The DCI Southwestern Championship is a peak-point in the drum corps season. With every World Class corps going head to head for the first time, the competitive landscape comes into full effect and the anticipation of the DCI World Championships begins to set in.
The competitive factor, however, is only one aspect of the DCI Summer Tour that comes to the forefront in San Antonio.
Since 2011, The Marching Music Health, Wellness & Safety Project (MMHWSP) has hosted a clinic during the San Antonio regional weekend to provide professional care to injured members and to build a network for medical staff involved with the corps.
“We start on Saturday by holding a clinic for all of the marching members to be evaluated,” said Laurie VanDoren, nurse practitioner and chairperson of the MMHWSP. “The health and wellness teams in each respective drum corps bring their members down to our clinic with either illnesses or injuries that they want evaluated by other professionals.”
Laurie VanDoren, chair of the MMHWSP, addresses a group of drum corps instructors in San Antonio.
The clinic is staffed with medical personnel from a variety of fields, ensuring that the members receive proper attention for their injuries and that athletic trainers from each corps have access to additional consultation.
“DCI supports us by flying in a number of experts in various fields,” VanDoren said. “We have a psychologist here to deal with mental health concerns, a podiatrist here to deal with foot and ankle concerns. We have physical therapists and very experienced athletic trainers in drum corps.”
Following the clinic is an informational event held the Sunday after the San Antonio regional. This year, medical staff members were invited to a forum hosted by the MMHWSP where they discussed relevant issues from throughout the season.
“We focused on the medical teams and provided a forum to discuss some of the more pertinent things that they want to talk about,” VanDoren said.
With only three weeks left in the season, VanDoren also stressed the importance of hosting a clinic for injured members.
“This is a pivotal time,” she said. “We were really excited to see the kids we saw and to be consulted on the more difficult cases so that we can get them down that road to the end.”
Drum corps medical professionals collaborate and engage in discussion during a recent forum in San Antonio.
The evolution of the clinic has also experienced an increased variety of professionals involved with every corps. This evolution, according to VanDoren, is a positive growth in the activity to help keep members safe.
“The most ideal medical team includes individuals across several allied health professions,” VanDoren said. “Every group has a medical team. To see the involvement of the sports medicine world in drum corps now means that we’re headed in the right direction. It’s really exciting to see.”
As the season picks up its final sprint toward the World Championships, access to professional medical care is imperative for members and medical staff alike to finish the season successfully. The MMHWSP allows that access point for success both on and off the field.
“Our goal is to safely get every member to Finals,” VanDoren said. “With the right kind of help, we are able to get them down that final stretch.”
The MMHWSP is always in search of medical professionals across the country to grow its network. Physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, athletic trainers, exercise physiologists, physical therapists, dentists, EMTs, optometrists, psychologists, paramedics, nutritionists, and more, are welcome.