It is with this post that I'm officially adding the "harebrained schemes" tag. I'm sure if the folks at DCI ever give these the time of day, they're thinking "not this guy again..."
It's drum corps season! This year's competition got underway this past weekend down in Texas with shows in the Ft. Worth area and the Austin area, both featuring all of the top eight corps in what I've decided to refer to as the Daytona 500 of the drum corps season. I got to see the second of these competitions in on the big screen during the DCI Tour Premiere, which was shown in movie theaters across the country including, for the first time in a while, one right here in Greensboro.
The theater event was a corollary to something that has been going on for the past several years. With the advent of the Fan Network a few years ago, DCI is in the habit of providing live and near-live content to its fans throughout the country. While there's still nothing like a live event, the fact that I have a 42" TV and a formidable sound system--and every day more and more of America can say the same or better--watching drum corps at home is becoming a better experience. Much as HDTV helped televised lacrosse and hockey, where the ball/puck was once hard to follow, home theater systems make drum corps easier to enjoy at home. And with the ability to see multiple live shows without leaving your living room, a DCI season is likely to feel more like a season than just the one or more shows one may attend each summer.
Now here's where I go a bit rogue. Since there are live broadcasts on Fan Network anyway, why not a weekly show? During college football season College Gameday is a weekly ritual. ESPN liked the idea so much they expanded it to college basketball. Why not do a similar program for DCI? I will add the caveat here that I have on my other harebrained schemes that I'm not forced to operate within the constraints of finances, logistics, or indeed, reality tha DCI is; I'll add the additional disclaimer that I don't know how closely guarded the Gameday copyright is, so I don't know how close such a program could conceivably get. Still, can you imagine tuning into Fan Network each Saturday for a show on location at the spot of one of that evening's competitions? Score recaps, corps or fan interviews, lot warmups, the breakdown from a few corps-knowledgeable talking heads? Not only would it give folks at home something to look forward to, but it would add to the live show experience as well. Just for kicks and grins, imagine this schedule for this summer:
June 18: The season opener from Ft. Worth, TX
June 25: DCI West from Stanford, CA
July 2: Beanpot Invitational from Lynn, MA
July 9: Drums Along the Rockies from Denver, CO
July 16: DCI Minnesota from Minneapolis, MN
July 23: DCI Southwestern Championship from San Antonio, TX
July 30: DCI Southeastern Championship from Atlanta, GA
August 6: DCI Eastern Classic from Allentown, PA
August 13 DCI World Championship Finals from Indianapolis, IN
Wouldn't that make for quite the season? I know I'd be watching.
On the off chance that someone with some power reads this, I’m not proprietary. If I put it online, it’s because I’d love to see it. Steal away!
It's drum corps season! This year's competition got underway this past weekend down in Texas with shows in the Ft. Worth area and the Austin area, both featuring all of the top eight corps in what I've decided to refer to as the Daytona 500 of the drum corps season. I got to see the second of these competitions in on the big screen during the DCI Tour Premiere, which was shown in movie theaters across the country including, for the first time in a while, one right here in Greensboro.
The theater event was a corollary to something that has been going on for the past several years. With the advent of the Fan Network a few years ago, DCI is in the habit of providing live and near-live content to its fans throughout the country. While there's still nothing like a live event, the fact that I have a 42" TV and a formidable sound system--and every day more and more of America can say the same or better--watching drum corps at home is becoming a better experience. Much as HDTV helped televised lacrosse and hockey, where the ball/puck was once hard to follow, home theater systems make drum corps easier to enjoy at home. And with the ability to see multiple live shows without leaving your living room, a DCI season is likely to feel more like a season than just the one or more shows one may attend each summer.
Now here's where I go a bit rogue. Since there are live broadcasts on Fan Network anyway, why not a weekly show? During college football season College Gameday is a weekly ritual. ESPN liked the idea so much they expanded it to college basketball. Why not do a similar program for DCI? I will add the caveat here that I have on my other harebrained schemes that I'm not forced to operate within the constraints of finances, logistics, or indeed, reality tha DCI is; I'll add the additional disclaimer that I don't know how closely guarded the Gameday copyright is, so I don't know how close such a program could conceivably get. Still, can you imagine tuning into Fan Network each Saturday for a show on location at the spot of one of that evening's competitions? Score recaps, corps or fan interviews, lot warmups, the breakdown from a few corps-knowledgeable talking heads? Not only would it give folks at home something to look forward to, but it would add to the live show experience as well. Just for kicks and grins, imagine this schedule for this summer:
June 18: The season opener from Ft. Worth, TX
June 25: DCI West from Stanford, CA
July 2: Beanpot Invitational from Lynn, MA
July 9: Drums Along the Rockies from Denver, CO
July 16: DCI Minnesota from Minneapolis, MN
July 23: DCI Southwestern Championship from San Antonio, TX
July 30: DCI Southeastern Championship from Atlanta, GA
August 6: DCI Eastern Classic from Allentown, PA
August 13 DCI World Championship Finals from Indianapolis, IN
Wouldn't that make for quite the season? I know I'd be watching.
On the off chance that someone with some power reads this, I’m not proprietary. If I put it online, it’s because I’d love to see it. Steal away!
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