PamahoNow

THANK YOU, Cadets!

THE TRUTH is these guys are GREAT!

I agree with you about Blue Stars and Academy. I don't think Blue Devils are telling the story of the Tempest, but we may agree to differ on this. I think Cadets, BAC and Scouts are trying and failing for various reasons. Maybe they are achieving some success, but I'd guess each of these corps and their design teams are not succeeding as much as they might have wished this year. This is not at all to question what the MMs are doing out there. It looks like they are giving it their all and there is success and fulfillment in that. It may be easy, but it looks to me as if the "story tellers" this year are batting about .500. In baseball that would be great.

Yes, I'd like to see how each of the various part are scored as well. And I think that the lack of full recaps available to the public is a failure. I don't think it has changed anything, except maybe very early in the season, but I could easily be wrong about that. However, the "spreads" are "spreads of scores (each partial score divided into demand and execution)". Now are you able to point to anything objective that says those who are doing the scoring (of each element, divided as they are), are indicating that BAC are "peaking at the right time"? Maybe they are getting better, and you are able to see it. But if you can see it, why cannot the judges see it and reward it in the last 5 contests. Maybe the panel in Quincy got it right, but three panels of judges since then didn't see it. What (objectively ... or even subjectively) are they missing? Seems that BAC and MS are in a virtual tie and BAC is pretty close to where they have been since San Antonio. Some folks seem to see BAC "peaking". Whatever criteria they are using, seems that it could be used for all of the corps (maybe almost all). But then "peaking" is meaningless in a competitive environment. Maybe not in some artistic environment, but I'm not qualified to comment on that. Tell us all what this criteria is that you are using, and how it will determine the results we will see Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Will they stay in 13th place? Move to 12th on Thursday, 11th on Friday and 10th on Saturday? Or do you mean something that their scores will improve each day? And making no claim about the RANKing. Can this criteria be applied to any corps other than BAC, say Cadets? Or Crossmen? Or Scouts? I'm lost in determining anything meaningful. Maybe you are saying "I'm rooting for BAC" or Cadets or Crossmen. But that's what we all are doing, something internal to us, not to the outside world. From what I can tell, in this competitive environment, the only thing we have to go by is what the judging community has said, and will say. Be it scores, RANK, or spreads.

Didn't he say he spent his days practicing his French Horn? Playing a French Horn may become more popular if the results are the same.

And, of course, neither do I want all corps following BC (or BD). I'd like to see Cadets go forward with a direction that they are comfortable with and which continues to develop. I think that will take a clear vision from the leadership. And I, certainly, would not know what that would be. I'm not sure how this year contributes to that future. Are you? Changes were made this year, and maybe they will pay off in the years to come. But what I saw this year, was a reaching back to fix something that was broken.

Right, but DCI is (for better or worse) oriented towards scores, as well as rank. And, of course RANK is determined by scores. BAC was RANKed 13th at San Antonio, 14th at Atlanta, 12th (by .05) at Allentown, and currently RANKS 13 (by scores [yeah, I know, different contests, different judges]). I hope you are right, that they are improving (in RANK, relative to their competitors), but you have not cited, nor has DrumManTx any OBJECTIVE measure to suggest that they are peaking at the right time. It is you subjective opinion that they will be rewarded (more than their competitors) and you are entitled to it. I hope you are correct. But the objective evidence suggest otherwise. Again, I like the show and have since I first saw it. I was surprised that it was not scoring (or RANKing) as well as I thought it should. But there is a lot I don't understand about how things are scored (and RANKed). I'm hoping to see BAC improve.

I'm not so sure. BC is clearly following in BD's footsteps, and still forging ahead in a different direction. So BD does have followers and they are clearly the leaders. BC has, since TILT, focused on how to use electronics correctly in the Drum Corps environment. And, even last year, you saw corps following, SCV, in particular, used electronics effectively in 2015. And BC's current show could not have been done with out what they learned in the last two years. This year's show was knowingly "out there" attempting things that have not been done before. And it is not just the use of the quarter pipes that dictate their costume. Think about the first sequence of dance the Brass performs. Headwear would be impossible. And who really wants to see folks rolling around on the ground in West Point style uniforms. Not really quite right. So the costume is dictated by the design. Design comes first. What do you want to communicate? What is the best way of doing that? Does it require changes to what we are used to? Or do we have to design with the limits of the past? BC took a risk this year, as they did each of the last two years. And they are being rewarded. Will everyone go this route? I hope not. I'd like to the Cadets (for one) find a new direction that will bring vitality to the enterprise we know as DCI. But will BC have followers? Certainly. As BD has.

'Maybe Scouts show just hasn't hit the mark from a design and performance perspective this year?' I think MS is experiencing, in part, the same same thing that is plaguing BAC. It's tough to tell a story. Even one which some of us know well. Some people know JCS from the movie, some from the play, some from the Gospels, and some ... not at all. And what MS is doing is having a tough time communicating to all parts of the audience. Complicating this is the fact that Judas is not a sympathetic character. Both the play and movie can make him somewhat understandable (the Gospels, not so much). But 11 minutes is a very short time, unless the audience "knows already" what is going on, it is a tough task. Remember, JCS is from the 1970s. I know there have been revivals of the stage version, but I question how well the story is known. I think the presentation of the story is OK, I'd like to hear more and probably fewer songs. I'm glad now we can find Judas and he does not blend in as he has most of the season. And I think the MM are doing some very strong work. My concern is the design, and that the designers did not seem to consider the difficulty of telling the story they were attempting to tell.

Maybe you are right.

I still think the design problem was very early in the process when they changed from a "fantasy" about statues coming alive to something about inner struggles to live an authentic life (or whatever). From something that could have been "fun", they tried to do something "serious". Now "serious" is OK, but it's very hard to do serious things in 11 minutes. But "fun things" can be communicated much more easily and everyone (or most everyone) can "get it". But the story that GH wanted to tell was not clear from the beginning. But that was not evident to him until after the first show. I remember seeing a video of GH walking in a stadium after the first or second show mentioning that "we should have known that would not work" or something similar. And what they had at that point was about 2 points or so behind BC. But they had just spent 5 weeks learning the show. Didn't someone see this during the process? The Cadets MM and Staff have worked hard, extremely hard. My last viewing of the show "made sense" (to me), but it was a long time coming. I'm wishing that they can max out the show this coming week.

I agree with wishing Boston luck in this coming week and I've liked the show since the first time I saw it. But I'm very confused on your observation that they are peaking at the right time. Seems they peaked before the Allentown show, and have have not achieved the Allentown scores since then. Just looking at the scores, I would say they have already peaked. Maybe not, but I don't see the objective evidence. I hope they improve. And I wish them well and it looks like they are doing the right things, but at this stage everyone is trying to improve. The question is can Boston improve MORE than the other corps around them. Telling a story is hard, especially the one that they have chosen. I know it (and even studied the story in my last year in college, but that was 47 years ago). Many don't know the story (and have even here asked what the windmills were about), so it has been difficult. The narration added has helped. I hope it all results in improved scores. But the 11-14 slots are going to be very competitive.

Even rounding the corners and small curves (non symmetrical) on the sides would help the jar of a rectangular ocean.

Best Use of Props: Who else? Bluecoats.

Thank you Kevin, as always, a Great Commentary.

Great Show!!!

This is the "good" gun violence that they kept in the show.

It's 21 years ago, I doubt if very many of the current MM were even walking. I didn't refer to it as a "home show" but whoever did might be meaning something like "of the TOC shows, this is the one where BD goes on last". As does each of the other regular TOC Corps, when the TOC is in their home territory. Winning consistently at venue seems a better criteria for feeling good about that venue, at least better than a two decades old experience. And no one forces BD to perform there. It is the choice of those in charge of corps. But if you want, please inform them that this memory of (at least those who you were LOLing for, if you won't take responsibility for what you wrote) is extremely bad.

Come on now. In the last 8 years BD has competed in Buffalo 7 times. This year is the only one in which they finished 2nd. All other finishes were 1st. In 2001 finals were in Buffalo and BD finished 2nd. Having a bad taste in your mouth for over 2 decades is really beyond the pale. Forget about it. BD has done very well THIS CENTURY in Buffalo. Maybe they have not been perfect, but certainly they have nothing to complain about. I truly doubt that the Blue Devil organization is as negative about Buffalo as you are.

Unless there is a tie for 12th.

WVU80, I think you may be trying a bit too hard. 1) The ISDE system is also a system "based on rules established in the last century". Just a different one, which you favor. 2) You would need an 11 point rule to include (according to your wants) Madison since while 94-84=10. 94.625-84.15 > 10. Maybe 11 is the correct number, but what about 12? or 13. Why not let the current system of quarters/semis determine the top 12? Or make the argument(s) about next year and have it brought up at the Rules congress? Arguments at this point seem to be "special pleadings".

Above is mostly correct, but since 2014, GE has changed. It is no longer: General Effect Visual: 20 points [box] Music: 20 points [box] General Effect GE1 (usually a visual judge who also evaluates music in the score): 20 points [box] GE2 (usually a music judge who also evaluates visual in the score): 20 points [box] It is unclear if this is a distinction without a difference or not.

How about 12 or everyone within 10 points, whichever is greater?

Thought you might like to see the top three over the course of the season. They have met 6 times: CONTEST CORPS DELTA Warrensburg Blue Devils Bluecoats -0.100 Crown -0.800 Houston Bluecoats Crown -0.450 Blue Devils -0.500 San Antonio Bluecoats Crown -0.280 Blue Devils -0.710 Nashville Bluecoats Blue Devils -0.350 Crown -1.000 Atlanta Bluecoats Blue Devils -0.225 Crown -0.838 Allentown Bluecoats Blue Devils -0.350 Crown -0.363 It was close and it is getting closer.

The recap you have requested is not available. Please check back later. In mid-March? Or, are they lost?