The 2003 European drum corps season begins this Saturday, May 24, at the Sports park 't Sas venue in Sas van Gent (a city in the southern part of the Netherlands). Marco Janssen, a board member of Drum Corps Europe, is looking forward to the European season. "We're looking forward to a great competition. We're very excited about this first outdoor event, after two years of indoor DCE competitions in The Netherlands and Belgium. Many fans are focusing on what will happen at this first contest, with six brand new shows on the field. A corps member told me yesterday, 'For a long time, drum corps seemed to be gone on the European continent. With Drum Corps Europe, it feels like the drum corps spirit is really coming back again,'" Janssen said. Participating corps include Showband Jong Axel (Axel, the Netherlands), Showband New Adventure (Terneuzen, the Netherlands), Showband Sas van Gent (Sas van Gent, the Netherlands), Showband Blue Phoenix (Axel, the Netherlands), Showkorps Excelsior (Goes, the Netherlands) and Showkorps Federatieband (The Hague, the Netherlands). The next DCE contest will be on Sept. 6 in Dordrecht, The Netherlands. The DCE Championships will take place in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Sept. 27, with about 20 participating corps. For more information, visit Drum Corps Europe.