perc2100 Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Back in the day we were told that with four corps to an album the number of finalists would have to be divisible by 4. So, 12 made the most sense for finals. Eight were too few and 16 would take too long. Not sure why it is still that way other than tradition. Maybe amount of corps that could fit in retreat as well? What you say sounds really logistical & makes a lot of sense. Perhaps sometimes the simplistic answer = the reason 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 This question has popped up in other threads. It was believed by some that football fields could hold twelve corps in a retreat so twelve was the number and this sounds reasonable. However, the original designation of twelve could have been due to the number of participants since what used to be referred to as "open" shows--those with a prelims and a finals sometimes had eight corps in finals, some ten, others twelve. While I like the tradition of twelve, with prelims and semis, I do not see a reason to increase the number. If anything, it could be argued that the number should be reduced to perhaps ten. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 With 22 WC corps in competition currently, that means over 54% of them are currently making finals. If you add any more corps, almost every corps will make finals, as is the case with Open Class currently, where 85-90% of the corps are making finals(having 13 or 14 corps in competition) Between OC and WC finals approximately 67% of the active corps are making finals. And while there are many years, you could make a case for 14-15 corps being at a level they should maybe make finals, if you add any more corps to finals, then it really doesn't mean anything to make finals. I have even heard some people argue that currently a corps might not even be in the top half of the corps, and they still make finals. I do remember in the past hearing the number being 12 was due to the album/vinyl recordings holding 4 each, as has already been mentioned by several others. So perhaps 8 or 9 Finalist would be a more logical, exclusive cut? Imagine the hellll raised on DCP if that were proposed... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Like DCA: ten in Finals and one or two get left out ... silly. Although I think they have fourteen now. Lately DCA Finals has consisted of the top ten Open Class corps (out of twelve last year and fourteen expected this year) and the top four Class A corps (out of eleven last year and eight expected this year). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Lately DCA Finals has consisted of the top ten Open Class corps (out of twelve last year and fourteen expected this year) and the top four Class A corps (out of eleven last year and eight expected this year). yep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterA Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 So perhaps 8 or 9 Finalist would be a more logical, exclusive cut? Imagine the hellll raised on DCP if that were proposed... Personally I prefer the top 12 as it is, even if it is more than 50% of the corps making it. But if it ever gets below 20 corps competing, I think maybe they should think about changing it. As a fan, I love quarterfinals/prelims with 35 or more corps competing. And love the new semis format with 25 corps moving on. Two great days, with 61 performances. Finals to me is almost a letdown with just 12 corps. So probably 8-10 corps in finals would possibly be more logical, but I wouldn't want to see that happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjordansc Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Are we not ultimately looking to pare things back to seven finalists? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Are we not ultimately looking to pare things back to seven finalists? Well, not "WE". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) I'll say this... the qualification quality to make the Top 12 today is keener perhaps than it has ever been. You can't sit on your laurels. You can't maintain the same level of quality performance. You need to have your Corps get better, as the competition gets stronger each season around you. There are Corps today that finish 13th to 15th or so that not that long ago such quality performance in their Corps might have been a shoo-in to make Finals. But no more. You need to step it up a notch to be assured of a Finals berth these days now. I hope DCI does not add to this number nor cut it. 12 seems just about right to me. Plus, if we change it, DCI will not adjust the pricing to reflect such change in my opinion. They'll probably jack up the pricing if it goes with more Corps in Finals, but not do so if it eliminates 2-5 spots at Finals...... Making the Top 12 has always been a benchmark of success for all but a handful of the Corps that we all know by Memorial Day have a 99.99 % chance of making Finals. I love the competition each summer now of those Corps ranked from around 11th to 15th in late July to see who gets into the coveted Top 12. I'd hate to see that change. Edited June 5, 2014 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortAndFast Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Finals is already a very long event. It's just not practical to add more groups, given all "extras" & full retreat that take place. Most years there's a noticeable step up in achievement somewhere around 13th-15th place, and again around 9th-10th place. Since this does NOT align with 12 corps, it always makes the competition for the 12th place spot very exciting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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