ShortAndFast Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 After all the talk about this being an ultra competitive season there is very little suspense heading into finals week. Blue Devils will (and should) win, that is a given. Maybe Cadets and Bluecoats fight for second, but I am doubtful. SCV and Crown, Phantom and BK seem to be two battles that will be decided finals night. Maybe there is some movement between Boston, Blue Stars and Madison. But that is about it. Remarkably, what everyone thought would be up for grabs, the 12-15 range appears the most set in stone. As a matter of fact, among world class corps, I would be surprised if their seedlings, 12 through 22 did not hold next week. Maybe the only suspense is how the open class corps fit in. What a let down. You'll probably see some surprises - every championship week has some movement. But a competitive year can also be one in which lots of groups put out strong products, not necessarily ones where the judges need all year to choose between them. There are five top-tier shows this year, and the fact that the judges seemed to have agreed on #1 doesn't make the other 4 any less awesome. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 This past week I went back and watched one of my all time favorite shows, Spartacus. The Blue Devils had won every single event they played all season long, but it was clear that as the season went on, Phantom Regiment was winning the hearts and minds of fans. Regiment went to Indy having never finished above third all season long, but obviously we know how that ended. Obviously the similarities between the Blue Devils and The Bluecoats is striking. Does anyone recall how far behind PR was going into Indy? They were within a point. The Bluecoats nor the Cadets are even close to that margin. This year is a repeat of 2010 rather than 2008. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mboogey73 Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 They were within a point. The Bluecoats nor the Cadets are even close to that margin. This year is a repeat of 2010 rather than 2008. This. Also, 'Coats has a very good should with plenty of crowd support, but nowhere near what Phantom had in 2008. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleveland1 Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Eh. BD will probably win but we've seen crazy finishes before. SCV isnt too far behind Bloo or cadets. Crown isnt too far behind SCV. I think the cavies to crown gap is too big at this point. Phantom and BK aemre tight. With Boston a regular strong finisher and madison on their heels. Even if placements dont change, we will likely see a change in gaps. And im fine with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mboogey73 Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 The drama this year will definitely be who finishes 2-5. Its anyones guess how 'Coats, Cadets, Crown and SCV round out those spots. Cavies also with an outside chance to finish top 5. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottishfan Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I agree that BD will win and deserve to, but if anyone has a shot at them I think it would be Bluecoats. This is purely based on the frequent comments about how clean Cadets are in their feet already and conversely how Bloo still have a lot of dirt to get rid of. I think that it would take a miracle to clean that much in a week, and see Devils winning by about 1.2 - 1.5 on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peel Paint Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Almost every year DCP gets breathless speculation early in the season about how competitive the last finals spot will be (early in the eason) and breathless speculation all season about how competitive the top 12 will be at finals. And most years, it doesn't play out in the scoring, and this could be viewed as a letdown by those who want to see a lot of corps move around. The typical reality: each week you get closer to finals, the better you can predict the final finish. Typically one or two pairs or trios of closely scoring corps trading captions flip placements, but most corps especially near the top finish as you could have predicted by Atlanta. Most years. There are exceptional years where there's an above average amount of flipping championship week and the final finish looks very different from San Antonio or Atlanta. But... at this point in the year, there's no way to know whether this is a year that will see lots of placement drama as so many still expect or whether what you got is what you're getting. But if every year you bet on few changes from San Antonio and Atlanta to Indy, you'll usually be right. Unless you have a vested interest in your favorite shows placing well--something I don't recommend, because the judging community finds different things to appreciate than most fans--or a tie to a particular corps you want to do well, it really doesn't matter how they finish. What counts is that you personally enjoy most of the shows. That makes for an exciting finals week: the chance to see them all again at peak performance. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crfrey71 Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I agree that BD will win and deserve to, but if anyone has a shot at them I think it would be Bluecoats. This is purely based on the frequent comments about how clean Cadets are in their feet already and conversely how Bloo still have a lot of dirt to get rid of. I think that it would take a miracle to clean that much in a week, and see Devils winning by about 1.2 - 1.5 on Saturday. Every corps has dirt. It's who gets called out for it more than the other corps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcorpsfever Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I couldn't disagree more with lack of suspense. There's suspense aplenty! There's at least one corps last night in Allentown that is Tilting toward the top! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocketman Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Yes but, whenever BD doesn't win in one year, the "kiss and make up" happens the next year (or two). Not a criticism, just an observation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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