August signals the end of the Drum Corps International competitive season. It's an emotional roller coaster for members, alumni and fans of the activity as performances conclude and plans for next year begin. A typical drum corps instructional staff includes 10 to 40 specialists that are experts in the activity. The best are highly sought after and pursued in free agency type affairs. Like any sport, drum corps has internet chatter and industry buzz. Those in the know conduct candid conversations and those on the outside speculate as to the dream team that could transform their favorite corps into contention.
A group of fellow instructors and myself pondered the idea of a fantasy drum corps league where one could play the "General Manager" role, in our case, the Executive Director position. The idea became so elaborate that we were buying and selling members for staff, new members for veteran talent and travel equipment for instruments.
I love the drum corps activity and with the advancements in communication technologies the drum corps off-season is almost as exciting as the competitive one.
