George Dixon

Classic quote. I lay down until the feeling passes hahahahahaha

I'm happy. Less snarky. Ssssshhhh.

Agreed. They'll drop the changes in quickly and clean them fast. Cadets tought them that for sure.

Oh I know. I was watching the Cadets ensemble thursday and in one day they put in new drill and choreography for the ballad and new orchestration for the closer and new guard work and a new dynamic in another section and they kept moving people around and my head was spinning. These kids are crazy talented.

The thing you have with both Boston and Cadets is the insetion of some bigger changes - the score (gaps) maybe get worse before they get better...And I agree, Boston is got to be wanting to see some momentum at some stage, and as you allude to - they always do well the last 4 weeks of the season

I would expect the gap to shrink a little tonight, or at least by tomorrow night Cadets have had a bit of time to work with all the changes they literally put in on Thursday - these were large changes to music and drill and choreography, impacting about 3 total minutes of the show So it will take a couple days...

they have redone much of the ballad drill, choreography and staging.. and also reorchestrated the last minute of the show for brass & percussion it will take a few nights to get those changes looking sharp - tomorrow we should start to get a sense of them settling in let us know what you think of the show!

I'm not there. I will be in SAT - looking forward to it. Enjoy Denton!

I meant in regards to members wanting to win a ring before aging out jumping to BD (or a Cadets type) - I don't think either BD or Cadets are in it just to win it - competition aspect just pushes the pursuit of excellence. Both organizations are way too mature and wise to set that as the goal. Beside once you've won it several times it doesn't feel any better the 11th or the 18th time, that's for sure I'm also, personally, much more a drum corps fan than a "Cadets" fan... I generally love all the corps and in any given year almost all the shows I do like the fact that Cadets, more than any other corps, have pushed for change over the years, rules wise especially - I love that. So they be my favorites obviously, a fact I'm proud of and more than willing to share In my book - change is a good thing. Not just change for change's sake, but change in general tends to be uncomfortable for many, but very rewarding when thoughtful

I don't disagree that "forgiveness" as the end on finals night would be a good touch - as long as there's a reason we arrive there. Or else the revenge based story line and hte "relentless" title / western theme would be very out of place...

yes - it's a maybe, it's just a prediction the gap didn't "start out" at 1.3 - it started out at 2.5. I'm hoping they cut back into it tonight as they have some kids back from a stomach bug and a day to rehearse all the changes they added Eitherway it's all in the same ballpark

or 1.7 :)

exactly

So - thinking the scores for tonight will be... Bluecoats 80.150 Cadets 78.450 Crossmen 71.0 Boston 69.75 Spirit 64.0 Surf 58.25 *************** Legends 55.65 Heatwave 48.00

oh good, the smiley face to it's not passive aggressive even though it really is... :)

Well you have a couple ex Cadets guys designing who are extremely well connected and tested in the WGI world. So it's probably a familiar vibe for BD

Nope. I said they have great designs and a great work ethic and great talent and great resources. They are also well funded, well connected and we'll experienced. This all stacks up to them winning nearly every season. It just is what it is.

Nope. Didn't mean that at all. They could easily rise up and win this season. I was just referring to the guard mainly. It's a rebuilding year in some ways for the guard and visual program.

I don't get the angst about the story... it's subtle and gives the show a great arc. We don't need them beating us over the head with some agenda or moralistic statement. That approach has gotten Cadets in trouble recent seasons, I really believe Crown has a near perfect design this year. I'm sure they'll add nuances and milk it more for finals which is great.

Cadets have had design issues for quite a while now. 2011 being the exception. No matter how this year ends up I'm quite excited fresh blood has been brought in. The guard in particular is much more dynamic and will surprise us in the end this year. And they are young. Bodes well for 2017

90s Madison didn't execute, brass and percussion technically is what I am speaking of. BD executes. They also have the most money. They also have the best connected staff in terms of WGI, Indoor and DCI judging community. They, meaning the staff, are extremely well respected and therefore tend to get the presumption of brilliance, and the BD alumni and BOD are extremely well connected to the DCI powers that be. They also get the ring chasers and the most talent. They don't rebuild, they reload. AND they have great designers and techs and a strong work ethic. Until some dynamic changes BD will win on average about 70% or more of the time. The fact that Crown broke thru once this decade and cadets once is very impressive.

wow - people don't really get the politics at play here BD is extremely well connected - and I'll leave it at that they also have the resources and connections to put a great staff on the field year after year

Money.

Yup. Cadets looked great and like they were having fun. After the parade they had free time which I'm sure was a blast

well I don't think Cadets will be - I hope they can refine the show and clean it enough to challenge for bronze - maybe snag a caption or two Crown I thought preseason would be rolling - it will be interesting to see how things line up in Texas. Corps meet before that but we really need at least one true regional to figure it out a bit