2010 DCI Southwestern Championships, Not being held at Alamodome Options

[mbui]

Update: '10 DCI Southwestern Championship, San Antonio
Monday, March 1, 2010 - 4:06 PM

The Drum Corps International events team continues to work through the details of the Drum Corps International Southwestern Championship. Originally scheduled as a one-day event at the San Antonio, Texas Alamodome, it will now be held as a two-night outdoor event taking place on Saturday and Sunday, July 24 and 25.

"We delayed making an announcement on the details surrounding the Southwestern Championships while we were working through an unanticipated scheduling conflict with the Alamodome," said Susan Kuehnhold, Director of Events for Drum Corps International. “It was finally confirmed late last week that despite the best efforts of all involved, we will not have access to that venue for our 2010 event on the date we required. We do have every intention of returning to the Alamodome in 2011."

Lineups, stadium and ticket information will be made available within the next few weeks once a final contract has been signed with the new location of the event.

http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=d...b9-9ee91ccb8be4

[Danpod]

Outdoor event? Open up the roof to Jerry World and there you have it. My guess is that Cowboys Stadium is probably going to be the new venue for the Southwestern contests.

Any other guesses here?

[How_Will_It_End?]

Outdoor event? Open up the roof to Jerry World and there you have it. My guess is that Cowboys Stadium is probably going to be the new venue for the Southwestern contests.

Any other guesses here?

"We do have every intention of returning to the Alamodome in 2011."

[Skippy]

Good, that place is worthless acoustically. Anything outside the 20s and you might as well have stayed home.

[Xenon]

Good, that place is worthless acoustically. Anything outside the 20s and you might as well have stayed home.

+1

Really, the biggest advantage of the Alamodome is that it seats a lot of people compared to most outside stadiums. The acoustics are terrible and it doesn't actually protect you from the weather since all the warmup areas are outside which only makes for awful tuning due to drastic environmental changes when the group moves inside to perform.

[takigan]

Outdoor event? Open up the roof to Jerry World and there you have it. My guess is that Cowboys Stadium is probably going to be the new venue for the Southwestern contests.

Any other guesses here?

Jerry World seems likely. Having it in Cowboys Stadium would be freaking amazing though I must admit.

[Xenon]

Jerry World seems likely. Having it in Cowboys Stadium would be freaking amazing though I must admit.

There are some great visual angles in that stadium, but unfortunately, it is an acoustical nightmare.

[longhornsax]

Playing in Jerry World is a very different experience, but if anything I'd say it's slightly better than the Alamodome...

[rpd]

There are some great visual angles in that stadium, but unfortunately, it is an acoustical nightmare.

Its true. I've marched in both the Alamodome and Jerrys World and I preferred the Alamodome.

Its probably not going to be in San Antonio since the High School football stadiums aren't big enough for crowds, and the AT&T Center cant be converted into a football stadium (although that stadium probably isn't any better acoustically than Jerrys World).

I honestly wouldn't mind if it took place in Austin where the Longhorns play football; Its big and outdoors. Plus there's already a two day Dallas Regional and a Denton Regional.

[ftwdrummer]

Its true. I've marched in both the Alamodome and Jerrys World and I preferred the Alamodome.

Its probably not going to be in San Antonio since the High School football stadiums aren't big enough for crowds, and the AT&T Center cant be converted into a football stadium (although that stadium probably isn't any better acoustically than Jerrys World).

I honestly wouldn't mind if it took place in Austin where the Longhorns play football; Its big and outdoors. Plus there's already a two day Dallas Regional and a Denton Regional.

Memorial would be an interesting choice. As I recall, they held State Championships there before they moved to Floyd Casey.

Slightly off-topic: am I the only person who thinks it would be a good idea to merge the Dallas (hosted by Lake Highlands High) and Denton (hosted by Denton Ryan) shows into one show jointly hosted by them...at UTA?

[dmbalash]

Rumor has it that the San Antonio show will be held at the D.W. Rutledge Stadium in Converse.

[Xenon]

Memorial would be an interesting choice. As I recall, they held State Championships there before they moved to Floyd Casey.

Yes, UT's Memorial Stadium was the home of the State competition until 1996 when they replaced the Astroturf with Natural Grass. At that point, Memorial's groundskeepers decided that the marching band competition would destroy the field.

From 1996 to 1999, State was actually held in two completely different cities simultaneously. On even numbered years, 5A (4A on odd years) was in Waco at Baylor's Floyd Casey Stadium while 3A (1A-2A on odd years) were at Mesquite's Memorial Stadium in the Dallas area.

From 2000 to 2002, the 1A, 2A, 3A competitions moved down to Waco's brand new Waco ISD Sports Complex so that they'd at least still be in the same city as the 4A, 5A competitions. But 2002 was the year of the awful deluge where bones were broken, instruments were destroyed (the infamous Tuba Taco), and all kinds of dangerous things were happening. It was especially worst on the Natural Grass turf at Floyd Casey where the 30+ bands left nothing but a mud pit between the 40 yard lines.

That's when it was decided that State should always be at an indoor location and, ever since 2003, has been held as a two day festival in San Antonio's Alamodome.

[dmbalash]

New site for San Antonio:





Hosted for more than 10 years at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Drum Corps International will take its popular Southwestern Championship event outdoors for 2010, featuring 24 corps over two days of competition on Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25.

Moving the event from the Alamodome, which has been a fan-favorite fixture on the annual DCI Tour since 1999, was necessary after an unanticipated scheduling conflict with the facility was confirmed at the beginning of March.

DCI will move the event to Judson Independent School District’s D.W. Rutledge Stadium located just northeast of San Antonio in Converse, Texas.

“While we are looking forward to returning to the Alamodome in 2011, we’re eagerly anticipating the new format and location of this summer’s Southwestern Championship,” said DCI Director of Events Susan Kuehnhold. “With incredible support coming from local school districts and music programs, we’re working to ensure a great experience for fans new and old.”

Twenty-two of 23 World Class corps will perform over the two-day competition which will also feature special appearances by the Open Class Vanguard Cadets on Saturday and San Antonio’s own Revolution on Sunday. Lineups include:

Saturday, July 24
Blue Devils
Santa Clara Vanguard
Phantom Regiment
Blue Stars
Blue Knights
Troopers
Glassmen
Cascades
Pioneer
Pacific Crest
Mandarins
The Academy
Vanguard Cadets

Sunday, July 25
Carolina Crown
The Cadets
Bluecoats
The Cavaliers
Madison Scouts
Crossmen
Revolution
Spirit
Boston Crusaders
Colts
Teal Sound

The Individual & Ensemble Competition for World Class corps, historically scheduled for the week of the DCI World Championships, will still take place for the first time ever in San Antonio. To allow all corps the opportunity to participate, performers will be split over two-day days coinciding with the Southwestern Championship events. The venue for the Individual & Ensemble Competition is still to be confirmed.

[Danpod]

The Weigh-In: DCI San Antonio, Plan B.

Are you disappointed that the Alamodome has been scrapped for the Drum Corps show in San Antonio? I know I am! I'm partial to the Alamodome. I have fond memories of the dome as a performer and as a Drum Corps fan. The Southwestern Championships without the Alamodome is like Alberquerque without the International Balloon Fiesta. Do not get me wrong. For an on-campus stadium, D.W. Rutledge Stadium is a great venue. However, the luster of the event will take a little bit of a hit this Summer.

Pros of Plan B:
- The South Texas heat will make people extra intense, which will hopefully make way for some awesome crowd reactions.
- If the DCI Marketplace is where I think it will be, there will be plenty of room to move about and enjoy all of the goodies from the souvie trailers.
- Views and sounds from the seats will be pretty decent. More on the sounds later.
- DCI did a great job of splitting up the tour for Saturday and Sunday. Hometown corps The Crossmen and Revolution will go on Sunday, while fan favorites such as Santa Clara Vanguard and Phantom Regiment will go on Saturday.
- There are plenty of fast-food places to grab a bite to eat near the stadium, including a Bush's Chicken that is a short walk away. Travel about two minutes down the road to find a few sit-down eateries.
- Ticket prices are somewhat fair. Considering the venue change, I think they are little steep. However, you have to account for the money you will save by not having to purchase the tickets through Satan's Ticket Depot (Ticketmaster).

Cons of Plan B:
- Arriving and departing from the site will probably be a nightmare. Most stadium traffic will be diverted down a one-way road that leads to 1604. There are ways around it but I can imagine that those routes will probably be hard to navigate as well.
- The stadium is located next to somewhat of a busy intersection. Also, we must remember that we are at a high school stadium, which means that the seats will be right below the concession stands. You will get a lot of background and traffic noise during the performances.
- The number of concession stands on the home side are limited. If you thought the lines at the Alamodome were long, you ain't seen nothing yet.
- The event change kind of puts the Individual and Ensemble Competition in a little bit of a tight spot. The site for I&E is not confirmed as of yet. DCI says it will coincide with the two-day Drum Corps show but I wonder how many participants will forgo the I&E contest in order to keep their chops fresh. It will be interesting to see how DCI handles this.
- I wish that DCI offered some sort of VIP Press Box option for this event, catered by Bush's Chicken. I was in the stadium press box once and as far as I can remember, I thought it was roomy enough to accommodate those who wanted a more intimate seat in the house.
- Judson High School is actually split into two campuses (Freshman - Sophomores on campus; Juniors - Seniors in the other). However, I've been informed of some construction going down on campus, which will make parking limited. In turn, the parking situation might make for some long travels to and from the warm-up area.

[rpd]

Memorial would be an interesting choice. As I recall, they held State Championships there before they moved to Floyd Casey.

Slightly off-topic: am I the only person who thinks it would be a good idea to merge the Dallas (hosted by Lake Highlands High) and Denton (hosted by Denton Ryan) shows into one show jointly hosted by them...at UTA?

Its not a bad idea. But I'm sure the hosting sites want to keep hosting a regional. If they do combine, I'm fine with UTA. I might be a little biased though

I'm not sure I like it being at Judson. Its outdoors which will please some people, but I think it wont feel like the Southwestern Championships. Although I cant think of any better places in the San Antonio area to host it.

[kdnblue142]

Be prepared for a traffic nightmare....Loop 1604 narrows down to 2 little lanes before you get to Rocket road leading to Judson High School and there is always some type of construction going on at this very large campus (yes, it is split into a "red" and "gray" campus). Parking is an absolute nightmare...the buses and equipment trailers take up all the available parking...I give myself a good hour or more to try and find somewhere to park whenever there is a marching event held there.

[Danpod]

Tickets are now on sale for the 2010 DCI San Antonio Two-Day Event:
http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=0...c4-7e177c0e620d

Tickets will range from $20 to $45 per show. Yeah. Per show. You must buy individual tickets for both Saturday and Sunday shows. Let's do some comparison shopping.

If memory serves me correctly, and I sure hope it does, I believe that the most expensive ticket for the DCI Southwestern contest in the Alamodome last year cost $52. With convenience charges and processing fees, the total cost for one seat would have been about $65. That amount would have given the buyer a full serving of World Class corps in a World Class facility.

With the scheduling conflict this year, the buyer will be paying more for a lot less content. If you love your Drum Corps like me, you will probably be tempted to get seats in Sections C and D for both shows in San Antonio. With handling fees, you'd be spending $48.50 per show. That's a total of $97 for both shows. That may not seem too bad for most people. Personally, I'd still spend the money. However, the way the events are listed on the DCI Website, it looks like the Dallas and Houston two-day event tickets are inclusive for both days. Buy one ticket. See two shows. The most expensive tickets for the Dallas shows are $80. The most expensive tickets for the Houston shows are $60. Again, those prices get you two days worth of Drum Corps. Individuals or families in a little bit of a money crunch will probably have to choose which San Antonio show they want to attend.

I am very skeptical about how things have played out for the DCI San Antonio weekend. Of course, I will probably sober up and get all giddy once Spring Training starts. If forced to choose, I would pick the Saturday night show over Sunday. The Blue Devils are my favorite corps. I want to see if The Academy can get their act together like I know they can. I'd love to see what Phantom Regiment does with the Kamen piece. Plus, the Blue Stars are now a corps that I root for. This is not to say that I wouldn't attend both shows. I have to show some love to Revolution and The Crossmen as well!

[trumpetplayah]

Man oh man, if they would use Jerry World for the DCI's...wow. Our band boosters have a concession stand set up in there and the stadium its self is amazing (and an awesome field!). Plus San Antonio isn't exactly next door either, it'd be awesome if they would have it here...just once....or mabey more haha!!