4.15 Jump? 6-10 Scores Lower in Finals?

[Jeff Ream]

Didn't he add Rich last season? there was a noticeable change in programming then.

yup. Rich has had some success in DCi with Coats 00-02, but he's a DCA guy through and through. I was lucky enough to teach with him at the band level for many years, and I'll never doubt him. I've seen him pull championships out of thin air

[brichtimp]

yup. Rich has had some success in DCi with Coats 00-02, but he's a DCA guy through and through. I was lucky enough to teach with him at the band level for many years, and I'll never doubt him. I've seen him pull championships out of thin air

Not knowing Rich, what were the core strengths he brought to the C2 party to get those performance improvements? It seems clear that the tech staff was highly effective in coaching brass, guard and percussion, and the kids really bought into it over the final few weekends.

[BigW]

By my guess, part of it was understanding the younger corps members that needed more development that didn't show up pretty much ready out of the box, and finding the right people who understood this and knew how to work well with them. Also in creating a show that would work well with DCA and with limited rehearsal time.

[Fran Haring]

By my guess, part of it was understanding the younger corps members that needed more development that didn't show up pretty much ready out of the box, and finding the right people who understood this and knew how to work well with them. Also in creating a show that would work well with DCA and with limited rehearsal time.

Good points.... and they certainly have figured all that stuff out.

[Jeff Ream]

Not knowing Rich, what were the core strengths he brought to the C2 party to get those performance improvements? It seems clear that the tech staff was highly effective in coaching brass, guard and percussion, and the kids really bought into it over the final few weekends.

Off season organization. Not having 10 brass holes or more until August. Being able to convince DCI designers that the schedule doesn't allow the time to deep clean, so be smarter about what you write. Helping find talented people to teach.

Many of us have said it: the key is the offseason. Another big thing with him, and the recaps bear this out: he is a fan of cleaning top down. Early season look at effect, then ensemble and then the last month dig in down in the trenches. We always laughed at Mechanicsburg that two weeks before ACCs that the field tech size would double for the last push. But from 89 to 11 with Rich there the program only once ever fell out of the top 5, and won 12 times including 05-10 in a row

Edited September 7, 2016 by Jeff Ream

[BigW]

Also working with a very savvy and well-prepared director at MAHS, Jeff, and also really, really well-run rehearsals. The best rehearsal flow and effort I've seen out of a HS unit ever when I watched one. Meticulous preparation for things going wrong as well. The director had to tell me the soloist was a back-up and the main person was out with Mono. Contingencies well planned for.

I'll just say, quite that level of preparation there is not as present now.

[Jeff Ream]

Also working with a very savvy and well-prepared director at MAHS, Jeff, and also really, really well-run rehearsals. The best rehearsal flow and effort I've seen out of a HS unit ever when I watched one. Meticulous preparation for things going wrong as well. The director had to tell me the soloist was a back-up and the main person was out with Mono. Contingencies well planned for.

I'll just say, quite that level of preparation there is not as present now.

Dunno, at the end they were something pretty special last year

[drsedlak]

I can and would never say "this corps should have won" because the viewer, like me, cannot focus on all captions simultaneously...nor can the judges, which is why we have all of them! We can say which appeals more, which sounds cleaner or looks cleaner from certain spots, but we can't judge the whole.

That being said, what we CAN do is look at the recaps and see if something funny went on...which happened this year at finals. That something funny also accounted for the entire drop in the 5-10 corps scores that is being discussed.

Funny, in this case, is a result that a) hasn't happened all season, b) doesn't come close to the judge adjudicating the identical caption, and c) can be perceived to be trying to call the whole show using spreads.

This has NOTHING to do with any corps and all deserve great praise! The quality this year was great and the placements quite reasonable. This is calling out what I perceive to be a bad apple based on what was put down. JMHO.

[George Dixon]

I can't believe this is a thread.

You guys do realize Cadets 2 had a unique full day rehearsal schedule the final week right?

They got dramatically better during the final 10 days of the season

The basics programs and terrific design were in place to make this possible - along with the strong instructional team

It isn't some conspiracy - it's called hard work meets good planning and proper preparation

Let's give them the congratulations and credit they deserve!

Extremely impressive finals night performance and a wonderful rise to 1st in 5 seasons!

[N.E. Brigand]

That being said, what we CAN do is look at the recaps and see if something funny went on...which happened this year at finals. That something funny also accounted for the entire drop in the 5-10 corps scores that is being discussed.

Funny, in this case, is a result that a) hasn't happened all season, b) doesn't come close to the judge adjudicating the identical caption, and c) can be perceived to be trying to call the whole show using spreads.

Even if you are correct, the placements were the same both nights, so how much difference can one judge really make?

Also, I really don't understand the coy way in which these claims are being made. Be brave, people, and identify the particular judge you're thinking of and give us the specific numbers that you find concerning, and why.