knighterrant

Cavaliers 1994 -- Chord that closes "Sensemaya." Wicked indeed.

Eh? Not following. What's it mean?

Hi all, Boredom at work, coupled with reminiscing about this past weekend's fabulous championships led me to ponder the following question: Of those DIV I junior corps that have never won the DCI championship, what's A- their highest ever placement, and B- their best score to date? So I popped over to corpsreps.com and did a little digging, and here's what I came up with. Here were my research parameters: -- The list includes current Division I junior corps that have never won the DCI Championship (this excludes Cavies, BD, Madison, etc etc. You guys get enough attention! :) ). -- I included Kiwanis Kavaliers and Troopers in my list (denoted with a *), because they're still listed on DCI.org as Division I corps even though they did not field a corps this year. -- The time period runs through the "DCI Era:" 1972-present. -- I looked for Best Scores in Division I or "Open Class" competition only. Many of these corps posted higher numbers while in Div II/III/A-60, but I focused on Div. I scoring only. There are two lists: Best Placement, and Best Score. ***NOTE*** If any of these figures are incorrect, please let me know. I'm sure many of you out there have intimate knowledge of your beloved corps' best placement and showing committed to memory, while I got my info by trolling through corpsreps.com (and I may very well have missed something). Also, if your corps never won championships and has since left the activity, please chime in with your numbers by commenting in the thread. BEST CORPS PLACEMENT -- Corps without a DCI Championship Placement -- Corps (Year) 2nd -- Blue Stars (1972), *Troopers (1973) 4th -- Bluecoats (2006), Spirit of Atlanta (1979, 1980) 5th -- Boston Crusaders (2000, 2002), Glassmen (1998, 1999, 2001) 6th -- Blue Knights (2000), Crossmen (1992, 1997) 7th -- Carolina Crown (2004, 2005) 8th -- Magic of Orlando (1996) 9th -- Colts (1995) 12th -- Seattle Cascades (2002) 13th -- Southwind (2000) 14th -- Capital Regiment (2004), *Kiwanis Kavaliers (1996, 1997) 16th -- Mandarins (2001), Pioneer (2000) 17th -- Pacific Crest (2003) 20th -- Esperanza (2005) BEST CORPS SCORE -- Corps without a DCI Championship (Div. I scoring) Score-- Corps, Date & Name of Show 94.6-- Glassmen, 8/10/01 DCI Semis 94.45-- Bluecoats, 8/13/05 DCI Finals 94.2-- Spirit of Atlanta, 8/15/86 DCI Semis 93.4-- Blue Knights, 8/12/99 DCI Quarters 93.0-- Crossmen, 8/16/97 DCI Finals 92.45-- Boston Crusaders, 8/09/02 DCI Semis 92.175-- Carolina Crown, 8/06/04 DCI Semis 88.4-- Magic of Orlando, 8/16/96 DCI Semis 88.25-- *Troopers, 8/19/73 Wisconsin State Fair 87.65-- Blue Stars, 8/18/72 DCI Finals 87.3-- Colts, 8/14/98 DCI Semis 86.9-- Seattle Cascades, 8/8/02 DCI Quarters 84.95-- Southwind, 8/10-11/02 DCI Quarters & Semis 83.8-- Capital Regiment, 8/5/04 DCI Quarters 83.5-- Pacific Crest, 7/24/04 Western Corps Connection II 82.7-- *Kiwanis Kavaliers, 8/15/97 DCI Semis 80.85-- Mandarins, 8/9/01 DCI Quarters 80.35-- Esperanza, 7/24/04 Western Corps Connection II 79.3-- Pioneer, 8/9/01 DCI Quarters Hope you find this interesting. --Jeremiah

Being with the corps in 2001 from Memorial Day till we pulled back into G-West at the end of Finals in August was the best summer of my life (I was on transportation staff, beep beep!). I still hear the show in my head all the time. Kevin Creasey's solos, drums on the back sideline, the triangular pass-through drill in the closer that nearly took people's heads off every night. What a show. I remember Brian BEGGING the kids in early July of that year (in the heat of an Iowa summer somewhere) to start pushing the staff instead of the other way around. The staff knew that the vehicle they built was a winner, but the corps was peppered with youth, talented yes -- but young. And when they bought into the idea that their potential was only limited by their level of effort and desire to push themselves, it felt like a bolt of lightning went through the entire organization. We all went on a rocket-ride that year, breaking corps records along the way, all the way up to Semifinals (94.6!) and a performance that I will never forget as long as I live. One of those "Box 6" nights you only see the other, "elite" corps get. I didn't want to go home. I wanted there to be one more week. Just one more week. ^_^ Now sitting where I am, I see other corps, new names, catching a glimpse of "Box 6" themselves. This is why I find myself cheering on the Bluecoats, both last year and this. They're climbing the ladder. I don't care who does it, but the first corps to definitively crash the party of the big boys up top should and will be lauded in our memories. It hasn't happened in so long. God, it's been 5 years ago already.

Red Sox... I remember them. They went meekly last playoffs, didn't they ^_^

And to think I liked you because of your avatar :) Go Sox!

Top of the 8th in Chicago: St. Louis Cardinals 2 Chicago White Sox 20 Yes, they're playing baseball.

Chicago! A thousand Yesses to this fabulous idea. Right in DCI's backyard. One of the country's most vibrant centrally-located and accessible cities, gorgeous stadium with a rich history, no track to bisect the audience from the performers. Decent public transportation system drops you off at the action with somewhat ample parking for those who just can't let their cars out of their sight B) DCI parades up and down the lakefront or at Navy Pier! I and E and other concerts in Milennium Park! Plus it's not like there's much of a pro football team to get upset over the use of the stadium... --Jeremiah Chicagoan bracing for another Bears "season"

I've returned from the cornfields of Central Illinois to find little, if any reviews written about DCI's Central Illinois extravaganza. I will attempt to remedy this and share a few thoughts from last night's show. I will attempt to be as truthful as possible while not stepping on anyone's oversenstitive toes. First, the "corps affiliation" disclaimer: I travelled with the Glassmen as a van/bus driver in 2000, 2001, and parts of 2002 and 2004. So now my biases are laid bare for all to know :) I travelled to the show with my boyfriend and our good friend Lisa, who marched a Div. III Corps named Marquis out of Fon Du Lac, WI, back in the mid 90's, and hasn't been to a drum corps competition since she aged out. Her comments were invaluable and revealing during and after the show. On to the performances: The Colts (6th place, 69.725) started the show off on a high note with their "Postcards from Home" production. The Colts have carved out their territory in the activity by doing nothing but straightforward, quality, entertaining drum corps over the last few years, and this year is no exception. I particularly enjoyed the intensity of their "Landworkers" from the Estancia Ballet, which brought back pleasant memories of the 1993 Phantom Regiment. I was not surprised to hear my two friends humming along with "Till There Was You" -- this is a great vehicle for the corps to touch the audience. Technically, the corps is putting out decent volume, but the guard was saddled with a steady Central Illinois wind that hampered their execution a tad (i.e throw flag in air, then run to wherever the wind is taking it). Still, I can't think of a better corps to open a performance. Kudos to the Colts -- and don't count them out just yet when penciling in your 12 finalist corps. Southwind (7th place, 64.2) took the field next, and I must say, they look like they've been sponsored by the Avery Hi-Liter brand this year. Day-glo orange, yellow, pink, blue, green -- it's all in the guard's color scheme. One of my friends commented that their GE scores would skyrocket if someone replaced the stadium light bulbs with blacklights. But when the show begins, one immediately realizes that the color scheme, while jarring, works. The show starts with a totally tasty groove-inducing percussion feature that breaks into snippets of many venerated drum corps classics -- "Mars" from the Planets, the Wind and the Lion, as well as Bacchanalle later on in the show. The hornline sounds superb at controlled volumes but tends to sound fractured and pushy when they cut loose. Still, I found their show fresh and entertaining. Capital Regiment (8th place, 63.475) took the field next, and I must qualify my statements herein: my coming comments should not be seen as being negative toward the members on the field that are doggedly performing what I consider to be a design trainwreck of a show. I pride myself on being about as progressive of a drum corps enthusiast as they come -- I'm OK with esoteric performances, amps, weird headscratching shows, etc. Heck, I ate, lived and breathed Glassmen's 2001 "IMAGO" for 4 months and loved every minute of it. This show, however, wheels about what is apparently supposed to be a gigantic post WWII Soviet Bloc sundial, totally without effect other than to completely distract from the corps proper's performance. It's difficult enough that Cap Reg is playing unrecognizeable music; but combine that with rolling a huge metallic object randomly around the field, and sooner or later you ignore the performance entirely and find yourself watching to see if anyone gets run over. Thrown into the mix: a girl in pearlescent alabaster white who floats around the field and does nothing other than A ) gesticulate wildly on occasion or B ) stand still and look bored in front of the sundial. This is all done despite a fine effort from the corps members, who in my humble opinion are performing at a technical level surpassing that of the earlier performers. The hornline, in particular, sounds very clean and crisp, especially in the earlier movements, and had the loudest moments of the evening up to that point. I feel totally awful for them, especially the two poor girls who had to wheel that monstrous prop around the field instead of doing anything guard-related. On the upside: the closer appears to be on the field, which I'm sure will help their scores some. To the show designers, I can only ask that you take a good hard look at the faces of the kids that are performing what you've wrought -- and make some changes. Please, this can't be it. Give them a chance. The Blue Knights (5th Place, 72.125) were the last to perform before Intermission, and one could immediately hear and appreciate the presence of a perennial finalist contender on the field. BK is performing a "Midsummer Knight's Dream" this season, an original composition filled with accessible and enjoyable, if safely scored and performed music. Not everyone enjoys the Blue Knight visual package (step-off with arched knee, tendency toward expressive body movement, etc.), but one must admit it's totally unique to the activity and sets them apart in a sophisticated and classy way. I was impressed with the guard's tasteful and elegant sky blue costuming, the bits of "Trittico" and other nods to past shows woven throughout the program, and my companions ooohed and aaahed at the unveiling of each new hand-make silk. BK performed in a bit of a competitive vaccuum tonight -- they were clearly superior to the Colts, but not up to the Glassmen's level. Still, their show has the horses to make finals again. The Glassmen (4th Place, 75.325) opened the second half of the show in a big, bold way, bringing Dvorak's "New World Symphony" to the field with gusto and passion. The opening hit was startlingly loud, and immediately bounced off into a frenetic and note-laden first movement. "Full of notes" is an excellent descriptor for this show, and one can tell the fast-paced drill of past years has been toned down a bit in order to give the members a chance to perform the musical book. The season is still young, however, and there is improvement to be made in both tempo and intonation. Still, what a departure from the Glassmen's recent offerings -- for those of you who've been around for awhile, you might remember when the GMen were known as the saucy little corps from Toledo that played such hits as "Caravan," "Key to Her Fararri" or "Just a Gigilo" and rode a wave of attitude right up to DCI Member status and beyond -- this year's Glassmen production brings some of that attitude back, and it is totally welcome. The corps garnered the first enthusiastic standing "O" of the night, I found myself loving the garish orange/purple/teal color scheme despite myself, and my boyfriend pronounced that they had the best "music" of the evening after the show was over. The Madison Scouts (2nd Place, 80.575) served notice tonight that they are back in a big way, and caught me by surprise tonight with a saucy and uncompromising "Carmen Project." First off, I am very happy to report that Madison's Color Guard program is back in a big, no-nonsense way. The boys were on tonight and almost stole the show from Ms. Carmen herself with their performance. The corps had the crowd eating out of their hands up until after Carmen meets her sad demise -- then it felt like the closer dragged a touch. Still, they got a whopping crowd response at the show's close. To those who have said that it doesn't seem like Carmen has a lot to do, I say "hear hear." Let's give the girl a flag or something to break the monotony of having her push guard members around. The Scouts are nipping on the Cavies' heels in many performance captions, and it's well-founded. I'm at a loss to pinpoint just where in the standings the Scouts will end up this season -- anything between 6th to 1st seems possible right now. This is a wildcard show. (Aside: My friend Lisa, away from the activity for 10 years, was STUNNED to see that you'd changed your uniforms.) Another darkhorse contender is found in the Bluecoats (3rd Place, 79.175), and I will start by saying that I honestly thought that they had barely beat out Madison for second place tonight on the strength of their total integrated package. The Bluecoats, unlike every corps to come before them that night, spread themselves across the field on multiple occasions and use every inch of the performance venue provided to them. There are parts and sections of this "Caravan" production that are, far and away, the class of the activity this year: first off, that soprano line is one for the ages. I about wet myself with their playing on more than one location-- they are exquisitely staged and their phrasing is just to die for. The 'Coats also dealt the finest musical moment of the night in the closer when the entire corps suddenly falls silent, and all you hear is the ::FOOM::... ::FOOM::... of the flags in perfect unison. It was just breathtaking. I have appreciated their shows ever since their sexy 2001 Latin Sketches Tango, but this year is just leaps and bounds better than anything they've put on the field before. (I am A-OK with the miked drumspeak -- it works!) The show just needs some minor tweaking in some sections that tend to drag and wander a bit, and they turn an irresistible package into an unstoppable one. It's so exciting to watch a perennial "also-ran" corps gun for the big boys -- let's all cheer them on. And finally, we have the Cavaliers (1st place, 82.250), in the midst of their decade of destiny, coming unquestionably in first with a -- wait a second, that wasn't "unquestionable." What's going on here? I'm not sure if the Green Machine is just having an off year, or if everyone's finally catching on, but the typical effortless gap one might expect between the Cavies and their vanquished opponents felt substantially less pronounced tonight. I don't think the Cavies are "off" this year, either: their Chicago-based show stands up to recent past productions in both entertainment, demand, and design. The baseball section is fun and entertaining, and the fire/ladders section gives the "gee whiz wow" moments one expects from a new-millennium Cavies show. The Cavaliers are, once again, supremely strong from section to section, with no weak spots in the entire corps. And in a season that sees men in all-girl color guards, girls in all-male color guards and the Glassmen bringing crowds roaring to their feet with baby catapults at the ready, why not have the Cavaliers throw down in a jazz session that can stand up to anything the Crossmen or BD have put out on the field? Make no mistake about it, the Cavaliers are as good as they've ever been. I can only come to one conclusion as this long winded review draws to a close, and it's one that should make the entire drum corps community, even Green Machine fans, happy: the rest of the activity is catching up to the line the Cavaliers have drawn. This can only mean great things for this crazy activity we all love. See you on the road, --Jeremiah

1990 was dazzling. Oh my "stars", that last minute... I have a copy of 90's show on a badly aging 2nd generation bootleg tape, and I still get chills watching it. Can't wait to see it when I get enough disposable income to get the legacy DVD's! --Jeremiah G Driver Man -- 2000-2004 n' counting