Final DCI 2010 voting results

Saturday evening, the voting membership of Drum Corps International gathered to pass final judgment on each of the 2010 rules proposals that were forwarded from the earlier instructors caucus session.

The voting membership agreed the proposal to allow a sound engineer in the press box is a procedural change and did not need to be voted upon. Placement of the additional sound engineer is the responsibility of the show coordinator and will be dependent on the logistical configurations of each stadium.

The proposal to expand age eligibility was voted down, 4 in favor (Blue Devils, Cadets, Carolina Crown, Cascades) and 18 against. Discussion centered on the mission of Drum Corps International as a youth activity and how that might be altered by allowing anyone whose 22nd birthday is within the calendar year.

Tony DiCarlo's proposal to formalize what corps are presently doing during the set-up process immediately prior to the performance was passed by the voting membership.

The George Hopkins 'pre-show' proposal received much discussion. Concern was expressed that if most corps decided to perform a pre-show, all corps would feel pressured to do the same. A number of variables were thrown out for additional discussion prior to the vote. The final proposal voted on was as written, with the exception that the proposed 18 minutes between corps was modified to 17 minutes. In short, the corps will be able to utilize that pre-show time however they may wish. Additionally, corps that do not wish to utilize the allotted pre-show time may choose to stay off the field until they are ready to begin their performance. The proposal passed, 20 for and 2 against.

Language to change the Field Visual sheet was passed by the voting membership, aligning the Visual sheet with the Brass and Percussion sheets. Vocabulary and Achievement will now be known as Vocabulary and Excellence. Content is not judged, but is considered, making this a philosophical change more dramatic than it sounds. The voting membership passed this change with 20 voting for and 2 against.

There were two other procedural changes that were approved by the voting membership after all the rules were voted upon. Post-show critiques, when corps staff members used to discuss their productions with the judging community on a periodic basis, have been replaced by more informal pre-show discussion opportunities with the judges.

Another change is that corps are now encouraged to send in synopses of their productions prior to the season. They will be shared with adjudicators so they can research the show concepts and listen to source music, allowing them to become familiar with the shows prior to the competitive season. (Text: Michael Boo)