[KeithHall]

I didn't say "suck!" I said what I said,"start out slow and throughout the season get better" .

glory, on 14 May 2012 - 01:58 PM, said:

Would "start out slow and throughout the season get better" mean that our champion would suck in June? Not trying to dis- the OP here, but this might be one of those ideas that works better as a movie script than a drum corps show.

Best for the fans is for all the corps to start out great and keep getting better. Yeah, a little drama of the sort Phantom scored in 96 and 08 is wonderful too. Just keep all our surprises on the upside.

HH

[Tim K]

In the DCI era there has never been a real come from behind winner. Madison's 1976 show was mentioned, but they were never at the bottom of the pack that year, though if they hadn't made the changes, perhaps they would have been. Early in DCI's history, 1-4 were competitive with each other throughout the season; 5-8 or 9 were likewise competitive with each other, and 10-12 were usually the wild cards as far as making finals. In recent years this has been less the case, but it still falls pretty close.

One poster mentioned that in earlier years when execution was the focus, it was easier for a corps to improve through the season but with today's shows, that's unlikely (I paraphrase). It's true that some less than exciting shows did well because they had a clean show. They may have placed higher due to their clean and safe show than a corps that took more chances, but no corps whether it be under the "tick" system or today's judging, won on execution alone and no champion had a show that was full of flaws that would have failed under closer scrutiny. I haven't always agreed with the judging or who takes first place, but it's rarely a surprise who wins.

Today the focus does seem to be on show concept and from my point of view, it seems as if corps compete against themselves rather than each other with the hope of achieving their personal best, and if their best earns the highest score, that's who wins. It's still competition, and it's still interesting to watch, but a different kind of competition. Also corps today do have to stick with their shows, so if something doesn't work early in the season probably will be a kink at the end. Travel schedules and show concepts make major changes shows difficult at best and licensing and performing rights make it expensive to replace musical selections.

Rivalries also played a role in placements. In 1979, North Star bested 27th for a good portion of the season. Madison and Bridgemen also gave them a run for their money. I'm sure that placing 5th that year in finals was a sweet not just because of the placement and steady improvement of a difficult show, but winning against these rivals. In 1979, corps did not have the turnover that corps have today, and the rivalries were more personal and intense. This had to have an effect. I'm not sure the rivalries are the same today. They may be historic, and I'm sure that Cavies and BD who defeated Cadets a number of times through the season wished they won the ring and took the trophy home, but was it as personal?

While I don't think we'll see a come from behind story for DCI's 40th anniversary, if the Troopers who some thought would be the first DCI champion and almost became the second were to charge to victory from nowhere, it would make for an unforgettable August night in Indy!

[Michael Boo]

KeithHall, on 15 May 2012 - 05:51 AM, said:

I didn't say "suck!" I said what I said,"start out slow and throughout the season get better" .

Understood, and while it would be memorable and quite exciting for the audience, no corps's staff or members want to start out slow. It would kind of suck the joy out of the early season and the entire season should be enjoyable. (You didn't say "suck," but I just did. Okay, so it's not the same thing.)

[stevedb1975]

DAvery, on 14 May 2012 - 07:10 PM, said:

Accept the score from July 7th is wrong. According to Fromthepressbox, Boston scored the 79.9 to SOA's 80.1 on July 7th in Orlando. Also, other than the early season show on June 28th, where else did SOA beat the Cadets that summer? By the way, they must have an off night brass show that evening. Florida Wave beat them by almost a point in brass GE.

Uhh...I'm on that site right now, saw the score for Boston you were speaking of and was about to "stand corrected" until I saw Boston's other scores on each side of July 7th...

According to http://www.fromthepr...easonscores.htm, Boston scored a 68.5 in Waterville, ME on July 5th and then a 63.9 on July 10th. Nobody goes from a 68.5 to a 79.9 and then nose dive to a 63.9 in just a matter of 5 days. Therefore, I conclude that Boston's score on July 7th is a typo. Boston was not even scoring like that in July in the 80s (sometimes not even in August).

[Jeff Ream]

TheClutch, on 14 May 2012 - 08:01 PM, said:

I feel like the only time this happens is when a corps has a fan favorite show that the judges will nudge up. Ie- Phantom 08, Cadets 10.


Great shows, great performances, but I believe there was better execution by other corps those years.

I wouldn't go out there and say Cadets 10 was a fan favorite. it got as much abuse as it did love.

now if you mean 11, maybe, but here's the thing...in 08 and 11, which caption really helped those corps?

GE?

Sure, they reached the crowd. But both shows also utilized the full triad for effect,and the judges rewarded them for it.

[stevedb1975]

GeneralTsoChicken, on 14 May 2012 - 10:50 PM, said:

I have no words for this, that won't anger the Madison Trolls that crawl out of the woodwork and make you sound like a member of Al Queda for suggesting anything bad about MS.

Boy, you just can't give it a rest, can you?

[GeneralTsoChicken]

stevedb1975, on 15 May 2012 - 11:03 AM, said:

Boy, you just can't give it a rest, can you?

Reading time stamps can come in handy for you. I posted that well before there was a single response to my comment in the Madison thread.

That's just the way the Madisonites are.

[shortn'sour]

'87, Florida Wave's best year. I loved that show!

[stevedb1975]

GeneralTsoChicken, on 15 May 2012 - 02:04 PM, said:

Reading time stamps can come in handy for you. I posted that well before there was a single response to my comment in the Madison thread.

That's just the way the Madisonites are.

No. Don't even try to point the finger at the "Madisonites". There is a clear pattern in your posting history with Madison attacks. You don't get to attack the same drum corps (ANY drum corps) on post after post after post (regardless of what order they are in) and then try and point the finger at the supporters of that corps when people combat your attacks as if they are the aggressors. No, it doesn't work that way. You obviously have it out for the Scouts and yes, it's time for you to give it a rest already.

(Prediction: he will now try to back peddle by making some claim like "I actually like the Madison Scouts.........BUT"...."BUT" being the key word. I'll finish it for you. "BUT".............you are jealous.)

Enough said. Give it a rest.

This post has been edited by stevedb1975: 15 May 2012 - 05:12 PM

[GeneralTsoChicken]

stevedb1975, on 15 May 2012 - 05:12 PM, said:

No. Don't even try to point the finger at the "Madisonites". There is a clear pattern in your posting history with Madison attacks. You don't get to attack the same drum corps (ANY drum corps) on post after post after post (regardless of what order they are in) and then try and point the finger at the supporters of that corps when people combat your attacks as if they are the aggressors. No, it doesn't work that way. You obviously have it out for the Scouts and yes, it's time for you to give it a rest already.

(Prediction: he will now try to back peddle by making some claim like "I actually like the Madison Scouts.........BUT"...."BUT" being the key word. I'll finish it for you. "BUT".............you are jealous.)

Enough said. Give it a rest.

There is no "but" to it. I haven't liked the Madison Scouts since 2000. The organization is nothing like the 1970's organization I fell in love with, listening to LPs as a kid (had a BDirector who was a MS alum).