The Quest for Gold Has Taken a New Direction: Three Championships in Three Cities. Drum Corps International is excited to announce that there will be not one, not two, but THREE CHAMPIONSHIP events in 2001. The Quest for Gold begins on Saturday, July 21, 2001, as DCI stages the first Championship event west of the Mississippi since the 1991 World Championships. The DCI Southwestern Championships in San Antonio, Texas, at the Alamodome will feature ALL of the Division I corps from 2000.The Quest for Gold continues on Saturday, July 28, 2001. The second Championship event is the DCI Midwestern Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, at the RCA Dome, and also features ALL of the Division I corps from 2000. The third and final determining Championship event in the Quest for Gold is the DCI World Championships to be held August 6th through 11th in Buffalo, New York, at the newly renovated Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills.DCI Southwestern ChampionshipsJuly 21, 2001San Antonio, TexasDCI Midwestern ChampionshipsJuly 28, 2001Indianapolis, IndianaDCI World ChampionshipsAugust 6-11, 2001Buffalo, New YorkEach of the two new Championships will be presented in an exciting one-day format. Starting at noon in San Antonio, just when it is heating up outside, corps placing 9th through 21st at the 2000 World Championships will heat up the cool confines of the Alamodome as they vie for the DCI Southwestern Division I Championship Gold Medal.In Indianapolis, the afternoon event format will be the same as the DCI Southwestern Championships. The corps performing in the afternoon event in Indianapolis will be competing for the DCI Midwestern Division I Championship Gold Medal.Both afternoon events will conclude with a full finale where a gold, silver and bronze medal will be awarded. The Festival Workshop Series: Marching Leadership for Students clinic will follow. After the student clinic, the stadiums will be cleared to reset for an evening event.At both new Championships, the evening event will feature the top four scoring corps advancing from the afternoon event or Division I Championships. Next to perform will be the corps placing 1st through 8th at the 2000 World Championships. Indianapolis will feature the corps placing 1st through 8th at San Antonio. The evening events will award a gold, silver and bronze medal and crown the 2001 DCI Southwestern World Class Champion and the 2001 DCI Midwestern World Class Champion.The DCI World Championships maintains the traditional format with all events staged at the Buffalo Bills' Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The Division II & III Prelims are on Monday and Tuesday and the Opening Ceremony and Division II & III Finals are on Wednesday evening. The Quest for Gold concludes in a spectacular series of Championship events in Thursday's Quarterfinals, Friday's Semifinals and Saturday's Finals.Two Major Events Receive New Names and New DistinctionOn the road from San Antonio to Indianapolis, the Quest for Gold takes the corps placing 1st through 8th at the 2000 DCI World Championships through Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Friday, July 27th. These eight corps will be featured in the first event named DCI's Masters of the Summer Music Games. Certainly, the depth of mastery in DCI goes well beyond just these eight corps but these corps will compete while the others rest up for an afternoon event the next day in Indianapolis. The DCI's Masters of the Summer Music Games Cup will be awarded along with gold, silver and bronze medals. Middle Tennessee State University has proven to be a highly accepted site by fans and corps alike and is a worthy location for a newly established prestigious event.For 24 years, DCI has staged the DCI Eastern event in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The event has been forced to move in 2001 due to stadium renovations. The status of future events in Allentown remains undetermined but for now we are focusing on 2001. As for the name, in the hearts of many, this event will always be DCI East. To add a distinction to an event that has earned such, thanks to the many great corps who have participated over the years and the thousands of fans who attend each year, the event has been renamed The DCI Eastern Classic. For 2001, The DCI Eastern Classic will maintain the two-night format established in 1996 where equal acts are featured each night. As of the writing of this article the event is tentatively scheduled to take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at The University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field, home of the 1975 and 1976 DCI World Championships, an appropriate stage for The DCI Eastern Classic event.DCI Masters of the Summer Music GamesJuly 27, 2001Murfreesboro, TennesseeThe DCI Eastern ClassicAugust 3 & 4, 2001Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaThe member corps of Drum Corps International by deciding on this new direction for staging major events have made a significant commitment. These spectacular events provide more opportunities for fans to have access to ALL of DCI's incredible Division I corps and makes the Quest for Gold in of itself every bit as exciting as the ultimate season finale at the DCI World Championships.The best seats available are on a first come first serve basis so we encourage you to order early. In other words... now is the time to Get On The Bus!Order your tickets today!