Diving Into 2017 Age-Out Numbers, What That Means For 2018

Diving Into 2017 Age-Out Numbers, What That Means For 2018

It's the DCI preseason—aka the perfect time to start making your 2018 predictions for August!

May 8, 2018 by Andy Schamma
Diving Into 2017 Age-Out Numbers, What That Means For 2018

We all know how futile it is to make predictions for the Drum Corps International season.

When looking at the future of DCI, the mind wanders immediately to age-out numbers, staff changes, and current show design. Last year's corps displayed an especially modern approach, with new developments coming from the electronics department as well as prop and uniform design.

Along with this season's rule changes, we've covered staff changes and the latest show design reveals. Now it's time to look at how the age-out numbers may affect the competitive environment.

Age-out numbers recorded by Drum Corps International.

The Short And Sweet

  • Blue Devils have the most age-outs with 60 (40 percent) of the corps' members leaving.
  • Santa Clara Vanguard is close behind with 56.
  • There is a general trend that the number of age-outs decreases when you look down further on the finals placements.
  • The Academy is an outlier in its tier (14th-place finish), with 45 age-outs.
  • Mandarins only had 13 age-outs in 2017.
  • The Crossmen had the fewest of all finalist corps with only 20 age-outs. BK and Boston Crusaders had the next fewest with 35 and 36, respectively.
  • Blue Devils B finished second in Open Class Championships and only had three age-outs.
  • Shadow's members must be attending high school, which is why its age-out number seems disproportionately higher than the groups around it.