Toughest Drill This Year?

[JShep]

Phantom is not getting the credit they deserve from the judges...

I agree, it takes guts to put something graceful out there with such a high level of difficulty.

[saxfreq1128]

Phantom's drill strikes me as being wickedly difficult. The "faux" jazz-running may annoy some fans, but they seem to have a higher degree of simultaneous responsibility, etc. than most other corps.

Now, just because it's difficult doesn't mean it is effective. Other corps work smart, not hard (okay, they work hard too, but only as hard as necessary) and incorporate their drills into a complete visual program. Over the last decade Phantom seems to have overcompensated for criticism of its visual program by putting out blisteringly hard drill, but without any inspired visual concepts to give the drill meaning . . . which, like it or not, is now a requirement for competitive success. 05, 06, and 08 were exceptions, and Phantom got its best results of the 2000s in those years.

Exactly. Great points. I feel this way about the Cadets, as well.

[fsubone]

I really think that SCV has some insanely difficult drill this year, especially paired with the music their playing. I like to compare both parts, because a corps with a great visual program but lame music just doesn't work, but a great music book with a dirty visual program doesn't work either.

So I'm going to go with SCV, then Cavaliers, Phantom, Cadets, then BD. (Yeah, I said it, their program is hard, deal with it)

[mgarside83]

IMO I think the hardest drill this year, for just drill in itself, is Cavaliers. I think their drill is very difficult and aggressive, and physically demanding.

However, I think Crown has the hardest show when you take simultaneous responsiblity into consideration. They are always doing complex body work, and playing difficult music in difficult listening environments at the same time. Very impressive.

Bluecoats drill is cool. Nothing mind blowing, but they are very good at what they do, and I think this is the best they have ever been. I hope they continue and build upon their success from this year.

I will give Phantom props too, they are doing some very intense drill in very close spacial environments. Very difficult, AND dangerous. I am Impressed. I am glad Phantom is getting back on track.

As far as BD goes, I don't think their show is as difficult as these others, but I will say, this is one of the best fundamental marching corps I have ever seen. Their technique, posture and ease of movement is exquisite. Honestly, I don't care for this show all that much. The mirror effects are pretty cool, even though I don't like props, but it doesn't hit me emotionally. 2007 was the last BD show I loved.

SCV's show, was hard to take in. It was very SCV, but sometimes their taste in body work and drill crosses my line of being a little too out there. I love SCV, but I would have a hard time showing this show to my non-corps friends and trying to explain what they are doing and not coming across very geeky. However, it is very SCV and I am glad they are sort of getting back to their late 90's early 2000's style. That was my favorite SCV era.

[mgarside83]

IMO I think the hardest drill this year, for just drill in itself, is Cavaliers. I think their drill is very difficult and aggressive, and physically demanding.

However, I think Crown has the hardest show when you take simultaneous responsiblity into consideration. They are always doing complex body work, and playing difficult music in difficult listening environments at the same time. Very impressive.

Bluecoats drill is cool. Nothing mind blowing, but they are very good at what they do, and I think this is the best they have ever been. I hope they continue and build upon their success from this year.

I will give Phantom props too, they are doing some very intense drill in very close spacial environments. Very difficult, AND dangerous. I am Impressed. I am glad Phantom is getting back on track.

As far as BD goes, I don't think their show is as difficult as these others, but I will say, this is one of the best fundamental marching corps I have ever seen. Their technique, posture and ease of movement is exquisite. Honestly, I don't care for this show all that much. The mirror effects are pretty cool, even though I don't like props, but it doesn't hit me emotionally. 2007 was the last BD show I loved.

SCV's show, was hard to take in. It was very SCV, but sometimes their taste in body work and drill crosses my line of being a little too out there. I love SCV, but I would have a hard time showing this show to my non-corps friends and trying to explain what they are doing and not coming across very geeky. However, it is very SCV and I am glad they are sort of getting back to their late 90's early 2000's style. That was my favorite SCV era.

I did leave the Cadets out of this. Not to bash them, but I was honestly so distracted by the Little Jeffrey stuff and the not so tasteful sound bites that were going on that I didn't really see through it to recognize their drill. They did have some intense body work I noticed, but this show wasn't my cup of tea this year. I loved the Cadets last year, and I thought they were going in a new direction. To be honest, I was dissappointed with this year's production.

[AgentDark]

Phantoms drill is insanely fast and close at times. I would say theirs is the hardest.

[BrianM]

"But but but but but guys, our show really WAS hard! Promise!"

Also in regards to these extended "jazz running" sections, there are FEW to NO tough direction changes--everything is rounded. Once you start the jazz run, it's actually pretty easy to keep it going! It's not until you have a direction change that makes it really difficult. (you even hinted at this in your last line)

Another reason why the ends of PR 2007 and 2008 have NEVER ONCE impressed me.

Exactly who and what year did you march with that had more impressive drill and was harder?

[bccadet09]

We can only tell so much of who has the hardest drill this year just by looking at them and hearing them play. This is what I learned last year. The stuff I did was extremely difficult from a member perspective, yet I look at it and it doesn't look hard at all.

Example: Prologue

Anyway, every corps' got something hard about their drill, so no drill is easy. I do want to applaud BD for the most insane drill I have ever seen since....2005? Mostly in the last 2 and a half minutes....

[jwillis35]

I did leave the Cadets out of this. Not to bash them, but I was honestly so distracted by the Little Jeffrey stuff and the not so tasteful sound bites that were going on that I didn't really see through it to recognize their drill. They did have some intense body work I noticed, but this show wasn't my cup of tea this year. I loved the Cadets last year, and I thought they were going in a new direction. To be honest, I was dissappointed with this year's production.

Sorry, I disagree. Jeffrey is not that distracting, the show is amazing, and people are standing and giving it massive ovations. Something tells me that those people in the stands are enjoying the Cadets show! The Cadets are definitely pleasing the MASSES, something we DCPers tend to want. I certainly respect your right to not like it, but I just wanted to make it clear that A LOT OF PEOPLE LOVE IT!

In Canton, OH they got 2 in-show standing ovations and a massive closing ovation. Who else is really getting that this year?

As for the drill and demand, I'd say Phantom, Cadets, SCV, Blue Stars and BD. The Cavaliers drill is not as hard as people think, nor is Crown, yet both are challenging, as are all the shows we are seeing this year.

[BrianM]

We can only tell so much of who has the hardest drill this year just by looking at them and hearing them play. This is what I learned last year. The stuff I did was extremely difficult from a member perspective, yet I look at it and it doesn't look hard at all.

Example: Prologue

Anyway, every corps' got something hard about their drill, so no drill is easy. I do want to applaud BD for the most insane drill I have ever seen since....2005? Mostly in the last 2 and a half minutes....

Right, so when you say "who has the hardest drill?" That means whose is the hardest to march... from the member perspective. It doesn't have to look hard to be hard. When we are looking at the drill, most of us are equating difficulty marching a show with design. That's not necessarily true. Just because a show has a more complex drill design doesn't necessarily mean that it's harder to march. I can guess all day long who has the hardest drill, but I'll never really know.