Corps who score exceptionally well at the Drum Corps International Division II/III Finals this year in Madison, WI will not advance to Division I Quarterfinals or Semifinals unless they declare their intent to compete in division I in 2003. That's because the DCI Executive Committee voted to strictly enforce the 1997 "Quarterfinalist Policy" at its March meeting in Chicago.

The policy reads that corps who finish in the top 21 must compete in division I the following year.

"The intent of the Quarterfinalist Policy is to give the top five corps from division II and III, who are interested in becoming division I corps, the opportunity to perform in quarterfinals and attain top 21 membership," said Dan Acheson, DCI Executive Director.

For years, division I corps didn't mind allowing division II and III corps to compete against them. That is, until the last few years, when division II corps started scoring higher than division I corps. This has bothered the division I corps because DCI assigns different pay scales to different corps depending on where they place at the championships.

Last summer, two division II corps -- Mandarins and Cascades -- dropped two division I corps -- Pioneer and Troopers -- out of the top 17 pay scale while the division II Spartans and Capital Regiment knocked the division I Kiwanis Kavaliers out of the top 21 pay scale. The Kavaliers finished twenty-third.

"That's a $17,000 difference for us," said Doug Darwin, Kavaliers Director. "I don't mind getting beat by the Santa Clara Cadets or whoever is competing from division II. But our commitment to DCI is huge."

Acheson confirmed that division I corps are required to tour to certain DCI shows and rack up the miles the circuit deems necessary. "We work with the corps before the season on where they'd like to go and not like to go. These corps are spending the time, money and energy necessary to be a division I touring corps."

"We spend weeks on the road," Darwin said.

But while some division II/III corps don't embark on extended tours during the entire summer, while others, like Capital Regiment, do.

"We're very disappointed in that position because there are division II/III corps that put as much time, staff and resources into their tour as division I corps," said Rick Bays, Capital Regiment Director. "Capital Regiment is moving four buses, two trailers and eight vehicles total on a full tour this year. If everything goes well we'll have around 120 members and the same responsibilities."

Bays said he would have liked to see DCI continue to extend the performance opportunity but simply withhold the higher pay scale and ranking, noting that the quarterfinals show typically has a lot more people in the stands than division II/III shows. "Think about what a boost that is for our recruiting," he said. "The precedent has already been set. We've already been exposed to that."

"My point wasn't to take them out of performing," Darwin said. "It was the pay scale. We are still in twenty-third place, but not the twenty-third pay scale. I was happy with the outcome." The Kavaliers also maintain their DCI member status.

George Brown, DCI Division II/III representative to the executive board, noted that division II/III corps do not have a vote on the DCI Board and hence, had no vote on this matter. Brown is the director of the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets.

"I was in favor of the move," Brown said. "It's one of those things where the policy has existed and has been loosely interpreted and adhered to. It has always been nice to do one or possibly two additional performances. It has also been very hard, time-wise, to do it logistically. There's a buildup, a huge amount of emotion for that type of competition. It's very difficult to rebuild that in a 10- to 14-hour turnaround.

"The Wednesday night show (division II/III finals) now will certainly be the focus of II/III. This will also allow the corps to celebrate the season and enjoy the rest of the week.

"Others, like the Cascades last year, that want to advance, will still have the chance to move up."

Darwin said that's exactly how the rule should work. "It's something we've been fighting for years," he said. "It was always there in the rules, it's just they weren't enforcing it. When we made quarterfinals, I only went into that show, really, because I wanted to be division I. We wanted to see if we could make the grade."

DCI paid the Mandarins a one-time semifinals fee in the top 17 pay scale because they finished seventeenth at DCI Semifinals. But the Mandarins will never have a chance to earn that level of payment again unless they decide to extend their tour significantly, raise more money and declare for division I.

"I would say the monies that came from that shouldn't be budgeted," Brown said. "It should be a bonus. It was nice to get, I wouldn't argue that."

Essentially, DCI has been giving the Mandarins and other corps a break since 1997 by ignoring the line in the Quarterfinalist Policy that states the corps didn't have the option to compete in division II once the corps placed in the top 21 overall. The Mandarins will remain a division II corps for 2002.

"I understand the division I position," Bays said. "Capital Regiment's goal is to be a division I corps. But 2003 is not the year that will happen. We're not going to rush it. Chances are, we could do that. But it's one year early from the organizational goal." Bays added that he doesn't want to rush into being a division I corps and then find out the corps reached too high too soon.

Acheson said he is working on an alternative plan to solve these issues. One idea is to develop a new classification that would allow a corps like the Spartans or Capital Regiment to declare for division I, compete at quarterfinals and semifinals and even DCI Finals, but then travel on a shorter tour than full-fledged division I corps. Bays said he'd be very interested in such a plan.

"The goal is to make sure corps advance not only as corps, but as organizations," Acheson said. "The point, ultimately, is not to spawn new corps, but to raise the level of current corps."