queenanne_1536

They were being facetious because my computer autocorrected addition to edition in my original post. I was too jet lagged to get that right away :)

Ugh, yes. It was an autocorrect. Jeglagged. Travelled 24 hours yesterday.

Isn't he more involved with this years show? Isn't he writing the drill this year? That's what I meant. I know he was involved last year, but I was under the impression his involvement was to a greater extent this year.

I'm surprised at seeing all the low placements for SCV. What we saw last year wasn't a fluke, it was years of progress coming together. Best percussion and guard last year, and a 3rd place brass line. They are literally a blink away from winning the title, and the addition of Gaines should only bring better results. Of course, you never know, but in a predictions thread I expected to see SCV in the top 2 a lot more than not.

Do they have a 500 member guard again this year?

1985 - it was my first time at finals. It was so exciting, and the night kept getting more and more exciting as the top corps got closer to performing. Plus 1-12 were all entertaining that year.

If you told me the Cavies would have placed 8th at the start of the 2012, I would have laughed. There will come a time when BD isn't in the top 2, or even top 3 or 4. Will it be this year? Who knows.

So does BD, SCV, Crown and Bluecoats.

Ha. Well and uneducated one, too. I think Mandarins are going to make it in, because I think JW is a genius when it comes to competitive results. So, someone has to fall out, and since I don't want it to be Madison, I had to throw shade at the other Wisconsin corps. Wishing the best to everyone, really.

It is a HUGE postive, IMO, that Hopkins is gone. One has to just read YEA on Glassdoor to get an understanding of how he was bringing that organization down. He should have stopped playing in the design sandbox a long time ago and let his team do the work. Regardless of where the Cadets place, I think they are lucky to be rid of him.

I think Blue Stars will be out.

1. Santa Clara Vanguard 2. Carolina Crown 3. Blue Devils 4. Cavaliers 5. Bluecoats 6. Boston Crusaders 7. Cadets 8. Blue Knights 9. Madison Scouts 10. Crossmen 11. Phantom Regiment 12. Mandarins 13. Blue Stars

Editing - since there was confusion: Placements 1-3 Blue Devils - Down Santa Clara - Even/Up Crown - Even/Up -------------------------------------- Placements 4-5 Cavies - Even/Down Bluecoats - Even/Up -------------------------------------- Placements 6-7 Boston - Even/Down Cadets - Even/Up -------------------------------------- Placements 8-13 BK - Down/Even Regiment - Down Blue Stars - Down Crossmen - Even/Up Madison - Up Mandarins - Up & in finals

These show announcements are so ridiculous that I can't help but laugh at them - not just BK, everybody. That being said, this sounds like something new from BK, which I"m excited about and think they need. Just watched their 2015 show yesterday - LOVE. Hope they have a killer season.

I would agree. 2012 was amazing. They've been on a downward trend since. I hope they can rebound this year, and do something totally new. Best of luck to Regiment.

My general thoughts: Blue Devils - Down Santa Clara - Even/Up Crown - Even/Up Cavies - Even/Down Bluecoats - Even/Up Boston - Even/Down Cadets - Even/Up BK - Down/Even Regiment - Down Blue Stars - Down Crossmen - Even/Up Madison - Up Mandarins - Up & in finals

While true, it also increases the simultaneous demand on the performer, and that should be taken into account.

I get where they are going with us. I know from marching. Anyone who marches does. You come off the field one night and your staff says you basically sucked, yet you beat a corps you beat by a few tenths the night before by over 2 points - at a show you supposedly sucked at too. It also went the other way around. Corps within the same caliber should be flip-flopping nightly. Going undefeated should be a very rare thing, with the Blue Devils, it's the norm. I'm singling out BD here because they win the most, and they go undefeated the most.

I think BD is worthy of winning visual and worthy of the titles they have won. I do, however, think there's a herd judging mentality in DCI. Don't believe, go to fromthepressbox.com and look at the first two shows of the 2011 season. The scores from the first show weren't annouced until after the second show. From the first to second show: + Crown went from 1st to 4th (score dropped over 4 points) + Cadets went from 4th to 2nd. + Cavies went from 2nd to 1st. + Blue Devils stayed in 3rd. + Phantom and Bluecoats flipped placements. + Vanguard and Blue Stars remained in 7th in 8th. The judges judging both shows had no prior scores to base their judging on, so things really moved around. That's how it should be, especially in the early season. But, we see year after year placements barely moving over the course of the season. It is absurd that BD beat SCV by less than a point (often less than 0.25) at consecutive shows this year, and that SCV beat Crown by less than 0.5 at consecutive shows. My issue is I don't think the judges have a mind of their own, or the courage to judge based on that nights performance. It's quite boring, franky. No one is on every night, yet that is never really represented in the scores.

I'm with you. Almost. I struggled with the shows that fall in 2001-2003, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011. Last year, when I saw them, after the first few notes, I thought, "Crap, here were go again." Then a few seconds later, I was blown away. Such a great show last year. My favorite since 1987 if not ever.

Me too. I wish we had the modern changes (eletronics, props, visual uniforms) with hornlines playing most of the show and great drill. I felt SCV was the only corps last year to do it for me.

Be that guy. Thank you. I had forgotten that.

Agreed. However, I think with the simultaneous demands placed on the individual performs for Star were higher than anyone else, so I think they should have won brass and percussion. BD's hornline was fierce.

I agree. They have also had a problem of being too literally. Someone asked if they were going to pass out collections bins in the stands at finals last year. It all was just way too much. I think GH was the problem there, and it's too bad he didn't depart after 2014 or 2015. My point was a less talent corps, with a much better design, can exceed expectations. I certainly didn't see the Cavies make the jump from 9th to 5th in 2016 and I didn't see BAC jumping from 12th to 6th in 2017.

I actually think they overachieved. I can't be convinced that the 2017 BAC corps was more talented than the 2017 Cadets, and they beat them. Shows was a brilliant design can do. I've experienced that myself. Being in a less talent corps that really went far and above expectations. When you have a show that both the judges and audiences are responding well to, it gives you such a boost and it keeps growing and growing and growing.