2014 Predictions!

[FlamMan]

1.BD

2.Cadets

3.Coats

4.Crown

5.SCV

6.Cavies

7.BK

8.Phantom

9.Boston

10.Madison

11.Blue Stars

12.Crossmen

[Bean]

I'm new here, and I want to get in on the fun. Cards on the table: I admit my Crossmen bias as I have a son in that corps. Having said that, I've been a fan since the 80s, and I'm excited about the quality of the shows this season!

1. BD

2. Bluecoats

3. Cadets

4. Crown

5. SCV

6. Cavaliers

7. BK

8. Phantom

9. BAC

10. Blue Stars

11. Madison

12. Crossmen!

13. Troopers

14. Colts

15. Spirit

I'll leave it there ...

[cjf20]

Crossing fingers

1st, Cadets

2nd, Blue Devils

3rd, Bluecoats

4th, Santa Clara Vanguard

5th, Carolina Crown

6th, Boston Crusaders (i know they can pull it off)

7th, Cavaliers

8th, Blue Knights (possibly higher)

9th, Phantom Regiment

10th, Blue Stars

11th, Crossmen

12th, Madison Scouts

-----------------

13th, Troopers (this makes me sad)

14th, Colts

15th, Spirit of Atlanta

16th, Oregon Crusaders

17th, The Academy

18th, Pacific Crest

19th, Mandarins

20th, Jersey Surf

21st, Cascades

22nd, Pioneer

(I don't feel like adding open class)

[skevinp]

.

As I lack the expertise to predict placements, I will simply predict the events I expect to transpire on finals night:

Crossmen

The Crossmen will be forced to forfeit after several of their members are caught trying to sell ostensibly expensive speakers out of the back of their Caravan.

Madison Scouts

The Scouts will have a rough night due to numerous interruptions by little old ladies who mistake them for bag boys and ask them to carry out their groceries. Due to their “Boy Scout” roots, they will not be able to refuse.

Blue Stars

Unable to pay fines due to numerous code violations, the corps will wake up the morning of finals to find all its props have been repossessed. Thinking quickly, they will dedicate their show to the homeless and enjoy unexpected success.

Boston Crusaders

A swine flu epidemic followed by an outbreak of mad cow disease will decimate BAC’s ranks. With only one member left well enough to perform, they will not score well. As the judges will explain, “300 legs good, 2 legs bad.”

Phantom Regiment

Enchanted by a strong performance, the colorguard will magically turn into real swans. Startled by the drums, the lights, the horns and the crowd, the swans will panic and begin attacking each other. The ensuing bloodbath will take 45 minutes to clean up. A lot of souvenirs will be sold during the delay, but few people will visit the concession stand.

Blue Knights

The announcer will reach the part of the introduction that says “One Second” immediately after the corps is asked if it is ready to perform. As a result, the judges will think the corps is not ready, the entire show will be assumed to be preshow, and no points will be awarded.

Cavaliers

Out for blood on finals night and looking for a killer ending they can really sink their teeth into, the Cavies will reference one of the most popular shows of all time and work Phantom of the Opera into the closer. The newly titled “Music of the Bite” will be a success with most fans, although a few will say it sucks.

Carolina Crown

Hoping to recapture last year’s glory, Crown will add a wormhole into the show, enter it and replay the 2013 show in its entirety. Their newly titled “Now that Tom is out of this world, do you still love me John?” will not do as well as hoped.

Santa Clara

Vanguard will have to shake off considerable distraction when, seconds before the opening of the show, Indianapolis police enter the field and demand removal of some of the props due to local obscenity laws.

Bluecoats

In an effort to max out their theme, Bloo will raise one end of the field 30 feet higher than the other with an impressive feat of engineering. Unfortunately, this will tilt the field opposite from the direction the marchers are leaning, leaving the entire corps to appear completely untilted. GE scores will take a major hit.

Cadets

In an effort to overtake BD, Hopkins will arrange for the current president to appear on finals night, look at the stage and say “Yes we can!” Due to a teleprompter malfunction, he will instead say “Oh no, you didn’t build that!” He will later defend himself by claiming “That is what it said. That is what the teleprompter said.” Judges will be divided along party lines.

Blue Devils

In an effort to enhance the authenticity of the movie experience, BD will add 30 minutes of previews to their show, resulting in a severe timing penalty. They won’t win the medal but will win an Oscar, and will be left to contemplate the futility of existence, wondering whether it was all real or just a dream, or whether there is indeed any difference.

[KVG_DC]

A+++ would read again.

[DrumManTx]

My final prediction of the year, can't believe it's that time.

1) 99.25 - Blue Devils

Felliniesque is masterfully crafted, impeccably performed, and unstoppable. They're going to win, I would be my life savings, what little there is......yay college, on it. If the corps behind them are on fire and so are they, we may have a new record holder. GE scores will be right at or near perfect, same with visual scores. They've also shown they can sweep music. And it's done with a show that is VERY fun, entertaining, and accessible in comparison with what they've done in the past. "La Strada" rivals for my ballad of the year with the Bluecoats. We'll see, congrats on #16, you sure as hell earned it. They've sent a message every year since 2008, if you poke the hornets nest, you better be ready for what happens the season after.

2) The Cadets - 97.95

Promise, An American Portrait as I have probably made it known is a show I'm personally not a fan of. But that's not to discount the Cadets at their absolute best, if you didn't have that Kraken of a corps ahead of them, how many years would this show win? The show is designed very well, their marching is the only corps that rivals the Blue Devils this year, and theysound AMAZING. While I don't enjoy this Cadets offering, I have the utmost respect and and impressed by their performance levels. They're phenomenal this year. And I have to say, the Lincoln section, particularly the end is pretty awesome, I found my moment in the show I like! Love the blue guard costuming here, beautiful.

3) Bluecoats - 97.05

Tilt. What can I say that already hasn't been by the hundreds of thousands of fans this summer already? I'd kill to get crowd reactions like that, that's the true reward, being fan favorite can do amazing things to a corps on championship week. Will they win? No. Will they surge and get silver? I'd say more likely not than yes, but you never know. Regardless, in an era with so many themes, stories, deeper meanings, and messages in shows, what an AMAZING breath of fresh air. Tilt. They took a word that is so simple, so slight in its meaning, and absolute ran away with it. Say what you want about THE moment in the closer, but there's a helluva lot more than that in this amazing show. The intro is sinister, eerie, and fierce. It transitions into a dreamy, contrastingly optimistic and quirky section to close out the front half of the show. The drum feature is awesome, full of Rarick's absolutely amazing arranging and a championship level drumline that has been my favorite since I started following the activity. Then the ballad. Oh my God, "Hymn of Acxiom" is absolutely heart wrenching and beautiful, so simple, yet hits you where it matters. And of course, the closer. Full of energy, phenomenal playing, color, the moment of the year, and closes out with an thermonuclear BANG. A show that will be talked about for ages to come. Congrats on your best season ever, and winning where it matters, with the fans. This is you in your element, don't try to replicate it next year, but don't step too far away form it either. I think our next new champion could be here within 5 years.

4) Carolina Crown - 96.55

You have to wonder if Out of this World came before E=MC2 if it would have been received the same way. I don't think anything they could have done would rival what an absolutely magical year last year was for them. I can see why, it is so similar in construction to last years in many ways, but is that a bad thing? Because these last two weeks, this show has turned into a favorite of the season. The brass as always........is downright AMAZING. The technicality, balance, and emotion in their playing is second to none. They've really added a bunch to this show to make it shine. The intro is awesome and well done, that first note is full throttle high octane POWER. "Interstellar Suite" is full of amazing technical and tight stuff from the brass and some VERY in your face stuff from the percussion. The muffler drum feature is amazingly unique and something I didn't' see coming, and the brass feature.......oh my God. The ballad is GORGEOUS, one of my favorites of the year. And the closer, is glorious, fast, and brings it all home. They took some risks this year, the elephant in the room is obviously the trampolines. And the amount of stuff on the field, you have to give them that, they went for it. It might not have paid off, but they tried. That's not enough to ruin a show to me that is underrated and will be looked at upon in the future. I'm full of wonder as to where they'll go next year. Also, percussion. You took another step forward this year in my eyes, the numbers might have slowed down in recent weeks, but I listened to 2012 the other day.......not even CLOSE to being comparable. I have to wonder if the snares weren't tuned so high where you can hear every nuance and flake that most lines have.....if they'd be scoring a place or two higher. Regardless, another step forward this year.

5) Santa Clara Vanguard - 95.75

Scheherazade: Words 2 Live By is a beautiful and dream state like experience. I do think they could be in 4th, and you never know, but regardless, whoever is in 5th will round out one of the best top 5s I can think of. This show will forever be plagued by the fact that it will be compared to Santa Clara at it's absolute best in 2004, but this is done in a completely different way. Pete Weber's drill is mesmerizing, his non linear sequences seduce your eyes, mix that with a dreamy color palette of white's, cream's, blues, golds, ect., and it is a visual feast. The 2s and SCV that come out of no where are breathtaking, as is the tight quarter drill in the pillows before the closer. Ballad is beautiful as well, that soloist wins for best of the year in my eyes. WOW. The down ending is very well done, almost a homage to 2004, as is the whole show. But that percussion section.......front ensemble especially. This is Rennick in his element, and it might finally be their year after coming so close to winning the drum trophy. It'll be tough, but they're amazing.

6) The Cavaliers - 93.25

When I saw Immortal for the first time back preseason, I knew they were back. After a rough 2 years, they're finally starting to have that swagger and attitude the Cavaliers had in their Golden Years. What a BLAST of a show! "Danse Macabre" is one of my favorite tunes of the year, and not just because of that breath taking Marimba feature, it's a quirky, dark, and playful jam out that gets the crowd going. The ballad this year is another favorite, their treatment of "When I am Laid in Earth" is breathtakingly dark and beautiful. "A Walk on the Water" is everything I wanted it to be, a fantastic ending to a fantastic production. Just a downright fun show, congrats guys, you're back.

7) Phantom Regiment - 91.95

I don't think a show has improved this summer as much as Swan Lake has. The reviews over the last week or so have been a complete turn around, and it sounds like their hornline is starting to become pretty monster heading into championships. It might not be the best Phantom show, but they're taking it and squeezing it for everything in it. The show has more flow to it and continuity that was COMPLETELY lacking in the early season. They've done countless rewrites and changes, including getting rid of those GOD awful tubes, and made it a very enjoyable show. I have to wonder, if you gave this show to someone else, would it have been received better? We'll see what next year brings, but they've done everything they can with it, and I have a feeling this show is going to be a very nice diamond in the rough for some people in the future. Drumline is very improved over the last few years, hope they hold onto Mr. Kuhn!

8) Blue Knights - 91.25

That One Second is a show that could place wherever and I'd still love it. It's an amazingly beautiful show that gets you thinking, and hits you in the heart. It's breathtaking, refreshing, and beautiful. I think they could be 7th, but who cares? When a show touches you like this one does, that doesn't' really matter any more. Another dream state like experience. Not much else to say, just breathtakingly beautiful. The whole show is just an amazing experience.

9) Boston Crusaders - 90.05

Animal Farm was the biggest risk taken this year, and I think it paid off. They have some balls doing a show this difficult and with the message in it, and I absolutely LOVE it. You have to wonder, if they would have taken the notch of insanity down from 12 to 11, if they'd be looking at a top 6 finish. Regardless, this show is a statement. Dark shows are my thing, and this is one of my favorite dark shows ever. The meshing triangles, into the dark and sorrowful company front to finish out the opener is one of my favorite moments of the year. The flugel solo is BEAUTIFUL! The whole ballad is depressingly haunting, and the 30 foot windmill is just amazing symbolism having read the book. The closer is powerful too. A show full of energy. That guard is selling it too, underscored in my opinion. This show is an amazing play on the book and DCI, and I love it. Watch out for these guys next year, they're blood thirsty.

10) Blue Stars - 88.75

I've been a huge Blue Stars fan since day 1. I was on cloud 9 in 2010 with one of my top 3 all time favorite shows, and stuck with them through semi finals in 2012. They didn't give up, last year they revamped what went wrong and fought back in, but with a show I couldn't connect with emotionally, I was worried the Blue Stars I fell in love with were no more. Boy did this show turn it around. I saw a video in late May of some of the hornline playing through the ballad, and I was in love. ....Where the Heart Is is an amazing show for them to pay homage to their 50th Anniversary. They win most improved over the season for me. Early season, while I still loved the show, I was worried they'd end up 12th again with the amount of dirt. But they have cleaned and cleaned for their dang lives and this show is starting to get HOT when it matters! I think it's an incredibly creative and fun show, cute if you will, in the absolute best of ways. The jump suits and moving in, the floorplan, and the drill always going through the doorways is SO COOL! I will admit there's a lot on the field, but it works overall. The ballad is one of the best this year, absolutely beautiful! The closer is full of emotion, and that star set that comes out of no where is another favorite moment of the year for me. The drumline's not as strong as last year, but they're no less aggressive and in your face than when I fell in love with them. The hornline has made HUGE strides over the summer! And that guard.....wow. They're something special. The amount of color and characterization they bring is amazing. It has been a great season, they proved they weren't going to fall on their backs on not fight after 2012, they're back and as strong as ever.

11) Madison Scouts - 87.55

I'll get to the show in a minute, but Madison sounds absolutely AMAZING this year, that hornline is something special, and the drumline is no slouch either. They play the #### out of that show. Say what you will about the show, it does what Madison does best. Time Trip gets the crowd cheering and on their feet, when it comes down to it that's what matters. There's only one problem with this show. If you know the music, they picked WAY too much for the pieces to develop like they need to. That translates visually, if you don't have a long enough phrase or section of music that is allowed to develop, the drill will come across that way. It just doesn't have enough time to develop. That said, they've HUGELY improved the show over the summer,and it has some fantastic moments to showcase their strengths. The theme is there, there's some awesome screamers, and the audience enjoys it. If I know Madison that's their mission, and they accomplished it. If this is them having an off year, they're going to be perfectly fine.

12) Crossmen - 85.95

Alma Giatana: A Gypsy Soul is solid across the board, clean, and full of energy. The only corps I see coming close is the Troopers and if I had to bet, I'd put my money on Bones. I HATED their drill the last few years, I thought it was way too tight, lacked clarity, and didn't clean well. Whoever they got this year, KEEP THEM! This visual program is fantastic! Yes, it's between the 20s, but it is clean, clear, and well designed. Throw on top of that a fabulous guard, a great drumline, and a clean hornline and you have a top 12 show. Some very nice moments in this show, the drum feature in particular. A great 40th anniversary show with all sorts of hints to that throughout. The closer is a little choppy, in particular "Caravan", but it sells well and ends the show with a bang. Great to have them back in the top 12, they are fantastic this year.

Edited August 5, 2014 by DrumManTx

[Magbo]

Madison is going to finish higher than everyone thinks. There is certainly no way that the Crossmen will beat them. And to be honest, I have a problem seeing Boston and Blue Stars ahead of them. I'm hoping they surprise the hell out of all of you fair-weather fans.

[mcjordansc]

Madison is going to finish higher than everyone thinks. There is certainly no way that the Crossmen will beat them. And to be honest, I have a problem seeing Boston and Blue Stars ahead of them. I'm hoping they surprise the hell out of all of you fair-weather fans.

Predicting they will finish below Boston or a Blue Stars has nothing to do with being fans. Simply an educated guess at final placement. They could very well surprise some people.

[HockeyDad]

I'm still sticking with my predictions.

BD

Cadets

Bluecoats

Crown

SCV

BoyWonder - Nailed it. (Maybe)

[boxingfred]

I'm Sticking With My Preseason Picks!

1. Crown- They have to get their percussion in line with the rest of the corps!
2. Devils- Didn't they do a "Felliniesque" show in 2012? But, I doubt they'll fall out of the top 3.
3. SCV- If Scheherazade is as good as it was 10 years ago, They should medal!
4. Cadets- If the Cadets captions are as strong as they were last year, They could land anywhere in the top three.
5. Bloooo- They always seem to be right on the edge of the top 2 or 3 shows!
6. Phantom- Swan Lake is beautiful, Can Phantom make it intense and exciting?
7. Madison- This Should be an Exciting show! Hopefully as exciting as the Madison I remember in the 80's!
8. Cavaliers- ??? I hope they're great. I miss the Cavaliers that competed for titles!
9. Boston- Keeps getting better but, They really have to step out to make the judges take notice!
10. Blue Knights- Seems they can't crawl out of #10
11. Spirit- I see them as high as #9
12. Troopers- Troopers are always my sentimental favorite to make finals
13. Blue Stars- Probably as high as 10.
14. Crossmen- Maybe they'll squeeze into 12?
15. Colts
16. Oregon
17. Crest
18. Academy
19. Mandarins
20. SCVC
21. BDB
22. Surf