I've been going to the DCI Southwestern Championships off and on for the past six years now (I missed two of those years), and one thing I'm starting to notice is that every year seems to have a common theme. Meaning, something that a lot of corps seem to be doing, even if it's completely unintentional.
I might be getting my years mixed up a bit, but in 2002 or 2003, it seemed like the big thing was additional on-field percussion carts. Crossmen had rolling carts, Cadets had drumsets, Boston had carts...seemed like the thing to do.
I missed 2004, so I'm not quite sure what might have been going on there, but I'm sure there was some common thread.
And then this year... In 2005, it seems like the big thing to do is start out your show with soft backfield playing, then crescendo and build to an about-face followed by face blowing volume. I can't even think how many corps are starting their shows like this this year, but it seemed like a lot.
Anybody else notice these (or other) yearly trends?