BCCGrifle09

My thing with the whole tour of champions is this - with the exception of the Blue Stars, all the corps in the TOC have reached the top 3 (even if just once or twice) in the last ten years. Thus, I agree with the statement that Madison should be allowed back in - they are getting back to championship form, even if they haven't gotten back to the top yet.

Um...the "road" was changed, and much of the drill and staging was moved around to where it should have been in the first place, to utilize the road more. They had the road on the field from the beginning, but failed to really use it until mid-season.

After really being involved in watching the seasons progress since I marched in '09, I'll throw my hat in the ring. I would like to take it beyond the top 12 however - I'll go ahead and throw in the top 18 (which would be the first corps out of semis) 1 - The Cavaliers - I think year three with Adolph DeGrauwe is going to be a good year for them. They've done a lot of work with the internal structure of the organization, and I think that will play to their advantage in 2012. 2 - Carolina Crown - Crown is one of my questionables. Since '09, they've been able to reach the top 4 for three consecutive years. A lot of kids are going to start aging out, so either the new ones coming in will be to look back at "Grass is Always Greener" and "Rach Star" (not so much "Second Chance) and want to move the corps forward, or the momentum will be lost and they'll slip back down to 4th or 5th. 3 - The Cadets - The Cadets will definitely come out of the gate swinging next year, but I think they may fall into the trap that the Cavaliers fell into this year - running out of steam before the end of the season. 4 - The Blue Devils - The Blue Devils have always been known for their talented members (as much as I hate them, they are extremely talented.) I think that this year's programming choice may run a little unpopular with the incoming prospective members (hello, Burt Bacharach...), and that combined with coming in second after making their way to the top this season and coming in second at the end could possibly hurt the number of new members they attract. 5 - Phantom Regiment - Phantom's program this year was one of the most beautifully designed, but it just seems to have gotten a smidge dirtier since they performed the west coast tour. I think once they're back in the Midwest for most of the summer, they'll have a strong showing right to the end. If Crown were to slip (see above), I could even see Phantom climbing back up as far as 3rd in 2012 - especially with that color guard. 6 - Santa Clara Vanguard - Jeff Fiedler is will on his way to doing great things for SCV. When "Ballet for Martha" came out in 5th in '09, I really expected some big things from them in 2010...but they went with an abstract, distant thought that didn't really work. I think with this year's program being a little more psychologically accessible, they still need one more season before they really start to get back in the top 4 or 5. 7 - Bluecoats - Coming off of "Metropolis" in 2010, "Brave New World" was definitely brave, but there were several issues in the design of the program, and it led to some drastic changes mid-season (hello, Ballad rewrite). Unfortunately, this seems to be a trend with Bloo, as the same thing happened in '07 (but to greater achievement). I think Bloo may come out of the gate strong next year, but it will likely lose some of its prospective membership falling to 7th this year. 8 - Blue Knights - I was really surprised by the Blue Knights in 2011. They're show really started to come to life towards the end of the season. I think they'll be able to maintain a stronghold in 2012. 9 - Boston Crusaders - BAC really didn't excite this year - they decided to go with a more traditional approach (which, don't get me wrong, definitely has its merits). I've noticed that today's kids (marching kids, that is) really grasp abstract stories that they can really identify with. While the music of "Les Miserables" is gorgeous, and the design of "Revolution" was fine, I don't think it's really going to attract the membership Boston needs to really push forward next season. 10 - Madison Scouts - Madison also fell into the same trap as the Cavaliers this year. Aside from being plagued with holes all season (right to the end), they pulled out almost all of the stops right out of the gate, and it ultimately led to a lack of improvement in the program. I still think they'll remain a finalist, simply because the staff they have knows how to teach - I'm just sure how strong of a contender they'll be. 11 - Spirit of Atlanta - Spirit is finally out of the trap. After being out of finals for so long, they really didn't have a great base for membership to come from. I think that now they've presented a great program that's gotten them back in, they'll be able to finally achieve the membership to keep them in for the next little while. 12/13 - The Academy/Crossmen - With a little help to their visual program, the Academy could definitely pop into finals in 2012. They always play extremely well, (even better than some higher placing corps) and it's almost their time. The Crossmen, however, also presented a powerhouse run with "Renewal", and I think it could be the renewal they needed to get back to the upper echelons of the activity. 14/15 - Troopers/Blue Stars - as much as I love the troop, they've also fallen into the trap of being plagued with design issues out of the gate. They usually wind up having some rewrites by mid-season, and by then it's too late for them to pop the score they need. The Blue Stars will suffer next year, as they're program hasn't been to the caliber of "Houdini", "The Factory", or even "The Tour" in '08. I think they'll be hurting for new members next year, and it may take them a bit to get back into finals. 16/17/18 - Glassmen/Teal Sound/Colts - The Glassmen play pretty well, but the design choices for their programs over the last few years have just been a little dull...not since '02 (really) has they had a finals level program. My underdog group, Teal Sound - they really do play well, and with the right atmosphere of design and execution, they could start to pull ahead in World Class. The Colts have slowly been declining, and I think that their "Swan Lake" program this year will ultimately hurt them. Ok...so there's my realistic opinion...now, for what I'd like to see: 1 - Phantom Regiment 2 - Carolina Crown 3 - The Cavaliers 4 - Bluecoats 5 - The Cadets 6 - Blue Devils 7 - Santa Clara Vanguard 8 - Blue Knights 9 - Boston Crusaders 10 - Spirit of Atlanta 11 - Crossmen 12 - The Academy

I'm still gonna stick with Phantom as the guard that's got me this year - their performance is not just in their face, but in their whole body. They use movement for the first two minutes of their show as a machine of intrigue, and it works extremely well for them. The program is called, "Juliet", so I'm guessing that Romeo would be the one spinning rifle, as sabre is viewed as the more feminine weapon (note, I didn't say that all people spinning sabre are feminine!). Not to mention that the corps rendition of "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral" features the best color guard ending in DCI this year. Screw the numbers (they're not truth anyway), Phantom has the best color guard, hands down.

I think a lot of people are overlooking Phantom, since they're not getting scored in the top 4 (right now)...they will be remembered because their show is accessible to the mainstream, as well as being one of the most gorgeous color guards in recent years.

I know the Bluecoats are staying at Antioch High School, and they LOVE to have people come to their rehearsals!

At Bluecoats, we had the drum bus, the rookie bus, and the vet bus. Our drum majors were all on the vet bus :-)

The Bluecoats started as an extension of the Canton Police Department Boys Club. Their name comes from the obviously blue shirts that the police wore, thus the name "Bluecoats" :-)

Taking it a step further, do you think if everyone else's (other than the Cavies) shows had been incredible in 02, do you think the Cavies would have still won? Who else would have had the chance to beat them?

Nice stadium! As a recent Bluecoat age-out, I know I would have enjoyed performing there!

So, over the last 10 years, DCI has been held in the following locations. If you marched any of these years or went to the big show, which was your least favorite location, and why? 2009 - Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN 2008 - Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 2007 - The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA 2006 - Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI 2005 - Foxboro, MA 2004 - Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO 2003 - The Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL 2002 - Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI 2001 - Buffalo, NY 2000 - Washington, D.C. Drum corps fans, go!

Yea, I don't forsee this happening - except for maybe the one or two years that DCI is not held at Lucas Oil, when it will likely be held somewhere out west, like Denver or Stanford. I doubt it will ever be in Pasadena again, simply because of the local noise control laws.

I definitely think Eric Humbert Story from the Bluecoats - he's an incredible leader on and off the field, and not to mention cute as all get out!

As someone who has marched in both hornlines and in color guard, I can say I've had to use jazz runs many times. When I was in high school, we used a jazz run at fast tempos to cover ground. It's not necessarily about uniform marching style across-the-band (as in heel lead and toe lead), but about velocity differences and distance. It can actually be very effective if certain sections of an ensemble are heel-lead marching while others are jazz running - if it's written and executed well. I've especially noticed over the last 8-10 years in high school bands participating in BOA contests that they will utilize jazz running, especially in percussion features. It's all about design and execution.

Bluecoats had 32 age-outs this year - and I was very privleged to be a part of the Class of 09