Athlete- a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise. Sport- an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
It was actually the saddest thing for me in high school when my cousins told me that marching band wasn't anything special. I tried to tell them over and over how hard we worked to give the best shows we could but then my sister just told me to quit trying because they were never going to listen. A toast to all those unappreciated athletes in the world marching band or otherwise. You have my support, my friends.
k hk Yeah i can relate, except our shows are 12 minutes minimum and 15 mins max. And we have had to send people to the hospital bc we all work so hard some of our bodies cant handle it. Now have any of you seen a football player collapse of the field bc of how hard they worked. Yeah maybe once or twice in your high school life, but not as many times as we have had to send band people to the hospital this season. We also sustain more injuries. Mainly bc some of us carry more than half our own body weight on our shoulders, then they have to run all around while exerting force into the air they blow to make sound come out. So yeah our heart rates do go very high during a performance. And we are only a high school varsity marching band, so yeah think of how hard other marching bands work, college and high school bands.
We do an entire month of seven hour practices a day (barring weekends) before going into practicing five times a week, six if there’s a competition (also not counting 8th period for us guard kids who have rehearsal then too) and we’re a high school band that’s small for a 5A. Though we do get touted as a mini DCI for it and it feels amazing to hear that
Depends on the band and the people in it. You can be in a high school marching band and exert just as much energy depending on the kinds of things your band does and how much effort you put in regardless of the band.
+Richard Goreham Definition of sport: sport spôrt/ noun 1.an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Bands and corps may not always be competing against each other but generally yes they do. So I consider it very much a sport.
The only reason why I see this is because I told my percussion teacher that someone in my animation class wouldn't believe marching band is a sport "uuoooh I'm just walking around, so hard ouououhhh" that comes from him.....and then my teacher told me to show this to him.......I got I'm beat! >:D
Can we please put more of DCI on tv? So few people know about this activity, and it's sad almost, seeing how much effort these kids put in. I didn't even know what drum corps was until my boyfriend started marching.
Anyone in band knows that feeling when you're out of breath.. The crowd cheers... And you are filled with pride. Every program is different, but the hard work, band camp, and the countless rehearsals and performances put together something amazing. We combine music and athletics to create a product unlike any other. Dancers memorize their routines just like a marching band, just we add music. We respect all sports, proudly cheering on the football team every Friday night, we deserve some too! :)
Some people like labels. Saying it is 'a sport' means to the people actually doing it that they are putting as much effort into this performance as a soccer team would in a game. If sport is defined as physical exertion and ability, marching band is indeed a sport. It is physically demanding and mentally challenging.
Or march complex drill at a fast pace (like, 145) for 3 hours straight. Like I do every Thursday. I might be a flute player, but boy do my arms hurt after Every. Single. Practice. Or they could just go stand at set, or attention, for 10 minutes straight while the band directors are talking.
Or try color guard, dance, acro, coreo, and spinning whatever object is placed in your hands while you 'run' across the field, making it look beautiful, effortless, etc.
I love DCI. My high school band director took us to a show every year. They are so amazing and the work/dedication it takes...crazy. I've always considered band a sport, but that's just me.
Marching Band is a sport, period. My band camp is 8-9 weeks (5 days each) for 8 hours during the summer. I live in Chicago so our summers can get very hot. I've never been so tired and worn out in my whole life. And I have done sports before. I'm so tired of Marchers being frowned upon because it's "band". We work really, really hard
Agreed. I'm starting a movement/campaign/whatever you want to call it, to take down the ignorance surrounding marching band. Us marchers, we know the rigorous demands of our sport, but many others don't. Its about time for that ignorance to go. Will you help?
These people ARE the very definition of athletic. Nobody who hasn't marched can say we aren't athletes. Being in Colorguard, Drumline, or Brass Line is NOT easy. Stand tall, March proud.
our band directors showed this to us my freshmen year of marching band. like marching in high school band is even remotely comparable to marching quads in the Cavies
My band director told the freshmen that you had to be precise getting to your dot because color guard were throwing around “lethal weapons”. He also compared a competition to war. He is dramatic 😂
@@aidenjs1826 it can be, basketball you trip and fall, you get back up, make it up on the next play, Marching Band you tip and fall you just caused your "team" to lose.
I was in marching band AND played soccer all FOUR YEARS of my high school life and no doubt, no questions asked, no second guessing, marching band was 100 times more difficult than practice and a season of varsity soccer. June, July and a couple days of August before school starts is marching band practice. 8 hours a day. 4 to 5 days a week. REGARDLESS OF WEATHER. Holding a 40 pound snare drum in 98 Fahrenheit is murder. Then, when you start school, Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday and Friday, practice after school. From 5 to 9. EVERYDAY FOR 6 months. I’m not complaining at all. Marching band was amazing. I have so many awesome memories and made friends that I still have to this very day. Going to hotels then sneaking out to do god knows what. Taking vacations with the whole band. Traveling in large bushes for days only eating junk food and letting the color guard girls give u a rub and tug in the bathroom.... PRICELESS. If your in marching band your an athlete. PERIOD.
I got an update from the Colts who were in GA last week & at one of the school rehearsal sites the football coach called all the members of the team after watching them rehearse that morning and had them come meet the director and watch the show. He then told his players "If ya'll worked as hard as these 'band kids' do, we'd be going to state every year!"
Not only am I an ultra runner, marathon runner and muli-day multi stage runner and sponsored athlete I was also a 3 year drum corps veteran. I played baritone on the hornline and I can attest that marching in a DCI corps is definitly a SPORT and a tough one at that!
I used this video right after it came out my senior year of high school in a paper about why Drum Corps should be considered a sport. I was hopeful at the time that I may March in the future, but I never got the chance. I was, however, fortunate enough to have so many incredible teachers in college that performed and taught at that level. They included an SCV Alum/snare tech, BK alum and bass tech for many drum corps, Memphis Sound (forte) alum, and a couple of Colts alum/techs. By the end of my college career, I was assured I could have marched tenors in one of the big 7, but I never had the means to tryout. I regret it, but still enjoy throwing down beats and pushing high schoolers to further themselves when they want to.
well i think im gunna jump in here and say a quick thing any "game" can become a sport as soon as it gets a competitive nature to it, for example darts, fishing ect... theses are sports because you have somebody that practice for hrs and hrs for a competition. it doesnt matter how fit an competetor is but if you want to be considered an athelet then you have to be in great shape like the preformers in DCI
To me, there isn't a limit to the effort that I can apply to my marching. I'm always finding ways to improve my marching, thus making it more physically demanding on myself.
Also, marching band is considered as much of a sport as cheerleading and dance team are. There are insane amounts of effort put into all three, and they make what they do look simple and not that challenging because people just cannot relate to the challenges needed to overcome. With traditional sports such as basketball or football, people can relate to the strength needed to run that far that quickly that long, or the power needed to throw something.
yet the cheerleaders get their trophies displayed and can get into the athletic hall of fame, and the Marching Band members, even those that went to state are shoved into the dark band room closet.
Just because something is not called a sport does not mean it cannot be insanely physical. I'm fine with marching band and DCI not being called a sport, yet they are both the hardest things I've ever done (DCI not even comparable to the high school level). Those who call DCI easy have never done it (or at least not a top 12 corps). Football may require more strength, and basketball more speed, but as a whole marching drum corps asks way more from you than any other activity. Period.
its so freaking kickass!!! i can't even imagine how hard DCI must be! comparing a high school marching band to DCI is like comparing a kitten to a tiger! mi no comprehende
The stats he got showed so many people that what we did was as intense, if not more so than most other sports. I marched '03, '05, and '06, and have been relatively sedentary since then. I still maintain a residual level of fitness from those years. I can improve running times over days, not weeks. I can walk all day in heat without breaks or complaints. I can hold my breath for longer than most. I'm crazy motivated to do anything. Kudos to the misinformed guy for informing the public.
im just an average high school guy... im impressed of what you guys are actually doing out there. people say marching band isnt a sport... SURE sounds like one!!!
The reason why it looks easy? Practice, practice, and more practice. Even Chops Inc. - a "hobby drum corps" - still rehearses every other weekend for 8-10 hours a day and every Wednesday for 4 hours; this is not counting the time you practice on your own.
Yes it is, I would know, I play sports like track, and basketball, and I do this activity as well. Both of them push me the same physically, but this activity pushes me mentally as well. It is really physically demanding like regular sports. You need a lot of endurance.
i don't think people realize that you have to a)think about the music your playing b)march at high tempos without running into someone c)play as clean as possible. its takes a hell of alot of physical and mental toughness to do drum corp. bravo to any man or women that has ever done drum corp. to have that type of tour the these people go through.and the constant toll it takes on your body. i'm auditioning for vanguard cymbal line in '09 and '10.soo i can't wait to be apart of this.
yea i almost got into a fight like that, but ended up being myself and showed off on my snare, he looked pissed, but the whole Marching Band was laughing at him and cheering me On, it felt great...!!!!
It's crazy to think now the movement and visuals in DCI (and WGI especially) are much more complex and physical, I'd be interested to see this same study done again, maybe even on a quad player in WGI
Practice for that 10 minute show usually goes for about 4-5 hours depending on the corps. Set, drill, re-set, run etc. So with that in mind, practice would conclude to "running" around the field for 4 hours a day during the entire summer. No one is superhuman, it just depends on the physical demands of each sport.
We work just as hard as any other athlete (I know this because I also do competitive cheer) especially Drum line and Color Guard. For guard I do a week long camp that runs for 12 hours everyday and the day after that is when we start band camp, which is another week long camp that runs 12 hours (for guard and drum line) every day. I’d say we’re the most under appreciated parts to the band and guard and drum line add a lot of the wow factor to the show.
Yes i agree yall add alot to the show, but drumline and ESPECIALLY the guard is by far the most recognized..if anything it the winds that get passed over
@@alexfishh6094 no because well…. Some hs band programs don’t require a lot of physical demand. But some do. It’s kinda like a football team that walks to the end zone and doesn’t really do much
Speaking of "sympathetic part of the nervous system" raising his heart rate, I remember the bit with the Star tenor drummer and how his heart rate was matching the music's tempo in the later part of the show. Made me wonder if it was subconsciously tying together with the music.
The way our show was last year, I would be breathing really hard after Blue Shades, right before the closer at 212 beats per minute. I literally had no time to catch my breath during a run-through, plus I had notes to play and sustain. If you've seen drum solo drill for The Cadets, you know that we are hauling a**...last year was the most difficult drum solo drill in Cadets history. We literally did not stop moving, we only paused for a couple seconds, and we booked all the way...
DUDE!!!Awesome respect for band and corps finally....also has any other band experienced a practice in which there were tornado warnings and watches in effect...man that was exciting!!!!!I wish we could've strapped on of those to us just to see how fast our heartbeats were racing
I've never thought of the band or drum corps activity as having to be legitimized (if you will) as an activity by calling what we (or they) do a "sport" or even comparing it to a sport. I know, athletes are held up on that proverbial pedestal above all others in our society, so that makes musicians think that they must "measure up" in a sense. Music and all musical activities should stand alone as worthy because it is a human endeavor that creates emotion and joy both to the performer and to the listener. Imagine a world without music. We need no acknowledgement from anyone. God gave us music to enjoy and that's that. We make music because it makes our lives better and it brings joy to other people.
The Indiana State University did this experiment waaaayyyyy back in '93 with a tenor player from Star of Indiana. A new spin on it but still pretty cool.
Last summer I marched tuba with The Cadets...that was my very first year in drum corps altogether, plus we had no ballad, and I calculated our average tempo the entire show to be around 178 beats per minute. I agree with every single word said in this video. As far as breathing goes during a show, also take into consideration the altitude, because the higher the elevation (NE or CO, for example), the harder we have to breathe to get oxygen....
Drum Corps perform for millions of people for the sport of competition a lot of physical activity is going into it,with many long hours. Yes we may not stay or live in the top condition but the sport is all about who can rise above all that, push their physical and musical limits to express their meaning of their show. One thing though is that drum corps is very good on sportsmanship
I'd say it goes like this, where the ">" symbols mean "harder than": NFL > Drum Corps >> college football and college cheerleading > college drumline > college marching band (excluding drumline) > high school football and high school cheerleading > high school marching band
football players don't practice 12 hours a day for 11 weeks straight. I used to play varsity soccer, and just got off of tour with the troopers. Drum corps is by far the hardest thing i've ever done in my life. And I was only playing marimba in the front ensemble.
The rigor varies greatly from state to state as well as class to class. My high school marching band compared to DCI would be similar to comparing high school football to pro ball. In fact we had members in my band who were also band members in DCI.
Duh...there all kids they should be this active and putting out this kind of physical exertion. Heck, I worked just as hard at thier age when I was in drum corps back 40 yrs ago. Nice to see that durm corps still gives these young kids a platform to compete on.
you have absolutely no idea how hard it is to play,march,scan the field,watch the form,and listening and blending if you say its not a sport the definition of sport is"An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or other" and trust me it does take physical exertion and skill to do this.
Depends on the school. I know of one school where warm up for the 12 hour day at band camp is a 3 mile run, breathing in for 4 counts followed by breathing out for 32 counts, to master air control and air support, which is needed to keep your sound steady while your chest is bopping up and down while marching.
you know, i just read a few comments, y'all are lucky. marching band counting for PE credit. I wish they did that in my school. I would love to go to gym class them lol.
@FightForTheArts They are often referred to as tenors but can be called quads or quints as well. There are multiple other names that can be used but tenor drums are the primary one. Do not confuse with tenor saxophone. :)
Very true. Marching takes a hella lot of effort. WAY more intense than your average sport, like: football, baseball, soccer, basketball, ect.. I hear people all the time complain about practice, let me tell you, marching practice effing kills you. Football players wouldn't last a second during a band practice!
and I've only done two of those things (high school and college drumline), and i'd say that's pretty unbiased. professional sports are indeed the hardest i'm sure, but drum corps is up there with them, on that much higher level. and even though this video talks about the physical strain of drum corps, i dont see that as the challenge. the mental focus and maturity you need, and the coordination required, is simply phenomenal. that's why only a select few can do it, like in professional sports
@Agemrepus An excellent observation. One could also argue that under the stress of a final performance and knowing that this is his last show; he would also give 110%.Therefore, the data received is more relevent to a final performance or a performance that has greater significance where know he is being monitored by judges which would increase his stress response in comparison to a regular practice.
We averaged 5-7 black outs per band camp. I've had 4 just from the battery. I've also witnessed people throwing up. Try marching for 5-7 hours at 95-102 degrees.
This is the kind of thing all non-marching people need to see. I remember in high school a kid asked me "what's so hard about marching band? it's just like...walking around". FALSE.
I know this is an old video. I’d like for ball players to go thru one summer of conditioning, learning the show and music, then hours long practice to perfect the show. Let them tell me band isn’t a sport then.
@Airwaves42 I hate to disagree with you, but I marched with the Crossmen in the historic '92 show. Then again in '93 and '94. The full trilogy. Those were my sophomore, junior, and senior years in high school. There is a good mix of high school and college students in all corps.
at attention yeah of course. ive marched both contra and bari (we didnt have euphs at the time). but standing at attention is only a fraction of the time. and typically contras are only at attention with horns in front of the body during horn arc and limited parts of the show.
So true- it's hard to think of me and my friends as "World Class Athletes" but that's what we are. Can't wait to get my butt royally kicked again next summer :)
Marching is a sport. a sport is basically a physical activity that puts you up against someone else. Schools go against schools. Then in the major league, corps vs corps. Same for football. School vs school and NFL team vs team. Same for basket ball. School vs school, team vs team.
FINALLY! It's proven. I consider Marching Band a sport because it's very difficult. My first year in HS Marching Band, I droped 16 lbs during our two week band camp. I'm seriously not exaggerating.
I don't really give a shit if DCI is considered a sport or not because that label is meaningless. Just acknowledge that we are indeed athletes.
Jek Tono Porkins you’re not though
Yes we are
Athlete- a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise.
Sport- an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
myles Ragas t
@@mylesragas5150 What you just described is literally a competitive marching band...
It was actually the saddest thing for me in high school when my cousins told me that marching band wasn't anything special. I tried to tell them over and over how hard we worked to give the best shows we could but then my sister just told me to quit trying because they were never going to listen. A toast to all those unappreciated athletes in the world marching band or otherwise. You have my support, my friends.
Kim Hoffman but you’re not though this looks sooo easy
Well, you get to skip football practice if you are dead. If you are dead, you still go to band practice.
@@amauryprather8437 Ok then you do it.
@@charleyhibschweiler4555 That is a HORRIFYINGLY accurate way to describe it
Ours was always "Your ten minutes early, YOU'RE LATE!"
I agree so much!!!
Damn, heart rate goes up to 180 BPM only from hearing the music? Now that's a dedicated drummer, living metronome
The guy who they experimenting with is my percussion director now .
Marina Martinez i have a tech who had him as a private lesson teacher
@@mxrinamxrtinez_ omgggg did you go to SGP? I have Mr. Thomas rnnn
@@mylesfinkley7332 yes I did (: I was in Drumline when I met Thomas.
"it's basically walking around, it's so easy" - normies
+Eriftoh Hapus It is lmao
ahhh no...
+David K no. It's not
+David K You probably haven't even been in a decent Marching Band
look up nashu drumline north.
DCI and high school marching band are two totally different things.
Yeah no shit, just like high school and professional football.
k hk Yeah i can relate, except our shows are 12 minutes minimum and 15 mins max. And we have had to send people to the hospital bc we all work so hard some of our bodies cant handle it. Now have any of you seen a football player collapse of the field bc of how hard they worked. Yeah maybe once or twice in your high school life, but not as many times as we have had to send band people to the hospital this season. We also sustain more injuries. Mainly bc some of us carry more than half our own body weight on our shoulders, then they have to run all around while exerting force into the air they blow to make sound come out. So yeah our heart rates do go very high during a performance. And we are only a high school varsity marching band, so yeah think of how hard other marching bands work, college and high school bands.
So is 7-year olds playing baseball and the MLB, but they're both still sports
We do an entire month of seven hour practices a day (barring weekends) before going into practicing five times a week, six if there’s a competition (also not counting 8th period for us guard kids who have rehearsal then too) and we’re a high school band that’s small for a 5A. Though we do get touted as a mini DCI for it and it feels amazing to hear that
Depends on the band and the people in it. You can be in a high school marching band and exert just as much energy depending on the kinds of things your band does and how much effort you put in regardless of the band.
Marching band and drum corps are a sport. Period.
+Richard Goreham Definition of sport: sport
spôrt/
noun
1.an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
Bands and corps may not always be competing against each other but generally yes they do. So I consider it very much a sport.
+Richard Goreham it's actually a sport, even schools recognize it as one
Joey Lara not mine
+Richard Goreham really? mine counts it as an athletic credit
+Richard Goreham oh, mine embraces the band and loves us
The only reason why I see this is because I told my percussion teacher that someone in my animation class wouldn't believe marching band is a sport "uuoooh I'm just walking around, so hard ouououhhh" that comes from him.....and then my teacher told me to show this to him.......I got I'm beat! >:D
Can we please put more of DCI on tv? So few people know about this activity, and it's sad almost, seeing how much effort these kids put in. I didn't even know what drum corps was until my boyfriend started marching.
super late, but their is now a dedicated channel on flosports
Best thing you can do nowadays is to have people watch drum Corps videos on the internet.
Anyone in band knows that feeling when you're out of breath.. The crowd cheers... And you are filled with pride. Every program is different, but the hard work, band camp, and the countless rehearsals and performances put together something amazing. We combine music and athletics to create a product unlike any other. Dancers memorize their routines just like a marching band, just we add music. We respect all sports, proudly cheering on the football team every Friday night, we deserve some too! :)
Some people like labels. Saying it is 'a sport' means to the people actually doing it that they are putting as much effort into this performance as a soccer team would in a game. If sport is defined as physical exertion and ability, marching band is indeed a sport. It is physically demanding and mentally challenging.
People should have to march tenors for an hour before they can say its not a sport
Or march complex drill at a fast pace (like, 145) for 3 hours straight. Like I do every Thursday. I might be a flute player, but boy do my arms hurt after Every. Single. Practice.
Or they could just go stand at set, or attention, for 10 minutes straight while the band directors are talking.
Or try color guard, dance, acro, coreo, and spinning whatever object is placed in your hands while you 'run' across the field, making it look beautiful, effortless, etc.
Yeah, Cause 145 is fast.
Yes lol
@@cianliaskos4647 I generally think 168 is fast but these guys were marching like 210 if this was in 2007 but I think it was in 2005
I love DCI. My high school band director took us to a show every year. They are so amazing and the work/dedication it takes...crazy.
I've always considered band a sport, but that's just me.
Now imagine the respiratory demands of a wind player who doesn't get to breathe whenever they want like the percussionists do.
Marching Band is a sport, period. My band camp is 8-9 weeks (5 days each) for 8 hours during the summer. I live in Chicago so our summers can get very hot. I've never been so tired and worn out in my whole life. And I have done sports before. I'm so tired of Marchers being frowned upon because it's "band". We work really, really hard
Agreed. I'm starting a movement/campaign/whatever you want to call it, to take down the ignorance surrounding marching band. Us marchers, we know the rigorous demands of our sport, but many others don't. Its about time for that ignorance to go. Will you help?
Theresa05 i live in the south and it gets way hotter when we do our practices and it’s the same mount and time as yours
Chicago... Hot.. come down to literally anything south of Tennessee
These people ARE the very definition of athletic. Nobody who hasn't marched can say we aren't athletes. Being in Colorguard, Drumline, or Brass Line is NOT easy. Stand tall, March proud.
0:43 "Drum Set" *Facepalm*
I think he said Drum kit not sure :3
0:42 You can hear the 'tsss" in his voice
i wasn't sure, sorry :)
One They Fear
Mari No no it's fine, no big deal. :)
our band directors showed this to us my freshmen year of marching band. like marching in high school band is even remotely comparable to marching quads in the Cavies
My band director told the freshmen that you had to be precise getting to your dot because color guard were throwing around “lethal weapons”. He also compared a competition to war. He is dramatic 😂
@@aidenjs1826 it can be, basketball you trip and fall, you get back up, make it up on the next play, Marching Band you tip and fall you just caused your "team" to lose.
I was in marching band AND played soccer all FOUR YEARS of my high school life and no doubt, no questions asked, no second guessing, marching band was 100 times more difficult than practice and a season of varsity soccer. June, July and a couple days of August before school starts is marching band practice. 8 hours a day. 4 to 5 days a week. REGARDLESS OF WEATHER. Holding a 40 pound snare drum in 98 Fahrenheit is murder. Then, when you start school, Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday and Friday, practice after school. From 5 to 9. EVERYDAY FOR 6 months. I’m not complaining at all. Marching band was amazing. I have so many awesome memories and made friends that I still have to this very day. Going to hotels then sneaking out to do god knows what. Taking vacations with the whole band. Traveling in large bushes for days only eating junk food and letting the color guard girls give u a rub and tug in the bathroom.... PRICELESS. If your in marching band your an athlete. PERIOD.
I got an update from the Colts who were in GA last week & at one of the school rehearsal sites the football coach called all the members of the team after watching them rehearse that morning and had them come meet the director and watch the show. He then told his players "If ya'll worked as hard as these 'band kids' do, we'd be going to state every year!"
Not only am I an ultra runner, marathon runner and muli-day multi stage runner and sponsored athlete I was also a 3 year drum corps veteran. I played baritone on the hornline and I can attest that marching in a DCI corps is definitly a SPORT and a tough one at that!
"Not a sport" my ass
AM I right? I tried to tell my brothers about this..
Ha! They should do this with a tuba player. "Band isn't a sport" my ass!
It's not a sport...
+Megan Zewe Quads weigh more than a tuba, but im sure the oxygen intake readings would be really interesting.
i think sport demeans it, it's more than a sport. but it is athletic.
David K *sextets
Can we just call them tenors and go home
I used this video right after it came out my senior year of high school in a paper about why Drum Corps should be considered a sport. I was hopeful at the time that I may March in the future, but I never got the chance. I was, however, fortunate enough to have so many incredible teachers in college that performed and taught at that level. They included an SCV Alum/snare tech, BK alum and bass tech for many drum corps, Memphis Sound (forte) alum, and a couple of Colts alum/techs. By the end of my college career, I was assured I could have marched tenors in one of the big 7, but I never had the means to tryout. I regret it, but still enjoy throwing down beats and pushing high schoolers to further themselves when they want to.
well i think im gunna jump in here and say a quick thing
any "game" can become a sport as soon as it gets a competitive nature to it, for example darts, fishing ect... theses are sports because you have somebody that practice for hrs and hrs for a competition. it doesnt matter how fit an competetor is but if you want to be considered an athelet then you have to be in great shape like the preformers in DCI
I love how the graph vallys out at the ballad and skyrockets right during the closer.
this needs to be shown to people everywhere
That made me laugh so hard. Lets go play the Marching piano on now.....lol
To me, there isn't a limit to the effort that I can apply to my marching. I'm always finding ways to improve my marching, thus making it more physically demanding on myself.
Also, marching band is considered as much of a sport as cheerleading and dance team are. There are insane amounts of effort put into all three, and they make what they do look simple and not that challenging because people just cannot relate to the challenges needed to overcome. With traditional sports such as basketball or football, people can relate to the strength needed to run that far that quickly that long, or the power needed to throw something.
yet the cheerleaders get their trophies displayed and can get into the athletic hall of fame, and the Marching Band members, even those that went to state are shoved into the dark band room closet.
Just because something is not called a sport does not mean it cannot be insanely physical. I'm fine with marching band and DCI not being called a sport, yet they are both the hardest things I've ever done (DCI not even comparable to the high school level).
Those who call DCI easy have never done it (or at least not a top 12 corps). Football may require more strength, and basketball more speed, but as a whole marching drum corps asks way more from you than any other activity. Period.
its so freaking kickass!!!
i can't even imagine how hard DCI must be! comparing a high school marching band to DCI is like comparing a kitten to a tiger! mi no comprehende
The stats he got showed so many people that what we did was as intense, if not more so than most other sports.
I marched '03, '05, and '06, and have been relatively sedentary since then. I still maintain a residual level of fitness from those years. I can improve running times over days, not weeks. I can walk all day in heat without breaks or complaints. I can hold my breath for longer than most. I'm crazy motivated to do anything. Kudos to the misinformed guy for informing the public.
im just an average high school guy... im impressed of what you guys are actually doing out there. people say marching band isnt a sport... SURE sounds like one!!!
The reason why it looks easy? Practice, practice, and more practice.
Even Chops Inc. - a "hobby drum corps" - still rehearses every other weekend for 8-10 hours a day and every Wednesday for 4 hours; this is not counting the time you practice on your own.
A true percussionist can even control his heartbeat to the tempo -- haha!
Yes it is, I would know, I play sports like track, and basketball, and I do this activity as well. Both of them push me the same physically, but this activity pushes me mentally as well. It is really physically demanding like regular sports. You need a lot of endurance.
i don't think people realize that you have to
a)think about the music your playing
b)march at high tempos without running into someone
c)play as clean as possible.
its takes a hell of alot of physical and mental toughness to do drum corp.
bravo to any man or women that has ever done drum corp.
to have that type of tour the these people go through.and the constant toll it takes on your body.
i'm auditioning for vanguard cymbal line in '09 and '10.soo i can't wait to be apart of this.
ah, the sight of someone loving what they do. [:
its pretty sweet. our school has given us the other pe credit we need if you are in marching band all four years.
yea i almost got into a fight like that, but ended up being myself and showed off on my snare, he looked pissed, but the whole Marching Band was laughing at him and cheering me On, it felt great...!!!!
The oxygen consumption is probably lower for the instruments that require air too
Hard to test though since we need oxygen to play the instrument and can't put a testing machine over our mouth, or we couldn't play the instrument.
Hell yeah! It's nice to finally see marching band actually recognized as a sport.
It's crazy to think now the movement and visuals in DCI (and WGI especially) are much more complex and physical, I'd be interested to see this same study done again, maybe even on a quad player in WGI
you don't have to get a bed to show your dedication and hard work to what you do
Every athlete should be required to watch this video. We aren't just band nerds who blow horns and bang drums.
This was actually shot in 1993. ESPN keeps using it as it's brand new. That kid marched with Star of Indiana which is where BLAST was originated from.
Yes because they had windows XP in 1993
you try marching a 30 pound drum in the middle of summer with a shirt on
jordan thomas, amazing cavalier. that guy did so much for the corps last year.
Practice for that 10 minute show usually goes for about 4-5 hours depending on the corps. Set, drill, re-set, run etc. So with that in mind, practice would conclude to "running" around the field for 4 hours a day during the entire summer. No one is superhuman, it just depends on the physical demands of each sport.
We work just as hard as any other athlete (I know this because I also do competitive cheer) especially Drum line and Color Guard. For guard I do a week long camp that runs for 12 hours everyday and the day after that is when we start band camp, which is another week long camp that runs 12 hours (for guard and drum line) every day. I’d say we’re the most under appreciated parts to the band and guard and drum line add a lot of the wow factor to the show.
Yes i agree yall add alot to the show, but drumline and ESPECIALLY the guard is by far the most recognized..if anything it the winds that get passed over
This proves marching band is a sport I don't understand how people think it's not
physically demanding is not a sport, DCI is a sport, not marching band
Noah Van Helsing depends on the marching band tbh
dci is a professional level of marching band, so does that make high school football not a sport?
@@alexfishh6094 no because well…. Some hs band programs don’t require a lot of physical demand. But some do.
It’s kinda like a football team that walks to the end zone and doesn’t really do much
a) I march mello
b) I'm at Harvard
c) I speak 7 languages fluently
d) I'm double majoring
e) Drum Corps>Wrestling
f) I win.
I wonder where you are now.
At the end of the video, the journalist credits “Jordan Thomas” of the cavaliers for hooking him up, now y’all know which Corp it was haha
Imagine the conditioning for breathing that horn line players have to go through and how that affects things
Yeah. I know some people that've gone from Drum Corps to the military, and they say it was the easiest transition of their life.
We're no longer Bandies or Band Geeks.. We're AWESOME ATHLETES!!
Speaking of "sympathetic part of the nervous system" raising his heart rate, I remember the bit with the Star tenor drummer and how his heart rate was matching the music's tempo in the later part of the show. Made me wonder if it was subconsciously tying together with the music.
Thank god for this video, I'm getting tired of football players thinking that DCI is easy.
The way our show was last year, I would be breathing really hard after Blue Shades, right before the closer at 212 beats per minute. I literally had no time to catch my breath during a run-through, plus I had notes to play and sustain.
If you've seen drum solo drill for The Cadets, you know that we are hauling a**...last year was the most difficult drum solo drill in Cadets history. We literally did not stop moving, we only paused for a couple seconds, and we booked all the way...
DUDE!!!Awesome respect for band and corps finally....also has any other band experienced a practice in which there were tornado warnings and watches in effect...man that was exciting!!!!!I wish we could've strapped on of those to us just to see how fast our heartbeats were racing
I've never thought of the band or drum corps activity as having
to be legitimized (if you will) as an activity by calling what
we (or they) do a "sport" or even comparing it to a sport.
I know, athletes are held up on that proverbial pedestal above
all others in our society, so that makes musicians think that
they must "measure up" in a sense. Music and all musical
activities should stand alone as worthy because it is a human
endeavor that creates emotion and joy both to the performer
and to the listener. Imagine a world without music. We need
no acknowledgement from anyone. God gave us music to
enjoy and that's that. We make music because it makes our
lives better and it brings joy to other people.
ALSO DCI =/= HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND YOU NERDS
n n n n n n n n n n n n no shit you half cooked noodle
Yeah, but 7-year olds playing baseball is not the MLB, but they're both still sports
of course they used the Cavaliers because their drumline is so badass
You merely adopted the quads. I was born in them!
The Indiana State University did this experiment waaaayyyyy back in '93 with a tenor player from Star of Indiana. A new spin on it but still pretty cool.
Last summer I marched tuba with The Cadets...that was my very first year in drum corps altogether, plus we had no ballad, and I calculated our average tempo the entire show to be around 178 beats per minute.
I agree with every single word said in this video. As far as breathing goes during a show, also take into consideration the altitude, because the higher the elevation (NE or CO, for example), the harder we have to breathe to get oxygen....
Drum Corps perform for millions of people for the sport of competition a lot of physical activity is going into it,with many long hours. Yes we may not stay or live in the top condition but the sport is all about who can rise above all that, push their physical and musical limits to express their meaning of their show. One thing though is that drum corps is very good on sportsmanship
I always say "Don't knock it 'til you've tried it"
I'd say it goes like this, where the ">" symbols mean "harder than":
NFL > Drum Corps >> college football and college cheerleading > college drumline > college marching band (excluding drumline) > high school football and high school cheerleading > high school marching band
football players don't practice 12 hours a day for 11 weeks straight.
I used to play varsity soccer, and just got off of tour with the troopers. Drum corps is by far the hardest thing i've ever done in my life. And I was only playing marimba in the front ensemble.
The rigor varies greatly from state to state as well as class to class. My high school marching band compared to DCI would be similar to comparing high school football to pro ball. In fact we had members in my band who were also band members in DCI.
thanks man. as long as your marching its all that counts. i wish i was marching this yr but of course money came in the way
Imagine if they could monitor how much air a brass player uses during a show. I want to see those numbers and see how that compares to other athletes.
Duh...there all kids they should be this active and putting out this kind of physical exertion. Heck, I worked just as hard at thier age when I was in drum corps back 40 yrs ago. Nice to see that durm corps still gives these young kids a platform to compete on.
I love this SPORT!
you have absolutely no idea how hard it is to play,march,scan the field,watch the form,and listening and blending if you say its not a sport
the definition of sport is"An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or other" and trust me it does take physical exertion and skill to do this.
Depends on the school.
I know of one school where warm up for the 12 hour day at band camp is a 3 mile run, breathing in for 4 counts followed by breathing out for 32 counts, to master air control and air support, which is needed to keep your sound steady while your chest is bopping up and down while marching.
Sounds about right. Ours was a 2 mile run and different things for both hornline warmups and marching warmups, but still similar.
about time people start respecting DCI and Marching band.
Im a tenor player, and I agree with you.I've done winterguard (colorguard) at my high school for 2 years. lol.
you know, i just read a few comments, y'all are lucky. marching band counting for PE credit. I wish they did that in my school. I would love to go to gym class them lol.
@FightForTheArts
They are often referred to as tenors but can be called quads or quints as well. There are multiple other names that can be used but tenor drums are the primary one. Do not confuse with tenor saxophone. :)
Very true. Marching takes a hella lot of effort. WAY more intense than your average sport, like: football, baseball, soccer, basketball, ect.. I hear people all the time complain about practice, let me tell you, marching practice effing kills you. Football players wouldn't last a second during a band practice!
and I've only done two of those things (high school and college drumline), and i'd say that's pretty unbiased. professional sports are indeed the hardest i'm sure, but drum corps is up there with them, on that much higher level. and even though this video talks about the physical strain of drum corps, i dont see that as the challenge. the mental focus and maturity you need, and the coordination required, is simply phenomenal. that's why only a select few can do it, like in professional sports
@Agemrepus An excellent observation. One could also argue that under the stress of a final performance and knowing that this is his last show; he would also give 110%.Therefore, the data received is more relevent to a final performance or a performance that has greater significance where know he is being monitored by judges which would increase his stress response in comparison to a regular practice.
We averaged 5-7 black outs per band camp. I've had 4 just from the battery. I've also witnessed people throwing up. Try marching for 5-7 hours at 95-102 degrees.
yeah im marching bass 4. my back hurts a little.
but these guys make it look easy to carry it, probably since they're crazy good at playing
This is the kind of thing all non-marching people need to see. I remember in high school a kid asked me "what's so hard about marching band? it's just like...walking around". FALSE.
And they say band or DCI isn't a sport!!!!! It came out on espn!!!!!!
exactly, they should do a wind player (if it's even possible)! they have to focus their breath intake to play the right note phrases.
I know this is an old video. I’d like for ball players to go thru one summer of conditioning, learning the show and music, then hours long practice to perfect the show. Let them tell me band isn’t a sport then.
@Airwaves42
I hate to disagree with you, but I marched with the Crossmen in the historic '92 show. Then again in '93 and '94. The full trilogy. Those were my sophomore, junior, and senior years in high school. There is a good mix of high school and college students in all corps.
Oh wow, the discipline!
at attention yeah of course. ive marched both contra and bari (we didnt have euphs at the time). but standing at attention is only a fraction of the time. and typically contras are only at attention with horns in front of the body during horn arc and limited parts of the show.
So true- it's hard to think of me and my friends as "World Class Athletes" but that's what we are. Can't wait to get my butt royally kicked again next summer :)
Marching is a sport. a sport is basically a physical activity that puts you up against someone else. Schools go against schools. Then in the major league, corps vs corps. Same for football. School vs school and NFL team vs team. Same for basket ball. School vs school, team vs team.
Wish you could see the results for a hornline member. We can only breath when the music permits us to, but we still have to run around.
FINALLY! It's proven.
I consider Marching Band a sport because it's very difficult.
My first year in HS Marching Band, I droped 16 lbs during our two week band camp. I'm seriously not exaggerating.
In South Carolina we just had marching band passed as a P.E. credit. It. Is. A. Sport.
Damn, athletes or not some of those boys are f-i-n-e. Go band geeks!