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gellio

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Everything posted by gellio

  1. I agree with you. This team knows the formula to win. They took Star from nothing to a world champion in a matter of 8 years. That's impressive. Will they duplicate that at Madison? Who knows, but I believe they know what they are doing. I expect they will take what they learned from their experience at Star and apply it here, without changing the identity of the Scouts.
  2. I don't know why people are making such a big deal about a penalty at a show, that for intents and purposes is meaningless. It would only matter if it happened at semis and knocked them out of finals.
  3. I think you're going to be 100% accurate. Cadets have the best show overall this year and Cavies are the second best, IMO. I expect both to pass Crown as Cavies have really made strides. Cadets show is perfect IMO. I also am surprised people are picking Madison over Blue Stars. I think Madison is a lock for 11th.
  4. I love the show this year. I think it is awesome! I'm not sure what people's gripes are with the drill. I think it's very well designed. I think the whole show is, and I'm very happy. I do think this show has the potential to beat Boston and Blue Stars, but as long as they make finals I'm happy.
  5. I believe only corps that have shows that can compete with Crown are BD, Cadets, Cavies, Bluecoats and SCV. I do not see SCV beating anyone forementioned. They are just too far behind. That's what happens when it's mid-July and your show isn't done. Everyone else is cleaning and adding touches, while they are learning. You'd think the powers that be at Vanguard would know that if you give BD an inch, they take a mile. As far as Phantom goes, I see them solidly in 7th. They have a great percussion line, but the guard definitely offsets that. The music is beautiful, but the visual aspects of the show still leave something to be desired. It's not well designed IMO and is demand for the sake of demand. I will be stunned if Phantom finishes higher than 6th. Phantom in '08 hardly started in the middle of the pack, and the win wasn't as shocking to me as it was to others. It was the best show on the field that year, in terms of design and execution. I was very happy they won. It was an amazing show. I think surprises we are more likely to see are Blue Knights possibly beating Boston, Blue Stars, Vanguard and Phantom at finals, or Madison beating Boston or Blue Stars (or both).
  6. I love Cadets, Crown! BK, Coats, Madison, Phantom and SCV. SCV is really growing on me.
  7. Irrational? You reap what you sew. No sympathy for BD or the rest of the greedy G7. All other corps should leave DCI if this goes thru.
  8. I don't know if I agree with that. Looking at the recaps from finals week 2005, it doesn't look like Czapinski's Visual Ensemble score on finals night was out of line with the rest of the panel that night, or throughout the week. I'm not a judge, but I do have faith in the judging system and hope someone wouldn't have a personal vendetta against any corps.
  9. It is inexcusable to have an incomplete show in July.
  10. Truth be told - I like Regiment's show a lot more than Bluecoats - musically. Musically, PR's show is gorgeous. I'm just stating that I think Bluecoats show is stronger across the board than PR's. I like classical music, and in all reality I'll probably listen to the '10 Regiment much more than the '10 Bluecoats on the CD. Still, Bloooo has one heck of a show this year.
  11. Um....they are not even remotely close to where they were at this point in 2008. In 2008 they had one of the most brilliant shows ever written - musically and visually. It was epic and had all the tools necessary to be a winner. This year isn't and doesn't. I love Regiment and I love the show musically but it is terrible visually. Demand for the sake of demand. Keep in mind I hate Myron's drills. The drill reminds me a lot of past SCV drills in the same way as Madison's 2006 drill did. Bottom line, I don't see them finishing any higher than 8th or 9th. They are going to suffer the same fate '06 Madison did at the hands of Myron. Drill that can't look clean even if it is clean.
  12. You make good points re: Crown, Cadets and Devils. Those are going to be some tough corps to beat. However, I disgree with you on one thing - that being that we'll see Bluecoats behind Phantom at the end of the season. No way, Phantom's visual is too debilitating. It's too cramped so even when it is clean, it is going to look dirty. In fact, I would be surprised in the Bluecoats finished lower than 4th and Phantom higher than 8th.
  13. Actually, no. I quite like SCV in 2000 - especially the opening and closing. The rest wasn't bad at all. Even though I hate Glass, The Canyon is one of my favorite pieces thanks to SCV. See they thought me. 2007 was ok. 2001 PR only liked Festive Overture. 2003 Phantom was beautiful. I didn't mean to imply that all modern classical music is terrible, but as some above said - the music SCV has chosen this year is awful. It was almost painful to listen to. Like I said above, I'm not done with this show, and I will give it time but man the average audience member is likely not going to like this one.
  14. You heard it here first! 01> Cadets 02> Carolina Crown 03> Blue Devils 04> Bluecoats 05> Santa Clara Vanguard 06> Blue Stars 07> Cavaliers 08> Boston Crusaders 09> Phantom Regiment 10> Madison Scouts 11> Blue Knights 12> Glassmen
  15. I do not think 2010 will be a repeat of 2007. I've seen all the majors on Fan Network. Based on design and talent, I will be stunned if the Bluecoats lose to anyone other than Cadets, BD and Crown all season. This show is fantastic and by far their best IMO. But, what do I know? Way to go Bluecoats.
  16. I'm confused. How can they be in first place when they haven't beaten Crown yet? Cadets yet? BD yet? I think if anyone has claims to be touted as the first place corps it's BD and Crown, because they haven't lost yet and Crown has beaten Bluecoats. Don't mean to sound like I'm ragging, but it is funny. I will say this Bluecoats show is fantastic and I will not be surprised at all if it ends up in the top 4 come finals. I do not see Phantom, SCV, Cavies or Boston beating them all year, but what do I know?
  17. For me, it's a problem of a lack of passion. Not a lack of passion on the part of the performers, but a lack of passion on the part of the composers. I love Copland, Prokofiev and some other composers that may be deemed "modern" to an extent. This show though. Wow - I have been the biggest SCV homer since I first saw them in 1984 and I can honestly say this is my absolutely least favorite SCV show. I never thought I'd see a show I liked less from SCV than their 2003 show, but this one blows that away. By and large, I feel most modern composers have sucked the passion right out of classical music. I know that's broad, but that's how I feel. I just don't understand for the life of me, with all the wonderful classical music out there, SCV would pick this. I'm not the biggest fan of 1993 Star, but I did like that show better. Every year doesn't have to be Appalachian Spring, Malaguena and Westside Story, especially when we are talking classical music. SCV does Russian well, and Russian classical composers did passion so well. A perfect match. They could play years worth of exciting shows by Russian composers alone and never repeat themselves. Throw in Beethoven, Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Wagner, Berlioz, Puccini (to name a few) and there are thousands of shows there. I've never been a fan of Bartok and this show certainly will never make me one. Maybe like Star 1991, it will grow on me....I hope so. I will give it several chances, but really wish SCV would get back to the Romantic period composers, or dive into the Classical period composers. At the end of the day, the job of any artistic group is to engage, entertain, teach, and challange your audience. While this show certainly challenges, it does not entertain me in the least, and I believe I will be in the majority here.
  18. So far, I'd only say Crown, Cadets and BD have championship caliber shows this year. Cadets are probably my favorite. That show is so cool. Love Crown's guard, brass, drill and music. BD's visuals are cool, but I'm not a fan for the music.
  19. It's too bad you weren't at 2001 Finals. Glassmen were awesome. Quite possibly my favorite show of the year and quite possibly the best Glassmen corps ever. Thanks for the kind words......but I hope Madison whoops Glassmen :)
  20. I agree. It was a great season. The top 3 were HOT. I have such fond memories of travelling with SCV that year. Such a class act they were/are. I still have so much respect for them. Was happy to be on the field with them when they took it in '89.
  21. I love how you say, "No one can take it away from you" right after you try and take it away from me. Who is everyone else that agrees that SCV should have won that show? Almost everyone else is a broad statement, and it sure as heck didn't seem like the 40,000 in the stands did based on the eruption when BD was anounced in 3rd and even bigger eruption when SCV was announced in 2nd. People are entitled to their opinion, but we were awesome in '88 - so were SCV and BD. Had either of them won, I would not be on here proclaiming we got screwed. The numbers fell in our favor....numbers given by qualified judges, but I always forget that everyone on here is qualified to judge every single caption from a video performance no less. It doesn't matter what anyone says on here, I am World Champion, I have a ring, and it was given to me by a set of people who certainly know a heck of a lot more than any of us when it comes to judging. I can't believe people think there is some conspiracy behind that win (like the judges purposely robbed SCV) when the finals judges had NO IDEA where the semi-final judges placed everyone. I think it speaks volumes about the quality of the judging that there were only two changes in placement from semi's to finals (Garfield hopped Cavies and VK hopped Spirt). I think the blind draw created a level of fairness in judging never seen before or since. Not that I disagree with judging much, because I have no qualifications to judge. CI had absolutely nothing to do with our win, nor did any "tug the heart strings". It was a magical year, and unexplainable forces did seem to be at work, but the Scouts were generally a 4th - 7th place corps years before '88 and years after '88. Everything that a corps needs to have happen to win did for us in 1988. The fact that Madison won in 1975 had no barring on the judges awarding us first place, nor did our 50th anniversary, or going to Europe. Speaking of Europe, you were not there. I was. We had a lot of free time on that tour as the staff wanted us to experience Europe rather than just rehearse and perform.
  22. I think the 1987-1989 Scouts completely debunked this competitive inertia theory. The corps was coming off a narrow 6th place finish in 1987 (a few tenths from being 8th), 7th in 1986, since 1976 they had only been in the top 3 once (1981) and the top 4 three times(1978, 1981 and 1985). Hardly cometitive inertia. I would venture to say that no one in their right mind would have every thought we would have won prior to the start of the 1988 season, or even late into the 1988 season. We had ZERO "competitive inertia". What we had was a solid program, a great staff, an excellent design and a talent corps. 1989, we did not have all those things. IMO the program was lacking in design - the corps was talented, the staff was good.... it just didn't work. Had we had "competitive inertia" we should have then finished 4th (I thought the top 3 that year were far above those beneath them). We finished 7th. Corps success depends on experience, staff, design and talent. That is why corps move up and down the ladder, or stay where they are. Let's look facts in the face - people are competitive by nature. We want to win. It is a different world today. Back in the 70's a lot of people were local (a lot were in our '88 corps). Nowadays, it is different. People can and do march with top tier corps because not only do they want to be the best they can be, they want to win. Do I think Bluecoats will win this year? No. But, they do have one heck of a show, so who knows. I think the "proof" for competitive inertia is explained by the simple fact that it is harder to move up in the ranks than it is to fall down. Crown has been doing EVERYTHING right since the 2006 season (and before) - that is why they are now in a position to challenge for a title. Not because they finished 2nd last year.
  23. You have a point, but I agree with the original poster. I loved SCV 1999 and 2000, but as a classical music lover, they picked pieces that are actually beautiful those years. I really hate 20th century classical music. By and large, the composers of that area (and yes, I am generalizing a bit here) have sucked the passion out of classical music. I just don't understand, with SO much wonderful 17th, 18th and 19th century classical music out there, the Vanguard continually chooses passionless 20th century pieces. Where is Mozart, Beethoven, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, etc....? Prokofiev and Shostakovich, IMO, are the best the 20th century has to offer.
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