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Santa Clara Vanguard 2012


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I just watched SCVC's show... and I'm pretty sure they march better than SCV... and it looks better even with white pants...

And yet they use the exact same technique?

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My $.02 on SCV - and caveat that I haven't seen the drill due to last night's lighting debacle at Sac State

That said, SCV blew my hair back during the lot standstill and during warm-ups. The brass sounded full and balanced, and good intonation all around from what I heard. I am digging their music, even if I wish that chorale section from "Jupiter" was extended just a bit.

I watched some of their visual warm-up and the corps could've been more on point. Members were making a few too many careless mental errors, not covering down as well as they could, etc. One of their visual instructors gave them an earfull after their visual warm-up. Also, as an SCV alum, it drives me a little nuts to see the hornline being a little too casual when marching in file to their warm-up spot, etc. Part of me wants to yell, "GET YOUR GAME FACE ON AND GET IN STEP!" I remember being told that the performance begins in the parking lot, so I hope SCV takes that up a notch. By comparison, when Phantom had members walking in pairs from their bus to start filing up, they were locked in and totally marching in step - even if it was just two of them going to the equipment trailer.

In all, I'm confident that SCV will be a crowd favorite this year, a few babies will get thrown in the air during "Mars," and I will be rooting for them. GO SCV!

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Their visual "cleanliness" this year is pretty much nonexistent. I just don't remember them ever being this dirty, even if it is early in the season. FOr the most part, it's really hard for someone like me to see/hear how "good" or "bad" the music and visuals are. When I am at the show, the only mistakes I hear are from soloists if they frack a note or whatever otherwise, when viewing the top corps, it's hard to determine who is playing their music better. I can only judge a drill by how cool it looks and usually can't notice any dirt but SCV's at Stanford was pretty filthy. Don't get me wrong though, I LOVE their show this year; the best I've seen since 2009.

Part of me thinks (or hopes) that they are first trying to focus on getting the music down then working on marching technique. Never marched a field show before so I have no idea how learning/training works.

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And yet they use the exact same technique?

Yes... I'm saying they are marching with better and more consistent technique than the A corps right now.. I'm sure that will change

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Also, as an SCV alum, it drives me a little nuts to see the hornline being a little too casual when marching in file to their warm-up spot, etc. Part of me wants to yell, "GET YOUR GAME FACE ON AND GET IN STEP!" I remember being told that the performance begins in the parking lot, so I hope SCV takes that up a notch. By comparison, when Phantom had members walking in pairs from their bus to start filing up, they were locked in and totally marching in step - even if it was just two of them going to the equipment trailer.

I was just talking with my wife about this issue (with respect to Madison) the other day. It may sound old fashioned, but you could always count on SCV and Madison especially to show precision and professionalism in the little things like marching into the stadium, taking the field, horns up, etc during the show, at retreat, during an encore, in the lot - where ever. To me these practices are part of these corps' identities. So I can relate to your lamenting the lack of this kind of thing with SCV. :cool:

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Completely agree. When I watched them rehearse in Walnut last year I thought, "Gee, most of the kids are pretty short," as I stood next to the HS stadium pressbox. Then I realized it was because of the technique, particularly when backing up, where the kids "shrank" several inches in height. I imagine this is one of the contributing factors (besides New Era and all that) why SCV no longer marches a stripe and/or white bucs and/or white pants anymore. Sure, the dark pants & shoes hide visual dirt, but Cadets march cream/light shoes...and win. Crown marches cream & light shoes...and will probably win. Same with SOI. I find it telling that you have to go back 25 years to find SCV's last High Visual Award at Nationals, with the marching style and lower uniform of the day.

This is a bit misleading. It appears the statement is blurring winning Visual and winning DCI. I am pretty sure Crown has never won High Visual at the DCI World Championships and while The Cadets did a fantastic job in 2011 and deservedly won this caption it may (???) have been the first such High Visual Award for The Cadets since 1998 or 1999 (???). If you are looking for the uniform (dark bottoms and shoes) and marching style (Cavalier-esque, which interestingly enough was originally patterned off the Santa Clara Vanguard from the early 1980's from what I have read on here) your best bet is to check the High Visual Award placements for The Cavaliers and those have been (like it or not) pretty consistently successful over the last decade (along with The Blue Devils but that is a different technique)

The Cadets are a great group and I always love what they bring to the table and those four most recent titles (1993, 1998, 2005, 2011 - am I forgetting one?) had little to do with white/ cream pants. The Cadets, and Crown, are both groups that are successful for other reasons.

Just by one cent worth of old wisdom

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Also, as an SCV alum, it drives me a little nuts to see the hornline being a little too casual when marching in file to their warm-up spot, etc. Part of me wants to yell, "GET YOUR GAME FACE ON AND GET IN STEP!" I remember being told that the performance begins in the parking lot, so I hope SCV takes that up a notch. By comparison, when Phantom had members walking in pairs from their bus to start filing up, they were locked in and totally marching in step - even if it was just two of them going to the equipment trailer.

As a Vanguard alum, I know what you are talking about. Unfortunately, I think that may be some of the Cavaliers mentality carying over. I have been to Cavie rehearsals and camps and they are definitely more relaxed in all aspects. It works for them, but I just like for my drum corps to be a bit more intense.

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As a Vanguard alum, I know what you are talking about. Unfortunately, I think that may be some of the Cavaliers mentality carying over. I have been to Cavie rehearsals and camps and they are definitely more relaxed in all aspects. It works for them, but I just like for my drum corps to be a bit more intense.

I like the Cavies, but if you want to be one, catch a flight to Illinois ... GO SCV! ;)

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I watched some of their visual warm-up and the corps could've been more on point. Members were making a few too many careless mental errors, not covering down as well as they could, etc. One of their visual instructors gave them an earfull after their visual warm-up. Also, as an SCV alum, it drives me a little nuts to see the hornline being a little too casual when marching in file to their warm-up spot, etc. Part of me wants to yell, "GET YOUR GAME FACE ON AND GET IN STEP!" I remember being told that the performance begins in the parking lot, so I hope SCV takes that up a notch. By comparison, when Phantom had members walking in pairs from their bus to start filing up, they were locked in and totally marching in step - even if it was just two of them going to the equipment trailer.

In all, I'm confident that SCV will be a crowd favorite this year, a few babies will get thrown in the air during "Mars," and I will be rooting for them. GO SCV!

I can see your point on a lot of this. I do have to say though as someone who marched a few years ago, walking from the buses to warm up we didn't march in step. But once stretching was over it was complete game face on.

That being said, after talking to another alum from my years in the corps I am interested to see them in the lot.

until then, just keep marching....

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