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2017 PREDICTIONS!


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21 minutes ago, 2muchcoffeeman said:

I've got no issues with the placement predictions -- they are harmless fun -- but this idea that the uniforms are holding back Troopers is flat ridiculous. If you've got evidence -- a judge on tape, a scoresheet with a "uniform" score or something -- then let's hear it. Understood that the current uniform has really polarized Troop nation, but if ever there was proof that uniforms have zero effect on a corps' ability to compete, the Bluecoats are it.

It's okay to hate the white uniform -- the whole activity is one large subjective exercise -- but to draw a connection between the uniform and competitive placement is just silly.

In the off season, I asked a former Trooper staff member I know.  They said they could not recall one judge throughout last season who had anything bad to say about the uniform change.  To the contrary, they said many judges remarked about how well the new look did work from the press box.  Troop 2016 had bigger issues than the new look, I believe.

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I enjoyed the Troopers show last year. The uniforms looked good from the stands. :music:

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1 hour ago, 2muchcoffeeman said:

I've got no issues with the placement predictions -- they are harmless fun -- but this idea that the uniforms are holding back Troopers is flat ridiculous. If you've got evidence -- a judge on tape, a scoresheet with a "uniform" score or something -- then let's hear it. Understood that the current uniform has really polarized Troop nation, but if ever there was proof that uniforms have zero effect on a corps' ability to compete, the Bluecoats are it.

It's okay to hate the white uniform -- the whole activity is one large subjective exercise -- but to draw a connection between the uniform and competitive placement is just silly.

Do you think Cadets would have won the 2011 championship with one color uniforms?

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52 minutes ago, BoaDci said:

Do you think Cadets would have won the 2011 championship with one color uniforms?

I think there's a pretty big difference between gaining a slight competitive edge from a uniform vs never getting past 14th place because of one.

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3 hours ago, BoaDci said:

Do you think Cadets would have won the 2011 championship with one color uniforms?

They won by .55, so how many tenths of a point they gained by the two uniforms is beyond my knowledge.  The two uniforms did help a lot to tell the story.

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1 hour ago, Ghost said:

They won by .55, so how many tenths of a point they gained by the two uniforms is beyond my knowledge.  The two uniforms did help a lot to tell the story.

I don't think they would have won. Not even close - the uniform split defined the entire program and enhanced the drill so much

I also feel if they wouldn't have changed the color to black in 2015 they would have medaled

Bottomline is we will never know

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The 2011 Cadets had a bit of a roller coaster ride, placing 1st in many shows, but also placing as low as 4th. I did not see them until late season when a championship looked like a possibility but not inevitable. The difficulty and demand of "Angels and Demons" was never questioned, but many claimed the two different colored uniforms exposed flaws when the corps did not place as hoped. When Indy arrived, the two different uniforms were praised as genius, and obviously it showed how much Cadets polished that show. So I would agree the uniforms gave them an edge in 2011.

Regarding Troopers, they face a huge challenge each year. We want a 2017 drum corps, but it is expected they will have a Western theme, wear the traditional uniform, and be the corps that dominated drum corps in the late 60's/early 70's. If Kilties remained a junior corps and 27th survived, they would probably have faced similar challenges competing today. When I saw the new design last year, I wasn't convinced but when I saw color photos on FB and in DCW, and then when I saw them compete, I liked the new look. I do understand the frustration many Troopers fans and alums feel. 2013-2016 have been very good years as far as Troopers shows are concerned, but the competition has been pretty stiff too. My guess would be Troopers greatest challenge comes from keeping talented marching members who want to age out in higher placing corps, the same issue many corps face. Uniforms did not play a huge part in placing 14th. 

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30 minutes ago, Tim K said:

The 2011 Cadets had a bit of a roller coaster ride, placing 1st in many shows, but also placing as low as 4th. I did not see them until late season when a championship looked like a possibility but not inevitable. The difficulty and demand of "Angels and Demons" was never questioned, but many claimed the two different colored uniforms exposed flaws when the corps did not place as hoped. When Indy arrived, the two different uniforms were praised as genius, and obviously it showed how much Cadets polished that show. So I would agree the uniforms gave them an edge in 2011.

 

Some corps learn one show in ST and then spend the entire summer perfecting it. Cadets usually undergo a number of re-writes of music and thus visual adjusting from Northeast winter conditions to outdoor summers, from one rung of excellence up to a next level, and from the static to the more dynamic ('16 being the great exception.) The 2011 show took on greater and more accessible personality as music and visual were further layered, drill and guard contribution tweaked, and  judges began to buy into what the audience and fans already liked. The coincidence of a car driver backing into a horn later tossed onto the field, the addition of pointing to the heaven's, and the greater portrayal of the two sides via the tutelage of the Blue Man Group adviser, a Cadet alum, are examples most would remember.

Your assessment is spot on. 

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5 hours ago, Tim K said:

The 2011 Cadets had a bit of a roller coaster ride, placing 1st in many shows, but also placing as low as 4th. I did not see them until late season when a championship looked like a possibility but not inevitable. The difficulty and demand of "Angels and Demons" was never questioned, but many claimed the two different colored uniforms exposed flaws when the corps did not place as hoped. When Indy arrived, the two different uniforms were praised as genius, and obviously it showed how much Cadets polished that show. So I would agree the uniforms gave them an edge in 2011.

they lost on Saturday night in Allentown - one week to the day before finals (to BD)

they then flipped it on BD the following night at Meadowlands in a rain-delayed "home show"

that night the program really locked in a set itself apart - pretty clear then that they would go on to win at finals...

the cleaning was a big part of it - the corps had MAJOR exposure that year - and while praised as some of the finest "drill" ever written for any DCI corps - there were parts that were virtually "unclean-able" (aka: bad drill)... one example was the "zipper move" where the two lines came together from across the field - an extremely impossible maneuver they got "clean enough" to win

the final push with the all white and the organ sound really pushed the GE high enough to win - the 2 uniforms made the program obvious from the get-go

and while I'm not particularly religious it also struck a chord with many at the end when the "demons" kneel and the angels pointed skyward - I saw many teary eyed folks around me those last couple shows

finals night the massive standing O was resounding - lasted the full final minute of the program - from the company front stop all the way thru the closing chord. Wow!

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On 5/15/2017 at 2:25 PM, 2muchcoffeeman said:

It's okay to hate the white uniform -- the whole activity is one large subjective exercise -- but to draw a connection between the uniform and competitive placement is just silly.

Wait. So the forum comments here should not be silly?

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