vaguardguy

Awww, I was scrolling through your list and saw you made special mention of LVK04's last guard score. Thanks ! I didn't know anyone took enough notice of us that year to even remember that little tidbit. Here we are, coming off winning guard the year previous and now popping the highest DivIII colorguard score at DCI championships since the caption's inception, and no one notices. We were a gross, ticky mess (losing to guards we would've never imagined) all the way through Oklahoma City; and when we finally cleaned up, our start times were so early no one other than judges saw us perform. To top it off, the corps' overall 5th-place finish wasn't good enough to make Grand Finals and the guard caption instead went to a corps whose guard we had beaten all week (though we weren't alone, CoH's undefeated brassline suffered a similar fate). No hard feelings, we all knew the rules going in (though the caption-awarding system could use a revamping so that doesn't happen again). It was just an anti-climatic way to ageout and to likely finish off the corps' history :( . Again, thanks for the 'lil shout-out :D ! Which brings me to my next point about how you really can't compare scores from year-to-year (or even contest-to-contest). We all know that corps from 15 years ago would probably not fare as well today, even taking into account the different expectations called for on the sheets. As much as one might try to be as objective as possible in allocating points, judging in an activity like drum corps is inherently relative. Comparing scores from different years, though neat, isn't very informative. For example, I would never, ever, ever try to compare my colorguard to the likes of Revolution '02, or Cincinnati Glory/Marion Glory Cadets '00-'02. They were on a different level from anything we ever achieved, regardless of the way one might add up the points. In fact, I've been following DivII/III avidly (I almost typed rabidly, which is almost as fitting :sshh: ) since my first drum corps show, DivII/III Finals at College Park, MD in August of 2000. I'll go as far as to say that since 2000, Revolution '02 was by far the best DivIII drum corps put on the field. I wish there were more people on this board who remember that show, or at least have an extensive II/III video library. They had individual technique I haven't seen matched since, and their ensemble work was no slouch either. 2002 was an especially competitive year (remember how exciting DivII was with Magic, CapReg, Mandies, SCVC, Spartans, Esperanza, Patriots, and ECJ all putting out amazing shows), and I'll contest Revo's scores don't do them justice. Oh well, I have no way to substantiate this claim, so chalk it up to opinion if you'd like :) . Point is, it was fun to look at the numbers and recall some great II/III performances, but those numbers certainly don't tell any deeper stories.

The Ventures are still around as a very competitive WGI IA winterguard. I'm not absoultely certain, but I think they're still all-girl.

The Bandettes are still around (kind of...they took last summer off because of low membership, but are in the process of returning this summer) if you haven't aged-out. Sure, The Soo up in Canada is a bit of a drive, but if you want to march an all-girls corps THAT badly !

Note: The following is not an official response of the Lehigh Valley Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, but rather the personal opinion of an LVK-insider. I think it's been alluded multiple times on these boards that neither membership numbers nor finances were the reasons for LVK folding. Chalk it up to administrative neglect or burnout if you'd like; but simply put, LVK's administration was a very small group of really dedicated individuals that at somepoint lost the determination and drive to put in the exorbitant amount of time and effort to field a highly competitive DCI junior corps. During the corps' tenure, it was very well-run having both a fairly consistent membership-base and a careful attention to funding. I doubt the members could've asked for a much better experience, nor could the administration have done a much better job to provide it. There is little need for a cloak-and-dagger response to this specific case. While any corps' folding is tragic, this was simply a corps that ran its course. I'd love to see LVK return, but I doubt it will come back in any competitive semblance of what it once was. P.S. As one of the webmasters (long story), I would like to take down the notice that LVK will be back in 2006, but haven't received any official word to do so.

Though they never finished 13th so many times in such a short timespan, the Blue Knights from Denver, CO have finished 13th on four separate occasions ('90, '95, '02, and '03). That might be a DCI record?

Neato!!! Given a CA-bound finals in 2007, maybe y'all will be there two years running? Haven't seen that in decades. Great!

Where did people get the impression that BDB went to Finals every other year? Was it just because they happened to go in 2004 at Denver, a same year that SCVC (who does have a policy about attempting a II/III tour every other summer) attended? Looking at Corpsreps, BDB has gone to Finals five times since '77. Three of those have been in Denver, CO, and another in Dallas, TX. Excluding one year ('97) when they went to Orlando, FL, they have only gone to Championships when they've been held fairly west in the country. They've never gone to Finals in Madison, WI, and I don't see any reason to expect them this year. I would be enthralled to be proven wrong, as I would love to see them attend Finals more frequently (finances permitting), but not let's get our hopes up since they'd be seriously bucking history if they in fact do attend.

I think the simplest reason is that few people want to join drum corps that are relatively weak in reference to their competition. Most people would rather join a first or second-place DivII corps than a 20th-place DivI corps (barring issues like desire to do a full tour). It's for this reason I'm genuinely concerned about Kiwanis' future ability to field a corps after this summer's weak performance, and I hope they have some clever recruiting strategies. Most sports and competitive art-forms have different classifications based on pools of roughly similar talent/qualification. Yes, sometimes one finds overlap (usually the DCI DivII winner can make DivI semifinals in much the same way we used to joke in Ohio about how our OSU football program could probably beat the Browns and the Bengals), but these pools are formed using imperfect criteria. In some cases, they're defined by concrete terms (DCI DivIII used to be corps under 60-members, NCAA DivI-AAA is defined by being a non-scholarship sport at schools with major DivI scholarship teams), while others are formed under less concrete terms (DivII is primarily different from DivI only in competitive terms, much like WGI's A/Open/World delineation for guards or MLB's minor league circuits that plays identical to professional baseball other than having the immense talent pool). Different classifications of competition exist to preserve the stability of the less-competitive units and allow them a venue to perfect their craft and maybe, one-day, step up to play in a higher classification. In DCI's case, it allows usually newer corps (though there are DivII/III corps who have been around for decades like Dutch Boy or Blue Stars) a place to establish themselves, being able to feed of their successes in this setting so as to improve to a level where they can successfully compete in DivI. Fielding a corps is hard. It takes years to acquire all the best equipment, to garner all the best talent, to accrue the best staff. Why would you want to be hampered by near-last-place finishes when you can compete in a division geared towards corps that don't yet have all these pieces in place. Also, different corps have different objectives. In DivIII, there are a few corps that exist to provide a means for inner-city kids to get off the streets. There are also essentially "kiddie-corps" that have geared towards much younger membership. All this is in addition to very competitive DivIII corps who have comparable designs and talent to DivII corps (just with less members, and correspondingly lower scores). Some DivII/III corps wish to be mostly "weekend-only" corps (usually these corps do perform a two-week DCI tour, a shorter mini-tour, and a short "death-camp"), allowing their membership to hold jobs in addition to marching the junior corps activity. I worked 40hrs a week to pay for college my three summers of drum corps, usually only having to take four or five work days off during the summer for corps before quitting my job late July to compete in the DivII/III tour. This kind of practice schedule would not be competitive even in the regional DivI classification. Some corps do not have the infrastructure to acquire the staff and equipment to be competitive in DivI (for example, most DivII/III corps are still on very old G bugles). Finally, some DivII/III corps directors simply don't want to step up to that level of competition, but would like their corps to be able to compete in an appropriate classification that rewards them for what they have. For the health of the activity, I'm inclined to believe DCI should institute all their divisions strictly on competitive nature (much like WGI). Eliminating DivII would have almost certainly prohibited most of the newer DivI corps from getting to that level, and would probably be a death-blow to a large portion of the activity. Rather than eliminating DivII, DCI should give them much more exposure. The quality of the units are still far-and-above 99.9% of high school marching bands, and the top DivII units are noticeably better than the bottom DivI corps that receive marginally more exposure. DCI, rather than being concerned with protecting the perceived quality of their "brand", should be more focused on the growth of the activity.

Nah, looks to me a lot more like the old Carolina Crown uniforms.

southwind was definetly not 15....better than years past definetly...check your facts on the 15th place thing <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Wow, so he was off by one placement (SW finished 16th). I'd say what's one placement among friends, but maybe you take the CapReg/SW rivalry this past summer a little too far? Either way, what SW accomplished with such young membership and relative lack of predisposed talent is something to admire. Certainly, what they accomplished in their 16th place finish is as (or more) admirable than the placement of certain more talent-packed corps who placed above them. If Troopers can find out how SW made it work (and I personally think they made it work with a very creative, well-thought-out design both musically and visually that incorporated key themes implemented steadily throughout the program), I think they will be going places fast. I love G bugles, and though I'm comfortable with DCI going Bb (I believe only 2 DivI corps (Pioneer and Troopers) and slightly more than 50% of DivII/III are still in G), I understand the notion of needing "all the new toys" to stay competitive. Unless Troop can come out on G horns and soundly prove to us that they really are better equipment than Bb horns, judges will continue to be skeptical of their performance. They need to not simply come out good, they would need to come out so strong as to leave no doubt in any judges mind who might subconsciously think that since Troop is on G that their brass book will suffer. DCI has its trend-setters, and until you're good enough to play in the same league as them, a competitively lower corps' score will in some ways be in comparison to how well you keep up with them. This is why I can't fault Bluecoats for using amplification. Yes, their corps director was personally against the rule change, but once it was passed I imagine he knew that it was more important to provide his kids a competitive marching experience over sticking to his prior principles. I bet he knew that this was the direction DCI was taking, and he better get with the program lest he fall out. I imagine the same mindset was employed with the Cavaliers who probably understood the value of being at the "cutting edge" of the activity lest one think you're not exploring new elements of drum corps (and DCI is about rewarding innovation, is it not). After all, what is more important? Providing a strong, competitive program for the kids in your corps, or sticking to your principles on how you define drum corps? You can fault the directors for how they vote at rules congresses, but you can't fault them for ensuring the competitive viability of their program. I hope the Troop sticks with G's for sentimental reasons, but I do think that will have to work harder to advance in placement with G horns than with Bb horns.

Yep, the Chieftains Sr. D&BC last competed in 1999, and LVK was formed out of the Chieftains Nov. 2000. We did do a number of DCA shows as LVK (especially Reading, PA), averaging between 1-2 a summer. Those shows were always some of the most fun. What great audiences!

She definitely had input in folding the corps. And I will say no more. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes, Patti Nolan was the director of the Patriots up until they folded. If you want to really delve into the "Patriots drama", you can dredge up some threads in RAMD. It's discussed (and by discussed, I mean argued to no end with plenty of insane threats and name-calling) in great detail. The impression I get from certain Patriots alumni is that if they do return, it certainly won't be the same Patriots we knew and loved. To their credit (or maybe their discredit in the end), they had a pretty sweet deal with dues. Up until their last year, college students got to march for free (actually receiving a small scholarship I believe), and all others only paid $100. I'm not certain if there were additional fees, but I remember the net cost being easily the cheapest in DCI (and to march in a very good drum corps at that). I think they said it was their once-successful bingo hall that kept their dues so low.

Okay, I actually read your post (rather than yelling out for you to listen to my corps from back in the day) and here are my suggestions: Southwind 2000 - In my opinion, the best 13th-place corps ever in DCI. It finished 12th or higer in every single caption, but managed a 13th-place finish because the two corps barely above them had "super captions" that overcompensated for their overall weak corps. No offense meant here, but this show was much better than a certain Zorro-themed show and an uncharacteristically weak year for the 'coats that placed above them (they say it's hard to break into the top 12 for the first time; but once you make it, it's relatively easy to stay there or get back in). If this same show were performed by an ensemble with the talent found in a corps like the Cadets, the design would've vaulted them to first (a video of the show is on SW's media archive, find it and watch the drill/staging - it's magnificent). The hit with the low brass at the end of "Legends of the Fall" is the kind of musical moment that makes you lose your breath for a second. The closer is ferocious, and if only they hit that last set in their show (watch the video to see what I mean) the entire history of SW might be very different right now. Jersey Surf 2000 - This was the show that got me into drum corps. This show was more of a trend-setter than it gets credit. It was the first drum corps show in which I'm aware that took a modern approach to the story found in Carmen (long before that hip-hop Carmen movie came out, which it looks like the Scouts staff watched a little when designing their show). Unlike the Scout's show this past year, this one employs a lot more of the melodies from the original music. Truly, the guard made this show (and sadly, you won't get much of that on the CD), but the horns and drums easily pull their weight. It ended up placing 5th in DivII Prelims, 4th in DivII Finals, and 21st in DivI competition (beating yet another DivII corps in the process - talk about a strong Finals-week run). Blue Knights 2002 - This is one of the darkest, creepiest shows in DCI history, and my number two pick for best 13th-place corps. Much better than Cascades on all levels, this one should've squeaked into 12th (to Cascades credit, it should've been a close call). It is one of the best shows capable of evoking a specific mood I've ever heard. Listen to it, and you'll understand what I'm talking about. Mandarins 2003 - This was one of the best years in the fight for the 17th-place spot with 17th-19th place being separated by a mere 0.3pts. The placements ended up with PacCrest in 17th, Mandarins in 18th, and CapReg in 19th, but I personally would've placed them Mandarins, CapReg, then PacCrest (I guess that's why I'm not a judge). This was Mandarins inaugural year in full DivI competition, and though they were probably the smallest DivI corps that year, you could never tell from just the recordings. Their "Black Market Bazaar" show really evokes a feel of Central Asia, and their Bacchanale closer, though not flawlessly performed, is a great arrangement.

My first show was DivII/III Finals in 2000 at College Park, MD. Competiting were: DivIII: Les Senateurs Capital Regiment Yamato General Butler Vagabonds Cincinnati Glory Americanos Seattle Cascades DivII: Jersey Surf Patriots Blue Stars Mandarins Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets That was a good show with all the corps performing at a much higher level than any marching band I had seen. In fact, that was the year SCVC cracked into DivI semifinals with Mandarins only a few tenths behind them in 18th place. Jersey Surf took guard that year in DivII (with easily their best guard in their history - ended up faring very well in DivI), and I was convinced I was going to march a strong DCI colorguard someday. I didn't go to a DivI show until the following year when the friend with whom I had went to II/III Finals ended up marching Crossmen (and this show in Herndon, VA wasn't especially impressive - 4 DivI corps, a DivII corps in its death throes, and the last place DivIII corps in DCI that summer). For a number of reasons (primarily holding down a summer job to pay for college), that friend and I went off to march LVK the following summer.

Though not in DivI top 12, Americanos have a new, female director this year getting the corps back on its feet after a season off last summer.

Oh, okay! I guess I should have put in the few minutes of research to dig up that old thread and find out who it was for certain . Onyx Winterguard is a World Class indoor guard from Dayton, OH. I guess I accidentally misread your post and thought when you said it, "translate[d] to that idiom pretty well," I thought you had meant the drum corps/winterguard/winter drumlime idiom, and not the "string quartet" idiom; my apologies. On a different note, I am pretty sure there were a few very successful winter drumlines who have done Radiohead on the floor. I'll ask some of my winter drumline pals tonight.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but were you the person who posted on the colorguard forum about a winterguard doing a string arrangement of Tool this past season (though they used the string quartet version of Tool's song "Sober")? If so, I'm the person who replied to it. It worked really well for Onyx this past winter, putting them back into finals with one of their best World Class finishes ever. It isn't the same quartet, but it has some of the same performers. I would love to see something like that done on the field, but I don't think a DivI will "risk it" anytime soon. I think your best bet for seeing Radiohead on the field anytime soon would be corps like Fever and Blue Stars who have been exploring great selections of music recently and being rewarded in II/III.

Fever did Tool's "Sobriety" in 2004. Buy yourself a copy of the 2004 II/III Grand Finals CD or DVD and prepare to be impressed. I think it turned out quite well.

Bobby, I hope you don't mind a minor correction. As of this past season, DCM now judges all corps on DCA sheets.

Is your corps related in any way to the since-folded junior corps Les Senateurs from Joliette, Quebec? They merged with Les Sentinelles in 2002 to form Quebec Alliance, ultimately folding in the off-season leading up to summer 2004. Just curious since the name is similar.

The Marion Cadets' website has scheduled an audition for the 2006 season. Let's hope that's a sign of their return!

No, there was enough membership interest also (especially in the colorguard). Though I agree that YEA's presence would've limited any long-term growth (I couldn't imagine Allentown sustaining 3 DivI corps), there could've been enough members to match the maximum capabilities of LVK's infrastructure (80-90 members). It was a shame they moved since we were there first, but YEA would not have been the demise of LVK. Instead, there were issues that I'd prefer not to discuss and are probably best left unsaid. No, LVK did not fall victim to the two "traditional" killers of drum corps (lack of money or lack of membership). To put it in the most PC manner possible, let's just say it folded due to an administrative collapse.

If you don't mind, I'd like to submit a minor correction. Unlike CoH and 'canos, LVK did not fold for financial reasons (nor were membership issues to blame either). Thanks!

1. Southwind 2. Cadets 3. Boston Crusaders 4. Glassmen 5. Blue Knights

I need to keep this short since I am leaving for Allentown around noon. If you would like to see my other reviews, I invite you to read my Westminster, MD DCI write-up (marching history/biases included here) or my Reading, PA DCA write-up. Since this show was relatively local (45min. w/o traffic), I decided to take my folks to this contest. They have never seen a show in which I wasn't performing, so I was surprised they were so willing to attend (maybe DCI has two more converts?). For anyone who knows DC-area traffic (second worst in the nation), you understand just how important it is to plan about quadruple the travel time to go anywhere when it's even close to rush-hour. We left shortly after 4PM, got stuck in traffic on I-66, and arrived in Warrenton with just enough time to sit down for 45min. to eat dinner and get to the show. We picked up our General Admission tickets from will-call that were pre-ordered for $15 (they were $18 at the gate). We watched some warm-ups in the lot, and took our seats. I can't complain, these were the best seats I've had for a show this summer; moral of the story: arrive at least 30min. early to every show from now on. We sat right on the 40 side B, very top row. The stadium was fantastic. It was bleacher-seating, but built into a hill. The sound was excellent, and these seats were high enough to make out drill. The only complaint could've been the weather (it was hot and very humid through nightfall, but I can't fault the show sponsors for that one). Now, on to the corps: Blue Stars - I love their musical selections. There are some serious compositions in modern video gaming, and the Final Fantasy series has been the benchmark for what many video games wish to achieve. I am glad they're exploring this body of work, and I hope they continue it into the near future (here's hoping for music from Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross games, but I doubt many people reading this will relate). I follow II/III avidly, and whereas this is a fine show from a design standpoint, it will not beat Spartans or ECJ with the execution it's receiving. This is a very large corps (I hear 60+ brass), and one that tours as much or more than many DivI corps. Given those numbers and the amount of time they have available for rehearsal, they really should be good enough to easily win DivII. Instead, corps like Spartans and ECJ (who both have off during much of the weeks) are noticeably better with much fewer members and much less rehearsal. Maybe Blue Stars put in as much rehearsal time as the mid-90s Madison Scouts, but unlike them, I seriously believe they're too young and inexperienced to make that work. There's something to be said about rehearsing smart, not hard; but when you're working with a lot of rookies, there's something to be said about throwing in a few "hard" days here and there too. I hope they prove me wrong (because I love Blue Stars, I love their shows, and I love their legacy), but I see them placing no higher than 3rd in Boston. I know what to expect from a II/III corps per hour of rehearsal, and I think they have a greater potential they are failing to tap. They had an excellent visual package. Their drill was top-notch, and I hope they keep whoever they have as drill-writer when they go DivI - it will do well there. Those mellophones took what was already an amazing line last year and stepped it up a notch. Those mid-voices were great. For all the bad press their colorguard uniforms received, I was expecting a disaster; on the contrary, I thought they were great. They fit the show really well (pseudo-anime), and it was a great effect when they opened their jacket to reveal their colorful tops below. I just wish they had the technique and execution they had back in their DivIII days ('01-'03 - those were some mighty-fine colorguards). Every section improved across the board when they stepped up to DivII, but for some reason their colorguard took a step or two backwards when they got more members. Technique was inconsistent from person to person, and they didn't look confident under their equipment. Brass and percussion played very well. Their marching could use a little work, but nothing a whole 12hr day or two of basics block won't fix. Esperanza - The first thing one notices when they take the field is how small their hornline and colorguard look in contrast to the Blue Stars. Fortunately, this can't be held against them since they easily produce more volume and perform with greater excitement and precision. Again, their colorguard is their most noticeable attribute. It's not as good as it was last year, nor in their '02-'03 DivII days, but it is still very good. The white, stretchy cords attached to their uniforms, and pulled on by themselves and other guard members are used to great effect. The percussion section plays very well. I don't know for certain if they have the same drill writer from '03, but the style seems very similar. If so, he writes a very good drill and the members are performing it well. Really, what's holding them back is that there isn't much memorable to take from the show. I remember liking the music a lot when I was hearing it, but it didn't drag me in like the other shows of the night (excluding of Pacific Crest). All in all, this is a fine corps (though I still think a step down from '03, when I last saw them in person), it is just the competition is steep this year. Pacific Crest - This is a show with some pretty stellar execution from the drumline and hornline, but also fails to exude excitement other than the occasional loud chord. I know this show is supposed to be about fluid states, but I don't see it. The mirrors the guard used didn't convey the idea as well as I'm sure the staff hoped. Their feet are pretty good, and they make excellent use of the field. Their backfield soprano soloist in the ballad was gorgeous, my favorite of the night. Their guard didn't have a great deal of equipment work (though they did have gorgeous silks), and there were little details that seem overlooked. The transitions between equipment feel very forced and awkward, and little details like making sure the guard turns the same direction when leaving the sideline after picking up a new flag are missing. It's all in the details. This was a good show, but like Esperanza was missing something to make it truly memorable. Score-wise, it should have been a little closer to Esperanza than Southwind, but this could easily be a case of first-show (out East) jitters. Southwind - I will make a bold leap here and say this is my favorite show of the summer. No, it is not my favorite performance (performance takes into account execution), it is my favorite show. There's a part of me that's mad the members and staff aren't working 25hrs a day making this thing clean. This is like SW2000, an amazingly well-thought-out show that deserves to be in finals (though I still contest SW should've been in finals that year over a certain Zorro show and an unusually weak 'coats), but the execution isn't there. The drill is great, the feet are not. The music is wonderful, the playing is a work-in-progress. To SW's credit, they look very young, and I am certain they are working to their fullest ability. I just wish I could see a corps like Cadets perform this vehicle (or SW2000 while they're at it). This is a show you can spend all 11min. watching really creative forms and transitions, and listen to all the little musical tidbits they throw at you (all tied together by one or two good riffs). If SW can maintain their membership and step up the rehearsal intensity, they can be in finals in a year or two with this design staff. As to the show itself, there are more good moments than I have time to talk about. First, contrary to the opinions of some on this board, their skills are about where a 15th-ranked corps should be. Yes, if they want to keep moving up they'll have to improve, but at the same rate as the other sections would be acceptable. Those Lake Mary people they have on board know what they're doing, and it shows in the design and performance (especially given what looks to be a really young colorguard). Frankly, I love their uniforms. They're exploring different materials and patterns in the same outfit, and yet it works well with the show theme and the images provided by the corps-proper. The only person on whom it looks unflattering is the one boy in the guard, but aside from that one instance it looks great on all the girls. I'll go so far as to say it's my favorite guard uniform on the field this summer (though heaven-forbid ever seeing it in on the street - though Colts and Scouts are alright on that front). As a guard, they need to keep cleaning; but that's still the case for many corps. The corps has a good singing feature that transitions into a wild dance feature. This is not your typical corps dance feature, and putting it in words is difficult. Let's just settle on it being "out there" and you need to see it for yourself. The best part is it's been cleaned well. I expected disaster from a hornline attempting something like this, but it was alright. The cymbal players playing the tenorline's tenors was hotttttt (yes, I'll give it six t's), and earned one of the better applauses of the night. This was a fun show, and if they keep cleaning I imagine they'll hold on to the 15th spot. Welcome back to Semi-Finals (I hope your 18th place curse in two of your last three years will break), you deserve it. Intermission - 30min. seemed a bit unnecessary, but that's what was given. I just held on to our seats with an ex-corpsmate as family and other friends went elsewhere for a bit. Colts - What a good show, Colts. I hope you keep working and get that 12th spot in finals, because this show is well-written to meet your abilities and is very enjoyable. You deserve it. Some may say the drill looks mid-90s-ish, I think it's written to be executed cleanly by its members. One can argue their guard book was too easy (though all the work they did in the opener from the bottom crutch tip was crazy butch - bravo!), but it was written so it'd be clean by August (and it is). This was a very pleasant show in which to watch and listen. They were clean, they were melodic, they were interesting. The guard spun big equipment with big silks (rather shiny too under the stadium lights) that had fantastic visual effect. The staging was solid. All in all, this is a show that can serve as a model for other corps that might be attempting too much for the membership they have. Carolina Crown - Best guard of the night. I never will get over how they try work that would otherwise be relegated to indoor (for fear of being too risky) outside. They best part is they keep pulling it off. I don't have enough words to describe how enjoyable this guard is to watch, so I'm going to stop here. The hornline can play, and their drumline is pretty good too. Their feet have cleaned up a lot since I saw them in Westminster, MD, though I still think they don't march well enough for a 7th-ranked corps (I imagine their high visual performance marks have to be coming from the body they're attempting). The hit where they form the crown was pretty awesome, I was just surprised I found myself to be the only one cheering (I don't know, maybe band kids think this is a concert or something?). I think this show should be closer to Madison than the judges are giving credit; but since the gap is indeed closing (within 2pts now), they might be finally noticing. Madison Scouts - I love the Scouts. I think this show fits them well. I can tolerate the girl on the field. I was just expecting more from them given the early-season hype. This was a great show, best of the night, but they really only had two or three moments that made me want to leap from my seat (and this is the Scouts, I should be wanting to stand the entire show). The drill was the most difficult of the night, and well-executed to boot. The staging with the guard in the beginning was fantastic, and their interpretation of the opera was on. They had solid technique, about on par with Crown's, but their book wasn't as difficult. Musically and visually this was the most entertaining performance of the night, but I just wanted more from them (shame on you for setting my standards so high ). What other fans say is true, without major re-writes (and I don't mean a down ending - which was fortunately not in tonight), this show is about peaked. Still, this is a very fun, entertaining, enjoyable show; a recommended view for all (oh yeah, Carmen: the hype over her presence in the show is over-rated - I barely took notice after her entrance). I hope y'all enjoyed the read. Sorry my reviews got shorter as it went along, but I want to get this done before leaving for the weekend. Also, if all you care about is the top 12, then consider my review a punishment for close-mindedness . I wish DCI would come closer to NoVA (we used to have Herndon, but that field was unacceptable and after two years DCI told them they couldn't host a show any longer), but this will do. As for now, off to sleep, half-day of work tomorrow, then packing my bags for East. Look for me (unless it's to express dissatisfaction in what I wrote, in which case please consider passing) there!!!