drumguy50 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Looking for opinions as to why Colts and Troopers are having such a down year. They both seemed to be on an upswing but it seems the bottom has fallen out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunkRawkBandGeek Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Are they really that weak? I don't think so. Instead, the pack they're both in has gotten that much better overall, hence the tight race for that last Finals spot (or two?). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckdan Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Looking for opinions as to why Colts and Troopers are having such a down year. They both seemed to be on an upswing but it seems the bottom has fallen out. I know that Troopers seem to be having a major issue with show design this year. The color guard isn't embracing the complexities of their show and the horn line is a little weaker this year with an extemely challenging show. Of course, it seems that Troopers and Colts have company with Cavies also having a down year. It is my opinion that Troop needs to do what Madison and Spirit have done in the last few years and embrace a bit more of their western roots. I know that Copeland has been a staple for Troopers over the years but just imagine hearing the bell tones in Battle Hymn, or the beginning notes of Ghost Riders being used during an updated show. The crowd is just begging to jump to their feet with the sunburst and they would accept the more modern music if they had an opportunity to remember the "days of yore"! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumguy50 Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Are they really that weak? I don't think so. Instead, the pack they're both in has gotten that much better overall, hence the tight race for that last Finals spot (or two?). Unfortunately both seem to be battling to stay in top 20 than to even be considerations for finals. I know both are very weak visually. Colts guard is not bad but the rest of the visual is hurting. Did they both change staff? i think come quarterfinals they will find themselves under some of the open class corps that compete that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13strokeroll Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 (edited) Are they really that weak? I don't think so. Instead, the pack they're both in has gotten that much better overall, hence the tight race for that last Finals spot (or two?). I am inclined to agree.10-14 is wicked tight this year. Haven't seen Troopers yet, but the Colts seem to have all of the individual pieces, but haven't been able to tie them together yet. They were contending briefly leading into Minneapolis. They're young and have been socked with injuries and have late fills (12 Teal) that has strained some music and Visual, but I'm not ready to count them completely out. The closer grabs you hard. More cleaning of the feet and continued adjusting and they can climb back into the heap yet. Performing after BD for consecutive shows can't have helped much, but they are a class act that has earned my respect. Edited July 21, 2012 by 13strokeroll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillis35 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 (edited) I wouldn't call the Colts or Troopers weak. I Love the Colts closer!! Goosbumps! They just needed for the rest of their show to elicit that type of reaction. Same with Troopers. They have some good stuff. I think both corps are very talented and both are run by excellent management teams. It really just boils down to show design. Some years you hit the "nail on the head," and other years you miss. The Cavaliers mostly missed this year. Still a great corps, great management, great talents and alumni, but the show just missed. There's a lot of talk on the Troopers post about their show design and what direction the corps should move, and I will not get into that now because it is highly debateable and we all have our opinions about these things. Bottom line: when show design misses, there are simply not a lot of things the performers can do, regardless of how talented they are and how many show re-writes are given to them. Edited July 21, 2012 by jwillis35 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 (edited) I've seen the Colts this year, I won't be seeing Troopers until Allentown. Musically I find the Colts show appealing though when I saw it in late June/early July it still needed cleaning. Earlier in the season they had some moments where they ranked higher than Blue Knights and Blue Stars who seem to be battling with Crossmen for a finals spot, though Colts have not topped Crossmen in rankings. My guess is that Blue Stars, Blue Knights, Glassmen, and Academy have made major improvements in a short period of time and while Colts have improved, it has been steady but not at the pace of some of their competitors. The current ranking for Colts may be misleading since Pacific Crest will be facing Colts for the first time today, though Pacific Crest has placed higher than Troopers. I do think the Colts' show has potential, but they need a surge between now and Indy. As far as Troopers, they could have some competition from Jersey Surf. This show will be a fan favorite. Judges reactions may not be as favorable, but in a year when people seem to be calling the Troopers to task for not being true to their core, or as "Granny Smith" states in another thread, their "DNA", a show like Surf's that is a tribute to one of DCI's most beloved corps, the Bridgemen, and making it somehow seem very 2012, may make fans wonder why Troopers cannot do the same. So Troopers, if it's not too late, maybe you could add a sunburst and "Ghost Riders" to your show and make us all go wild? It can't hurt. 27th Lancers took out "Spitfire" and replaced it with "Danny Boy" in 1981 and took the CYO Nationals title and placed 4th at DCI. Edited July 24, 2012 by Tim K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumguy50 Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 I've seen the Colts this year, I won't be seeing Troopers until Allentown. Musically I find the Colts show appealing though when I saw it in late June/early July it still needed cleaning. Earlier in the season they had some moments where they ranked higher than Blue Knights and Blue Stars who seem to be battling with Crossmen for a finals spot, though Colts have not topped Crossmen in rankings. My guess is that Blue Stars, Blue Knights, Glassmen, and Academy have made major improvements in a short period of time and while Colts have improved, it has been steady but not at the pace of some of their competitors. The current ranking for Colts may be misleading since Pacific Crest will be facing Colts for the first time today, though Pacific Crest has placed higher than Troopers. I do think the Colts' show has potential, but they need a surge between now and Indy. As far as Troopers, they could have some competition from Jersey Surf. This show will be a fan favorite. Judges reactions may not be as favorable, but in a year when people seem to be calling the Troopers to task for not being true to their core, or as "Granny Smith" states so well in another thread, their "DNA", a show like Surf's that is a tribute to one of DCI's most beloved corps, the Bridgemen, and making it somehow seem very 2012, may make fans wonder why Troopers cannot do the same. So Troopers, if it's not too late, maybe you could add a sunburst and "Ghost Riders" to your show and make us all go wild? It can't hurt. 27th Lancers took out "Spitfire" and replaced it with "Danny Boy" in 1981 and took the CYO Nationals title and placed 4th at DCI. Colts problrm seems to be 80% design with much of that visual. Troopers seem to be looking to imitate someone or something and are kind of spinning in circles. perhaps look at where you have been sucessful. I predict both of these groups are going to be in the 20-24th spot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckdan Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Colts problrm seems to be 80% design with much of that visual. Troopers seem to be looking to imitate someone or something and are kind of spinning in circles. perhaps look at where you have been sucessful. I predict both of these groups are going to be in the 20-24th spot. Wrong, both corps will be making semis this year! I just don't see Pacific Crest pulling ahead and SCV B, BDB and Oregon Crusaders won't make it into the top 17 this year. Don't be surprised if both Troopers and Colts manage to pull ahead of Academy at the very least. Both of these corps have a great staff and more of a history of being able to change their shows to maximize scores at the end of the year! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcmello09 Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 A LOT of staff turned over at Colts after last summer and I don't think there were many returning members as usual either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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