Guardguy89
-
Posts
1,283 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Posts posted by Guardguy89
-
-
4 hours ago, Brian Tuma said:
‘96 Les Etoiles?
Yep !
Mike
-
1
-
-
4 hours ago, Gantang said:
Which leaves the less talented boys and girls earning a spot in Madison instead of not marching. It's hard to program and clean a show with poor talent.
Ummmm.....no it's not. I taught in the late '90's and we took whoever showed up - we didn't have the luxury of even ever thinking we would could have a full corps....and yet with just 68 members - we won division II and came in 15th in world class at DCI - it's not the kids that show up - its who can design and actually teach them.
Later,
Mike
-
2
-
-
16 hours ago, tommynev said:
There's definitely been some kind of shift in judging. BD was absolutely dominant until 2016.. which makes a streak of four years they haven't won guard. I'm wondering if their tendency to perform all of their features without moving underneath them is a fad that is on the way out.
BD definitely upped their game this year - and I attribute it to Boston. I loved Boston's guard this year - there equipment skills are beyond human.....but I thought BD had a slight edge at finals due to the fact that they performed their show - I never got the same sense from Boston - they nailed everything - but I didn't see the performance qualities that BD had.
I also think BD's dominance is over as more guards have started to figure it out - I'm looking at you Vanguard. Bluecoats and Cavies !!!!
Later,
Mike
-
1
-
-
10 minutes ago, Glenn426 said:
My wife echoed this sentiment.. but as long as the Guard judge is in the box and not judging at ground level, the bang for buck value that you get from your tossing and its quality will always beat quality intricate spinning or higher level of body because it is so hard to see and value that from the box..
The Visual Proficiency judge should be looking at the guard as well as the rest of the corps, and the intricacies that are not apparent from the box should credited here.
But really nothing will change until the top groups make a stink about it.. Perhaps putting a greater emphasis on movement where the criteria for substance takes a hit if not enough movement elements are incorporated into the overall equipment book.
Totally agree about the judge int the box and "big effects" getting more credit - but I would think that at some point even the judges would realize that having a toss every 4 counts actually becomes less effective as it becomes expected. Not every music hit, or phrase, or solo or small ensemble needs to have a toss 😜
-
1
-
1
-
-
My big concern - and its the same concern I have with WGI - is that guards now are all about the number of tosses that get incorporated into a show. It's gotten to a point where I sometimes question the musicality because all it is is a series of tosses. I miss the the more nuanced approach you could have where you could actually see an entire sequence done without a toss (or 16 tosses!!!).
Boston (and previously Crown) has now pushed DCI guards to new levels of difficulty - BD had to up their game their year (Never saw them attempt a 720 before this year) and it showed. And let's not forget what SCV, Bluecoats and Cavies are bringing to the field in terms of guard work - simply astounding.
But I also love how BD can program intricate nuances that are so musical and beautiful to watch - and I hope they (and other guards don't lose this). I also feel that BD has a much more evolved dance / movement program - and felt that they might have won guard this year because of that extra element.
I just hope it doesn't become an arms race as to who can toss the most in a 16 count phrase (I'm looking at you WGI guards !!!!)
Later,
Mike
-
1
-
2
-
-
I think the guard issues also had to do with how other corps started using guards - they became integral parts of the story and were used / staged accordingly.
I always felt that Cadets just kept the same formula that worked for them in the '90's where weapons were up front, flags in the back and weren't fully integrated to the theme / corps drill.
They almost seemed like an afterthought - the entire "Awakening" show should have been a guard heavy concept - but it fell flat.
That said, I do think the guard program is headed in the right direction and that last year and this year - the guard as a whole are much improved - but still lack in total integration
Later,
Mike
-
1
-
-
This is probably my favorite Crown shown since Relentless......and I love the direction of the guard this year. Definitely a big improvement over the last 2 years. Are they back to contending for the guard title.....not yet.......but I think they're finally finding what the new "Crown Guard" style is,,,,,and I like it a lot !
Also - Really glad they got rid of the plexiglass in the ballad....it just wasn't adding anything.
Later.
Mike
-
6
-
-
Congrats ! Some of my best drum corps memories were the 2 years I spent with Cavies !
Mike
'88-'89
-
1
-
-
On 10/30/2018 at 11:20 AM, jeffmolnar said:
Working fine for me in Texas.
Thanks - guess it isn't accessible in Canada anymore
thanks,
Mike
-
19 hours ago, MikeN said:
Guessing the Blu Rays are at least $99 this year. Just checking one minute ago, downloading the top 12 on MarchingMusicDownloads.com costs $179.40.
...
Mike
I can't seem to access Marching Music Downloads anymore - I'm wondering if its because I'm in Canada ? I thought they had just taken the site down., Are any of you in the US able to access it ?
Mike
-
On 8/22/2018 at 1:03 PM, Bluzes said:
Canadian Drum Corps - My favorite drum corps names. A good trivia question - how many Canadian corps names started with LES - too many to list here. Corps from Quebec had the most colorful uniforms that even today's attire would be jealous. Not that any of us Red Blooded Americans Boys ever noticed but the Quebec corps were very uninhibited in where they changed into their uniforms. When they traveled to North Jersey for shows there was no housing. The boys went home with the boys and girls with the girls. Not often but occasionally they would not speak English and I told my parents and brother to just point to things, fun times here goes with just a few.
Calgary Cavaliers - has a really nice ring to it!!!!
Chevaliers - River du Loup Que - an even better ring to it! If the Cavies ever go co-ed this name is taken
L'Odysee -Montreal QUE
Academie Musicale - Sherbrooke Que
Majestics - Sorel Que
Alberta Girls - Edmonton ALB
Bytown Gunners - Ottawa ONT
Allegiance Elite - Calgary ALB
Alouette - Charlesbourg QUE
"Les" just means "The" in French. So it's not that all our corps names started with Les - kinda like "The Cavaliers" or "The Blue Devils"..... and yes, we are much more uninhibited when it comes to our bodies in Canada - changing outside right in the middle of a full parking lot was just normal to us - I always found it weird how Americans reacted to this - especially when I went and marched an American corps - good times - hahahaha
Mike
-
Wait....the props are doorways ? I never would have guessed that.
Later,
Mike
-
3
-
-
Question for those who've seen them live : I've only seen the show online through Flomarching - do the guard costumes show up more in person ? Because they totally blend in with the field from what I've seen - and so do their flag color scheme choices - which I think affected their guard scores last night - you just don't see them - like at all !
Later,
Mike
-
I think if Crown wants to improve their GE they'll need to make the guard stand out more and figure out a way to incorporate their props into the show to a much higher degree. SCV, BD and Bluecoats use their props to their fullest extent and they are an integral part of the show - I feel that with Crown - they're just kind of there and used for a bit on the see saw part.
Other than that, they do have one of the more difficult shows on the field - and I feel that they have the most room for improvement.
Later,
Mike
-
2
-
-
Some of my favorite moments so far this year:
Bluecoats - The Big Band Jazz part in the middle of the show with the guard dancing around the old style microphones - just plain out fun. To be honest, the whole show is just pure GE for me !!!!
Cadets - they have my favorite arrangement of Sensemaya - so dark !!!
Blue Devils - the all male dance feature and the all female dance feature. Their movement program is extraordinary !
Mandarins - the entire beginning of the show with the solo dancer who "dies" on stage and gets dragged off
Crown - love that the guard has grown tremendously over last year. Their weapon line is pretty sweet
Cavaliers - the guard book - all of it. So well written and so challenging !!!!
Later
Mike
-
4
-
-
The guard is definitely back to what they were pre 2017. Wow - I'm glad last year was a one off. This show will be amazing and I'm super happy to see "Crown Guard" back to form !!!!
Later,
Mike
-
2
-
-
My question is - how does this type of theme even come across visually ???? These are the kind of thematic ideas that drive me crazy - because you can't really see any of it in the show unless you have a complete understanding of it. Some of these themes are just to esoteric to work and Crossmen seems to be a victim of this the last few years.
-
1
-
-
On 2/17/2018 at 6:56 PM, GUARDLING said:
quality is quality with or without males. There were years with the males it wasn't a top guard and having males might have been part of the reason they went all female to begin with. especially that last year of co-ed
Wasn't that the "Into the Light" year ? I thought the guard was pretty good that year - why would you think the males made it worse (honest question - I have no idea)
Mike
-
2
-
-
1 hour ago, Cappybara said:
Who knew judging guard was so complicated?
Last night's scores reminds me of the'80's - when guard scores didn't count and judging was super subjective !
-
1
-
-
No - PR should not have been 4th. Their content, complexity and demand is nowhere near Boston or Crowns. Phantom has a very good guard this year, but it's a very good 7th or 8th place guard.
-
2
-
-
4 hours ago, henry7184 said:
I can't get over these guard scores. Regiment 0.1 behind SCV and 0.5 ahead of Bluecoats. What a joke. Their book isn't even in the same league as those two in substance or achievement. Really - he should be fired.
Definitely the strangest guard scores this season - Boston and Crown in 7th and 8th is just wrong. And Phantom should not be beating either of them.
Mike
-
5
-
-
I'm thinking Cavies might even have shot this year too. Look I get that the judges love BD's color guard....but I feel that they are getting stuck in the same pattern year after year, and in terms of triad (body, equipment, movement) they are being left behind by the likes of Crown, Cavies, Vanguard and now Boston - who - to me - have much more difficulty in terms of individual responsibility and total risk equipment wise.
Mike
-
3
-
-
I can't tell you how much I love this show !!! It has everything I look to in a classic Cavies show - great drill, an awesome color guard, fast paced, exciting and complexe !!!! Man are the Cavies back in a big way !!!
Mike
Cavies '88 & '89
-
7
-
-
I have to say.....I'm really impressed with what the new guard staff has been able to do with the Crown Guard - they are right back in the thick of things and scoring really well! Also really happy for the guard kids that decided to stay with the Crown program this year !
Mike
-
8
-
Madison Scouts 2020
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
That was our '97 show - we called it the "Barfing Unit" 😉 In '96 we had a rotating steel drum set up complete with rifle exchange overhead - we were always a little crazy when it came to GE !
Mike