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Another thing I can tell you is that my son, who is a Cavalier, didn't even know what I was talking about when I asked him, and he had to go ask guys in the percussion section if someone was let go. Based on that, I don't think this is some sweeping demoralization of the corps. They are focused on the changes to the show and understand that their score is gonna suffer a bit until they get it cleaned up. I asked my son if he was disappointed with last night's score, and his response was no. He said they realize that what they put on the field last night is a work in progress. As the dad of a Cavalier, I'm not hearing anything about discontent in the corps.

Personally, from having seen the show in person a couple of times, I thought it was much better music and design-wise last night on Flo. I watched the Hi-Cam, which I think is a better view. Close-up probably was more likely to show any issues. Those were significant changes from the last show, so it's to be expected that they need to be cleaned. I hear more changes are coming. Clearly, The Cavaliers are making a mid-season transition. Once again, they need to bake some more. I'm not passing judgement at this point. Sometimes you gotta get rid of the problem and make changes. They still four weeks before finals. I'm sure The Colts and Blue Stars are thrilled to be right in there - they deserved to be proud for doing a great job! But, I will wait a bit to let The Cavaliers makes the changes they need before I'm gonna make any sweeping assumptions. Just a reminder, though, these are kids who are working their butts off. It's why you won't see me making any criticism about any corps on the field. They all deserve praise because they are ALL working their butts off!

Seems there's always doubt on here when it comes to The Cavaliers. I know they've been working hard, and am really looking forward to seeing what they put forward tonight. They've spent the last few days making needed changes to the show. Changes always take time to clean, but they've had a few days without competing to make progress. It will be interesting to see where they land amidst Mandarins, Vanguard, and Phantom.

That's basically what I told him.

That would be my guess. They did that last year. A lot of the silks didn't come into the show until well into the season.

That's the point, other than Blue Stars being ahead of Cavaliers last year, it's not a huge difference, except for the Crusaders anomaly.

Also, just an observation about last night's scores... Boston scored a 77.15 in their first outing last year. Last night they scored a 73.0, down 4.15 points from last year. Phantom's score was down 1.15 from first show last year. Cavaliers was down 1.85 from last year. Blue Stars score was down 3.25, and Colts were the only corps to go up from last year - by +0.1. If you rank by difference from last year, it's 1. Colts (+0.1), 2. Phantom (-1.15), 3. Cavaliers (-1.85), 4. Blue Stars (-3.25) 5. Boston (-4.15) To me, that says it's best to see what happens in Muncie and Lisle!

Boston scored a 77.15 in their first outing last year. Last night they scored a 73.0, down 4.15 points from last year . Phantom's score was down 1.15 from first show last year. Cavaliers was down 1.85 from last year. Blue Stars score was down 3.25, and Colts were the only corps to go up from last year - by 0.1. If you rank by difference from last year, it's 1. Colts (+0.1), 2. Phantom (-1.15), 3. Cavaliers (-1.85), 4. Blue Stars (-3.25), then 5. Boston (-4.15) To me, that says it's best to see what happens in Muncie and Lisle!

I'm not surprised by the reactions to The Cavaliers. I totally get it. I miss the geometrics and "cool" factor of The Cavaliers, but it's 2024, and they feel they need to move in a new direction. They are in a unique position as the "only" all-male corps left in the activity. Even though I miss the "cool" Cavaliers, I think it's fascinating that they are humanizing themselves with a show that is really about what humans (and in their case, men) struggle with mentally, hiding behind an armor of shame, and struggling to accept their authentic selves. A large portion of the corps is GBTQ, and I'm sure they are appreciating The Cavaliers acknowledging that being an all male corps does not mean that it's all about being manly. I encourage people to look again at what The Cavaliers are doing. They are making a statement on the things we do to armor ourselves out of fear and shame. Transforming to a tunic that looks somewhat like a dress is a pretty big and bold statement from The Cavaliers. One that says, we can be the Green Machine, but we also can acknowledge our humanity and who we are as a unit, which is a group of young men that spreads across the entire spectrum. I can tell you from my son's experience that, The Cavaliers organization embraces its members for who they are, and encourage them to be their authentic selves, whatever that may be. This year, they are choosing to put that statement directly in front of our eyes on the field this year. It's a statement from The Cavaliers that they are more than just and all-male corps. They are a unit that is willing to acknowledge and proudly proclaim that they celebrate who the members are collectively, whatever that may be. And yeah, we all saw that the show is still messy, likely because it's hard! But we also all know that is temporary. I, for one, am looking forward to what this show looks like in San Antonio and beyond. They are charting new territory. Let them cook, and maybe think about what it is they are trying to do and say this year.

I totally get it. I miss the geometrics and "cool" factor of The Cavaliers, but it's 2024, and they feel they need to move in a new direction. They are in a unique position as the "only" all-male corps left in the activity. Even though I miss the "cool" Cavaliers, I think it's fascinating that they are humanizing themselves with a show that is really about what humans (and in their case, men) struggle with mentally, hiding behind an armor of shame, and struggling to accept their authentic selves. A large portion of the corps is GBTQ, and I'm sure they are appreciating The Cavaliers acknowledging that being an all male corps does not mean that it's all about being manly. I encourage people to look again at what The Cavaliers are doing. They are making a statement on the things we do to armor ourselves out of fear and shame. Transforming to a tunic that looks somewhat like a dress is a pretty big and bold statement from The Cavaliers. One that says, we can be the Green Machine, but we also can acknowledge our humanity and who we are as a unit, which is a group of young men that spreads across the entire spectrum. I can tell you from my son's experience that, The Cavaliers organization embraces its members for you they are, and encourage them to be their authentic selves, whatever that may be. This year, they are choosing to put that statement directly in front of our eyes on the field this year. It's a statement from The Cavaliers that they are more than just and all-male corps. They are a unit that is willing to acknowledge and proudly proclaim that they celebrate who the members are collectively, whatever that may be. And yeah, we all saw that the show is still messy. But we also all know that is temporary. I, for one, am looking forward to what this show looks like in San Antonio and beyond. They are charting new territory. Let them cook, and maybe think about what it is they are trying to do and say this year.

Thank you. I think he saw things on other social media. He specifically mentioned Drump Corps Coffee Shop on Facebook. I'm not in that group, so I don't know what is said there, but clearly it wasn't positive! And, you are right. They have tons of room to grow and improve. What we see on the field in a few weeks will be light years from what we saw last night! It would be a mistake to count out The Cavaliers at this point!

He didn't mention the crowd response. He mentioned what was being said on forums and Facebook groups. Admittedly, it was a rough run, and changes need to be made. Now we get to see what they are made of. I'm confident that The Cavaliers will be impressive as the season goes forward. It's a solid organization and they are super passionate about what they do. They are trying something different. But, even if some people don't like the end result, I'm confident it will be solid and impressive.

Yes, but they are basically teenagers, or VERY young adults. Sadly, it's human nature to have it affect you. My son is in his age-out year. I'm constantly reminded that 21 is in many way, NOT grown up yet! They are still learning life. Your advice has been exactly my advice to him. Enjoy the experience. Let the comments fuel you to make the best show you can, and take pride in the show you have. Thankfully, I know that he bleeds green to the core(pse). Being a Cavalier is a special experience, and he absolutely loves being one!

My son (a current Cavalier) sent me several dejected texts last night. One said, "People do not like our show, holy...." Last year I had to talk him down because tour was doing him in mentally and physically. This year, he's had the time of his life and been super excited. That's not the text that I wanted to get from him. People need to remember that these are kids and they are putting their heart and soul into these shows. They read what we write. I advised him to focus on the process and enjoy the experience... and to use it as fuel to make the show as tight as it can be to make people change their minds. Now, we're gonna see how The Cavaliers react. Hopefully they will react by building a beast.

My son (a current Cavalier) sent me several dejected texts last night. One said, "People do not like our show, holy...." Last year I had to talk him down because tour was doing him in mentally and physically. This year, he's had the time of his life and been super excited. That's not the text that I wanted to get from him. People need to remember that these are kids and they are putting their heart and soul into these shows. They read what we write. I advised him to focus on the process and enjoy the experience... and to use it as fuel to make the show as tight as it can be to make people change their minds. Now, we're gonna see how The Cavaliers react. Hopefully they will react by building a beast.