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SOA '15


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I never really saw much hype nor many people thinking it would be top 10. Mostly I just saw people hoping for an improvement while others all but had them folding if they didn't get their act back together within one year.

There is a lot of support for SOA both from Alumni and dedicated fans but I think there are issues with the board that need to be addressed. Even in the good years of '11-'13 there was a lot of tension between the board and staff.

While they aren't going to make Top 12 this year, it appears the scores are higher than last year and they will likely finish higher than last year's 17th place. It takes a lot more time to move up in placement than it does to fall so I give them credit for doing something right that improved over last year rather than remaining stagnant or even falling down further. Give them time and they will hopefully continue this progression back up in the field.

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Taking a look at the schedule for next week, I think it will be a very telling week for SOA for the 2015 season. They will meet up with more corps that are closer to them in scoring. On Thursday, 7/9 they will compete with The Academy and Pacific Crest (along with Troopers and Colts) in Laramie, WY. Seeing the spreads here will be very interesting. On Saturday, 7/11 in Denver they will add Cascades, Oregon Crusaders and Mandarins to the list.

Based on current scoring, it isn't inconceivable to see SOA place 13th or 14th. At the same time, they may also place 16th-18th too.

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Taking a look at the schedule for next week, I think it will be a very telling week for SOA for the 2015 season. They will meet up with more corps that are closer to them in scoring. On Thursday, 7/9 they will compete with The Academy and Pacific Crest (along with Troopers and Colts) in Laramie, WY. Seeing the spreads here will be very interesting. On Saturday, 7/11 in Denver they will add Cascades, Oregon Crusaders and Mandarins to the list.

Based on current scoring, it isn't inconceivable to see SOA place 13th or 14th. At the same time, they may also place 16th-18th too.

Yeah, I chose Denver for my first live viewing this season for that very reason.

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I saw the show last night and enjoyed it. I feel the largest problem facing them is guard integration and staging. Wind was definitely a factor last night. I do feel other shows will probably over-take Spirit later on in the season.

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I never really saw much hype nor many people thinking it would be top 10. Mostly I just saw people hoping for an improvement while others all but had them folding if they didn't get their act back together within one year.

There is a lot of support for SOA both from Alumni and dedicated fans but I think there are issues with the board that need to be addressed. Even in the good years of '11-'13 there was a lot of tension between the board and staff.

While they aren't going to make Top 12 this year, it appears the scores are higher than last year and they will likely finish higher than last year's 17th place. It takes a lot more time to move up in placement than it does to fall so I give them credit for doing something right that improved over last year rather than remaining stagnant or even falling down further. Give them time and they will hopefully continue this progression back up in the field.

I know many marching there so that's where I saw hype

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I had an opportunity to see the Spirit show that was from a few days ago. I'm sure they've refined and made some changes. But, my overall thoughts of their show is that I love the horn line! Very Emotional, powerful and loud when they have to be! Reminds me of the Spirit that first blew me away when I saw them in 1978! Drum line is a little dirty in spots, but that is with most corps right now. I love the drum book and man they play! Visually I like their show. In my respectful opinion Spirit's Achilles Heel lies with the guard. As of the video that I saw a few days ago, I just think there are some staging problems with the guard. I watch this nice drill and I feel like a lot of the time the guard is parked out in the background not really involved in the show. I don't understand why they are on the ground so much. The guard does not appear to help bring any clarity to telling the visual story of the corps a lot of the time. I my honest opinion from a former performer, staff member and now fan. The biggest issue right now is the guard. It's still somewhat early but they have to get going on improving in this area. Man, I've always loved this corps and the only reason that I did not audition for them in the 80s was that we had a lot of southerners from my school that was marching with Scouts, so it was easier for me to commute up north. I really hope they improve greatly during the month of July!

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I had an opportunity to see the Spirit show that was from a few days ago. I'm sure they've refined and made some changes. But, my overall thoughts of their show is that I love the horn line! Very Emotional, powerful and loud when they have to be! Reminds me of the Spirit that first blew me away when I saw them in 1978! Drum line is a little dirty in spots, but that is with most corps right now. I love the drum book and man they play! Visually I like their show. In my respectful opinion Spirit's Achilles Heel lies with the guard. As of the video that I saw a few days ago, I just think there are some staging problems with the guard. I watch this nice drill and I feel like a lot of the time the guard is parked out in the background not really involved in the show. I don't understand why they are on the ground so much. The guard does not appear to help bring any clarity to telling the visual story of the corps a lot of the time. I my honest opinion from a former performer, staff member and now fan. The biggest issue right now is the guard. It's still somewhat early but they have to get going on improving in this area. Man, I've always loved this corps and the only reason that I did not audition for them in the 80s was that we had a lot of southerners from my school that was marching with Scouts, so it was easier for me to commute up north. I really hope they improve greatly during the month of July!

Edited by davidmccain
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