The 2025 DCI Summer Tour is off to a positive start for Gold.
The southern California Open Class corps, like any other season, had two-plus weeks of events in its home state, posting strong competitive results and bringing an exciting show to local audiences.
But now, it’s time for Gold to go national — more national than it’s ever been.
For 2025, the corps is also heading into Texas to compete in Waco on July 17, followed by one of the DCI Tour’s pinnacle events, the DCI Southwestern Championship presented by Fred J. Miller in San Antonio on July 19.
“The big highlight of the year is San Antonio,” Gold drum major Charlie Ly said. “It’s an exciting show for us; we’ve never been there. And we haven’t been to Texas in a really long time, so it’s exciting for us and all the members to go there.”
In recent seasons, the majority of Gold’s annual touring schedule took place in the Golden State. Then, after a few weeks off, the corps would generally appear at a handful of midwestern venues before competing at DCI World Championship events in Indiana.
Gold began to stretch its legs in 2023 and 2024, adding a late-July swing through the northeast to its pre-championship schedule. This summer is on a different level, though — after its stint in Texas, Gold will appear at seven more “regular season” events in six different states.
The addition of the Texas performances in particular is rather significant for Gold, since its increased travel load is, for the most part, atypical for an Open Class corps. However, the feat is nothing above the group’s limits, as members have been amply preparing for the extended tour legs.
“Our membership, every single year, works so hard for the beginning of tour before ultimately going to nationals,” Ly said. “However, this year, with the extended tour, we are working extra hard conditioning ourselves with the heat, conditioning ourselves with the extra work and hours that’s going to go into it. They’re excited and they’re ready.”
The San Diego corps enters Texas competition with high hopes in the Open Class division; Gold currently holds the second-highest score to date of all Open Class corps, and has earned Open Class medalist finishes in five consecutive seasons. The corps, however, is still in search of its first gold medal.
“It’s an amazing show; it’s been a great season,” said drum major Charlie Ly. “Being a part of Gold is one of the highlights of every single year for me. This is my fourth and final season with Gold, and I couldn’t be happier to be here.”
