Implement mandatory free days. You can use them whenever you want (outside finals week).

Allows a little give to the current, must play literally every day thing, and is more realistic anyway considering bus rides and free days are part of real drum corps and marching band.

Why? It's not a requirement that real drum corps take mandatory free days. Besides, everyone's already on a level playing field without free days - all free days will do is keep everyone on a level playing field by equally not allowing everyone to rehearse.

Because it lets people take days off without sacrificing a season.

I don't need a day off but I encourage you and others to take them as needed.

You get free days after the season is over. Adding free days would be just as bad as making the rehearsal cap at 500.. ever notice how many shows win with a 100 now?

You get one free night. Then you gotta make your show and stay rehearsing again.

and that "free" night you spend all night waiting to see when the new season is finally started LOL

I encourage any groups that need a break to freely take them as needed ... I will help hold up the upper end of the scoring just to balance out the lower scoring groups in Season 37 !!!