mcjordansc Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 All corps at the top now run the risk of falling out of the top five any year (except maybe the Blue Devils). Phantom fans can be upset with their design team, but the quality of the top eight to ten corps is superior to what is has ever been in the past. You have Crown rising to elite status in the past three years. SCV is coming back (wasn't it their fans wringing hands in a thread like this last year?) to the top, Bluecoats will make another run for the top five, Blue Stars are ascendant and seem intent at making a run for top five as early as next year. We are not even talking about corps like Boston, Blue Knights or others that are looking to step up the ranks. About the only guarantee anymore are the Blue Devils and the Cavaliers. I understand Phantom fans being concerned about the 2009 Regiment, especially coming off a championship. But, truthfully, Phantom has NOT year in, year out challenged for the title. In the last ten years, the have an average placing of 4.5 and if you take out last year, the previous ten years the average placement was 5.2. So Phantom has been a solid top five challenger. When you are not consistently in the hunt for a championship (like BD or Cavaliers), a down year means sixth place or lower. Plus, with the higher quality drum corps out there these days, a slight slip in show design or performance can mean losing five to six placements from one year to the next. Phantom is still great and will climb back up. They could still surprise and be top five this year. But to be consistently great (which really only two corps have been this decade) Phantom needs to better at pushing the envelope, challenging the members and surprising the audience. They are not doing that this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contrajedi8 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 (edited) I don't believe Phantom is second tier. Not at all. They are, if anything, one of the top corps in the history of the activity. But... They are fairly inconsistent. They have a very annoying habit of following up a great year with a crappy year. They are also fairly incapable of putting ALL the pieces together in the same year. Some years they have the brass. Some years, the colorguard. Some years, the drums. But rarely, all three. Understand, I wish nothing but the best for Phantom. In 2008, there were 2 kids in that hornline that started marching at Southwind when I aged out in 2003. I cried when I saw a certain mellophone player and a certain baritone player were crowned World Champions. There were also a few kids in that corps that I instructed at Southwind. I was proud of them, too. But I believe Phantom, as a drum corps, to be fairly inconsistent. They have the ability to this year to finish as high as 4th and as low as 10th. My prediction is 7th, 8th or 9th. Edited July 16, 2009 by contrajedi8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I remember when Phantom finished in 10th place... believe it was 1988 in KC.But... that was Phantom .... THAT YEAR ! step forward.. 2008... awesome show... !!!! 1st place, and deservingly so... (IMHO) Could it be that in our minds... that this is one of THOSE corps that "has a GIVEN thought" about them... like they are _________..... they HAVE to finish in __ place..or SOMETHING is wrong... And that theory doesnt just apply to Phantom....... think about it... !!!! I still would like DCI to take on a show where ALL the corps are wearing the same ... black shorts/white tops..... solid flag silks.... AND then..... lets see who wins ... just a thought.. Go everybody !!!! try 86 i believe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighBrass09 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Alright, I love Phantom, and I love them this year as well. If the staff would be able to fix 1 thing, just 1, then it should be the ending. The only problem with the show for me is the ending. It has no build to it. When it was the end I felt like I wanted more. You guys need to make a very climatic ending, where the people are going crazy for that last note...the ending now is a held out note for like 24 counts. Very boring IMO. Make it more 2003 ish and it will be awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I play the baritone good Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Alright, I love Phantom, and I love them this year as well. If the staff would be able to fix 1 thing, just 1, then it should be the ending. The only problem with the show for me is the ending. It has no build to it. When it was the end I felt like I wanted more. You guys need to make a very climatic ending, where the people are going crazy for that last note...the ending now is a held out note for like 24 counts. Very boring IMO. Make it more 2003 ish and it will be awesome. Dude, it's Phantom. If they've had one trademark over the past several years, it's been saving the "real" ending until the end of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_another_fanatic Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 (edited) Blue Devils: 19/20 = 95%Cadets: 18/20 = 90% Cadets: 16/20 = 80% Phantom: 10/20 = 50% which one doesn't belong? please tell me. Sorry people, but he's right. The top corps (and I say this unequivocally) are indeed the Cavaliers, the Cadets, and the Blue Devils. They have been the most consistent and the most dominant forces in DCI for the past 20 years, there is absolutely no argument here-- the proof is in the numbers. 2008 was the first year since 1991 where a corps has beaten, outright, all three of the corps in a single night. Even so, we are living in a very fun, exciting, interesting, competitive time. SCV and PR (both I hold dear) are returning to form, Carolina Crown and the Bluecoats have beaten the top corps in the past 3 years, BStars, BCrusaders, and BKnights are scratching away at the impervious top 7 and trying to make it a top 10. So here's to the next 20 years! ------------------------ As for the original topic, I think it is a tad bit unfair on the fans' part to expect another Spartacus-caliber offering. Also unfair is people blaming only the designers for their underwhelming scores; the kids are not entirely blameless. Visually, the show is dirty: spacing, carriage, feet-- these things rests on the individual performers, not the design. And the colorguard...say all you want about the new caption head, but when I see forgotten choreography, noticeable phrasing issues on flags, or drops on a very basic 4' rifle toss, the caption head is not to blame for this. Yet, I do agree that the Red Violin is ill-designed too. It's incoherent and uninteresting to me; most troubling, the show doesn't speak to me at all. Can they clean? Oh yes they can, and they will (there's another month left of competition!). Will they place in the top 3? Not this year. Top 5? I don't know. If they place lower than 6th, will this season be a tragedy? Of course not, but some will see it that way and that's unfortunate because this a tough year and a spot in the top 7 is well-earned. Good luck Regiment. Edited July 16, 2009 by just_another_fanatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Time Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Please Phantom Regiment, please clean, clean, clean! And work on that visual! And colorguard? Work VERY hard. I just can't stand seeing my beloved Regiment continue to plummet down the standings. When it's all said and done, where do you think they will finish?My feeling right now is as high as 5 and as low as 10. Urgh. It's gonna take more than cleaning, I'm afraid. The show concept alone was a huge mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice_N_Soft_Tissues Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Dude, it's Phantom. If they've had one trademark over the past several years, it's been saving the "real" ending until the end of the season. He's right. Comon people I'TS PHANTOM. They know what their doing and i think they have somthing comming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I know a lot of corps that would LOVE to be struggling for a spot in the top 6. Every DCI Corps has had an "off year " in their history, including BD, Cavs, Cadets, as well as Phantom Regiment. These Corps have the amazing ability to then remake themselves in quick order and get right back into title contention. While I feel for Phantom's bit of a struggle this year, how many of us have said in the past that we'd " like to see new blood in the top 6 ? Well..... we can't have it both ways, unfortunately. If we want to see surprises and changes , then by neccessity that means some Corps that seem entrenched at the top are going to have to be unseated from time to time. And if the Phantom Regiment fans want to feel just a little bit better about where in the pecking order they are right now, then they can just thank their lucky stars that they are not the............... Madison Scouts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantombari1 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I find it interesting that people who haven't been part of Phantom telling us how we should take a disappointing season. Consider this...A disappointing season to BD, and the Cavaliers is no lower than 3 place. I would expect the same for the Cadets. For those that have written off SCV let's not forget all of their Championships. It's absolutely essential to have high standards and high expectations if you want to compete for the Championship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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