Jak

I didn't name names!

Amachi was not doing easy stuff by any stretch. They definitely had world class vocabulary. And other than two short baton features, most of the show was standard equipment with just a baton soloist or duet. Did you see the rifle line throw a 5 and turn, turn, attitude, turn, catch? There certainly wasn't anyone else in World Class doing that! And I'll say again that no other guard in World Class was as clean or had technique as flawless as Amachi. As far as judging beauty, I guess that is a subjective term. But they are supposed to evaluate use of color, costumes, props, floor, set, etc. And there's nothing wrong with solid flags if they're done well (a la late 90's Center Grove). There were several groups this year that I thought were beautifully designed: Pride, Fantasia, Amachi, Phantom, Center Grove, Carmel, Choctaw to name a few. There were others (who shall remain nameless) who looked like they picked up a floor at Goodwill, a costume at guardcloset.com, and a couple of flags at a yard sale. Then they threw them all together to see what would turn out. I still say you shouldn't be able to get big effect numbers without coordinating these basic things.

Has anyone looked at the recap yet? I just did. Amachi was 11th in equipment vocab, but 3rd in exc. And they were 7th in mvmt vocab and 1st in exc. I think that's pretty accurate. They didn't have the demand that the top groups did, but they were great at what they did have. Also, I thought judges weren't supposed to give subcaption ties. But if you look at the recap, there are tons of them.

To clarify that, they do not count as legal equipment to the T&P judge. In other words, they don't count towards your minimum equipment time. However, the use of batons is credited by the eqiupment judge. It's the same situation as the sickle rifles.

I would agree that they didn't have the same equipment vocabulary on flag, rifle, or sabre as the other top IW guards. But I would assume they were getting credit for what they did on baton. Which is kind of wierd because it's apples and oranges, but they were incredible on that piece of equipment. Also, I thought they achieved their vocabulary better than anyone else in the entire class. There is something to be said for being squeaky clean and consistent with flawless technique. FYI, they are judging beauty. It's the first item listed on the new GE sheet (color, costuming, set design, etc.). It still mystifies me how someone can be at the top of a class and have ugly flags and no color pallete. That's probably the easiest thing to get right, how could you miss it? Just call the Band Hall, for God's sake.

I learned a long time ago that I don't always see what the judges do, and that's ok. But here's how I would have called it. IW: 1. Fantasia: they were beautiful and had incredible effect. Also one of the cleanest and most technically sound Fantasia shows in a long time. 2. Amachi: Beautiful and the cleanest of the night. Breathtaking! 3. Pride: The show was constructed impeccably, but left me B-O-R-E-D. Also, they blew up in finals, several drops (even a flag drop ). Pride is know for having superior technique and being so consistent. I haven't ever seen them blow up like that that I can remember. SW: 1. Logan: Last year was iffy to me, but no question this year. 2. Avon: beautiful show, incredible performers, unfortunate music choice 3. Flanagan: They didn't have quite the sophistication that Arcadia did, but they were so good. 4. Arcadia: They catch their weapons like an A guard. It's a bit of a mystery to me how they beat Flangagan. Just my opinion; it's probably worth what you paid for it.

According to the people at headquarters, the server was down most of the day on Thursday.

On wgi.org they have historical scores listed by year. That should clear up any questions.

I thought they were incredible last year. So beautiful, so expressive, so smart, so nuanced. They were the first ever WGI Scholastic Champion in 1984, and have been in finals ever since (barely squeaking in in 2003). I guess Center Grove, Miamisburg, and Blessed Sac are the only ones with that kind of history.

I don't know, that seems a little bit dramatic to me. I can't imagine that doing winterguard barefoot is going to give you permanent foot problems. Besides, noone is going to wear shoes (at least in the winter) that offer much support anyway. A little ballet slipper or one of those strappy leather things, maybe, but that won't give you any real support. A shoe that offers arch support or protection of your toes will not give you the flexibility you need to point. Professional dancers spend many more hours dancing than any winterguard ever did. And a lot of them (modern) do it barefoot. If it's ballet, they wear those little slippers which provide no support, or pointe shoes, which protect the toe and support there, but do nothing for your arches and such.

I was looking at WGI On demand today, and noticed that Center Grove was 15th place with a 79 in 2003. That was between a 7th place finish in 02 and a 5th place in 04. What happened that year? I don't think I saw them. What was their show?

What's with all the penalties? I've never seen a guard get a 4 point penalty before.

I think Miamisburg 98 has to be one of the cleanest guards I've ever seen.

I'm not sure I agree about Northview reinventing themselves each year. I guess maybe the have recently, but there was a while when they did those stupid microphones and spoken word/singing/percussion stuff for YEARS. I thought that was so annoying, I would get up and leave the gym before they came on. I'm certainly glad they moved away from that! I'll weigh in on Avon: IMHO, they are incredible. Their music is irritating and boring.

Ok, it's totally semantics at this point and doesn't really matter. Nevertheless, I'm always up for a little linguistic debate. As I understand it, the underdog is the one you expect not to win. Since Miamisburg was ranked lower and most people I know expected them not to win, they were the underdog. There is no doubt that Miamisburg has a history that Flanagan doesn't, but that doesn't affect scores...

Are you serious? I haven't seen them yet this year, and they were different last year. But before that, they did the same thing like 10 years in a row. They are kind of known for having a very specific style and a formula. I don't mean that as a criticism; they are obviously an incredible guard, and they found what worked for them. Just like Bishop Kearney did for all those years. I think Center Grove reinvents itself each year probably more than any other SW guard. Also, not to nit-pick, but I don't see how Flanagan was the underdog. They were ranked above Miamisburg before this Regional. That would seem to me to make Miamisburg the underdog.

I don't really think Flanagan was the underdog. The other way around, actually...

Wow; 20 guys in the colorguard! Where do you go to school?

As the others have already mentioned, Phantom Regiment has a long history with this piece. The Patriots certainly didn't invent it. I think Phantom is really great this year, and the year they won DCI and played that (96) is still one of my favorite all time drum corps shows. By the way, there's an IO guard doing that same piece of music as well. Can't remember who it was now, but I saw them in Atlanta.

How can a guard be over block and under post block?

I saw what he was doing. Pretty risky! I've just never seen anyone actually hit the ceiling before. And I know they're doing a lot. But so are all the top IW guards. They still seemed very droppy to me. Could have been a fluke, though. It happens to everyone.

Has anyone seen the Vegas Videos on wgi.org? What about Fantasia? That kid does a rifle toss, it hits the ceiling, bounces off the ceiling, and lands 30 feet away across the floor. Crazy! It's a miracle no one was hurt. Besides that, they sure were droppy, weren't they?

As far as your concern with guards being formulaic: I understand why you feel that way. I also grow tired of guards doing the same thing from one year to the next. However, judges are not allowed to have that opinion. The criterion says nothing about things being different from what you did last year, with the exception of Box 6 (99-100) in World Class. Technically, a group could do exactly the same show they did last year, and the judges have to evaluate it for what it is. As long as a group isn't scoring 99 or higher, that's not in the criteria. Having said all that, I do think that having a fresh or creative interpretation is a good thing for a guard. It's going to make a positive impression, and also make a judge remember you.

I was at Atlanta, and I LOVED Phantom. I think they will be really great. They have so much style and nuance. In my opinion only (I'm not a judge) I think Phantom's show has more depth and intellectual crafting. I also think they move better. NEI was much more solid on their equipment (especially in finals). NEI also has an in your face exciting quality that Phantom doesn't (not their style). I like Phantom better (just a matter of taste). It will be interesting to see who finishes on top at WGI.

They really dance great. I love the move where they dive and slide across the floor on their stomachs.