2015 vs. 2016 - Daily Year over Year Comparisons

[ShortAndFast]

My theory about what is happening this year is that the judges are using the criteria on the sheets more and basing their score on the box definitions rather than maybe looking at previous scores as a reference THEN sheet criteria and ranking and rating.

Of course it could just be my nonsensical thinking.

I believe they re-calibrated the boxes a bit during the offseason to reflect the performance levels from 2015. No matter how good corps are in absolute terms, the champion is going to start their year around 70 and finish the year around 98. With 100 as the maximum score and a 7 week season, the scoring can't really work any other way. (if the champion started the year with a 95, you couldn't adequately describe their progress in a system that counts by 0.1; if the champion started at 40 there's not enough room under them to describe the last place open class corps' first show)

So yeah, this year's 75 isn't the same thing as last year's 75. And it's way different from a 75 a decade ago.

[Madcityscout]

Another way to look at this, is to look at the end of June rankings from this season to last season. We can look at this thru the prism that some shows are early in the month, others later in the month, Some shows have full panels, others half panels of various mix of judged captions. We have some Corps doing 7 shows in June, some no shows in June. We have 5-6 minute Corps performances compared to other Corps 11 minute performances. We have dates when Corps do no shows, and we still rank them with corps that have shows that nite. We have different judges mix doing all the shows. Some judges we'll see at Championships this August have not judged at all yet. So anyway, knowing all this, here is what we get thru this exercise: the current DCI World Class Division rankings with the completion of scores and competitions for the month of June, 2016 :

1) Cavaliers

2) Bluecoats

3) Crown

4) Blue Devils

5) Cadets

6) SCV

7) Blue Stars

8) Phantom

9) Troopers

10) Madison

11) Crossmen

12) Blue Knights

13) Colts

14) Boston

15) Academy

16) Pacific Crest

17) Mandarins

18) Pioneer

The other World Class Division Corps must be ranked lower than the Pioneer for June as they get no points in the DCI ( and DCP ) rankings over Pioneer for not getting off their travel buses in June at all.

Now, ..how this compares to June 2015, I'm not really sure, as someone else will have to do that data research so we can adequately compare those scores and rankings from June 2015 with June 2016 here.

[Madcityscout]

At this point in the season this is entertaining at best. We should get a fairly reasonable perspective of placements to start shaping up after the first regional.

[DrumCorpsRadio]

July 1, 2016 -- June 26, 2015

2016 - Oregon Crusaders debut at #19; Cascades debut at #21; Spartans debut at #23; Gold debuts at #27; Columbians debut at #28; Raiders debut at #30; Impulse debuts at #31; Watchmen debut at #32; Thunder debuts at #33; Incognito debuts at #36.

2015 - The Academy debuts at #12; Gold debuts at #23; Watchmen debut at #24; Impulse debuts at #25; Incognito debuts at #27.

[DrumCorpsRadio]

July 2, 2016 -- June 27, 2015

2016 - 7th Regiment debuts at #22; The Battalion debuts at #33.

2015 - Genesis debuts at #22; Legends debuts at #24.

The huge Blue Devils jump in 2016 was nearly matched last year...

[DrumCorpsRadio]

July 3, 2016 -- June 28, 2015

2016 - Music City debut at #21 (#1 in open class).

2015 - Colts Cadets debut at #26; River City Rhythm debut at #29.

[DrumCorpsRadio]

July 5, 2016 -- June 29, 2015

2016 - River City Rhythm debuts at #38. Rain out affects Blue Stars, Carolina Crown, Colts, Pioneer, Troopers.

[cowtown]

Looks like DCI is fixing the scores again by putting on weekend ceilings cap and slotting the number of corps allowed at each trier, score plateau. Easier to do when hiding the caption scores and they had a lot of success driving record Finals week tickets sales by keeping the top corps bunched so more and more

Scores have been low on the weekend then pop at the start of the following week, often with the same show packages so it isn’t the completion. I’ve watched corps stuck at certain thresholds and then boom, big jump after the weekend

A few corps (3) may tickle 80 this weekend but then blow through it next week and we’ll all act like it means something. We’ll also be able to pick out the other caps, looks like a 75 cap as 74 seems to be a sticking point as does 70 due to many corps stalling there. The 65 /68 have been released but the corps held at it haven’t made up ground yet and the lower corps have benefited by looking more competitive than they are by spreads. Looks like they’re playing with the 8-15 to drive more sales this year

And magically at Allentown, they’ll open up (after tickets are bought)

Edited July 6, 2016 by cowtown

[N.E. Brigand]

Cowtown, is what you're describing any different than the tweaks that happen in sports, e.g., when Major League Baseball reduces the size of the strike zone, yielding higher-scoring games?

[BRASSO]

Cowtown, is what you're describing any different than the tweaks that happen in sports, e.g., when Major League Baseball reduces the size of the strike zone, yielding higher-scoring games?

I don't know if the umps actually do this, in order increase higher scoring games... but who knows.

Speaking of Baseball's comparison to DCI placements, man wouldn't we love to see the excitement that their numbers of different teams that win it all compared to DCI ?

Despite the fact that MLB essentially has no team payroll cap, there is double the level of parity in Major League Baseball compared to DCI . Since 2000, 10 different teams have won the Title..... or fully a third of all competitors ( 30 ). By contrast, DCI has had only 5 teams ( half that of MLB ) that have won a Title in this same 15 year time period. DCI is resigned to a lack of excitement that parity in the competition brings in the future too, as its policies implemented will never permit such a similar future parity, imo.

Edited July 6, 2016 by BRASSO