dcialumni1989

You have answered your own questions. If they are marching really hard drill (and not achieving it) , then it will show up in how they play. Pretty simple.

Listen to the Cavaliers show a little closer and I think you will find that they are not playing a lot of standard chord progressions, certainly not the standard keys. So, maybe the activity DOES want a lot of II/V/I in B-flat and E-flat....

Nope. Absolutely not. You are seeing things.

There are no amped solos in the Cavaliers show this year.

No. Show line-ups are set months in advance for every show except regionals and finals week.

Because it is the classy response. Anytime someone gets on here and says anything remotely negative about Crown or Madison on here people freak out and that person gets dog-piled. Considering how bad the cavaliers have been beaten up on this forum and how much some people have relished in their competitive struggles this year, you don't hear lots of people on here crying foul. They are having a down year this year, but I have seen the corps rehearse. You would not know that they are struggling by how they rehearse. The still have talented kids and staff there. It is not like they forgot how to teach, design, and perform overnight. They are taking risks and trying new things and some of them are not working out. They will bounce back just fine.

The Dies Irae you are hearing is from Michael Daugherty's Dead Elvis. It's in there in the closer.

It's June dude. It will all work itself out in the end.

Yes. I was the one comparing the spreads. I was comparing because I think it is ridiculous. I think your basis is ridiculous. For anything you say about a spread early season I can find a year and an example that refutes it just like I can find an example that supports it. It is not an exact science and what we see early season may or may not have any bearing on what we see at the end of the season. I have seen corps come out early season and get beat by nearly 5 points and then go on to break the scoring barrier at the end of the season (see cadets 2005). I have seen corps change almost their entire show throughout the season (BD 2002), and that is just recent memory. I have been in and around this activity for a while. Long enough to tell you that the spreads, the scores, the placements (for the most part) don't matter early season. They just don't. If the cavaliers are still struggling mid July, then lets talk.

Yup. Different sheets. Different judges. Different line-up. Different year.... but yeah let's compare spreads to the tenth. Oye indeed...

You are right. The cavaliers DID get three pointed by Crown at the first show. They were the third of three corps at that show. BUT, the next show that spread opened up to 3.5 points (still 3rd of 3 corps. The show after that, the spread opened up again to 4.1 points (3rd of 5, but the next two corps were spirit and teal sound). If Phantom & Bluecoats would have been at those first few shows in 2010, they probably would have beaten Cavaliers too and the spread would hav been even larger. They were that bad early season. DCP was blowing up with all of these know it alls claiming the end of the cavaliers organization since they had a big staff turnover (new corps director, new brass staff, new percussion arranger and staff, new guard caption head, new visual caption head) combined with a poor early season showing. There were lots of folks learning how to work together for the first time and they eventually got it together and challenged for the top spot. Folks, I am telling you that it will be alright. They have lots of good people there that know what they are doing and have prepared corps before. The only new faces on staff are the drill designer, and a few techs. Everything else is intact and almost identical to what they have had the last 2 years. So logic would dictate that they know how to get things moving in the right direction.

In 2010 they were only .9 away from them at a show.... At finals Cavaliers finished 2nd (97.75) and Blue Stars finished 8th (91.9). Relax. It's June.

People do defend the blue devils. Also, it is a different kind of bashing. People don't like what BD does. This thread is claiming that the cavaliers are done for the season. The title imply's that the corps is dead. I suggest that people go back and read some of the post on this forum from 2010. The number of threads claiming the cavaliers were dead was overwhelming. Early season they were sitting in 7th or 8th, and they steadily improved throughout the season. It is early season folks. Give it time. In the middle of July if the cavaliers are still struggling then we can hit the panic button.

I am going to take the exact opposite opinion. In a couple of weeks you are going to see cavaliers get closer and closer. See you then.

Cavaliers are fine. The show is hard and they can't do it yet. They will be fine. Two years ago they were in seventh at the beginning of the season and DCP was claiming that they were sunk (this was the year after a big staff change). They ended up finishing second in horns, second in drums, second in feet, second in guard, an second overall. Last year the Cadets took fourth at the first show and crown took first. At the end of the season those positions were reversed. It is June. The Cavaliers have a very capable staff. They will be fine.