This year's DCI Championships will be held in Denver, Colorado. While this will be the first time the present members of the Mandarins attend a championship in this location, it will not be the first time that the Mandarins drum corps has made such an appearance. The Mandarins competed at the 1978 DCI Championships held in Denver; this was the corps' first ever appearance at a DCI championships. Present Mandarins staff members Dan Fong, Brian Mar, Les Wong, and KenYee were all marching at that time.

Brian and Akiko Mar
As a second generation of Mandarins attends a DCI championships in Denver, so will a second generation of the Mar family. Brian Mar, or "Omar" as he is known, is writing the Mandarins' drill for the 21st consecutive season. Omar's daughter Akiko will be attending in her sixth season as a member of the Mandarins color guard. When asked what she thought about performing in the location of her father's first DCI championships, she replied "This will be something special, since my dad has encouraged and guided me in drum corps since the time I started marching. He didn't say I needed to march, but being around the organization ever since I can remember, it was something I always wanted to do; he has always been completely supportive of my efforts." Since the corps' initial appearance at a DCI Championships, the Mandarins have won the DCI Division III title in 1987, 1988, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and the Division II Championship in 2001; in 2003 the corps made a successful debut as a Division I corps.