Some Allentown Frustration

[Medeabrass]

Even though I know you speak the truth about reality ... this is the one thing that STINKS about drum corps and the marching arts in general.

Simply put, the judges have sheets with alot of information on the back. That information tells them how they should score a corps based on their performance and design. NOWHERE on those sheets does it say anything about how to RANK a corps in comparison to another corps on any given night......... PERIOD!

I would like to think that scores go up and down because the corps didn't perform as well on one night compared to another night ..... comparing their OWN performance to themselves ... not another corps.

I would also like to think that if, come finals, 7 corps deserve a 9.9 in a caption .. they would all get a 9.9. How on earth are they going to justify giving a corps a 9.0 when they deserve a 9.9 just to make room for the other 6 corps that might follow them? MEH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In regards to the argument of Crowns percussion score variances. There was a point made about vantage points giving different impressions and there was a point made that there is judging bias. To the first point, maybe the tuning of the drums (or something) is creating a problem with the projected sound of the instrument, making things sound dirty that really aren't? Not sure, but I get fooled sometimes based on where I sit and what Brand of drums they're playing (and how they are set up). To the second point ......... it happens. What are ya gonna do? <**>

I totally agree with you.

If the judges leave room and give a score based on comparison, then this leaves the door open for many discrepancies. In essence, at the bigger shows the judges don't leave themselves enough room to give a large margin of victory in a caption between successive placements (ie 1st vs 2nd) if such a margin is warranted. Instead, the only way to establish a large margin between corps a and corps b is if there happens to be several other corps placing between the 2. I can't tell you how many times I've felt a 1 point margin of victory between 1st and 2nd is warranted but only a .2 or .3 point margin is given because the judges have already painted themselves into a corner by "comparing" one corps versus the other.

Do ice skating or gymnastics judges compare one routine versus the other or do they just give points based on the merits an individual performance itself? I think it's the latter.