mcjordansc

They certainly should be at least two points above Glassmen.

Blue Stars guard is on fire tonight!

Blue Stars looking great!

Maybe it is the echo, but I did not like what I heard during the last two or three minutes.

Well, they have made quite a few changes/additions during the sunmmer.

1) Phantom Regiment 2) Cavaliers 3) Blue Devils 4) Crown 5) Cadets 6) SCV 7) Bluecoats 8) Blue Stars 9) Blue Knights 10) Boston 11) Glassmen 12) Crossmen

It is not official yet, but dang, it is so close. I got a little emotional listening the Frank Sullivan talk about the corps tonight in the theater. Go Blue Stars!!

Of course, we did not say they had to break 90 at finals. It could be at any time during the week. They have had nine before, so ten is not out of the question.

I am saying ten corps break 90 this year.

Don't forget Troopers!!

As a Blue Star alum who was there in 1979 for the last finals appearance and also in 1980 for the 13th place finish (by the way, we did not perform in exhibition at finals - not sure where that story came from), it is so exciting seeing the corps on the verge of returning to the big show. A remarkable story. I want to give a shout out to all of the members, staff and volunteers who kept things going during the DII and DIII days. The Blue Stars always looked great, no matter the size. And they always carried themselves like you would expect from a world class drum corps. It is going to be a very emotional night next Saturday for a lot of people. Well done.

In 1980, a number of Blue Star members, at the gate, cheered the North Star as the North Star was entering the stadium for finals. This was after the Blue Stars had finished 13th in prelims, missing their first finals show ever. the North Star was the 12th place corps.

Another bump up in scores for the Troopers and Blue Stars. Nice.

No

That is an interesting observation considering the Glassmen and Scouts have not competed head-to-head sice Atlanta. I can find no time this year where the Scouts were less than a point from the Glassmen.

And comparing scores from two different shows tells you what? Nothing.

Spirit has never defeated the Blue Stars by more than a point in percussion this year. The largest gap has been .8. It frequently has been less than .5. Blue Stars beat Spirit in percussion once before in Orlando. The Blue Stars drum score has consistently improved during the last week. I guess we can use tonight to determine if last night was an anomaly.

It is very difficult to break into the top five. The Bluecoats are close to doing this, but still a little short. Sixth or seventh today, considering the quality of the top 15 or so drum corps is a great achievement. It would not take much (maybe just a year of experience for their newer members) to jump some corps ahead of them next year.

Interesting that those most upset by the helmet change seem to have marched during the DII and DIII days. Most of the alumni I marched with in the 70s do not seem all that peeved about it. Maybe we are all watching our blood pressure. Personally, I like the new look. I also appreciated the classic uniform, but changes like this are part of the evolution of the activity. For those who are complaining the most, go back and read from the first part of "The Years" regarding Blue Stars history. The corps from the first days had an attitude that if you are going to do drum corps, do it to be as competive as possible. Why spend the time and effort if you are not willing to put a program on the field that gives the members a chance to win (or at least place as high as possible). In 2008, if that means new uniforms and helmets, then so be it.

And the problem is?

Not Boston's best performance.

Ouch - release.

I was around in the 70s and marched in the Blue Stars with Mr. Piper. The new head gear are fine by me if it helps the corps competively. I thought they looked good. There is still plenty of tradtion to hold on to, mainly a tradition of excellence and class no matter the size of the corps.

1) Cavaliers 2) Blue Devils 3) Phantom 4) Crown 5) Cadets 6) SCV 7) Bluecoats 8) Blue Stars 9) Blue Kinghts 10) Boston 11) Glassmen 12) Madison

I think the 28 years thing is how long it has been since the Blue Stars advanced into a D1 finals show after competing in prelims. This happened at least twice in 1980. You are correct that it has been 29 years since the Blue Stars last world championship finals.