manoloblahniksabre

Wow. I'm not that old, but I remember calling them alto's. :) And, I'm still in the habit of calling them soprano's, though, technically, they weren't really back in the day when I marched, either. I do miss the raw, edgy sound of G. Well, for some corps, like Scouts. I don't add intelligent banter to this forum usually, either, Nikk. I just like to harass you. What's your point? :P

Agreed. The best names in DCI. Phantom Regiment being my favorite. It's dark and sexy. :)

Sorry. Thunderstorm. :) *rumble* :P

There's your sign. :)

Yes, I know you proposed it, not Nikk. Wasn't Nikk not agreeing with you about having 10 judges? I think there should be two colorguard judges (as much as I'm in awe of Nikk's genius) :) Never said you favored the tick system. For colorguard, *I* favor the tick system. I think it is necessary. Maybe I should read the posts more in-depth rather than skimming. Or perhaps people should pay more attention to what I'm saying.

Hate to disagree with Nikk, but you really do need an ensemble guard judge and a field guard judge...one for the tick/technique aspect (field), one for cleanliness and overall design effect (in the box). You cannot judge how clean a guard is if you're wading through them, nor can you judge technical issues that well from the box. I'm afraid another judge would be necessary.

You're a raptor, baby! YEeah! ^0^

Yeah, we call it "good ole moutain dew" :P

...like a glass of bad beer. *poke* ^0^ :P :)

1) Phantom 2) Cadets 3) Carolina Crown 4) Bluecoats 5) BAC

I'll bite. Not going on technical merit (yes, I know BD was technically better than many I put above them), just how much I liked the show generally. 1. Phantom Regiment 2. The Cadets 3. The Cavaliers 4.Carolina Crown 5. Madison Scouts 6.Bluecoats 7.BAC 8.SCV 9. Glassmen 10. Blue Knights 11. Spirit 12. Blue Devils

Yes! Colorguard absolutely does need to be a half ticked caption. I completely agree with this. I think that not enough emphesis is placed on correct technique anymore. The hard thing is...so many guards use different techniques , but there is still universal good/bad technique (like like pitching or dipping tosses and correct body carriage beneath equipment). While we are on it, if guards are going to dance as much as they do now, I think they should be penalized if they don't use correct technique. This would hopefully eliminate the problem of putting BAD dancers on the field which I see so much of. You can tell someone who has started dance training at age 16 vs. someone who has studied their entire life, with the exception of the rare natually talented dancer. Auxiliary (10 points). This judge would be on the field and be looking for correct technique in rifles and flags, as well as number of caught tosses versus dropped ones. Performance is the mainstay of this caption. This caption would probably best be done as half a ticked caption, and half a caption for build-up regarding design and demand.

I believe this ties the 2002 score set by Cavies - 99.15. Could be wrong. :)

Uhm, weren't the Bluecoats finalists from 87-98 without ever winning a title? I could be wrong, though. Besides the fact that you don't seem to fact check before posting, I don't the purpose in a post like this, other than to incite fighting. <**>

Bad news for everyone else... :) I'm sorry, but I just don't think that the Rose Bowl is a good venue for hosting drum corps. It's not that I mind it being out west, but surely they could find another place!

That is true. Quite a few guards were without a sabre line. Most groups use the King sabre (or other similar spanish-style sabre) now with the "spanish" blade. It's silver, which makes it MUCH harder to see. The advantage of the King is that it spins so much better, but the Ultimate (heavier and all white) shows up so much better on the field. You have to tape the blade of the King or get a "powder" blade to make it read better. And yes, generally speaking, a spanish-style blade is harder to spot under stadium lights. PS- The only sabre line you NEED to see is Crown. The best in DCI

You assume correctly. I hope you had a good time watching quarters...wish I could have been there :)

I was in Knoxville, TN and everything (besides losing sound for a few seconds during BAC's opener) was very good, including picture quality. The theater was full...lots of Spirit, SW, and Crown people around. ...and the clip of the 27th Lancer alumni corps was AMAZING. :)

Living, but barely breathing I'm surprised no one has said anything about SCV's guard this year and the impact that losing Adam Sage has had on them visually. It's my belief that we don't have enough guard people on DCP. ;) Also, as much as I liked the new uniforms off the field, I just don't like them on. I'm not saying they need to be "Cesarioed", but they just need a little something.....bring back the STRIPE!! :)

I agree. There is certainly something missing, and I think one BIG thing I noticed (besides the sub-par drill) is that the colorguard is just not where it used to be in terms of design. Adam Sage's influence is obviously missing, but you can certainly tell it at PR. Wow. He KNOWS what he is doing in terms of visual design and staging. While the colorguard as a whole is good and the talent is there, I just did not feel the entire guard was itegrated well into the corps and that their vocabulary and general design was just not up to snuff with some of the other guards that beat them (Crown, Bluecoats, and PR, for example).

What bothers me more than anything is the score itself, not the placement. There is no way that guard is anywhere down around to a 16.5 in one night. Now, if it was a 17.2 to 18.0, I wouldn't bother with the argument. Do I think it's odd? Yes, I do. Scores should fluctuate night to night. Will Crown be 3rd every night? No. But are they a top 6 colorguard? Absolutely. Fluctuation of nearly TWO FULL POINTS? Give me a break. They are obviously being punished for something, I've just never figured out what. She's scored Crown's guard low for years and I've just gotten passed being ######. She does not like them, no reason to get worked up over it. I don't know the reason, but if it takes me pulling recaps of her judging of Crown over other guards through the years, I will do so. I urge all of you to watch Carolina Crown's colorguard this year and tell me if you think they are a 12th place colorguard. The level at which they are pulling off extremely difficult equipment vocabulary is worth a 3rd place finish by itself, let alone the design. Are Cadets better? Yes, I think so. As Cavies and PR could possibly be as well. But this is just not fair. Now, I've went and said I wouldn't get worked up over it but have anyway. Blasted judges are going to give me a bloody anyeurism (this is probably spelled incorrectly). :)

Phantom AT the Opera. That's neat. :)

1994. :)

They do have a great hornline, but their guard needs so much work. I think if they can get up to par in that area, the could have a real chance at top 12. Until they fix the design issues in the guard, with guard scores making and breaking corps now, they won't, I'm afraid. Their colorguard is just NOT competitive. I personally detest the guard uniforms and think they were a bad choice....they should have at least left the hats at home. The unis/silks draw ATTENTION to the weakest section of the corps. If the colorguard is your problem, try to integrate them as seamlessly as possible and work on making the vocabulary clean rather than difficult. I saw them a couple of weeks ago and they were extremely dirty. They had these same problems last year. They really do need a new direction as far as guard design is concerned!

2000 BD is the only post 95 BD I find myself whistling or bothering to watch again. I just *have not* liked them, musically or visually, in years. I believe they have an extremely talented brassline that most corps would kill to have that they do not showcase to the best of their abilities. I know people worship their colorguard, and while I think they have the most talented dancers in DCI and they are usually clean, I think there are many guards out there that surpass them in vocabulary...and other guards are catching up in the dance area. I think they've gotten lazy creatively in brass/visual/guard. It's been the same old thing for years, to my eyes and ears, anyway. I would love to see more melodic arranging from BD and better visual design with a more challenging and creative guard book/design. I don't dislike the organization, I just think they need a new game plan. It's almost like they think they're so good they don't have to try.