ThePlanets

They still ended up 4/5 at the end of the season...and it looks like they will likely end up one spot apart again.

Should be interesting to gauge Bluecoats vs. SCV. This could either be a crazy medal race or 1/2/3 look the same as last year- maybe in a different order. Either way it definitely puts Bluecoats currently in 3rd at the lowest

I'm looking forward to seeing them at semifinals. An automatic 3 place jump plus them just overall doing better this year. Gonna sound silly but they are my #1 corps to see that I have never seen before. #2 is L-Stars

Congratulations Phantom too!

Lisle, IL

I would think that most folks on these forums follow drum corps actively and like to sit and watch. It's the nature of posting on the internet about something. I never marched- didn't know enough about it until I was 20 then had to work the next summer to help pay for grad school. My husband is a lot like you. He walked away in 01 and didn't see another show until 2012 when he took me for my birthday. I've been hooked since. I'm taking my mom to Indy and he doesn't want to go. He doesn't mind going to the HOF show in Massillon/Akron but he gets itchy because he isn't participating. He's like that with other sports too. He's a bad spectator.

Percussion seems to be relatively an outlier in recent years against other captions. SCV has won a lot at the 4/5 slot too. I would think this would leave the tin foil hat folks(which I can relate to sometimes) to trust the percussion judges over the ones who give the same ordinal across captions. Of course...Boston and their guard last year.

Wish I could "love" but not an option. Not to mention if Bluecoats come away with a healthy lead over Santa Clara we have a 4 way flip coin battle for 2-5 depending on how close Crown and Boston are. I think that would be the most interesting scenario.

Yes and accidents happen. I'm sure it was absolutely terrible for that member and everyone watching. Some a accidents are difficult to prevent. But a lot can be prevented by removing hazards. First a tarp is a change in surface and many falls happen because of changes in surface (i.e. going from carpet to tile- if someone doesn't know it's there they are still ambulating as if they are on carpet and the change can cause a fall). This is much more common in older adults but it can still happen with a young athletic type who is attention is diverted and is under pressure. Second that tarp was wrinkled and uneven and easy to get your feet underneath it especially if you can't see it. The tarp not being flush with the ground is the real hazard.

I watched a Cavalier get tripped up on one of their tarps last year. He was a drummer and the tarp was not laying flat on the field when he tripped. No way he could see it past his drum either. Scary stuff. Good luck doing a safety inspection when those things are set-up mid show. I haven't read the DCI safety regulations but those props should be inspected prior to every use and signed off on- especially if they are to be stepped on/over or used for weight bearing. Decorative props wouldn't matter as much.

So wait...what happened to Madison?

This is why champions other than BD the past 15 years don't repeat the next year. The member talent is certainly there but for whatever reason the design is never to the same level as the previous season.

That photo is phenomenal

But it is the Bluecoats (who's on first)

That was cool. We live between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. My son was born during a Stanley Cup game (Penguins get the cup), a few days later the Cavaliers get the NBA title. Then, by far the most important of all, the Bluecoats win their first title! What a great year!

I bet the chatter has nothing to do with outscoring BD in brass last weekend 🙂

I love the jagged line and that show was hot early season. Then they met SCV in the Midwest and the article read "Santa Clara Vanguard Cross a Jagged Line" Then they ended up in 5th place. 5th place. So while I would love to think the Bluecoats have a comfortable lead I am pretty skeptical.

Like I said some scenarios may be a little bit more of a stretch than others. But for people that believe in raw scores .. Boston is ahead of them right this second (obviously nothing works like head to head and Crown beat Boston at the premier...always an uphill battle to pass a corps but it happens with at least one corps every season).

I just had the ballad/closer up and was thinking the same thing. I couldn't have said it better myself. BK has been one of my favorite corps since my first live show...and it's because I get so pulled into the show musically that I close my eyes and zone out. I am happy to see they are scoring well visually but I get so lost in the music that these shows that I have barely noticed that they are visually lacking the past 15 years.

I have been reading everyone's banter back and forth about how the top 6 really ranks ordinally and the truth is we really won't know until San Antonio and we won't have more pieces to the puzzle until July 5. But in the meantime as I logically worked through the problems I found that each of these corps could realistically be in 3rd place at the end of the season. Sure some are more of a stretch than other but here it is: SCV- the coast to coast scoring has been accurate and Bluecoats are ahead. BD (or Boston or Crown) gains some momentum down the stretch and passes them too. BD- Scores have been relatively accurate and SCV/Bluecoats are ahead Bluecoats- their scores have been inflated and when they meet the west coast their true placement is revealed. Crown- They could be between SCV/BD with Bluecoats ahead, they could pass the Bluecoats. Boston- Scores have been accurate and they are now ahead of Crown and competing with SCV/BD. They end up beating one of the two. Cavaliers- they may have fallen back some behind BD/SCV but the east coast scores have been inflated and they beat all 3 corps that have been competing in the East.

79.9

Wow. That ballad is beautiful. Made me tear up even from a low quality cell phone video. High brass sounds absolutely amazing in the closer. Those licks are so clean and smooth I hope they don't experiment with them too much. The intonation is nothing short of classy. Reminds me of a no frills late 90s drum corps show.

TAKE THE PENALTY

That would be the Madison way! I would say this is the most important thing for Madison right now. A good environment for the members and getting fans and alums to love their show, donate, buy their merch. Keep this up for a few years and the corps will rebuild itself. Just put a good ol entertaining show on the field. I am personally a fan that likes most Madison shows regardless of placement. People that like the 80s/90s designs are likely to be older and have more money to throw the scouts way anyhow haha! I wouldn't be opposed to hearing Malaguena and Malaga on the field every year. 😙

I feel like they always add the big visual stuff later