks are needed more.

[mophilda]

probably because there is a point of tour where people arent really getting sunburned anymore and it isnt an immediate health concern. skin cancer notwithstanding.

i would love a survey of how many drum corps members develop skin cancer later in life. i know that regular skin cancer statistics are easily found, but i wonder if, like in other aspects of your health, if heavy exercise does anything for you. i am always hearing new things that i didnt think that good general health would help. is skin cancer included?

i wear sunscreen for three days of everydays maybe. once i get some sun, i wont singe any more (it never really burn. it is more of a singe). i cant stand the way my skin feels when covered in sun screen. hornlinediva has it right that you sweat it off pretty quickly anyway. drum corps defys claims like "sweat proof" and "wont fade in the sun"

as for hornline divas most recent comment, we definitely are familar with the term gush-and-go during our deep south everydays. i guess they reserve that courtesy for corps that arent used to the extreme heat. we get longer water breaks in places that are actually hotter than alabama.

Edited March 15, 2007 by mophilda

[Mellojaphoney]

Sunscreen in drum corps is a bunch of crap. You apply it in the morning, and even the sweatproof stuff is gone in a few hours. There's never enough time to reapply, even during meals. There's barely enough time to even eat during a meal. We can't reapply during gush-and-gos because you basicly have to choose between water and sunscreen. You can't even do it during water breaks. Why? Because you're supposed to apply most sunblock 15 minutes before exposure onto DRY, clean skin. When is anyone's skin dry and clean for those entire 10 weeks?

I used to try to cover myself with that stuff more than most, more out of fear of wrinkles and aging than cancer. But I don't think anyone's skin stands a chance against this activity. I wear SPF 50 every day now to try and make up for it.

Well unfotunately most of a persons skin damage is done by their early 20's so trying to make up for it later in life may not be be effective--regardless-- I have managed for all my summers to put sun screen on at least twice a day, so It's really not the "bunch of crap," you made it out to be. I mean, I was one of the least tan-tanned members in the corps but hey, I'll take it.

Edited March 15, 2007 by Mellojaphoney

[Mellojaphoney]

probably because there is a point of tour where people arent really getting sunburned anymore and it isnt an immediate health concern. skin cancer notwithstanding.

i would love a survey of how many drum corps members develop skin cancer later in life. i know that regular skin cancer statistics are easily found, but i wonder if, like in other aspects of your health, if heavy exercise does anything for you. i am always hearing new things that i didnt think that good general health would help. is skin cancer included?

i wear sunscreen for three days of everydays maybe. once i get some sun, i wont singe any more (it never really burn. it is more of a singe). i cant stand the way my skin feels when covered in sun screen. hornlinediva has it right that you sweat it off pretty quickly anyway. drum corps defys claims like "sweat proof" and "wont fade in the sun"

as for hornline divas most recent comment, we definitely are familar with the term gush-and-go during our deep south everydays. i guess they reserve that courtesy for corps that arent used to the extreme heat. we get longer water breaks in places that are actually hotter than alabama.

In my runners world magazine it says that marathon runners increase chances of malignant melanoma by 40% due to their sun exposure-- I imagine activities like drum corps increase that chance 10 fold considering that at the most, a marathon runner during training will spend about 4 hours outside in a single day in contrast to a drum corps member who will spend anywhere from 4-10 hours in the sun per day.

[Vizualchemy]

In my runners world magazine it says that marathon runners increase chances of malignant melanoma by 40% due to their sun exposure-- I imagine activities like drum corps increase that chance 10 fold considering that at the most, a marathon runner during training will spend about 4 hours outside in a single day in contrast to a drum corps member who will spend anywhere from 4-10 hours in the sun per day.

I feel the need to weigh in on this one.

1. In my junior corps days, I thought I would be cool and go without sunscreen through a 3-day tour of Pennsylvania.

My punishment was a third-degree burn on my left arm and permanent scarring and spotting all over my body a decade and a half later. My excess use of sun block during that time resulted in some fairly colorful nicknames that i can't repeat.

2. Sunburn and UV exposure have very VERY little to do with the temperature outside. The worst sunburn I ever got was when I was in CorpsVets and thought I could go without sunblock on an overcast, 70-degree day.

3. Melanoma runs in my family and I fear I have paid a price much greater than my dues in some ways.

Bullfrog Brand Gel is an excellent brand of sunblock that allowed me to continue participation in the activity as a marcher for many more years than i reasonably should have. It dries on contact and stays applied with minimal need for reapplication.