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What defines best? Placement or score? Or something else?


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I attended the 1967 American Legion Championships, held at Fenway Park in Boston.  For some reason (?) Prelim results were ignored, and Boston drew 1 and went on first.  As has been pointed out above, they narrowly lost to the Cavies, who went on last, if I recall correctly.  One or two nights later they two pointed (or so, I don't remember exact scores) Cavies at CYO.  I remember thinking that the AL Nationals was a set up for Cavies.  It was very disappointing.  

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One more thing about 1967.  Brasso's comment about the set-aside of Inspection scores for the AL Finals comes as new information to me.  Certainly does not change my mind about AL being a bag job for Cavies.  Also, IIRC, Cavies did not compete in the Prelims, which were held at White stadium in Dorchester (I was there too).  Cavies automatically got the final performance slot as defending champion.  After the bitter disappointment of Dorchester's St. Kevin's Emerald Knights losing the 1960 VFW due to a 2 point out-of-bounds penalty, this was almost too much for a Boston drum corps nut to take.  (Clarification:  Although SKEK's score without the penalty would have trailed winner Blessed Sac's score by 0.10, the horn line was fully aware of the disaster and you can hear the great reduction in quality for the last song on the Fleetwood record, as well as a cheer from a spectator just as the out-of-bounds occurs.  SKEK, like Boston seven years later, had won Prelims.). 

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13 hours ago, 1956OPR said:

ouooga,

I have one ? and one comment and one answer.

If we were to choose a different word to replace "best" in that article, what would it be?

I believe the answer is entirely subjective.

If I had to choose from among 4 results for the Regiment ( 1st place in 2008 @ 98.125. 1st place in 1996 @ 97.400, 2nd place in 2006 @ 96.850 or 6th place in 2010 @ 93.150) my brain would certainly say 2008 but my heart would say 2006 and my soul would say 2010.

 

 

Digging the answers here, yours and everyone else's. Totally agreed on the subjective end. As far as the word I'd use, I'd probably go with a non-qualifier like "one of their best" or "one of their most successful" etc.

 

From my own personal subjective side, I'd put "best" somewhere in between placement and fan appreciation. Red, to me, covers both of those topics, and does them slightly better Wicked. Though in full transparency, if Boston had had that fire prop in 2000 I feel confident they'd have passed SCV. :tongue:

 

Unless we're talking about record-breaking scores, basically anything over 97.0 for non-champions and 99.0 for champions, score doesn't really factor into the "best" category for me.

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Some measures of "best" are too complex, personal, and subjective for an outside observer to see. I'm not sure if a casual outsider would note that "it was my son's corps best season".  By score it was a better season than last year, by placement not. However, they started out in a far worse situation (a rebuilding year with a new director, few veterans, teaching drummers to play horns, etc...), but ended up giving a better show than last year IMO by the end. It was both a victory for the new (and old) staff who did an outstanding job, but especially a victory for a very junior group of performers to show the most improvement over a season I've seen. I envision a lot of new "best season ever's" coming up.

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So Phantom Regiment's best season was 1989 when they finished 2nd with a 98.4, which apparently is their highest ever score?  I wouldn't agree with that. I would go with their highest ever placement. 1996 or 2008.

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7 hours ago, JFitz19 said:

I attended the 1967 American Legion Championships, held at Fenway Park in Boston.  For some reason (?) Prelim results were ignored, and Boston drew 1 and went on first.  As has been pointed out above, they narrowly lost to the Cavies, who went on last, if I recall correctly.  One or two nights later they two pointed (or so, I don't remember exact scores) Cavies at CYO.  I remember thinking that the AL Nationals was a set up for Cavies.  It was very disappointing.  

67 AL prelims    http://www.corpsreps.com/scores.cfm?view=scoreshow&showid=1967195

67 AL Finals  http://www.corpsreps.com/scores.cfm?view=scoreshow&showid=1967103   Boston was dimed out after prelims for an overage tenor drummer.

After the AL Nationals, Manager Joe Dowling mentioned to others that he didn't think he could control the corps if they lost the CYO.

67 CYO http://www.corpsreps.com/scores.cfm?view=scoreshow&showid=1967102

67 AL Boston  

67 Chicago  

 

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8 hours ago, JFitz19 said:

I attended the 1967 American Legion Championships, held at Fenway Park in Boston.  For some reason (?) Prelim results were ignored,

 No. The Prelims scores were not " ignored " Jfitz19. Boston won the '67  AL National Championships  prelims fair and square . I was there as well. I competed in it.( Prelims ) Blessed Sacrament was 2nd, Cavaliers 4th.. Inspection scores were a head scratching set aside at Finals ( BAC would have won otherwise ) and Cavaliers won. A couple of weeks later however Boston got another shot with the Cavaliers, and topped them to win the CYO Nationals.

Edited by BRASSO
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25 minutes ago, Ghost said:

67 AL Finals  http://www.corpsreps.com/scores.cfm?view=scoreshow&showid=1967103   Boston was dimed out after prelims for an overage tenor drummer.

Do you mean that Boston was assessed a one point penalty for an overage tenor drummer?  Seems my memories of this show may be a bit off 50 years later!

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