The San Antonio Ice House - Pre and post show discussion.

[AzEuph]

Re-read what you wrote. Thats a whole lot of fooling yourself. Just read it and really think how that sounds.

Reading......thinking.......

Nope, I still agree with my statement. Crown has 2 amazing things, brass and guard. So why not show off your best assets and try to hide your weaker ones, weaker doesn't mean bad but clearly not as strong.

Re-read what I wrote. Then take the "crown" out of your name. Just read it and really think how that sounds.

[AzEuph]

Actually, he's not the first person I've heard say that...I think what he means (and what I've heard others say) is that the drill design itself doesn't offer as much as BD, Cavaliers, Cadets, SCV, or Phantom. The main focus of it seems to be around the guard (which is amazing by the way). They beat Cavaliers in Visual GE, but in terms of "drill" I don't think Crown has topped Cavaliers..Sorry, but I don't see it. But the guard has so much power over visual GE, and Crown uses their guard in a very effective way (as does BD)..I don't even remember much about Crown's drill, but I remember the guard a good bit. I'm curious to know how many visual judges were/are involved with colorguard/WGI.

Oh, and congrats to Crown. Have some old friends on staff and it's nice to see them doing well.

Exactly. Thank you. And BOTH visual GE judges were WGI guard judges! So corps with better guards already have a heads start on GE pts. Different argument, different thread.

[ohwiseone]

Well, I know i missed the discussion on crown (though i do agree with Az on the drill thing,)

But i have a slight bone to pick with the finals scored..

I cannot understand why SCV got so low...There show was one the best i have seen them do in while, and don't even get me started on phantom (saying this in a good way coming from someone who was on the 50)

I agree with BD, and Crown scores as well as cadets. But I think that I would of put SCV in 6th...And i am going to get flamed for this but put Phantom thrid then Crown 4th

I believe that Phantom Came out and put one of the best performances out there last night.

ah this could just be the sleepiness from driving 9 hours setting in who really knows. And before anyone asks, I was there, so i am going off of what i though and the crowd reaction as well as the judges placements, and no i have not sat down and looked at the recaps

[megadrive]

Well, I know i missed the discussion on crown (though i do agree with Az on the drill thing,)

But i have a slight bone to pick with the finals scored..

I cannot understand why SCV got so low...There show was one the best i have seen them do in while, and don't even get me started on phantom (saying this in a good way coming from someone who was on the 50)

I agree with BD, and Crown scores as well as cadets. But I think that I would of put SCV in 6th...And i am going to get flamed for this but put Phantom thrid then Crown 4th

I believe that Phantom Came out and put one of the best performances out there last night.

ah this could just be the sleepiness from driving 9 hours setting in who really knows. And before anyone asks, I was there, so i am going off of what i though and the crowd reaction as well as the judges placements, and no i have not sat down and looked at the recaps

I can't say much because I was sitting at home watching, but Phantom seemed a tad off last night. Just not firing on all cylinders. It certainly was not a bad performance just not their best.

[ohwiseone]

hmm...I guess they hid it well. I have never seen a crowd jump up that fast at the end of the show then they did when phantom was done (which btw to anyone that saw they way enter the field and preshow IS FREAKING AWESOME)

Wait it was crown and phantom got the most crowd responce

Edited July 21, 2008 by ohwiseone

[TrumpetJ]

i saw that south africa thing before the scores, i had no idea what the actual people were saying i couldnt understand them. i could only read the statistics and what not.

what is up with kids who dont know how loud is to loud to talk during shows?

there were a group of young teens near me and they kept being yelled at by a troopers mom, and did not get the hint.

and then at night when they came back, the moms friend didnt even let them speak before she warned them to be quiet, it was great.

but they were still annoying, some parents need to chaperone their kids

I got stuck around a group like that at Sevierville last year. Unfortunately, nobody ever came to tell them to hush and I know if I tried I would be laughed at seeing as how I wasn't much older than them and wouldn't be taken seriously. They jut sat there gabbing and texting and carrying on acting like they had benn dragged there against their will. Then they got louder during the SCV encore.

[pags]

I hate to go negative, but I gotta vent. I'm tired of BD winning with boring shows. The last two seasons have been a snoozefest. I applaud and admire their talent, but I don't understand how they win when execution is only part of the equation. Their GE scores for the past two years should have been in the bottom 6 in my opinion. Winning all execution captions should put them around 3rd in that case.

I think the judges are in the tank and the fans are drinking the coolaid. Sorry - call me a basher, hater, idiot - whatever - flame away.

On a more positive note - congrats Crown! For me, they tie with Bluecoats (homer alert) for most entertaining show of the evening - followed closely by SCV, BAC and Cavies in that order.

Congrats to Blue Stars and Crossmen for making the evening show. Well done!

Okay, well you requested it...basher, hater, idiot...

If it seems that most people aside from you have a favorable opinion of the Blue Devils from one standpoint or another, then perhaps it is YOUR perspective that needs re-examination.

I walked into the Alamodome prepared to see The Cavaliers or Phantom Regiment (possibly even The Caders) place higgher than BD based on performance quality and even design. I walked in with my wife (who is, at best, a casual fan..she really only goes because I go), my parents, and our son. We sat in the third tier surrounded by Phantom Regiment and Cavalier fans (though to be surrounded by Cavalier fans in San Antonio is pretty much a given since it has become almost another Home show for them). When the Blue Devils entered the field I couldn't keep track of the comments around me to the effect of hoping the Blue Devils sucked, that they assumed this would be boring, etc., yet those same people provided an immediate, voluntary standing ovation at the conclusion of the show. I counted a minimum of 7 different moments where there was a "whoa" kind of reaction, and at least another 3 where there was a sustained cheer for something going on.

Considering these are the corps (and their fans) who are in direct contention with the Blue Devils, I feel it says something that they so willingly cheered for another corps. I had two Cavalier fans sitting in the row directly in front of me and paid attention to their reactions before, during, and after the Blue Devils and Cavaliers especially. I mean, we're talking about fans whose opinion of the BVlue Devils can be readily described as "respectfully contentious" and many times is best resembeled by this: Both stood and applauded very vociferously for both corps, and both were frankly shocked that they found themselves liking the Blue Devils show so much. And at the conclusion of The Cavaliers show, I could not help but notice them turn to one another with resigned look as they mouthed to one another, "Blue Devils had the better show."

As for my family, like my wife, my parents are fairly casual fans. My dad marched in band in high school, and attended many of my two brothers' marching band competitions in high school as well, so he is accustomed to the activity from that standpoint, knows what he likes, what he has seen before in terms of quaility arrangements, visual programs, execution, etc. None of them has a favorite going in because, honestly, they don't follow the activity at all really.

During the show I looked away from the field occassionally so I could see my wife's reactions occasionally. It was a drop-jawed look I haven't see since our honeymoon..okay so I've gained a few pounds, big freaking deal. Almost the entire show for her was this look:

I asked each of them their opinions after the competition was done. My dad immediately stated, "It's a travesty if anyone other than the Blue Devils win tonight." My mom and wife immediately agreed. We talked about that show the entir way back to our hotel, and then at breakfast, after church, and at lunch. We mentioned snippets of other corps, but kept coming back to Blue Devils. I even tried to mention how I loved the overhaul of The Cadets' narration such that it featured more music, and The Cavaliers visual program, and Phantom's staging, and Crown's brass. They acknowledged all those things, then went right on to the Blue Devils and ther various things that they wonder what they missed when they were caught looking one direction and the crowd was cheering for somethin on the other end of the field.

I don't feel that "boring" shows do that to casual fans like my family.

Edited July 21, 2008 by pags

[doyle079]

ok preshow i read on here it was a cold place.

post show,i couldnt agree more.

but it felt awesome going from 100+heat to almost low 70s if not 60s. and being cold in san antonio in the middle of july

[dcphan2]

Well, I know i missed the discussion on crown (though i do agree with Az on the drill thing,)

But i have a slight bone to pick with the finals scored..

I cannot understand why SCV got so low...There show was one the best i have seen them do in while, and don't even get me started on phantom (saying this in a good way coming from someone who was on the 50)

I agree with BD, and Crown scores as well as cadets. But I think that I would of put SCV in 6th...And i am going to get flamed for this but put Phantom thrid then Crown 4th

I believe that Phantom Came out and put one of the best performances out there last night.

ah this could just be the sleepiness from driving 9 hours setting in who really knows. And before anyone asks, I was there, so i am going off of what i though and the crowd reaction as well as the judges placements, and no i have not sat down and looked at the recaps

I definitely agree with you. Oh,well..that is why I am not a judge

[bartyount]

Okay, well you requested it...basher, hater, idiot...

If it seems that most people aside from you have a favorable opinion of the Blue Devils from one standpoint or another, then perhaps it is YOUR perspective that needs re-examination.

[excellent post snipped for brevity]

Well, perhaps I made a hasty judgement of BD's show this year. I should probably keep an open mind about it for now and give it a few more viewings. What I wrote was pretty soon after the end of the show and was venting some frustration.

I felt that their 2007 show was incredibly executed, but their show was terrible. I wanted to like it and tried many many times. It was musically flat. As my wife pointed out they only had two dynamics: soft for the ballad and loud for everything else. Visually they had black flags and then white flags. Their GE scores should have been in the tank - far below anyone else in the top 7. And I think if it had been any other corps, that's where the GE scores would have been.

Like I said in a previous reply - I don't have anything against BD. Some of my favorite shows are BD shows. I just feel like they have gotten some measure of favoritism from judges in the past two years with respect to the show design and GE (not in execution, mind you - I feel they probably deserve every bit of that). It makes me wonder if BD staff/design intimidates judges. Not necessarily knowingly, but in that BD is probably the most respected corps and the most respected staff/design and if someone on staff/design disagrees with a judge about a certain aspect of the design of the show, perhaps the judge may be convinced that he was wrong in his judging and the staff was right because they are all incredibly creative and talented people and can do no wrong in the judges' mind.

So I'm probably holding over some frustration over last year to this year (maybe). I'll go as far to admit I judged hastily Saturday night and will keep on open mind about it until I've seen them a few more times this year.