Well, I had most of this article typed up, discussing the jaw-dropping results of last weekend’s competitions, in addition to a few of the DCI staff changes I hadn’t had the opportunity to discuss yet. Then, on Thursday, DCI made an announcement that sent shockwaves throughout the activity and has been and surely will be the source of much debate for years to come.
Nate the Great?
Nate Boudreaux, who recently stepped down as Executive Director of USA Water Ski and Wake Sports, will be DCI’s next Chief Executive Officer. For a bit of background, Boudreaux’s previous experience includes stints as Director of Corporate Partnerships with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), roles in marketing, business development, and partnerships with USA Football, as well as working as part of the Media Relations department for the Cleveland Browns.
Aspects of his experience that DCI highlighted in their announcement included Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives that USA Water Ski undertook under his leadership, which is an area DCI has been focusing on, with initiatives such as IN STEP, as well as his work in forging “multi-year partnerships with major brands like Adidas, Gatorade, Technogym and Polar” as part of his position with ACSM.
Reaction on social media to this announcement was decidedly mixed, with some community members sharply criticizing this hire. Much of the criticism has been directed at his lack of experience in the marching arts. Comments included “Which drum corps did he March with?” and “As if drum corps isn’t screwed up enough. It will be unrecognizable”, among others. Conversely, there was much excitement, with many drawing attention to his experience with USA Water Ski and the growth under his leadership.
For me, the most appealing part about this is his depth of experience in corporate partnerships. DCI has done an excellent job establishing relationships with companies and organizations with a pre-existing connection with the activity, your Yamahas, FJMs, and Stanburys of the world. Where they seem to be looking to grow with this move is with potential partnerships that may have some less obvious connections to drum corps. A world of possibilities could be explored here, and only time will tell how well this move works out.
Unheralded
Let’s turn our attention to the Fall season. We’re three weeks into BOA competition, and the level of excellence, as well as the number of upsets to this point, are stunning. Frankly, we haven’t seen many years like this. Out of the ten regionals so far, only three champions have won a BOA show before: Carmel (IN), Lakota West (OH), and Prospect (IL), and Prospect has just one title, coming at the 2001 Toledo Regional.
Each of the other seven champions won their first regional this year, with victories over former Regional and Grand National Champions. We had Evansville North (IN) take the brand new Chattanooga Regional, Richland (TX) capture the title in Las Cruces, Rouse (TX) winning in Austin (at likely the hardest regional in the country), Cy-Fair (TX) pulling off the victory in Conroe, Roma (TX) winning down in the Valley at the McAllen Regional, Rosemount (MN) taking home the Iowa championship, and Braswell (TX) getting the upset over Mustang (OK) and Hendrickson (TX) in Midland.
Each of these groups deserves an article for themselves, but I do want to give a quick shout out to Roma, especially. They’ve historically been an excellent program, with a reputation for getting extremely close to significant achievements before one thing or another gets in the way. This was a heckuva way to break through and join the ranks of Regional champions.
Additionally, we saw a bit of a shakeup at HEB, with Timber Creek (TX) topping Keller (TX), and Forney (TX) right on their heels. This is definitely a storyline to keep an eye on for the rest of the year.
Requiem
We are going to set aside the final portion of this week’s newsletter to talk about the impact that Robert W. Smith had on the activities we love so dearly. One of a select few in both the DCI and BOA Halls of Fame, he was most noted for his work as a composer, but his impact as an educator cannot be overstated.
Robert W. Smith took over the director at Pinellas Park HS in Pinellas County, FL, moving on to Clearwater HS just a few years later. His time at Pinellas Park was what brought him to Suncoast, and put him on the trajectory that catapulted him into so many of the amazing things he is now known for, not to mention how many of his students from Pinellas Park and Suncoast went on to change the activity in their own right.
It’s these connections that mean the most in this activity we adore. We all have someone who helped create these passions, whether it’s a director, a teacher, a tech, or the composer of a piece you couldn’t get enough of. This might be a good time to reach out and say thanks, if you still have the opportunity.
Matthew Carstensen is currently GEM’s Managing Editor. He has been involved in the Pageantry Arts for over a decade as a performer at the highest level, an instructor, and a fan. You can find him on Twitter, Threads, and Instagram at @SatNightLites. He currently lives in Florida with his dog.