hornstothebox

Much agreement on that... Overall, Denver was the best stadium and facility for a drum corps show that I can recall.

Considering some of the mouthpieces I have seen people using, maybe DCI should have restrictions!

So I wonder what sections they are cutting members from?

How about Europe? I could use a good European vacation!

Ya see, and I was thinking that it is like when an NFL coach who was unsuccessful at one team, goes to another and is very successful (ex. Bill Belichek) when working for a new team with different personnel and a different environment. p.s. He was the co-caption head at Spirit. Even Chad and Sarah would probably agree that that is not an ideal situation. p.p.s. He does seem to have some pretty impressive credentials in other musical endeavors.

Perhaps some corps (and their followers) prefer that the competition take place on the field, and not on the internet. It is hardly over. I seem to recall a team in white who was in fourth place going into quaterfinals last year, who wound up winning it all. It ain't over 'til its over. HTTB

Oh dear....

Its possible that their strong brass (and percussion) performance is keeping the visual scores from being even lower than the COULD be. HTTB

I cannot understand some posters fascination with the technical demands of a program, or how the program challenges the members, as a measure of how good a drum corps, or their program is. I am referring not just to this thread but many others I have read this season critical of other corps programs. Ya know, I just cannot remember going to a Broadway musical and thinking to myself, "you know I really liked The Producers, but it just wasn't as technically demanding as Rent, and I really think they could have challenged the performers more". Displays of velocity, technical skills, range, apparent demand, etc. are merely a few tools from the palate of effect choices that designers can make in constructing great programs. Appropriateness, meaning, emotion, pacing, balance of elements, tone colors, textures, variation, tension release, etc. are also tools that are equally important to creating great effects, and hence great programs. I have seen plenty of programs that have significant amounts of technical demands and challenges to the members, that I could give a rat's bottom about when all is said and done. It is the shows that have the right balance of ingredients, that display many levels of technical and emotional skills, that connect in a big way with the audience on an emotional and intellectual level, that when performed well, will stand out and likely win. Example: I have never heard anyone complain about the long mellophone solo in the middle of PR's show last year. After all, the brass and percussion were not playing for a long time so the technical demands and challenge for the members could have been more, right? (wrong) HTTB

Yes, it even comes with it's own resident ghost! (cue the spooky music)...

Okay, I'll say it. A lot of the hype is simply because they're from Japan. I mean seriously, if that same group, show and performance were from Ankeny Iowa, would that have medaled? The WGI community has been fauning over them for a long time going back to when they were the first international guard to make the "I" in WGI mean more than Canada, comprised of cute little Japanese girls (who were actually 25 years old, hence the world class age rules). We are just so anxious to hand out our first international gold medal that we can't see what is happening... Lots and lot of hype. Fact is, if you remove the plethora of baton tricks from that program, what is there?? Although the main baton twirler is fantastic, and has a great cast of twirlers surrounding him, is this really what the activity is to become....a baton fest? God I hope not, or I'll find better things to do with my weekends. In the past I have been very fond of their shows because of their entertainment value and how well they worked as guard shows, with or without batons. This one?....meh. Lots of hype about what was a very good performance and a very decent show, but hardly medal worthy IMO. Oh, and I agree with the ensemble judge who had them in 8th by the way. HTTB

I think that you are missing the application of the policy. Tack the words "...at a contest where their affilated unit is competing." onto the last sentence and this may explain the application. As originally stated by PC, there is a shortage of quality judging. If a qualified judge would not be able to judge a certain class at any contest because of a secondary or primary affiliation, then you have effectively cut that judge out of judging for WGI AT ALL, since they would not be able to judge that class at any regional. WGI is not going to spend additional money bringing in another judge to cover one judge's class affiliation problem. It is just too expensive to do that. If they followed this policy in the strictest sense, they would only be able to use judges with zero affiliations in any class. That leaves very few judges left to judge because there are so many secondary affilliations alone out there. So I believe the application of this policy is has been concerning affiliations which exist at a contest where the affilated group is competing, not at contests where they are not competing. And as PC also mentioned, judges are under constant scrutiny. Moreso for these judges. I guarantee that someone would notice improprieties in the application of the juding system by a judge that has a class affiliation. In fact, these affiliated judges tend to be more than fair (over compensate) so they are not perceived as cheating.

Yes. I think PC answered it very accurately. They can't judge a class in a contest in which their own unit is competing.

This is so much to do about nothing. Isn't it just a teensy, weensy, eensy, beensy little bit possible that the Colts are marching 64 horns BECAUSE THEY WANT TO? The corps marched 72 horns last season. That fact alone did not help them make finals. They are choosing to march 64 horns this season for a reason. Is this really that different from a drum line that chooses to march their best 7 or 8 snares rather than 9 or 10 in order to fulfill some fantasy about size? Man, the corps is having a really good winter program and they are trying to up the overall talent level of the line by finding and fielding the best 64 players. For the love of Jim Ott, let it go.

I was also at finals this weekend and was thoroughly impressed. I believe this is going to be a great venue for DCI. The sightlines were great, the sound was crisp and clear, and the stadium itself was easy to negotiate. The black sound curtains really did their job in almost entirely eliminating the boominess of the room, while providing a great visual backdrop for the bands. This also helped to make the room seem more intimate so the bands seemed to fill the stage rather than being dwarfed by a big empty stadium. I understand they are considering more to close in all three sides (not just two). Oh, and no more RCA Dome drone (hum a B natural for the right effect). Overall, to Lucas Oil, I say...

Who does he arrange for?...

HUH?? There was ONE scatter drill in the first half of the program during the Times Square TRAFFIC JAM sequence (about 10 seconds) of the Bernstein medley. Everything else is charted drill. Also, I am not sure what "not 1 form lasted more than 2-3 sets" actually means. By definition, no form lasts more than one set since drills are a series of sets that make both form and motion. If you are suggesting that the Colts only did 2-3 sets (charted drill moves) then go into a scatter drill (uncharted drill), then you are dead wrong. I suggest reviewing the videos. As a drill junkie, I am sure you will see what I am saying. BTW, I am a big Colts fan, but understand why the Scouts are in finals. Like sports, this activity is all about momentum and the Scouts had much of that going into finals week. They turned it on sooner and kept the pedal to the metal longer at the end of the season. Congrats to all three of these corps. They were all finalist worthy. Unfortunately only one gets in and that is where momentum is so important when closing out the season. HTTB

For those of you not there to witness it, the Cavaliers trooped their entire corps single file along the front sidelines passing in review of both the DCI trophies and Phantom Regiment. Then they filed down the side of the Phantom Regiment block and out the back of the field stopping to hug, shake hands and yell congratulations to the new champions. I thought this was the classiest move that I have seen in a while and was a nice throw back to the days when corps used to pass in review of the champion as a way of honoring them. Can this be a new tradition for finals retreats instead of just walking off the field??? For all I've heard of the Cavies antics coming onto the field for retreats, this showed true class and sportsmanship that is unfortunately lacking in other corps that are closely competitive. Thank you Cavaliers for setting standards off the field as well as on the field! HTTB

'03 Regiment

There are several reasons for delays in announcing the pieces to be played: 1. Show planning vs. design - Most corps decide and plan their programs during the fall and early winter, when they pick the materials and begin producing them. However, during the course of the winter production, there are times when one piece needs to be canned and replaced with another due to unplanned design or personnel issues. The piece just did not work out, or a better piece is found. In addition, there are times when the concept is in place before all of the pieces are chosen. It is safe to wait until it becomes clear that the pieces you chose are working the way you want. 2. Copyright issues - Since the shows are planned in fall and choices may not be finalized until early winter, there is a timing issue in getting copyright approvals. Some rights holders are very slow in responding to requests to perform and arrange a piece. Some are very fussy about seeing the finished scores before they give approval. Some want outrageous fees. And some just say no. It is always safest to ensure that your have all your rights issues in place before releasing info to the public. 3. Scrutiny, expectations and hype - Face it, there are many out there who, knowing the materials to be played, would place a lot of scrutiny on a program and, if the circumstances were right, could generate negative pub about the show that corps members may read and buy into, before the staff has had a chance to design and teach the kids the show. If the members have questions about the show then learning it becomes an uphill battle. Same goes for recruiting new members. Some kids would actually not go to a certain corps because they are playing a certain type of music, or not playing a certain style. You want the kids to try out the corps before the show. I think staffs prefer to have the kids to learn and buy in to their program before the general public starts picking it apart. 4. Timing and positive buzz - I think some groups prefer to keep their show materials private until the last minute because they want to generates some positive buzz about their program when it is close to the start of the contest season. If you announce early, there can be a tendency to be forgotten about until the contests begin. There may be more, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind. Hope this helps. HH