Why Blue Devils Win

[jmc5682]

You are regurgitating the "company line" very well. It goes like this...The Bluecoats haven't been in the Top 3 yet, so they haven't paid their dues. This year they can take 3rd and then earn the right to have a shot at the title next year. Something like that, right? Even if they have the best show and performance this season.

I agree (a bit) with you about the ending, but haven't they been accused of peaking too early in the past? Maybe some late season tweaking to give the ending a little more impact will serve them well to overcome this other "thing that everyone is saying".

I have to admit, I'm a Bluecoat fan, so some of this is me being hopeful, but I reallly think they have the show and the corps to take it all THIS season, even though many are saying otherwise.

Wouldn't it be great to see a new (deserving) corps win a championship? When is the last time this happened? 1996? Some might even say 1991. It would be good for DCI and I hope that they do the job to make it happen in 2010.

It would be even better if the best corps at Finals wins, no matter who they are!

[Jeff Ream]

ARE YOU A DCI JUDGE? - I BET YOU HAD TO ANSWER NO, SO PLEASE DON'T ASSUME YOU ARE QUALIFIED. YOU SEEM TO HAVE YOUR OWN BIASES

I never claimed to be a DCI judge. But I also understand how GE works, and how many of the sheets work as they have been adapted to many levels of the marching activity. I've seen all of the sheets, had several chats with a few judges and picked their brains.

my bias is towards enjoyable drumc orps that's also performed well. That doesn't mean I need to hear big band jazz, or pop music. for those that cry Star 93 was esoteric beyond all belief, I say I loved it. I have all of the original pieces played in those show no less.

so don't try to tell me what I do or don't know, because it just shows your biases when you decide you don't like what I have to say...that mirror's just throwing your words back at ya

[Wadep66]

ARE YOU A DCI JUDGE? - I BET YOU HAD TO ANSWER NO, SO PLEASE DON'T ASSUME YOU ARE QUALIFIED. YOU SEEM TO HAVE YOUR OWN BIASES

Are you serious? So because he isn't a DCI judge he isn't qualified to talk about effect? If that is the case then no ones opinion on here matters unless they're a DCI judge.

I like reading his posts. They aren't full of emotion and anger as yours obviously is. If the only opinion I wanted was a judges, I'd just look at the scores. Which brings up a question: Why are you reading here if that's what you think?

And the all caps thing is just obnoxious. I would expect more from someone who's been around a while.

[Jeff Ream]

relax, it amused me, and i've been called worse by better

Are you serious? So because he isn't a DCI judge he isn't qualified to talk about effect? If that is the case then no ones opinion on here matters unless they're a DCI judge.

I like reading his posts. They aren't full of emotion and anger as yours obviously is. If the only opinion I wanted was a judges, I'd just look at the scores. Which brings up a question: Why are you reading here if that's what you think?

And the all caps thing is just obnoxious. I would expect more from someone who's been around a while.

[Bob984]

Let me see if I got this straight. Phantom earned it, people were even angered (interesting wording) when BD beat them two nights in a row. Finals night, the judges FINALLY saw the light and rewarded this program of superior arrangements played better. So, the judges saw what the audience saw and rewarded it.

Except for the visual judges, who gave out numbers that weren't earned.

Is that pretty much what you're saying?

Quick aside here though, if they, as you say, really connected so much better, why did BD win GE on finals night and not Phantom?

Unless I am senile, BD did NOT win GE on finals night.....I just checked......BD DID win visual effect, but Phantom won music effect by .3 on EACH judges sheet, and thus also took total GE. If the judges had really reflected the full level of superiority in music effect by Phantom, the show would not have even been close. And yes, unless I am blind, I HIGHLY question 19.9's and perfect 20's in visual for the Blue team.

Since I was there, and I heard audible grumbling by many fans about how they felt Phantom was underscored in quarters and semis, and BD was overscored, I can say it happened.

GB

[Bob984]

I have one more thing to interject here and then I am done with this topic and on to the next one....

Bold Prediction: BD will be a fan favorite at finals. Boom

I'll take that bet, and add these.....

BD will get the "mandatory" standing O at the end of their show only....

Somebody else might get 4 or 5 of them, but will get trounced in effect.........

There will be as many as 7 "jump up and down" standing O's all night.....none of them for BD's show/music

yeah, I know.....standing O's mean nothing....ask a Phantom 08 member......

before you think I'm a basher, BD used to get standing O's DURING shows, when they played complete musical charts...I don't think the whole "snippets" approach is connecting with the audience much at all, but the judges sure love it..........

GB

[Bob984]

A quick suggestion for all - how about let the performers and staff worry

about the competitive aspect of drum corps and just sit back, relax and

enjoy the shows. Personally, I think you are ruining the experience for

yourselves by getting all wrapped up in it.

I don't think most kids enter the activity strictly to win.....if they did, a whole

lot of them would be disappointed.

That said, the kids and the audience deserve a quality judging system and quality

judges that FULLY REWARD the shows on any given night at any given show.

Effect judging, especially music, is warped, and has been for quite awhile. The furor

that is growing will hopefully instigate some change.

What do you think would happen if fans went to football games and it was

obvious that the officials were blowing many, many calls consistently? There would be change.

Instant replay has gone a long way to insure that officials are not calling games, but

the winning team is winning through THEIR performance, not through the acts of officials.

If the judges continue to over-reward programs with mediocre, poor, choppy, or boring musical

arrangements which do not connect with the majority of the audience, we can expect a further

erosion of the fan base, especially if more corps mimic this type of production in an effort

to win contests.

GB

[HockeyDad]

You are regurgitating the "company line" very well. It goes like this...The Bluecoats haven't been in the Top 3 yet, so they haven't paid their dues. This year they can take 3rd and then earn the right to have a shot at the title next year. Something like that, right? Even if they have the best show and performance this season.

Not the company line. It's Bruckner's Law of Competitive Inertia. Bluecoats cannot place higher than 3rd this year.

[HockeyDad]

Drum corps is about subtlety, nuance, demand, and precision.

.....to you.

[WestCoaster]

who was doing choppy arrangements back then?

Not to the extent it's done now, but certainly the arrangements of the winners were beginning to get choppier (Cavies 92, Cadets 93)...but the trend started even earlier than that, I'd say.