SFWGA premier...

[amfgx]

SoFlo has stayed pretty quiet this season. Rumors are told, but few are true...

Who's excited to see what's what?!

[Mr. Know it all]

Count on me being there.

And I'll probably be able to attend both prelims AND finals.

Woo-hoo...!!!

It looks as if all of the classes have some really good guards on the schedule.

Like many folks here in South Florida, I'm probably most excited to see the 2008 SW Nation Champions, Flanagan high School.

CAN NOT WAIT to see what they're putting gout on the floor this year...!!!

Also, I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Braddock Independent. Now, I've heard rumors that several members the Stoneman-Douglas staff have joined the Braddock staff this year. So, it'll be interesting to see if Braddock's production has any telltale Stomeman-Douglas fingerprints on it.

(Exactly what would that look like anyway...??? Hmmm...)

But I digress.

As I said, all of the classes are going to be VERY competitive as well as a heckuva lot of fun to watch.

Good luck to of the guards who'll be making the trip to Ft. Lauderdale...!!!

(Actually, the Ft. Lauderdale regional is being held in Miramar this year, but who's counting...???)

:)

[imlistening]

And it was in Miami last year. They should just call it the South Florida regional

[amfgx]

And it was in Miami last year. They should just call it the South Florida regional

You would think..right!? but then again, this is WGI related..So it's understood that things are confusing.

Im also excited to see what Douglas brings to the regional! I've always been a fan of Stoneman, but with new staff i wonder if they'll be the Stoneman Douglas we've come to know and love.

&I've heard with the addition of John Williams to Premonitions staff, they have the traditional Douglas Rhinestoned-divas costumes...should be interesting to see.

Also, rumor is Flanagan is slackin' compared to last year. Haven't had the oppourtunity of seeing them either..probably just another dirty CG rumor.

hmm..just have to wait and see what happens!

[Very Skeptical]

I thought the Ft. Lauderdale regional is being held in Miami this year?

[Mr. Know it all]

Im also excited to see what Douglas brings to the regional! I've always been a fan of Stoneman, but with new staff i wonder if they'll be the Stoneman Douglas we've come to know and love.

- - - - - - - - - -

& I've heard with the addition of John Williams to Premonitions staff, they have the traditional Douglas Rhinestoned-divas costumes...should be interesting to see.

- - - - - - - - - -

Also, rumor is Flanagan is slackin' compared to last year. Haven't had the oppourtunity of seeing them either..probably just another dirty CG rumor.

Some thoughts:

Stoneman-Douglas

Just expressing my own personal opinion, but I would LOVE to see Stoneman-Douglas put a different spin on things, so to speak.

They're always one of the best guards on the circuit - and their placings in WGI Finals confirm that. But I'd kinda like to see them try something new and different. They could really shake-up the SW community if they came out with a totally fresh look and design while maintaining the wonderful level of technique and performance that they're know for.

And how fun would THAT be for SW fans both near and far...??? (Answer: totally, totally, TOTALLY fun...!!!)

Premonition

Oh, my gosh. How could I forget to mention my favorite up-and-coming South Florida IW ensemble...???

With this group, too, I'm more than just a little eager to see what type of a show they put on the floor this year. Loved the excitement and energy they had last year. Soooooooo fun to watch. Hopefully, they're tapping into that same energy this year, too.

And, of course, I'm keeping al of my fingers crossed that the "Double-rifle Diva" again will treat all of us to her truly crowd-pleasing talents. She was definitely one of the highlights of last year's show. (And she sure as heck earned it, too...!!!)

By the way, I absolutely love rhinestones. Can anything ever bee TOO sparkly...??? I hope that everything thing in this show - including the floor - is so totally bejeweled, beglittered and 'bedazzled' that the audience has a really good shot at incurring permanent retinal damage.

Flanagan

If Flanagan is 'slacking' this year, they could be in big, huge, massive, gi-normous trouble by the time Dayton rolls around.

First, you can bet your very last dollar Avon is going to work like the dickens to line themselves up for one of those VERY top spots in SW again this year. And they'll probably do it. Right now, it's about 20 degrees below zero in Central Indiana. Those Avon ladies have nothing else to do but spin and practice and spin and drill and spin and run through their show and spin and work on technique and spin and - well, you get the idea.

Second, James Logan is back this year. 'Nuff said. Expect this guard to be every bit as amazing as they've been every year for the last decade.

Third, Miamisburg is turning up the temperature on their program. They completed their entire show waaaaaay back before New Year's and they've been cleaning and fine-tuning and reworking it ever since. They are serious, serious biz this year.

So, if Flanagan is in any way 'slacking,' the time to de-slack is now.

But for the record, I seriously doubt that Flanagan is 'slacking.' Seriously, does that even sound like the Flanagan program that we've come to know...???

I'm sure that the Flanagan staff wants to be on top of the SW class every bit as much this year as they wanted to be there last year - and we saw what they did last year. Good night, nurse...!!!

I'm just really curious to see what type of a program the field. They could go any way. They could go the route of "If it worked last year, maybe it'll work this year, too." Or they could go with the "Been there, done that" approach ad try something completely different for Flanagan. They certainly have the staff to make anything work. Nothing would surprise me from this incredible group.

But suffice to say that no matter what they do, certainly they'll do it well - EXTREMELY well.

Can't wait for Saturday...!!!

[amfgx]

Some thoughts:

Stoneman-Douglas

Just expressing my own personal opinion, but I would LOVE to see Stoneman-Douglas put a different spin on things, so to speak.

They're always one of the best guards on the circuit - and their placings in WGI Finals confirm that. But I'd kinda like to see them try something new and different. They could really shake-up the SW community if they came out with a totally fresh look and design while maintaining the wonderful level of technique and performance that they're know for.

And how fun would THAT be for SW fans both near and far...??? (Answer: totally, totally, TOTALLY fun...!!!)

Would you say a SMILING FLAG FEATURE is different enough?!

I couldn't believe my eyes in Ft.Lauderdale when i saw multiple emotions in their show...SMILES INCLUDED!

LOOK OUT WGI!

[Mr. Know it all]

Would you say a SMILING FLAG FEATURE is different enough?!

Oh, I know...!!!

It's as if the design staff at Stoneman-Douglas has been reading my tiny mind.

When they walked out on to the floor to set their equipment they flashed their signature "game face" to the stands. You know, the face that says "We're Stoneman-Douglas - and we're in it to WIN IT."

So, I thought that maybe they were going to maintain that same "tough as nails" persona during their whole show.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Instead, they used a really nice variety of expressions though out the entire program

And I nearly choked on my Tic-Tacs as I watched the full ensemble SMILE ear-to-ear during their flag feature.

What an wonderful addition to their strong performance.

I think the subtle changes that we're seeing in this year's show might be an indicator of some larger changes yet to come with this perennial WGI Finalist.

You know what they say about the really good winter guard programs: the best ones always find ways to keep getting better.

Good luck with the remainder of the '09 season, Stoneman-Douglas...!!!

[Very Skeptical]

Oh, I know...!!!

It's as if the design staff at Stoneman-Douglas has been reading my tiny mind.

When they walked out on to the floor to set their equipment they flashed their signature "game face" to the stands. You know, the face that says "We're Stoneman-Douglas - and we're in it to WIN IT."

So, I thought that maybe they were going to maintain that same "tough as nails" persona during their whole show.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Instead, they used a really nice variety of expressions though out the entire program

And I nearly choked on my Tic-Tacs as I watched the full ensemble SMILE ear-to-ear during their flag feature.

What an wonderful addition to their strong performance.

I think the subtle changes that we're seeing in this year's show might be an indicator of some larger changes yet to come with this perennial WGI Finalist.

You know what they say about the really good winter guard programs: the best ones always find ways to keep getting better.

Good luck with the remainder of the '09 season, Stoneman-Douglas...!!!

They were smiling? Maybe I was too high up, but I didn't really focus on any one performer long enough to really notice facial expressions (in any shows)

[Mr. Know it all]

They were smiling? Maybe I was too high up, but I didn't really focus on any one performer long enough to really notice facial expressions (in any shows)

Yep. They actually smiled.

They wore their "game face" quite a bit, too. But they did make an effort to show a range of expressions. As I said earlier, it was a nice change of pace for them.